Honor’s midrange competitor Honor 9 Lite has just arrived in India, and it made the existing phones look antiquated. Honor 9 Lite is priced at ₹13,999 and there’s the popular midranger Xiaomi Mi A1 that holds the same price. We put the two devices against each other side by side to compare which one is better.
Honor 9 Lite vs Xiaomi Mi A1 – Specs Comparison
[table id=136 responsive=flip /]
Talking about the internals of both the phones, the Honor 9 Lite is powered by Kirin 659, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage with microSD support. The Xiaomi Mi A1 is powered by Snapdragon 625 with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The performance is merely identical and won’t be noticeable in the real world scenarios.
Quad Cameras (Two Dual Cameras) – Honor 9 Lite
Honor 9 Lite features quad cameras, two on each side. The front side equips a dual-camera setup (13 MP + 2 MP) with hardware-level bokeh effects while the rear side comes with dual 13 MP + 2 MP camera aided by a single LED flash.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mi A1 offers dual 12 MP + 12 MP cameras with dual-tone LED flash and 5 MP camera on the front side. The main purpose of the dual cameras is to produce the bokeh effect in the background and focus on the object. Xiaomi Mi A1 takes one of the best daylight bokeh shots with its dual cameras whereas the Honor 9 Lite isn’t far from it. The Honor 9 Lite is also backed up with camera features.
Bezel-less Design, 18:9 Display – Honor 9 Lite
The main difference in both the phones is the display size, the Xiaomi Mi A1 sports a 5.5-inch display whereas the Honor 9 Lite has a widescreen 5.-65-inch with 18:9 aspect ratio. The display on the Honor 9 Lite looks clean and bigger than usual, the bezels on the sizes are minimized. This eventually offers a better viewing experience on Honor 9 Lite, while the Mi A1 is still messing around with the bezels.
Metallic Build, USB Type-C, IR Blaster – Xiaomi Mi A1
In terms of design, the Xiaomi Mi A1 not only looks premium but feels premium due to its metallic unibody design. The all-metal slim design and matte back (that’s not prone to fingerprints) simply give a good impression.
On the other hand, the Honor 9 Lite looks stylish due to its glass body and huge screen, yet the design uses plastic frames on the sides that certainly doesn’t stack up against the Mi A1 metallic body, however, the glass body surely adds to the looks of the Honor 9 Lite.
Other than that, added features include a type-C USB port and an IR Blaster for controlling infrared-enabled devices. Honor 9 Lite misses out these extra things on it.
Android Oreo based EMUI 8.0 – Honor 9 Lite
The new EMUI 8.0 is now Android Oreo based and it’s packed with features that stock interface usually lacks. On the Xiaomi Mi A1, there are no additional features other than the stock provided whereas the EMUI 8.0 on Honor 9 Lite is stuffed with plenty of features including dual apps, gestures support, camera features, and other built-in functionalities.
The Honor 9 Lite has already received the Oreo update, but we are yet to see the same on the Xiaomi Mi A1. The XIaomi Mi A1 runs on Android Nougat with version 7.1.2. For now, the Honor 9 Lite is ahead in terms of software features.
Conclusion – Honor 9 Lite Adds the Overall Value
For ₹10,999, the Honor 9 Lite offers a FullView 18:9 display, glass body, dual cameras on both the sides and Android Oreo out-of-the-box, there’s nothing more to ask. Adding the 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage to it competes with the Xiaomi Mi A1.
Even though Honor 9 Lite misses the key factors like a metallic unibody as well as things like USB type-C and IR Blaser, the Honor 9 Lite is still value for money for what it offers. The Honor 9 Lite just sits in the affordable mid-range segment and covers all the aspects making it one of the best smartphones for its price.
If you are planning to spend ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 on a phone and if looks and camera are your primary criteria for choosing the phone, then you should definitely consider the Honor 9 Lite.
