The Huawei P20 Lite was once a hot choice in the budget smartphone market. Sleek, stylish, and full of features—it promised a flagship feel without breaking the bank. But that was back in 2018. Now, years later, it’s time to see how it really holds up in the long run. Let’s dive into a long-term review that’s easy to read and fun to follow.
TL;DR
The Huawei P20 Lite still looks good and works fine for basic tasks. The screen is sharp, the battery life is okay, and it handles daily use well. However, it’s no match for newer phones when it comes to speed, camera quality, or update support. It’s a solid backup or budget pick in 2024—but not more than that.
Design & Build Quality
Let’s start with how it feels in your hand. The P20 Lite still looks pretty slick even today. Its glass back and aluminum frame give it a premium feel. It’s slim, light, and easy to handle with one hand—something many new phones forget about.
But those shiny looks come with some weakness. The glass back loves fingerprints, and it can shatter if dropped just once. No Gorilla Glass protection here.
Ports and buttons are in all the right places. You get a headphone jack (yay!) and USB-C (nice!). Even after years, the physical buttons still feel clicky and firm.
Display
The 5.84-inch IPS LCD screen is one of the phone’s stronger sides. It’s full HD+, so things look sharp and clean. Colors are decent, though not super vibrant. Blacks aren’t deep like OLED, but that’s expected at this price.
In bright sunlight, the display struggles a bit. You’ll find yourself squinting more often than not. Still, watching videos and browsing the web is fine. Bezels are fairly thin, and the small notch feels tame compared to some monsters out there.
Performance Over Time
Here’s where time starts to show. The Huawei P20 Lite runs on the Kirin 659 chip with 4GB of RAM. It was acceptable in 2018. It feels sluggish today.
Basic stuff like texting, browsing, and watching videos? No problem. Switching between apps, opening big files, or playing games? Get ready to wait, or just give up. It lags often, gets warm, and sometimes crashes apps if you push it.
The lack of major software updates hurts too. Huawei’s EMUI skin didn’t age well. It’s a bit clunky, and you miss out on new Android features.
Camera Performance
The dual camera setup – 16MP main and 2MP depth – was decent back then. In 2024, not so much. Photos in good light still look okay, even pleasant. But low-light snaps? Grainy, blurry, and washed-out.
The depth sensor is more for show than for better photos. Don’t expect stunning bokeh shots. Video recording is locked at 1080p without stabilization. Shaky footage is the norm.
For quick social media shots, it does the job. Just don’t expect miracles or modern camera magic.
Battery Life & Charging
The 3000 mAh battery sounded fine back in the day. Today, it’s just okay. If you’re a light user—texts, calls, and casual browsing—it’ll get you through the day. But heavy use drains it fast.
Thankfully, it supports 18W fast charging, which fills up the battery in about 90 minutes. Not bad at all. But forget about wireless charging—this is an older budget phone, after all.
Software & Updates
This might be the weakest part now. The P20 Lite launched with Android 8 and got EMUI 9.1 later. That’s it. No more updates. No Android 10, 11, or beyond.
So app support might become a problem over time. Security updates stopped years ago. If you care about privacy and new features, this is not the phone for you anymore.
Storage & Extras
It comes with 64GB of storage, which was generous at its launch. Now? It’s tight. Especially with bigger app sizes and media files. Luckily, it has a microSD slot. That saves the day.
Face unlock is there, but it’s not super secure. The rear fingerprint scanner is fast and reliable, though. No stereo speakers, just one at the bottom. It’s okay for calls and casual video watching.
Still Worth It?
If you already own it and you’re happy, that’s great. It can still manage light duties. As a second phone, it’s fine. As your main daily driver in 2024? Not quite.
- No security updates
- Sluggish performance
- Outdated camera
There are better budget phones around now. Brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and even Samsung offer more for less—faster chips, more RAM, better software, and long-term support.
What Has Aged Well?
- The design – still stylish and comfortable
- The display – clear and colorful enough
- Fingerprint scanner – fast and accurate
What Has Not Aged Well?
- Performance – slow and laggy with new apps
- Camera – struggles with anything other than daylight
- Software support – no updates, no fixes
Final Thoughts
The Huawei P20 Lite had its time to shine. It was a great choice in 2018, maybe even 2019. But four+ years later, it’s showing its age hard.
Today, it’s best used as an emergency phone or a beginner’s first device. It’s not for gamers, photographers, or power users anymore. Its sleek design can still turn heads, but under the hood, it’s running on fumes.
Huawei made a solid phone, no doubt. But better options are out there now. It’s time to say goodbye—or keep it as a backup in the drawer.