honor 9 Lite is probably the best-looking smartphone under RM800

This post is brought to you by honor.

Affordable phones are getting better and 2018 marks the year of Full View smartphones. Screens are getting bigger, but they don’t feel big in the hands thanks to vanishing bezels. If you’re looking for a phone that’s compact to hold without compromising on performance and camera, the honor 9 Lite is probably the best all-rounder you’ve been looking for.

Exquisite Design with a Cinematic Display

The moment you pick up the honor 9 Lite, the first thing you’ll notice is its mesmerising glass back. Integrated with its nano-scale optical coating with a 12-layer process, it offers a beautiful mirror-like effect for a more upmarket appearance. Holding everything together is a slim Patterned Physical Vapor Deposition frame that blends well together with its glass exterior.

In front, it gets a compact 5.65” Full View display that pushes a Full HD+ resolution of 2160×1080. That’s a pixel density of 428 ppi (pixels per inch) which is even higher than some flagship smartphones. Thanks to its thin bezels, the honor 9 Lite offers a larger 18:9 cinematic viewing experience on a device that’s roughly the size of a typical 5.2” smartphone.

The 18:9 Full View display also empowers you to do more on a compact smartphone. The one-touch split screen function allows you to run two apps side by side with a much larger viewing area. Imagine being able to reply to WhatsApp messages or emails while watching a YouTube video uninterrupted.

Quad-cameras with Stunning Bokeh effects

The honor 9 Lite is also packed with impressive camera features and it has a total of four cameras. In front, it has 13MP + 2MP dual-cameras that can shoot professional looking selfies with natural bokeh effects. There’s also beautification mode and you can adjust the beauty level to your own liking.

It gets even better at the rear as it also packs a 13MP + 2MP camera combo. Not only you can take portrait shots with bokeh effects, there’s even an option for you to adjust the aperture level for the best effect.

For hassle-free selfies with a single hand, the honor 9 Lite has gesture controls where it can automatically countdown to take the shot when it sees the palm of your hand. If you’re taking a group picture, you can use the wide-angle panorama function so that you won’t miss anyone in your group selfie. Just turn on panorama mode, take the first shot in the middle and then slowly angle the phone to the left and to the right to include the rest of your party.

Premium Performance for everyone

The honor 9 Lite runs on a powerful 2.36GHz Kirin 659 processor that comes with 3GB of RAM for a smooth user experience. Since it’s based on a 16nm fabrication process, the honor 9 Lite processor is optimised for great battery life allowing you to last up to a whole day on a single charge.

For quicker access, the honor 9 Lite comes with a fourth-generation fingerprint identification technology which unlocks in just 0.25 seconds. With machine learning, the more you use your phone, the faster it gets in recognising your fingerprint. For greater peace of mind, it uses a chip-level security to keep your biometric information safe.

Latest Android 8.0 Oreo with intelligent EMUI 8.0

Out of the box, the honor 9 Lite runs on the latest Android 8.0 Oreo. With its EMUI 8.0 custom interface, you can expect faster app loading and better control on background processes for an efficient use of battery.

For a better single-handed use, the honor 9 Lite has a new Navigation Dock which you can drag anywhere on the screen. A single tap will let you go back while long pressing it brings you back to home. Dragging the dock left or right will trigger the Recent tasks screen.

There are a couple of small touches on EMUI 8.0 that will enhance your user experience. The Full View display has a Smart landscape mode for a better split screen experience and it comes with an anti-mistouch function to avoid power wastage and unintended usage.

For a more comfortable usage at night, there’s an Eye comfort mode that reduces harmful blue light. This will lessen the strain on your eyes especially when you’re using the phone for a long period of time. Taking a screenshot on the honor 9 Lite is made easier with its 3-finger screenshot gesture. This can be enabled under Smart Assistance settings.

Finally, the honor 9 Lite also gets Face Unlock for a more convenient way of accessing your phone. If you’re using gloves or having wet fingers, this allows you to unlock the honor 9 Lite with a simple glance.

The honor 9 Lite is officially priced at RM659 and it’s available on honor Malaysia, Shopee and at these authorised dealers throughout Malaysia. The device comes in either in Sapphire Blue and Glacier Grey.