The mobile phone manufacturers Huawei and Honor have been bringing slimmed-down versions of their flagships onto the market for a number of years now and refer to them with the suffix “Lite”. Even if we have a rather negative connotation for the term “Lite” in this country, since we equate “Lite” with “Light”, Lite or 5G cell phones are becoming more and more popular. After all, contrary to expectations, the models are not equipped with low performance and a smaller range of functions.
Lite phones are better than their reputation
A look at the datasheet of current light 5G cell phones makes it clear that nothing is really “light” there. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G, for example, offers an excellent price-performance ratio: For 369 EUR (RRP), you get a stylish smartphone with the latest 5G connectivity combined with a powerful chipset from Qualcomm and a high-resolution triple camera. Of course, the flagship Xiaomi Mi 11 offers even more performance and better components, but if you can be satisfied with the middle class, it is entirely sufficient. We will introduce you to the current models – all of the variants presented include 5G cell phones.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is literally a lite phone: the 6-inch phone is only 6.8 mm thin, making it the slimmest 5G cell phones currently on the smartphone market. But that’s not all: The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G also offers a lot of performance in a handy format. Xiaomi relies on the powerful Snapdragon 780G with 8 GB RAM from Qualcomm, which was developed using the 5-nanometer process. In addition, the 6.55-inch AMOLED screen is not only equipped with a turbo display with a screen refresh rate of 90 Hertz but can also display a billion colors. Despite the cheaper Lite variant, multitasking, mobile working, or Fortnite Mobile can be played without delay. And the camera also delivers a good performance with a 64 MP primary camera and a 20 MP front camera.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G:
- 6.55 “AMOLED dot display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G processor with 5G
- 128 GB internal storage
- Triple camera: 64 MP primary camera, 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 5 MP macro camera
- 20 MP front camera for selfies
- Battery: 4,250 mAh battery, fast charging (30 W)
- Android 11, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
Oppo Find X3 Lite
The Oppo Find X3 Lite 5G is the cheapest model in the current Find X3 range. Nevertheless, the Lite mobile phone offers a high-resolution 6.43 inch AMOLED display that runs with an increased refresh rate of 90 Hertz. With a thin case and flat edges, the smartphone is also very easy to hold. The Snapdragon 765G with 8 GB of RAM is built into the 5G cell phones: Resource-rich applications such as mobile games or streaming, therefore, run smoothly. In terms of the smartphone camera, the Oppo cell phone has four sensors on the back, including a 64-megapixel Sony wide-angle lens as the primary camera. The different camera lenses allow close-up, long-distance and panoramic shots to be captured in the best possible way.
Oppo Find X3 Lite:
- 6.4 “AMOLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 5G
- 128 GB internal storage
- Quad camera: 64 MP primary camera, 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 2 MP macro camera, 2 MP black and white camera
- 32 MP front camera for selfies
- Battery: 4,300 mAh, quick charge function (65 W)
- Android 11, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC
HUAWEI P40 lite
The Huawei P40 Lite is the affordable version of the popular Huawei P40 series and has very long battery life. Huawei promises a maximum talk time of 33 hours with a battery capacity of 4,200 mAh. Therefore, the smartphone would have to hold out for several days until the cell phones battery needs to be recharged. The 6.4 inch LC display has a resolution of 2,310 x 1,080 pixels in Full HD +. This means that the Lite-Handy achieves a pixel density of 403 PPI, which is entirely sufficient for everyday use. In addition, the in-house Kirin 810 ensures fast performance, while the quad-camera with integrated artificial intelligence delivers professional-quality recordings that are well worth seeing. The dual SIM mobile phone is NFC-capable and can be connected to wearables via Bluetooth 5.1.
HUAWEI P40 lite:
- 6.4 “LC display
- HUAWEI Kirin 810 with 5G
- 128 GB internal storage
- Quad camera: 64 MP primary camera, 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 2 MP macro camera, 2 MP bokeh lens
- 16 MP front camera for selfies
- Battery: 4,200 mAh, quick charge function (40 W)
- Android 10, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC
Lite phones from Apple and Samsung
Even if the models from Apple and Samsung do not have the addition “Lite” in their names, both manufacturers also have slimmed-down versions of their standard models: The Galaxy S20 FE is the fan edition of the popular Samsung Galaxy S20 series and is by no means a downgrade, but rather more of a sidegrade. It combines partly better and partly worse components. There is also the iPhone 12 mini from Apple: a 5-inch mobile phone that fits in every pocket and is in no way inferior to Apple’s iPhone 12 in terms of technical data.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Cell Phones
At 6.5 inches, the display of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is even slightly more extensive than that of the “simple” Galaxy S20 variant and provides high-resolution image content with an AMOLED panel. Another highlight is the increased refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which allows apps and mobile games such as Call of Duty Mobile that are open at the same time to run without delay. The 5G cell phone is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor and is therefore also suitable as a gaming mobile phone. With a capacity of 4,500 mAh, the Galaxy S20 FE is also a smartphone with long battery life. The triple camera shoots recordings at the highest level and, with the night mode, can take professional photos and videos even in poor lighting conditions.
The checkbox for the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE:
- 6.5 “super AMOLED display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor with 5G
- 128 GB internal storage
- Triple camera: 12 MP primary camera, 12 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, 8 MP macro camera
- 32 MP front camera for selfies
- Battery: 4,500 mAh, fast charging (25 W), inductive charging (15W)
- Android 10, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
Apple iPhone 12 mini
The iPhone 12 mini weighs only 133 grams and fits in every pocket with a display size of 5.4 inches. According to Apple, the iPhone 12 mini is, therefore, the smallest 5G smartphone in the world. The 5-inch mobile phone with the high-resolution OLED display delivers sharp images, rich colors and high contrasts. When it comes to the refresh rate, Apple relies on the industry standard of 60 Hertz. With the in-house A14 Bionic processor, the Lite mobile phone can be operated very quickly, regardless of whether you are making video calls via the Discord app, Streaming films and series or mobile work while on the go. Apple relies on a high-quality dual camera: 12 MP each are available for the primary camera and the ultra-wide-angle camera. Incidentally, the night mode for the 12 MP front camera is brand new: you can also take selfies in poor lighting conditions.
Apple iPhone 12 mini:
- 5.4 “all-screen OLED display
- Apple A14 Bionic Chip with 5G
- 64 GB, 128 GB or 256 GB flash memory
- Two camera system with 12 MP ultra-wide-angle and wide-angle lens
- 12 MP front camera for selfies
- iOS 14, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
Conclusion: Lite phones are good value for money
Lite cell phones are the perfect option if you are toying with the flagships of cell phone manufacturers, but the budget is just not enough. Although the younger siblings are inferior to the premium smartphones in a few technical components, they provide high performance, high-resolution screens and also in terms of connectivity to date. In addition, the models presented are on the same phones with a good camera. The price-performance ratio is convincing. Therefore, you shouldn’t be put off by adding a “Lite”, “mini”, or “Fan Edition” to your name.
