Why it matters to you
More than just a name update, the 2017 version of the P8 Lite gets new tech, a sleek design, and a low price tag.
Huawei is bringing the P8 Lite into 2017. The company has unveiled a refreshed version of the smartphone, with upgrades in both the hardware and the design departments. The design is especially appealing, giving the phone a sleek and simplistic look, and doing away with outdated design trends featured on the original P8 Lite, including the super-square look. The new device also features a glossy look, similar to the iPhone 7’s Jet Black finish.
Where to buy one?
So where will the phone be available? It’ll launch in various European markets at the end of January for 239 euros (about $254 U.S.), and on February 1 in the U.K. through the Vodafone network. The P8 Lite 2017 will cost 185 British pounds on Pay As You Go, or with a two-year contract with prices starting at 16 British pounds per month. Initially, you’ll need to visit a Vodafone retail store to find the P8 Lite 2017, but it’ll come to Vodafone online soon.
A U.S. release hasn’t been announced.
More: Everything you need to know about the Huawei Mate 9
How about the features?
The P8 Lite 2017 isn’t a flagship phone, so it’s not going to challenge the awesome Mate 9 or P9, but it has more than just good looks going for it. The new phone features a 5.2-inch IPS display with a 1080p resolution, that’s covered in a 2.5D curved piece of glass. The glass comfortably curves around the edges of the device, for a great in-hand feel.
Huawei’s own Kirin 655 chip — an octa-core A53 processor, coupled with a Mali-T830MP2 GPU — provides the power with 3GB of RAM, and a somewhat disappointing 16GB of storage. Thankfully, there’s a microSD card slot on board, so you can expand upon that 16GB.
When it comes to the cameras, the device features a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture, phase detection auto focus, and a larger pixel size for improved low-light performance. The 8-megapixel front-facing camera has an f/2.0 aperture, face recognition, and a collection of filters and selfie modes. The battery on the device is a non-removable 3,000mAh battery which Huawei promises will last more than a day and a half before needing a recharge.
There’s great news on the software front. The P8 Lite 2017 runs the latest and greatest version of Android, Android 7.0 Nougat, and has Huawei’s vastly improved EMUI 5 user interface over the top. Forget older Huawei software efforts, this one is considerably faster and more intuitive, plus it learns your preferences to help maintain its speed over time. Finally, there’s a fingerprint sensor on the back of the P8 Lite 2017.
Article originally published on 01-13-2017. Updated on 01-26-2017 by Andy Boxall: Added in news of the P8 Lite 2017’s release in the U.K., and completed the specification list.