Huawei's sub-brand Honor has been in a spree to launch devices which come with minor changes yet fulfill the basic requirements along with resorting to recent trends. The Honor 7X was announced last month and was meant to compete with Xiaomi's and Samsung's offerings although the updated Xiaomi's Note and the next gen J series haven't been announced yet providing Huawei an added advantage. The Honor 9i was their first mid-range device to boast the newer aspect ratio (18:9) followed by the Honor 7X which falls under the budget category. The Honor 9 Lite, another budget device from Huawei, strangely competes with the 7X itself considering the pricing and here, in this post we will be taking a look at their differences.
| SPECS | Honor 7X | Honor 9 Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.93 inch IPS LCD 2.5D curved glass | 5.65 inch IPS LCD 2.5D curved glass |
| Resolution | 2160×1080 (18:9) | 2160×1080 (18:9) |
| SOC | HiSilicon Kirin 659 (4+4 Cortex A53 cores) 2.36gHz + 1.7gHz |
HiSilicon Kirin 659 (4+4 Cortex A53 cores) 2.36gHz + 1.7gHz |
| GPU | Mali T830 MP2 | Mali T830 MP2 |
| RAM and storage | 3GB RAM - 32GB storage 4GB RAM - 64GB storage expandable upto 256 GB |
3GB RAM - 32GB storage 4GB RAM - 64GB storage expandable upto 256 GB |
| Rear camera | Dual 16+2 MP f/2.2 | Dual 13+2 MP f/2.2 |
| Front camera | 8MP | Dual 13+2 MP |
| Video recording | 1080p at 30FPS | 1080p at 30FPS |
| Battery | 3340 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4gHz |
Bluetooth 4.1 WiFi 802.11 b/g/n 2.4gHz |
| Sensors | Accelerometer Proximity ambient light compass |
Accelerometer Proximity ambient light compass |
Physical features:
The first and the most prominent difference lies in the screen size. The 7X comes with a 5.9 inch 1080p display whereas the 9 Lite comes with a 5.65 inch 1080p display, both featuring an 18:9 aspect ratio coupled with 2.5D curved glass. The smaller footprint makes the 9 Lite more pocket friendly although the larger screen on the 7X would be appealing to many. Apart from the screen, the physical design also varies including an additional camera sensor to the front which is the selling point of the 9 Lite dubbed as having 4 cameras. The fingerprint sensor on both the devices are located to the rear along with the dual cameras and the flash. The Honor 7X and the 9 Lite come with a single speaker located to the bottom along with the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the micro USB port. The Honor 7X boasts a metallic body whereas the Honor 9 Lite is covered in glass with 2.5D curved spectrum to the rear too. The physical dimensions of both in terms of thickness remains the same at 7.6mm.
Performance and internals:
Speaking of the internals, the 7X and the 9 Lite possesses Huawei's own 16nm based HiSilicon Kirin 659 SOC which comes with 8 Cortex A53 cores with 2 clusters of 4 each clocked at 2.36 GHz and 1.7 GHz. The GPU used is Mali T830 MP2. This combination of CPU and GPU does provide decent performance however heavy gaming is where the combo lacks due to the mediocre GPU. Overall, the day-to-day usage should remain hassle free. Both these devices come in 2 variants consisting of 3GB RAM - 32GB storage and 4GB RAM - 64GB storage.
The Honor 7X comes with Android Nougat out of the box whereas the 9 Lite comes with Android Oreo which is the plus point over the 7X although it will be getting the Android Oreo update. Both these devices run on Huawei's own EMUi with the 9 Lite having EMUi 8.
Camera:
Camera:
The camera configuration is where these devices differ with the Honor 7X boasting dual rear cameras and a single front facing camera whereas the 9 Lite comes with 2 at the rear and 2 at the front. The Honor 7X comes with 16 MP sensor along with 2 MP sensor where the former is a regular RGB lens and the latter, monochrome. This combination is similar to the Honor 9i. The monochrome sensor helps in enabling the depth effect along with capturing portrait shots. The front facing camera is of 8 MP capable enough to capture good selfies.
The Honor 9 Lite comes with 13MP RGB sensor along with a 2MP monochrome sensor which functions in the same way as in the 7X. The front facing cameras are a highlight since it comes with 2 lenses of 13 and 2 MP where the 2MP lens is again monochrome. This will help in capturing details and the portrait shots from the front facing cameras.
Battery:
Coming to the battery, the Honor 7X comes with a 3340 mAh capacity whereas the Honor 9 Lite possesses a lesser 3000 mAh capacity. Both these devices do not support fast or any forms of quick charging which is still void in many other budget devices. The practicality of the screen on time will vary from user to user depending on the usage.
Now, the question arises - what to choose? Well, from the differences it is obvious that if you prefer smaller devices then the Honor 9 Lite is the way to go. Similarly, for slightly better rear camera shots, the Honor 7X will be better however the Honor 9 Lite doesn't fall short. For better selfies, the Honor 9 Lite will be better. The slightly larger battery capacity on the 7X should theoretically provide better battery life than the Honor 9 Lite although as said earlier, the smaller screen size and the usage will eventually decide the result.
The Honor 7X retails for Rs. 12999 (3-32GB) and Rs. 15999 (4-64GB). It is available in Blue, Black and Gold color variants via Amazon India.
The Honor 9 Lite retails for Rs. 10999 (3-32GB) and Rs. 14999 (4-64GB). It is available in Blue and Black color variants via Flipkart.
What would you prefer and why ? Do let us know.