We put the Honor 90 Lite through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 4500 mAh
- 35W charger (not included)
- 6.7-inch, 1080 x 2388, 90 Hz, LCD display
- MediaTek Dimensity 6020 (7 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 256 GB + 8 GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.

Honor 90 Lite
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
Pros
- Good autonomy overall with nearly 2.5 days in moderate use
- Good autonomy when listening to music
- Decent autonomy recovered after a 5-minute charge
Cons
- Poor autonomy when streaming video and using the camera
- Slightly longer than average charging time
- Inaccurate battery gauge readings
The Honor 90 Lite lands among the top half of our battery database with a very good global score thanks to its good autonomy and efficiency.
When used moderately, the Honor 90 Lite lasted nearly 2.5 days. The autonomy was particularly good during the typical usage scenario, however, the performances of individual usages outdoors and indoors were mixed. The Honor 90 Lite showed poor autonomy when watching videos or when using the camera and calling, but autonomy was decent when scrolling social apps or gaming, and very good when to listening to music.
However, the phone’s battery gauge was inaccurate, which could significantly affect the user experience. When the device displayed 20% and 100% of power left, the true measured capacity of the battery was around 15.5% and 95%, respectively. The device would also shut down automatically 1 minute after displaying 1% of power left.
The charging experience of the Honor 90 Lite was average, taking 1 hour and 52 minutes to fully replenish the battery. The autonomy recovered after a quick 5-minute charge was decent with more than 5 hours.
The device’s charge efficiency tips just below average because of a slightly higher residual consumption of the charger itself when the device was unplugged. Discharge currents were higher than average when streaming videos, but they were quite low during our typical usage scenario and when streaming music or gaming, meaning that the device is well optimized.
Compared with devices in the same Advanced segment ($200-$399), the Honor 90 Lite ranked below average. It showed average charging and efficiency scores, but its autonomy was poor because of bad performances when testing individual use cases for this price range.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
Battery | Charger | Wireless | Display | Processor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Honor 90 Lite | 4500mAh | 35W (not included) |
- | LCD 1080 x 2388 |
Mediatek Dimensity 6020 |
Honor Magic5 Lite 5G | 5100mAh | 40W (not included) |
- | AMOLED 1080 x 2400 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 |
Oppo A78 5G | 5000mAh | 33W (included) |
- | LCD 720 x 1612 |
Mediatek Dimensity 700 |
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G | 5000mAh | 25W (not included) |
- | OLED 1080 x 2340 |
MediaTek Dimensity 1080 |
Autonomy
Honor 90 Lite
188
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Battery Life (moderate)
Battery Life (moderate)
Home/Office
Honor 90 Lite
213
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
On the go
Honor 90 Lite
195
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
Honor 90 Lite
198
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Charging
Honor 90 Lite
218
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
Honor 90 Lite
224
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
Charging Time 0-80%
Charging Time 0-80%
Quick boost
Honor 90 Lite
212
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Efficiency
Honor 90 Lite
154
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge up
Honor 90 Lite
205
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
Honor 90 Lite
194
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
DXOMARK invites our readership (you) to post comments on the articles on this website. Read more about our Comment Policy.