Honor 9 or 9 light - in which case you can save?
Today in the market of mobile devices there is a trend after the release of one model to update it and release it with a prefix to the main name. Sometimes the device is more powerful, and sometimes its characteristics are reduced. The user has a reasonable law - what has changed, and which of the two devices should be purchased. Today there are two models - Honor 9 and Honor 9 light, a comparison of which will allow you to understand whether it is worth paying for a powerful device or you can limit yourself to a light version.
Specifications
Traditionally, a review of devices will begin with the characteristics. They are presented in the table below.
Specifications | Honor 9 | Honor 9 lite |
Dimensions, weight | 147.3 * 70.9 * 7.45 mm, 155 grams | 151 * 71.9 * 7.6 mm, 149 grams |
Materials | Metal + glass | Metal + glass |
Screen | IPS, 5.15 inches, FHD, Gorilla Glass 3 | LTPS, FHD +, 5.65 inches |
OS | Android 7, EMUI 5.1 | Android 8, EMUI 8 |
Chipset | Kirin 960, eight-core, 4 * 2.4 GHz, 4 * 1.8 GHz | Kirin 659, eight-core, 4 * 2.36 GHz, 4 * 1.7 GHz |
Graphics coprocessor | Mali G71 MP8 | Mali T-830 |
RAM / ROM | 4 / 64GB + microSD | 3 / 32Gb + microSD 256 Gb |
Interfaces | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, GPS, Glonass, NFC, IR | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, GPS, Glonass, NFC |
Cameras | 20 + 12 Mp, 8 Mp | 13 + 2 Mp, 13 + 2 Mp |
Battery | 3200 mAh, QuickCharge | 3000 mAh, QuickCharge |
A comparison of Huawei Honor 9 and 9 light should be started with the fact that the second device came out later than the main model. What this was done for is not difficult to understand. At Huawei, they took the tendency to update many of their devices in order to put on them the nowadays FullView displays, namely - make frameless smartphone. In addition, the company decided to simplify the device. The processor is weaker, less ROM and RAM. The result is a smartphone that does not require any special development costs. Naturally, the model is cheaper than the main device, which allows you to be present immediately in the expensive and middle price segment. Not without design changes, let's move on to it.
Huawei Honor 9
Design
At one time, Honor 9 was positioned as a flagship. This affected the design and hardware. The older model is created from metal and glass combinations, the latter consists of several nano layers. At the exit, the case shimmers in the sun, and it all looks really beautiful. Honor 9 light from this point of view was easier, but it had no effect on his appearance. It also uses glass, but it does not overflow. Of the minuses - scratches are noticeable, and prints it becomes covered faster. Despite this, the smartphone looks beautiful.
If we compare Honor 9 and Honor 9 Lite in the forehead, we have the following. Lite has smaller frames, this is not surprising, because the main positioning of the smartphone is frameless.. The light version has a touch button with a scanner, now it is on the back of the device. On top, everything remains, as before - the speaker, two camera modules, sensors. Honor 9 has one front-facing camera - this is a significant difference. Both devices have rounded edges, from this point of view they are similar.
If we talk about the location of the elements on the ends, then everything is almost the same, only the younger model has an additional microphone not at the top, but at the back, the IR port also disappeared. The bottom end - a speaker, microphone, jack for power and headphones. On the left is a combo slot. Right - the volume rocker and power.
Important! From the back, Honor 9 Lite is distinguished not only by the presence of a finger scanner, but also by the camera module. If 9-ki has two round eyes of the camera, they are located separately from each other, then at 9 Lite they are combined into one element and protrude above the body. In this case, it looks more like Honor 10.
Another difference is no laser autofocus, and between the flash and the camera an additional microphone.
The ergonomics of the phones are about the same. At the same time, 9 Lite is slightly thicker and larger in size. But the weight of the model below. In terms of operation, both devices behave well. The difference is that Lite more brand, and it will have to be worn in a case. The iridescent coating of the 9-ki smoothes some flaws that may appear on the body when worn without a case. Design in both models is good, everything is an amateur, but if we talk about originality, then the simplified version still gives some secondary. Both phones have effective anti-reflective coating, protection Gorilla Glass 3.
Screen and battery
The next difference between Honor 9 and Honor 9 Lite is the screens. They are made on the same technology, but the younger device has a larger diagonal, and the resolution is expected to be higher. In general, the perception of the displays is the same, there are no particular differences, but there is a slight difference in the settings. The larger device has several options for setting the resolution - FHD +, HD + and smart resolution. It is made for battery saving: the lower the resolution, the longer it will live.
The general opinion about the displays: good viewing angles, brightness margin, eye protection mode against ultraviolet radiation. In summer, the picture is visible in the sun, it does not blind in the dark. At a very large angle, colors begin to distort, but in real conditions no one is looking at the phone like that.
By battery models have almost identical parameters. Capacity 9 Lite - 3000 mAh, which is 200 amps less than the 9-ki. Work time is generally not different. About 30 hours at medium loads, 4 hours of games, 8 hours of movies.
Important! Honor 9 Lite vs Honor 9 loses in the quick charge setting. In Lite, a full charge takes about 2.5 hours, the older device will cope with the task in less than 2 hours.
Performance and Memory
Honor 9 vs Honor 9 Lite is a comparison not only of the design, but, first of all, of the processor. And here more old device at times more powerful. This is indicated not only by reviews and reviews, but also by the results of synthetic tests.
Important! If Honor 9 scores about 160 thousand points, then Lite 9 hardly falls to 70 thousand points. Despite this, the device is quite smart, does not slow down, the games start and behave quite well.
In this case, you can ask the question - what's the difference? The fact is that Kirin 960, which stands in 9-ke, works better with wireless networks, allows you to shoot and work with 4K content, longer will produce high results. The lightweight version will no longer cope with the games.
The issue of processor performance often worries customers: why buy a device with a more powerful chipset, if the previous version does everything without problems. The thing is aging rates. The development of computer technology is proceeding at such a pace that you can buy a phone, go out of the store, and it is already outdated. This is certainly a joke, but there is some truth in it. If the device is bought for several years, then you should not save. The next moment Light loses is memory: the ratio of 3/32 GB is naturally worse than 4/64 GB. And if the drive can be expanded at the expense of a memory card, then nothing can be done with speed. 3 gigabytes is not so little, but today it takes more.
Camera
Readers may have noticed that the model with the Light prefix has as many as four cameras instead of three, like a simple nine. For what we need dual cameras, we all know - blur the background, that is bokeh effect. Huawei this function works quite well, although some complaints remain. The device does not always make the blur accurate.
A double camera at the back is already a familiar element, but we had to install two modules in the front for a marketing ploy. In general, this is not bad, but there is no special meaning, just for pampering. If you recall the reviews of Honor 9, then there they all unanimously declared - one of the best cameras on the market. On a five-point scale, it can be assessed on a solid top five, and in all respects - selfie, video, night and day shooting, bokeh.
Honor 9 Lite is not so rosy: the bokeh turns out worse, the selfie pulls on a solid 4-ku, the camera module has a smaller angle than the 9-ki, the video is very mediocre, just FHD, and not the best. At night, a lot of noise and artifacts. Thus, it turns out that there are more cameras, but less of them.
Important! Another difference is that the modules in front and behind consist of a color and black and white matrix. And if at Honor 9 it was possible to choose which one to shoot, which affects the photo resolution, then at Lite they work only together.
Heritage from Honor 9 - live photos (short clips) analogue of Live-photo from Apple. The overall camera rating in Lite is 3.5. But this is in comparison with the camera of the older device. If you look at the photos of phones from other manufacturers in the same price list, the picture of the Honor 9 Lite in some cases will be even better.
Conclusion
Which Honor is better - 9 or 9 Light? Obviously, 9. The advantage will be on the camera, charging time, performance, memory. That is, all the basic parameters in Honor 9 is better. This is logical, because 9 Lite was created as a light version and costs less. The price of devices is 21 and 15 thousand, the difference is 6 thousand rubles.
Huawei Honor 9 lite