Huawei Mate 20 Lite vs P20 Lite vs Honor Play | Side-by-side

We compare Huawei's Mate 20 Lite with the P20 Lite, plus the Honor Play - what's the difference between these EMUI smartphones and which is best for camera tech, specs, speed, battery life and beyond?
The Mate 20 Lite is the first of Huawei's new Mate 20 smartphone series to launch in the UK. Here we stack it against the earlier P20 Lite which launched in May 2018, as well as the fresh new Honor Play (Player Edition).
The Mate 20 Lite and Honor Play are very similar - 6.3-inch screen, 3750mAh battery and EMUI 8.2. However, the Honor Play boasts stronger performance, while the new Mate offers two dual-lens cameras, one front and one back. The P20 Lite is the most basic speed-wise, and more compact than the others - although the battery life is still strong.
Which of these Huawei/Honor mobiles are you most tempted by? Let us know in the comments below and check out my Mate 20 Lite unboxing over at Recombu - and my 24 hour review here on Tech Spurt. Subscribe for more on the very best Huawei and Honor Phones!

[@NayNay1991x]

Just got my mate 20 lite and it's brilliant and the battery life is immense.

[@abdelkhaliqahmad8643]

please make a camera comparison and compare the picture of each

[@dzikuseq.4804]

Team huawei mate 20 lite

[@jorimvanhoovels9873]

I have a little question, what is the best phone at the moment? I would like to buy me a new phone, but I don’t know wich one. I was considering the Huawei Mate 20, is this a good choise?

[@tmmarketing7973]

I have huawei maimang 7 latest version of mate 20 lite and very much i like this phone, bcx of its perfect cmra work and long time battery

[@TheFaisalq2010]

I live in uk bought my mum p20 lite and its had a software update which allows you to hide the notch 👍🏼

[@highroadtohell]

Amazing review, thank you! Just what I needed.. just deciding between p20 lite and honor play now, you've given me lots to think about :)

[@uniqhnd23]

I instantly recognized the Mate 20 Lite because of the dual cameras.

[@-joo3033]

And Play has wide Single cam3ra Notch

[@-joo3033]

And P series and Honor10 have Litle notch

[@padidazg.1166]

You got a subscriber. Magnificent comparison.

[@DrivingProYT]

For terms of everyday use, wouldn't the honor play be the most satisfying phone? I mean it has the top end processing chip and despite no stabilization at top end but can still record at 4k. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the honor play seem like more of one of their top end flagship phones but just being a smaller handset in itself.

[@skellyphotography6227]

amazing review, perfect comparison!

[@Nick210]

Don’t realize how big these were

[@MrLuiz110]

well done, exactly what I was looking for, you've done a professional job and I'm just letting you know :)

[@frankrivera1258]

I'm just waiting till the mate 20 lite arrive to my country :)

[@araswi]

Good evening. Could you please tell me where did you get that wallpaper? Amazing review by the way!

[@araswi]

Dance Gavin Dance wallpapers

[@JeremiahLauzon]

Would it be worth it to get a Mate 20 lite over an Honor Play if it's 50$ cheaper?

[@vehicle-business]

Depends on what your type of a person you are. Lets for example say, that you found the huawei mate 20 lite cheaper then the 8x right? but with a bit less accurate scores, and your thinking hmmmm yes, or no? should i buy it or not? so if you were to be a gamer then no i'd say dont go with the huawei mate 20 lte, as its not made for gaming but can defenetly pack a punch, and in some cases even be flawless. I've had my mate 20 lite for 3 month's and it performes like they say "a 6,3 inch beast" so if your an gamer go with a phone that will fit you the most, and if you are a normal everyday user like me, or a medium gamer, then go with the huawei mate 20 lite.

[@micheals1992]

Which gets better battery life? The honor play or mate 20 lite? Both of them are the same price atm and I'd rather have a longer battery life. The honor play has a more powerful CPU but its on a smaller 10nm process

[@ix3669]

Pls make a video for available cases for this devices💕 love you videos

[@namba3886]

Im an dillema black friday is closing in and i can choose between Mate 20 Lite and Honor 8x

[@irinapunct1]

What did you choose?

[@namba3886]

@@irinapunct1 mate 20 👍

[@AryanArora7]

@@namba3886 how are your initial impressions?

[@Harry-ly7ld]

I have recently been watching some of your videos and I have to admit that you have amazing wall papers

[@charfiomar3487]

Hi, when it comes to rear camera quality, which one is better The honor play or the mate 20 lite ? please somebody answers me i'm going to buy a phone in the next few days

[@speedy_mr2457]

They are almost the same but I advise you to take the honor

[@charfiomar3487]

@@speedy_mr2457 alright, and if you had to choose between an iPhone 7plus and the mate 20 lite

[@AkashSharma-mq6wg]

Does honor play have inbuilt call recording option ?

[@kazutokirigaya4307]

Thanks Chris even though I'm late this really helps now 👍

[@maltepeal123]

Cheers mate, that' helped big times!

[@jbjoker18]

wish i would of went with the mate 20 instead of the P20 lite, im happy with it , i just didnt realize the mate had the better camera

[@tomik499]

The difference is not that big

[@hjkfdfjfhjjfghjf9057]

Здравствуйте спасибо за информацию , подскажите пожалуйста , защитное стекло на mate 20 lite и honor play взаимозаменяемы ?!

[@pleeeic]

Which one has best quality display ?

[@sikandermohd6062]

There all the same

[@mr.jackson1466]

I love Mate 20 lite very very much !!!😍

[@mubitakabika8839]

Excellent review ✔👏👏👏

[@TheUsmanHabib]

which colour/ design/model are you using of honor play

[@jjohnson8895]

special edition red

[@benjaminpond5523]

Great video Chris ! Always make me chuckle mate 👍😂 I've just smashed badly the screen on my p20 pro (devastated) so I'm looking at a £200 phone and the honour play look's perfect.. it looks so good I'm worried I'll never look into getting the p20 fixed !! 😝🤣🙈.. cheers Ben.

[@haroonikhan1201]

Which mobile I buy Motorola model and honor model please reply

[@hollyg7346]

Prices for all?

[@drazna197]

Some phones in the UK do in fact have the notch hiding feature, that is a weird thing to happen

[@benlewis9146]

What's the default theme called? Pictured at 0.49.

[@andrefrade3584]

The camera of Mate 20 Lite is better than the Note 8?

[@nestorlopez8069]

loving the dgd wallpaper

[@usamatasleem2187]

which wallpapers pack do you use ?

[@jaredsantos6457]

Is there a full screen mode on honor play???

[@ramana2419]

Yes go to notch options select the show notch

[@dotdotdot1113]

@@ramana2419 I don't think that's what he means. I think he means when you're playing games

[@nakic7761]

Why is emui different on honor phones? Even it is same version and same name, like on top of settings on honor there is cyan colored bar and on huawei its white? And animations while leaving apps are different. Why?

[@robertscholz2]

Honor play💪💪

[@BenjiBoy09]

Isn't android Oreo a biscuit?

[@supercarfan6217]

no it's the definition of copyright!

[@distaf2146]

It’s Oreo

[@HannahHäggAutisticTransWoman]

I have the p20 lite and like the phone

[@rickoldenziel7788]

I have it to its great

[@baselshawkat4072]

Have you noticed any lag or any kind of issues? And how is the camera

[@pprzn]

Same

[@mihaimorar3802]

I got my Huawei P20 Lite 8 months ago and it's extremely good for a midrange phone (I'm still using it).

[@aliyassin5631]

@@baselshawkat4072 no lag at all and the camera is pretty good

[@mattpet7913]

Y didnt they copyright the notch. They referring to the essential phone

[@Ali-qq4ri]

I really love your reviews in general but when you review the camera part i wish you take photos from the same angle and compare them. I don't think anyone care about the camera apps themselves.

[@marcot1546]

What about honor 10 tho?? No one gives it the love it deserves

[@a.d9267]

how mush for mate 20 here in UK ?

[@shimozukachi5887]

mate 20 lite has a 1605 point single core score and 5573 multicore score (geekbench)

[@iconickjlee4960]

is it just me or Honor play has dimmer display light than the other 2?

[@Tadeou]

Mate 20 lite or P20 lite?

[@rene-damiandiete5978]

What is this for a wallpaper please

[@xgenlandreea5150]

Man, you make money from our views of our appreciation and the fact that we subscribe to your channel! So you could at least have the sense of replying to the comments when we ask you a question! Which is best for pictures: Huawei Mate 20 lite or Huawei Honor Play? Is it different between them? Is it noticeable?

[@ELFNella]

Where I'm at the mate 20 lite cost 100€ more than the honor play. Why do you think this one is more expensive when it doesn't seem that better? Also Is the photo quality really the same?

[@ELFNella]

Pablo Ordonez-Saenz okay thank you for telling me I'll look it up ^^

[@ELFNella]

Pablo Ordonez-Saenz okay ^^ but compared to an iPhone or Samsung there's no real difference other than the price right?

[@ignatpetrut7434]

What to choose, asus zenfone 5 or huawei mate 20 lite?

[@user-ow3xm8jk5o]

Honor play is better than both because it has a better GPU Kirin 970. Mate 20 lite has Kirin 710 and P20 lite has Kirin 659.

[@noelremix9150]

Sir, your P20 is difference from the actual one. Don't know if it depends on your current state or country code. It seem a bit off

[@hollyg7346]

Noel Remix probably country

[@seneritydx1887]

What should i buy P20lite or Honor play?

[@kostasfpspro1706]

@Abdullah barry no

[@stefanut7253]

what should i buy? mate 20 lite of honor play or honor 8x?

[@stefanut7253]

.

[@acartag7]

@@stefanut7253 I'm thinking about buying the mate 20 lite or Honor play. I don't really like the Huawei logo on the screen below in the p20 lite.

[@stefanut7253]

@@acartag7 i think that too, but i cant decide, You what phone would You choose?

[@Lutinator]

i would get the honor 8X. almost same specs as mate 20 lite and is cheaper

[@stefanut7253]

@@Lutinator but honor play isnt the Best? Honor8x isnt available in my countru

[@mandywaynick8725]

I tried looking up honor play but i got a totally different phone, is there another name for it? I'm in the US

[@TheOmen187]

Not that I know of, strange cuz Google shows me this particular model when doing a search.

[@wiktorwochna9777]

I think I heard somewhere something about the US banning Huawei so that may be why

[@berinmasovic5335]

I want to buy new phone but cant decide betwen huawei mate 20 lite and honor play

[@ogiwo7845]

Mate 20 lite better than other

[@thecanionteam3104]

My pubg mobile works on high on my p20lite no problem what is he saying

[@andreigb4476]

Honor play has band 20?

[@slaywee]

i hope someone can help me with this, I wanted to buy a phone after 4 years and damn it was so hard this time. Back than you find a model you go to market and you buy it and today i found a model and when i went to market the model itself had different version and i was like wtf. For example I decided to buy huawei p20 but when i went to market i saw 4 different models of same p20 like Huawei p20, p20 lite, p20 pro and than huawei mate 20, mate 20 lite, mate 20 pro and worst part they all look same and everything just camera differece and prices are damn high. And what i don't understand is like some cameras have amazing selfie camera with 24mpxl and the back camera is just 12mgpxl like wtf? I know i know people love to take selfie and do blog and stuff but i prefer a camera with 24mpxl back camera and i honestly dont care for selfie camera mpgxl like screw that. Anyway I'm so much lost which camera mobile to go for? Like today i went to buy Mate 20 and i saw another Huawei honor 20 with same price and now i'm supre confused what to get.

[@aliennblog7680]

Which one has stereo speakers, if not which one is loudest

[@faykonst8601]

mate 20 lite

[@fast86gti]

I bought the Play and its an amazing phone, i literally have no complaints. However, it doesnt do 4g in the US on metro/tmobile. So i have returned it and decided to go with the Mate 20 lite. Do you think there will be a noticable drop in performance in day to day use and camera usage? I'm no gamer or photographer, i just take pictures of my kids mostly. And i'm really digging the AI stuff on the phone, which concerns me since the mate 20 lite doesnt have a dedicated ai chip and uses its already lower spec'd processor to manage AI

[@DrawWithPo]

AI is just a hype, and it's not worth worrying not having AI camera, honor play or mate 20 lite, both are amazing phones , enjoy :)

[@crackiswack9719]

someone help me i really cant decide which one i should buy. Is there too much camera quality difference between mate 20 lite and honor play ?

[@ozgurserdar8627]

if your priority is the camera go buy lite. if it you dont want gigantic size go with pro 20. as the name suggests honor play is your go to guy for gaming

[@BenjiBoy09]

Is honor the new iPhone ?

[@klimee4699]

Lol all are

[@billiejean601]

I have the p20 lite and I really like this phone.

[@bastianmaa2431]

Is it possible to stretch all apps to full screen at the Honor Play?

[@brkihurtush]

You mean around the notch?

[@bastianmaa2431]

@@brkihurtush At 8:20 there isn't a "full screen display" option at the Honor Play, but the Huawei P20 Lite has this option? Why isn't this option at the Honor Play?😅

[@brkihurtush]

@@bastianmaa2431 hmm good question. A friend will get Honor play and we'll check that option out in a week or two max. I'll get the Mate 20 lite :)

[@bastianmaa2431]

@@brkihurtush I aren't sure if I wanna buy Honor Play or Huawei Mate 20 lite

[@brkihurtush]

@@bastianmaa2431 Likewise, you can check out Xiaomi Mi Mix series. A little more expensive then these, but you get a notchless screen from bezel to bezel. Idk...you know best what suits you :)

[@faseehulhaq7616]

Wallpaper link PLZ

[@speedy_mr2457]

I have a p 20 lite and it can run pubg in medium graphics with a good WiFi 📶 and an CPU bouster

[@monmonfiasco6391]

here in ph huawei is selling their Nova 2I and P20Lite for 200usd or less

[@-joo3033]

Here in Finland the P20 lite is 300€

[@shanedewaele4841]

wich 1 should i buy ? im stuck between these 3 phone's for 2 weeks now and i don't know wich 1 to buy

[@haidershah3366]

same here

[@jacktheripper1652]

I'd go for honor play

[@twiceis4101]

P20 lite

[@Awootoo]

Same here too I would maybe say the Honor play cuz of the faster processor.

[@EmaadAK]

same here cant decide at all and add the nova 3i into the mx aswell damn lol

[@xgenlandreea5150]

Whitch is better : Huawei p20 lite or 20 mate?

[@danieldaniel1210]

There is no p20 mate 🤣

[@xgenlandreea5150]

@@danieldaniel1210 mate 20 lite sorry. Whitch is better?

[@hollyg7346]

I’m deciding between the two

[@xgenlandreea5150]

@@hollyg7346 which of the two do you think is better? I want one of them very hard and I want to make the right decision ... a phone that can last for at least 1 year or 2

[@hollyg7346]

xGen l Andreea i do too in my country (uk) the Mate is £100 more expensive and i’m really not sure if it is worth the extra. The Camera is incomparable the Mate wins every time however is a lot bigger and i have small hands so not sure about that. Which are you leaning towards?

[@damnday]

Dance Gavin Dance album art as wallpaper👌🏽👌🏽

[@peaceofmind2709]

plz compare LG G7+ ThinQ vs Mate 20 lite

[@wiktorwochna9777]

That is the most unfair comparison ever, mid range Vs flag ship. Huge price difference between them, obviously lg g7 will be miles better but with a lot higher price.

[@karolbajkiewicz3650]

uch still don't know what to choose but nice job anyway thx :-)

[@toonworldyt1649]

why does the honor play look darker?

[@mattpet7913]

No oled

[@orsinohampden-woodfall1667]

i new which was which

[@deletedaccount525]

If Apple had to compete, they'd just add a new camera.

[@alatule7708]

why is a flagship processor compared to midrange/low end

[@recruit7416]

Because honor play is not a flagship, but is a midrange (at the price) and gonor play and mate 20 lite have almost the same price

[@felixdekip9543]

does the honor play have nfc?

[@konradc12]

According Sakshat Shinde's post on XDA it depends on region/market - forum.xda-developers.com/honor-play/help/nfc-t3840214/page2 .

[@dotdotdot1113]

Yes it does

[@rbogli7868]

No

[@Simpershorts]

Yes i am using it

[@mrjeffrey463]

Cool video

[@splashpink4531]

Which is better the iPhone 6S or huawei p20 lite 🤔🤔

[@oscarrambo8111]

Red Rose last year I saw a iPhone 6 vs p8 lite 2017 and the p8 lite 2017 won the iPhone so I guess p20 lite is better

[@ankitsen5971]

Both are bad better go with honor play

[@arnolaurie9928]

P20 lite

[@damn754]

@@ankitsen5971 but if she or he is a kid? He or she will actually choose a small phone

[@dannyp8750]

Google skin how you do that '?!

[@bryanboumansour7601]

You ROCK

[@rickoldenziel7788]

I do have The notche option om My p20 lite

[@ayvazbika4066]

Huawei mate 20 lıte pie güncellemesi alınca ozaman üst segment cihaz olur

[@user-tz5fd4oo4n]

i love my huawei p20 lite so much

[@amrelmesery]

why do i notice some delays on honor play am i right ?

[@dotdotdot1113]

Really? Tell me more about these delays because I want to buy the honor play

[@amrelmesery]

@@dotdotdot1113 i am not a user of this phone i just noticed the lag during the video and i dont know i may be wrong but as i know its a good phone over-all but did u check the pocofone ?

[@dotdotdot1113]

@@amrelmesery yes. I'm tied between the pocophone and honor play but honor play looks nicer and has NFC and it's also cheaper so I think I might go with it despite it being slightly better performance wise

[@amrelmesery]

@@dotdotdot1113 both r really good phones and i consider both the best choices right now

[@wesleyvandeurzen7199]

The honor play is the best the cameras got updated and you can now use the night mode from the p20 pro making the honor play a absolute beast in the dark.

[@Awootoo]

Do you have this phone? How do you find the camera?

[@wesleyvandeurzen7199]

@@Awootoo yea i have the phone the camera is really nice in good light when it gets darker you just have to turn on the night mode never use the AI mode in the dark that makes the pictures look really bad thats why all the reviewers say that the pictures look bad in the dark the night mode update wasnt out yet when the reviews were made and now the camera is really nice. It also has a really good battery a stunning display and top of the line performance I would say that its the best buy out of these 3 phones you defenitely wont be dissappointed.

[@Awootoo]

@@wesleyvandeurzen7199 thanks so much for all of this information it really is helpful 🙂 it sounds really good I'm coming from an s7 and a bit worried that I might find it a bit too big to what I'm used to.

[@wesleyvandeurzen7199]

@@Awootoo well its almost the same size just the bigger screen doesn't take more space because its a other aspect ratio.

[@a.e.souliman7727]

mate 20 lite price ?!

[@andryPS2005]

I bought it 2 days ago for 385 euros.

[@ujarkk2]

Nice sir I love huawei

[@rfunds5306]

I have the mate 20 lite let me ecplain the honor play is for gamers and the mate 20 lite is for camera lovers and the p20 is just stupid but if i could change i would go for honor play because the kirin 970

[@-joo3033]

I Knew wich one was wich

[@mehmetaliinan3223]

p20 lite it's small then those and enough for daily use.

[@diartzallqi4644]

only if they have pure Android or samsung experience that would be great

[@Jerome.Du.Quartier]

nova launcher and you have your freedom, mine looks like a clean android

[@ayvazbika4066]

Huawei mate 20 lıte 💪

[@Jonu2]

Somehow my Honor Play has a dent on the back. :(

[@charleslanceb.delarosa2255]

Mine got scratches on charging port :_(

[@andreigb4476]

Mate 20lite is better in low lite,

[@shanamzzz]

Light*

[@erickcarrasco7106]

Andrei Gal what????😂

[@ok7529]

Agree

[@BenjiBoy09]

I want the new iPhone but can't afford so I buy this