LG has entered the entry-level market segment with its new K-series budget phones. LG K10 LTE and K7 LTE are the first devices in this line, which were announced immediately before CES 2016, where they managed to gain some experience in their practical use. In Russia, LG has launched LTE versions of these phones, and in this article we will consider the LG K10 LTE model (specifications and reviews will be given below). With a price ranging around $ 200, the smartphone is facing fierce competition with similar devices Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, LeEco Le 1s, Lenovo Vibe K4 Note and Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition.
As you can see, there is no shortage of options, and each of these smartphones is a good choice in its own way. Is LG's new offer capable of winning a niche in such a crowded market?
Streamlined body
The dimensions of K10 are larger than other released models of the line. The glossy, sleek design of the K10 LTE is the first thing to grab attention. There are no sharp lines, the curved outline fits perfectly into the textured back panel without a visible transition. Thanks to the rounded design and 2.5D glass, the phone is comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand. The front panel looks as a whole, the glass bends to the sides to the rear. The smartphone feels incredibly light, even with a mass of 142 g with a battery.
The K10 case is made of plastic, the rear structured panel is removable, which allows you to install a removable battery. The chromed frame highlights the slightly protruding camera and the manufacturer's proprietary control buttons. The texture of the back panel is pleasant to the touch, but still too slippery.
LG relies on a streamlined design that gives the phone an organic look. Too shiny front panel contrasts beautifully with the matte back.
The rigidity of the case is up to the mark, however, a strong pressure from the back makes the liquid crystals of the screen visible. The phone crackles when trying to deform it, but leaves the general impression of a durable and reliable device.
High definition screen
K10 LTE is equipped with a 5.3-inch IPS-display 1280 x 720 pixels, which allows you to display relatively clear text and image. A protective glass with a polarizing filter and an oleophobic coating is not able to withstand scratches, so LG immediately sticks a protective film on the screen. However, it does not cover the entire front panel of the LG K10 LTE K430ds blue. Customer reviews suggest that it looks pretty ugly. The phone responds a little slowly to changes in ambient lighting, and when this happens, the transition is pretty sharp. In addition, there is no LED notification indicator.
The display does not differ in brightness: 376 cd / m2 is clearly not enough. Competitors and LG Class offer much brighter screens. At least the illumination is 92% uniform and large areas are painted evenly. The black level of 0.28 cd / m2 is quite low, so the dark areas do not seem to be lit too much. The contrast of 1321 to 1 is good.
Subjectively, the colors look pretty vibrant. The extremely high average color temperature of 9000 K is unexpected, but explains the visible bluish tint at light gray levels. Colors are much colder than in the original, due to the high content of the blue component. Color offsets are very strong, especially in the blue area. Low maximum brightness does not allow to distinguish anything in bright sunlight - you have to use the device in the shade.
IPS technology allows you to view the image even from a wide angle. In this case, the colors do not invert and the brightness remains stable.
Connectors & Accessories
The headphone jack and MicroUSB port are located at the bottom, and the power and volume buttons are on the back, in the corporate identity of LG. It will take some time to get used to them, but they act in the same way as ordinary buttons on the sides of the case. However, there is an inconvenience in this: it is impossible to exit standby mode if the phone is on the table. True, the LG K10 can be activated by double-tapping the screen.
Users find the volume buttons too supple, making them easy to accidentally press while moving. The texture of the back cover provides a good grip without an unpleasant “sticky” look. It's safe to say that the LG K10 LTE is one of the best budget plastic phones on the market. The smartphone is available in white, gold and indigo.
The K10 LTE comes with a 4.2-watt charger, USB cable , headphones, and a flip cover. The case has a translucent vertical strip that allows you to see the main notifications, weather, battery life, as well as time and date. The quality of the case is normal, but other accessories look more durable.
LG K10 LTE: specifications
For various markets, LG has created several phone options. K10 LTE (K420ds) is sold in Russia, equipped with an eight-core Mediatek MT6753 chip with a frequency of 1.3 GHz and has 1.5 GB of RAM. The graphics are provided by the Mali-T720 video accelerator. This is the middle level, which copes with most of the current tasks, but it has no groundwork for the future. 16 GB of internal memory can be expanded up to 48 GB using a dedicated microSD card slot.
The phone supports 4G with VoLTE, but only for the first SIM card slot. The second only supports data transfer at 3G speed. Hot swapping of the SIM card is not possible, since you will need to reboot the device to remove the first or second card. The phone supports Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n, bluetooth 4.1, FM radio and GPS. There is no fingerprint scanner, NFC, and USB OTG support.
Software
This version of the phone comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. LG K10's own user interface LTE K430ds user reviews are called quite functional and familiar from other recent LG smartphones. Unlike the flagship LG G5, the K10 LTE has a traditional interface with an application bar. The Android navigation bar at the bottom is configured for additional buttons for taking screenshots, displaying notifications and switching SIM cards. The latter is necessary when using two SIM-cards, as there are no separate call buttons for each of them.
Phone LG K10 LTE owners praise the owners for having various levels of settings:
- You can change the lock screen and animation of the home panel;
- add themes from the SmartWorld application;
- double tap to unlock the screen;
- attach some programs to the application switcher;
- The notification panel is equipped with switches and sliders for brightness and volume.
Floating applications, which are present in more expensive LG phones, are not available here, but you can receive pop-up notifications about an incoming call if another program is open.
Ascetic minimalism
User reviews approve of the possibility of replacing the “Settings” submenu with tabs in the LG K10 LTE, since, in their opinion, this simplifies orientation. In pre-installed applications, resource-intensive software is minimized. There is only a file manager, a backup program, a program for creating quick notes QuickMemo +, which can be synchronized with a Google calendar, remote support service and task manager.
LG's soft keyboard is easy to use and well organized. The number line is located above the letters, the keys are rather big and allow you to print without frequent errors. It is possible to switch to a keyboard from Google or install another from the application store.
Work LG K10 LTE: review, owner reviews
Thanks to the lightweight interface for applications, there is usually about 1.4 GB of free RAM. Customer reviews call the overall performance of the LG K10 LTE good, although there are noticeable small periodic delays when switching between programs or when scrolling through notifications. No problems with 4G performance or call quality. The basic keyboard is also easy to use. The flip cover of the case increases the size, but without it, the K10 LTE fits very easily in your pocket. Permanent use of the phone with one hand is impossible, as there is a lot of plastic around the screen.
User reviews do not complain about video playback in LG K10 LTE K430ds - the smartphone is capable of playing media files with a high bitrate, although not all audio codecs are supported. AC3 audio cannot be played even with an MX player. The music player supports FLAC, but there is no equalizer to adjust the sound. The supplied headset is good for voice calls, but for playing media files is pretty mediocre. In addition, the headphones have a not very comfortable fit. The speaker on the rear panel is loud enough for notification, but, again, it is not suitable for media files.
The LG call application looks slightly different than the standard Google program, and combines a phone with contacts, but offers similar features. When it starts, the user is directed to the large keyboard. Bookmarks for call lists, contacts, favorites, and groups are displayed at the top. Tabs can be rearranged or removed.
Voice quality in LG K430 K10 LTE 16 GB user reviews are called sufficient to clearly hear the interlocutor. The maximum speaker volume is impressive, although its sound is not entirely clear. In addition, the microphone sometimes produces quiet noise, but otherwise it has a relatively high sensitivity, so the caller should not speak too loudly to be heard. The overall call quality is good, but high-end smartphones demonstrate that there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The kit includes “standard” accessories. These include a charger, a USB cable, and a headset.
Supported Communication and Navigation Standards
The smartphone supports cellular communications in 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Blurtooth standards, as well as navigation in GPS, A-GPS and GLONASS systems - the device is well adapted for travel. The maximum LTE speeds are 150 Mbit / s when receiving and 50 Mbit / s when sending data. Signal strength in an urban area is good enough even in a building.
The Wi-Fi standard allows you to work at speeds up to 300 Mbps. The signal is good.
The GPS module did not leave a good impression. In the room, communication with satellites is not possible, and only one satellite was detected outside, which is not enough to determine the location. Deviations from the route are 2%, which is acceptable.
Front and rear cameras
The 13-megapixel camera on the rear panel and the 5 megapixel front camera with which the LG K10 LTE K430ds is equipped, customer reviews are twofold. On the one hand, the rear camera decently takes landscapes and close in daylight. But focusing and saving images are a bit slow, and get even slower in low light conditions. The level of detail and color accuracy in macro shots is much better than in landscapes in good light, but photographs and videos taken in low light conditions abound with noise and gaps in detail. This is very noticeable when zooming in on the pictures. The colors are pale.
The front camera takes great selfies, even indoors. Color reproduction is good, and photos are not too blurry when zoomed in.
Camera software
The LG K10 LTE K430ds smartphone is called minimalistic by owners' reviews: camera applications allow you to either have the shutter button and other parameters superimposed on the viewfinder, or hide them and simply touch anywhere to take a picture. The latter option may be good for users who don't bother with manual focus hovering.
There is nothing superfluous in terms of settings or shooting modes. There are options for a timer and triggers that respond to a voice or gesture for a selfie. The reason for the difficulties in shooting landscapes and the lack of decent photos when shooting against the light in the LG K10 LTE K430ds are the reviews of the owners as the lack of filters, HDR and panoramic shooting.
Video can be recorded in Full HD at 30 fps. The quality is satisfactory, but the colors look pale.
Battery life
The 2300mAh battery in the LG K10 LTE is considered satisfactory by customer reviews. The energy reserve is enough for 10 hours and 24 minutes of video playback. Charging your phone takes time, as there is no quick charge support. In half an hour, the battery is restored only 16%. Although not quite fast by today's standards, the good news is that with regular use, the battery does not drain very quickly. If you do not use 4G and Wi-Fi a lot, then you can hold out for more than one day.
Verdict
Priced by LG at $ 210, LG K10 LTE user reviews are considered too expensive for its specs. It seems that the phone does not compete in its price segment, and in mid-2016 it is difficult to justify such a cost with a similar functional set. A more suitable price level for him would be half of what is requested today, given that the smartphone has nothing special except for its design, good screen and decent battery life.
There are too many things left that could improve the smartphone LG K10 LTE. Owner reviews suggest that the device lacks a more powerful processor, faster charging time, the latest version of the OS and the normal operation of at least one of the cameras. These are the things that competitors offer, so the K10 LTE needs a price adjustment if LG really hopes for the success of its brainchild.