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Verdict
The Huawei P9 Lite is a well-rounded and accomplished phone, but one that feels without a place. It’s affordable without being truly great value for money, and features a set of specs and overall performance that is good without ever troubling the realms of greatness.
In such a competitive part of the market, it’s a phone that fails to stand out from the competition without ever doing anything wrong.
Who's this for?
A phone for the masses, the Huawei P9 Lite is for those who are after an affordable phone that focuses on style as much as substance.
It’s a phone that will please those upgrading from a device more a couple of years old, and who aren’t as aware of how standards have risen in the affordable phone sector.
Should you buy it?
If you’re after a phone with a solid screen and decent design, the Huawei P9 Lite is a credible option. It’s not the best though. Devices such as the Moto G4 Plus and Wileyfox Swift 2 X are similarly affordable, and arguably better.
If you want a phone that looks like it could be a flagship device, it’s worth considering. It packs all the features you’ll want and need, just without ever truly wowing.
The Huawei P9 Lite has plenty of similarly priced competition, including some from Honor - Huawei's sister company. Here are three prime alternatives.
Moto G4 Plus
Similarly priced and with a better battery life, the Moto G4 Plus is a brilliant alternative to the P9 Lite.
It might not come close on a design front, but beneath the surface this is a cleaner, less cluttered phone and one that hits all the right feature list check points.
- Read our full Moto G4 Plus review
Wileyfox Swift 2 X
One of our favorite affordable phones right now, the Wileyfox Swift 2 X is a checklist of everything you could want and need from a smartphone, all wrapped up in a body that won’t break the bank.
It has a better camera than the Huawei P9 Lite and an even nicer design, yet won’t cost you any more than Huawei’s offering. It’s a star from a little-known manufacturer.
- Read our full Wileyfox Swift 2 X review
Honor 6X
A phone that fails to compromise, the Honor 6X is possibly the P9 Lite’s closest comparison. It’s got the edge though with a slick metal build partnered with a beautiful 5.5-inch Full HD display.
Just slightly pricier than the P9 Lite and with a similar spec and identical UI, it’s the 6X’s dual-lens camera that could give it the edge for certain users.
- Read our full Honor 6X review
First reviewed: February 2017
