Focusing on flagship models and also on their "mini" versions, LG has not spared the budget segment either. In 2016, the model range of the K-series was replenished an affordable smartphone LG K8 K350E. As a rule, you have to work hard on expensive devices in order to be able to interest potential buyer... With this smartphone, everything is much simpler: the budget filling was placed in an attractive and catchy case.
If you try, you can find stores where the cost of a smartphone is about 129 USD. it minimum price, up to date at the time of this writing. Interestingly, at the start of sales, the recommended retail price reached $ 200, but over time it began to decline. On international market you can find the K350N model. Differs in memory sizes: 1.5 GB of RAM + 8 GB of ROM.
Characteristics LG K8 LTE - K350E
The smartphone has a completely normal technical component, as for the most ordinary state employee.
Design, buttons, connectors and sensors
“Meet by Dress”: LG is familiar with the first part of the old phrase. Appearance LG K8 is his trump card. The front panel looks simply gorgeous, thanks to the 2.5D glass, smoothly joining the side edges.
The glass rounded at the edges looks impressive and pleasant to the touch.
The rear panel is practical and aesthetically pleasing at the same time. The matte lid has received a ribbed patterned surface.
The smartphone fits comfortably in the hand, the back part does not slip and does not collect prints. As for the materials of the case, this is ordinary plastic. The model is presented in the following colors: white, dark blue, and gold. The microphone hole, as well as MicroUSB and 3.5 mm Audio Jacks are located on the bottom end.
The LG handwriting is immediately evident on the rear panel. The buttons for power / lock and volume control are located on a single plate under the main camera. As a result, the side ends are free of buttons.
Someone likes this solution, while others are uncomfortable. Fortunately, there is Knock function ON, allowing you to control the screen lock double tap by touchscreen. Navigation buttons are located on the screen.The body weighs 140 g and has the following dimensions: 144.6 x 71.5 x 8.7 mm
CPU
The LG K8 K350E has a two-year-old 64-bit processor: MediaTek MT6735 (4 cores, 1.3 GHz). However, it is quite actual solution, both in terms of performance and other aspects (energy efficiency, networking opportunities etc.). The Mali-T720 MP2 is used as a video accelerator. V synthetic test Antutu smartphone is gaining in the region of 30-31 thousand points.
In the test, the MT6735 bypasses the Snapdragon 410, the closest competitor from Qualcomm. As a result, the smartphone copes with the usual tasks (watching videos, surfing the Internet, communicating in social networks) very easily. Resource-intensive 3D games are also not an overwhelming task for him. Adjusted for the disconnection of some visual effects and to reduce the detail of textures for the sake of a stable FPS.
Memory
The amount of RAM is somewhat confusing: 1 GB. Of course, this is enough to ensure acceptable performance and the ability to run several applications at the same time. However, taking into account the price, you expect more from the device than 240 MB free space in RAM at the start of the system. Fans of multitasking will have to constantly monitor the number of running processes.
Otherwise, switching between applications again, any of them can fly out of the cache. And then the repeated restart of the program is inevitable. Users who do not need to keep a lot in the background running applications will not feel any discomfort.
Well, at least the volume of the main drive is adequate: 16 GB. Excluding system needs, almost 11 GB remains free. For the average user, this is quite enough. LG firmware always lacks the ability to install any applications or games on a memory card. Therefore, a microSD flash drive (supported up to 32 GB) can only be used for music, movies, pictures and more.
Autonomous work
Operating experience LG K8 K350E teaches savings. If you want the device to work from morning to evening, you will have to save on everything. Less surfing the Internet, limit the level maximum brightness, mute speaker volume, turn off WiFi whenever possible. There are power saving settings from LG: they will become best friend for the owner of the smartphone. However, a careful approach to the intensity of use of the device will ensure work during the day, this is the maximum.
Why it happens? Perhaps the point is in the low capacity of the battery. The removable battery has the inscription "2045 mAh", although the manufacturer's website says 2125 mAh. On the other hand, there are smartphones with more powerful hardware and a simpler battery. But they work on a single charge in the same way, or even a little longer. There is reason to believe that the problem lies in software flaws.
Camera
The main 8MP camera is very simple in every sense. Even the interface of the shooting app contains minimal settings. Flash and autofocus available. Photos are best taken on a sunny day. In this case, the edges of the picture are blurred, remote objects merge into porridge. Only objects at the closest possible distances receive an acceptable level of detail.
Lovers of landscape photography, alas, will not like the camera. But for work, its capabilities are enough for the eyes: to make a photo note, take a picture of text, a schedule, etc. The device copes well with macro photography.
Video recording can be done in 1080p resolution at 30 fps. The quality of the videos is not outstanding.With the help of a selfie camera, you can take photos with a resolution of 5 MP, or record FullHD video. There is an analogue of a flash (a white bright background of the display around the image), and shooting by hand gesture. The quality of the images obtained is mediocre, but not the worst either.
Display
LG K8 K350E is equipped with In-Cell Touch IPS display. Its diagonal is 5 ”, HD resolution (1280 x 720), resulting in a pixel density of 293 ppi. There are no complaints about the quality, color rendering and contrast of the image. The maximum brightness level is average, enough for walking outdoors in sunny weather. There is no automatic brightness control. Not critical, but there are people who are used to the constant use of this opportunity. The viewing angles are good, albeit not maximum.
Networking capabilities
Two slots for nanoSIM are located under a removable cover. It can work in 2G / 3G and 4G FDD LTE networks. WiFi module operates in the 24 GHz range, Bluetooth version - 4.1. Responsible for navigation GPS module, A-GPS supported. All means of communication work stably and smoothly.
Sound
The multimedia speaker is located at the bottom of the rear panel. It has an average volume, sufficient for most scenarios of use. Sound quality is normal. The earpiece made me happy with a high volume margin and no interference.
Software part
The version of the installed Android OS is 6.0 Marshmallow. As usual, LG installs its own skin on its smartphones. It features a beautiful, nimble and flexible interface, as well as additional features like Knock ON.
Advantages and disadvantages
Pros:
- good design;
- current version operating system.
Minuses:
- mediocre autonomy;
- not enough RAM, given the price;
- weak main camera.
Who is the smartphone for
The main the target audience- housewives, as well as undemanding users who devote a maximum of 1 hour per… year to the study of mobile technologies and manufacturers' pricing policy. And the words "China" - are afraid of fire. First of all, LG K8 will attract with its pleasant appearance, the famous logo on the front panel, a one-year warranty and a relatively reasonable price tag. On closer acquaintance, he will be interested in a rather large display with saturated colors, sufficient performance in the interface and applications, and support for 2 SIM.
Our review of the smartphone LG K8 K350E
Outwardly, the smartphone leaves a very positive impression: it immediately catches the eye on the window. And when you take it in hand and turn on the screen, delight complements the pretty interface of the still fresh OS. However, the rest of the famous proverb says: "... but they are escorted in the mind." Actually, the technical component of the device speaks for itself.
There is no point in scolding the device for its shortcomings and price, because of the specifics of the audience for which it is designed. Summing up the results of this review, I would like to warn against rash actions of those who expect something more from the filling of the LG K8 K350E than from an ordinary budget smartphone.
This time I'm going to tell you about a smartphone, the existence of which may surprise some, if not many. The LG K8 LTE K350e smartphone was presented quietly and without pathos.
You guessed it, this device refers to budget line devices of the Korean company LG. If you are interested, then on this moment The K-smartphones line includes four models: K10, K8, K7 and K4. This line is nothing more than a "smart choice at a decent price." Yes, I understand that this is a boilerplate phrase from almost every press release. But I am ready to tell you right away that after you read our LG K8 LTE review, you will see for yourself that this is indeed the smartest choice about such a ridiculous price. But let's talk about everything in order.
Design
The main feature of the smartphone's appearance is the so-called “glossy pebble” design. It is thanks to the 2.5D curved glass display Arc glass, the LG K8 smartphone looks very stylish and seamless. To me personally, at first glance it reminded me of the Galaxy S7 from Samsung.
As for the back cover, it has a fabric pattern that practically does not collect your fingerprints and greasy handprints. It is also worth noting that even budget devices are already equipped with a proprietary button control unit, which is located on the back cover just below the camera.
As for me, the main disadvantage of the appearance is that the Korean company is not greedy for its logos. There are two of them on the smartphone, one is located under the display, the second in the middle of the back cover, under the camera and the control unit, which consists of three buttons, lock / power buttons and a proprietary volume rocker.
Build quality
The LG K8 LTE smartphone has a removable battery, so questions about build quality may arise. But here I will calm you down, the device is assembled perfectly. No creaks or backlash. Thanks to the rounded display glass and the well-made lid, the smartphone looks monolithic, you won't see any incomprehensible gaps even if you look closely, everything is within the permissible range.
Control elements
As I said above, all the buttons are located on the back under the main camera module. The side faces of the device are devoid of any buttons or other controls.
As for the front panel, the front camera and the light sensor are located slightly to the left of the earpiece. By the way, on the LG K8 K350e LTE model (yes, the entire smartphone is called that way), the brightness sensor is practically invisible, while on the device white this sensor stands out a lot.
At the bottom there is a microUSB charging connector, to the left of it is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting headphones, and to the right is a spoken microphone.
The right and left sides, as I have already noted, are completely empty, on the top there is a "noise reduction".
Display
The culprit of our review has a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. Yes, this is a budget model and only HD resolution. The display matrix is made using the proprietary In-Cell Touch IPS technology.
But even with such a modest resolution, the display quality is excellent. If you evaluate on a 5-point scale, then I put a solid 4. I agree that after using smartphones with FullHD, 2K and even 4K display resolutions, using a device with such a display is not very pleasant. I judge by myself, after my Nexus 6 I got used to the K8 display literally in a day, so it's not all that bad.
Camera
Let's start with the front camera of this device. The sensor resolution is 5 megapixels, in addition, the front camera has a flash, and not a simple one, but a virtual one. Thanks to which, even in very poor lighting conditions, you will be able to get decent quality pictures and enjoy the "likes" in social networks... Well, at least that's what LG says in the official press release for this device. The front camera also has a hand gesture function. Oddly enough, for budget model, this function works quickly and almost flawlessly.
Macro on LG K8 LTE 
Another macro 
And for this we shoot reviews;) 
Landscape 
Animal 
And one more animal
The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, boasts autofocus and one-touch shooting. There is also a decent LED flash. If we talk about the quality of the pictures, then out of 5 I can safely put 4 points. During the day, in good light, the pictures are of decent quality, as for a smartphone of this class. But it is worth noting that in the evening or at dusk, the LG K8 LTE needs to be held very tightly in your hands and practically not to breathe, so that the picture will be blur-free. I will not draw any conclusions, I suggest you just familiarize yourself with the examples of pictures that were taken with this device and you yourself will understand everything.
Interface
The LG K8 K350E smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. And this can definitely be attributed to the pluses, since budget smartphones middle price segment very rarely can boast of one of the latest OS versions. As for updates, in my opinion, the device will still receive one or two versions of Android, but then, according to the law of the genre, they will forget about it and you will again have to run to the store for a new device. Okay, just kidding. It is not necessary to run to the store, but updates are unlikely to continue to arrive on your smartphone. Well, as expected, on top of Android there is a proprietary LG Optimus UI add-on, which should be familiar to you from previous smartphones of the Korean company.
Hardware platform
The heart of the smartphone is a solution from MediaTek, namely the MT6735 chip. Which has 4 cores with a maximum clock speed of 1.3 GHz. The processor is helped by 1 GB of RAM and, by the way, there is very little of it. It is enough to launch two or three applications, among which there will be a browser (in my case Google Chorme), official app Vkontakte and Fenix, then every time you return to the browser, your pages will be loaded again. It is also worth noting that during the test, the amount of available RAM did not exceed 250 MB, this is me for fans of numbers. Below you can view the results of synthetic tests.
There is 16 GB of built-in memory, and there is also a slot for microSD memory cards. I forgot to tell you that the device supports two SIM-cards, but if you have one, then the second slot is double - either a SIM card or a memory card. In everyday work (social networks, mail, calls, music), the smartphone showed itself to a C, well, this is when compared with the flagships. But seriously, the K8 LTE works exactly like all devices in this price range. Yes, it is annoying to reload pages in the browser, but this is the only thing a person will encounter when buying this device.
Communications
The device works in GSM, HSDPA and LTE networks... As for 4G, it works in the following ranges: B3, B7 and B20. Since I live in Dnepropetrovsk, it was not possible to check the quality of reception and the very operation of the fourth generation networks.
For charging and synchronization with a PC, a microUSB connector of the second version (2.0) is used. Wi-Fi module supports 802.11 b / g / n standards, and Wi-Fi Direct... LG K8 LTE has built-in bluetooth module version 4.1 which supports the A2DP profile. Since this device is positioned by LG as a budget one, it is clear that there is no NFC module.
Autonomous working time
The battery capacity of the K8 LTE is 2125 mAh. At first glance, this may seem rather small, but let's get back to technical specifications: 5 inches, 1280x720 pixels, far from a super-productive processor. All this simply eliminates the low battery capacity. V everyday use I charged the device about twice a day. At eight in the morning I took it off the charge, at about 16.00 it already asks again for a power outlet or an external battery (which I have well).
In dry terms, the operating time of the display fluctuates around 2-2.5 hours, and this is the maximum that this device can show.
0 to full charge it takes about two hours. I also want to warn you that not all chargers will charge the K8 as it does from the kit. Apparently, LG is worried about users and has established a kind of protection, thanks to which it will be almost impossible to harm the smartphone very much. Chinese charging... Charging will certainly go on, but it will be very slow. For charging, I used either a Xiaomi external battery or a proprietary unit from Aukey. I had no problems with either one or the other.
In the remainder
We have a smartphone with a little better characteristics than other companies in this price range offer. Speaking of cost, the price of this smartphone in Ukraine is about 4300 hryvnia. As for me, this device is worth its money. As soon as I got my hands on it, I thought that its cost would be about 6 thousand, but in fact it turned out to be much cheaper.
Yes, for daily work there is a little lack of RAM. But this is only reflected in restarting applications when you return to them from the multitasking menu. There are no brakes in the operation of the interface, the camera is good enough, stylish design... It is foolish to demand from this smartphone also prohibitive performance. I hope you enjoyed our LG K8 LTE review. Leave comments below, share your review on social networks, in general, do everything to make our project even better. We are trying only for you 😉
- Appearance
- Camera
- Display
- Dimensions, usability
- Battery life
- Price
- Support for two SIM-cards, or one SIM and memory card up to 32 GB
Not OK:
- Battery life
- Periodic restart of applications when opened from the recently launched menu
Today we will get acquainted with another budget employee from LG, which was named K8 LTE (K350E). It is equipped with a five-inch IPS screen, energy efficient processor MediaTek and 1 GB of RAM. In the review, we will tell you what came of it.
Appearance and usability
The design of the LG K8 LTE is not unique. For example, if you remove the manufacturer's logo from the front side, it will remind the old Nexus 4, but only from the front side. Like the Nexus, there is a chrome-plated plastic bezel along the sidewall. From the rear side, the device resembles the one that has been with us.
The cover is made of the same plastic with a small pattern, which makes the phone more grippy. Location mechanical keys traditional for LG smartphones - on the back. There is also a multimedia speaker.
A dark blue version has arrived to us, there is still a white and gold version.
To get to two slots for SIM cards nanoSIM format, you need to remove the back cover. We also get access to a slot for microSD memory cards and a 2045 mAh battery.
In general, those who have already dealt with LG smartphones released in last years, will be ready for the mechanical keys. The rest will have to get used to it, but as practice shows, this is not a difficult task. To activate the smartphone screen, you can tap the screen twice, conveniently.
There are only a couple of complaints about the LG K8 LTE - large bezels around the screen and a squeaky lid, but at the same time I really liked the rounding of the glass on the sides.
Display
The hero of the review is equipped with a five-inch IPS screen without air gap... The screen resolution is 720 × 1280 pixels (HD). There is no automatic brightness control, however, like software capability adjust the color of the display for yourself. On the street, the screen behaves mediocre - it fades, like many other state employees.
Brightness ranges from 2.2 to 299 cd / m². Contrast 1 to 964. The color gamut is narrower than the sRGB triangle, and the temperature is too high. Of the colors, blue predominates. Not used of high quality IPS matrix... If you look at the screen from an acute angle, then the picture on it is inverted.
In 2016, I want to normally use the device on the street, have a sensor automatic adjustment brightness and do not observe color inversion. It is these factors that make it impossible to call the screen even average.
Hardware platform
The LG K8 LTE (K350E) is powered by a MediaTek MT6735 processor, which includes four Cortex-A53 cores running at maximum frequency 1.3 GHz. Used video accelerator Mali-T720MP2. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, of which about 120 MB is available with an empty Task Manager. The built-in storage has a capacity of 16 GB, of which the user gets just over 10 GB. It can be increased by using the card microSD memory.
A similar filling can be found in Meizu M2 and Lenovo Vibe P1m , but they have 2 GB of RAM. Why and why the manufacturer equipped the phone with only 1 GB of RAM remains a mystery. In work, this drawback is immediately noticeable. After exiting any more or less resource-intensive application, the interface is drawn again and very slowly.
For games with at least some three-dimensional graphics this device does not fit in principle. His element is social networks, instant messengers and calls.
Work with wireless networks did not cause any complaints. GPS satellites the smartphone catches quickly, but from Wi-Fi networks does not fall off. I liked the volume of the spoken speaker very much. It is so loud that even if you speak on a busy road, there is no need to expose maximum value... The microphone did not disappoint. During use, none of the interlocutors complained about it. Working with two SIM-cards is implemented as standard.
The operating system is Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Perhaps this is one of the few advantages of the phone. On the other hand, this charm is hidden behind proprietary shell LG.
Autonomy
The built-in battery capacity is 2045 mAh. It would seem not of great importance, but taking into account not the very productive processor he lives a day in normal mode work.
For 21 hours of active work, the talk time was 1 hour 6 minutes, and the screen was active for almost an hour and a half. In this case, the phone was used for communication on social networks and as a dialer. Benchmark results tell us that the phone is unlikely to last more than 4.5 hours under severe loads.
Cameras
The LG K8 LTE (K350E) has two cameras: a 5 megapixel front camera and an 8 megapixel main camera. Both cameras can record videos in Full HD resolution. Pre-installed app The camera has a minimum number of settings. You won't find any HDR, filters or other gimmicks here.
The quality of the photos is below average. If the pictures are still bearable in sunny weather, then when shooting objects in the shade, indoors or at dusk, you will understand that the camera is more for beauty. The pictures lack detail, and the edges are completely blurry. The front camera also lacks stars from the sky. The only interesting thing about it is the flash mode. When activated, the image from the camera is reduced, and the background around it becomes white. In practice, such a regime proved to be useless. You can get acquainted with the quality of photos by the examples below.
Sample photos taken with the main camera
Sample photos taken with the front camera
Video recording example
Most of the buyers nowadays purchase low-cost smartphones. Their popularity is due to the fact that such devices have Beautiful design, all necessary for modern user functions, acceptable "stuffing". Their indisputable advantage, of course, is low price... New items regularly go on sale. Each manufacturer updates the model range every year. LG is no exception. In 2016, the K-line was replenished with a new device. Model refers to budget segment... Equipped with a 5-inch display of good quality. The processor is based on the famous company MediaTek. LG K8 LTE specifications are complemented by one gigabyte of RAM. How buyers rated new smartphone? Does it live up to the “smart choice at a decent price” statement? Let's figure it out.
Features of the complete set
The device is packed in a branded box. It is decorated in a minimalist style. In front in big letters the title is printed. At the bottom front panel there is a company logo. There are no more design elements. However, such simplicity and brevity lends originality.
Buyers have questions about the set of components. The manufacturer is subject to change without notice, therefore, apart from charger and a USB cable, some also got headphones. All documentation is provided in the box. As for the memory card and case, you will have to purchase them additionally. With the latter, some users had difficulties, since universal models are not suitable for a smartphone due to the peculiarities of the location of the control buttons.
Appearance
The design trend that was used for the smartphone is called Glossy Pebble, which means glossy pebble. It was this decision that gave originality to the gadget. The 2.5D glass adds sophistication and style to the exterior. Thanks to him, the phone looks seamless. Some users have noticed a certain similarity with Samsung devices.
V lineup several color options of LG K8 LTE are presented: Black / Blue Indigo (blue Indigo), White (white), Gold (gold).
The back panel has a grooved surface that resembles a fabric texture. There are practically no fingerprints and no scratches on it. In this model, the manufacturer abandoned the standard arrangement of mechanical control keys. Now they are not on the side, but not on the back cover directly under the camera "window".
In user comments it is said that the manufacturer did not skimp on the logos. One is located on the front side instead of the usual control panel. By the way, the latter has been moved to the screen. The second logo is located in the center of the back cover.
A few words about assembly
Despite the fact that the price of LG K8 LTE is not high, the build quality is absolutely on par with expensive smartphones. Due to the fact that the phone is installed removable battery, many buyers have doubts - whether the back cover is securely fastened, whether it will not slide off. The body of the smartphone is assembled at a high level. During operation, no squeaks or crunches were noticed. It is also worth noting that there is nothing backlash in the phone, which is undoubtedly an advantage. It is important that even with a careful examination of the case, it is impossible to notice gaps and gaps. The whole structure looks monolithic.
Control elements
The LG K8 LTE phone has one feature that was already mentioned above. It is about the volume rocker and the lock key. Their location on the rear panel seemed inconvenient for many users, but it will not be difficult to get used to them. The developers did not use the side faces of the gadget, leaving them completely empty. Of course, it is difficult to judge the convenience, since, on the one hand, many are already accustomed to a certain location, and such drastic changes cause some inconvenience, but on the other hand, the indisputable advantage is that the chosen place completely excludes accidental pressing.
On the front panel, except big screen, there are other elements as well. We are talking about the front camera, speaker, proximity sensor. The sensors in the model are located closer to the left side. On black smartphones, they are almost invisible, but on white phones they are immediately striking.
According to buyers, the manufacturer has overloaded the bottom end. Here are the ports "mini-jack", micro-USB, as well as a microphone. With the opposite end, the situation is the same as with the side faces.
LG K8 LTE: screen specifications
It's time to talk about the screen. This model uses a 5 '' display with standard characteristics... Matrix type - In-Cell Touch IPS. Maximum resolution- 1280x720 px. In principle, such characteristics are often found in budget devices, so it is unlikely that they are already capable of surprising someone. However, despite the low indicators, the picture quality is pretty decent. The image looks rich and rich. Brightness level sufficient for comfortable work... Pixelation is invisible as the density is 293 ppi.
Screen reviews
The LG K8 LTE screen is protected by glass 3. The reviews about it do not always sound flattering, as even with careful handling, small scratches form on it. But what is undoubtedly an advantage is the presence of anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings. There is no air layer between the glass and the display. This improves the image quality, but in the event of a breakdown increases the cost of repairs.
The lack of additional screen settings caused heated discussions. By by and large there are no special remarks about the colors, but I would like to be able to make changes, for example, in the temperature of the shades. Viewing angles are acceptable. Saturation and contrast only decrease when tilted more than 100 degrees.
The responsiveness of the screen is good, but some owners had problems with double-tapping. The function is unstable. The phone may react only after the second attempt, or it may not recognize the touch at all.
Selfie camera: specifications and reviews
By advertising this model, manufacturer Special attention draws on the capabilities of the front camera. And it is worth noting that it is not in vain. Although the matrix has a resolution of five megapixels, the images come out pretty good quality. Receive good result allows virtual flash. This decision, no doubt, deserves respect. The selfie camera does a great job even in low light. The pictures are different high levels detail and clarity. Provided the developers and a function that provides shooting with gestures. There are no comments on her work.
Main camera capabilities
In LG K8 LTE, the characteristics of the main camera are not inferior to the front one. The 8-megapixel sensor does the job well. In poor lighting conditions, you can use a flash. The quality of shooting is rated by users at 4 on a 5-point system. But it's worth noting that it is very difficult to get a clear photo in the evening. At the slightest movement, the frame is blurred.
Hardware "filling"
The processor is the "heart" of the phone. The manufacturer assures that it uses energy efficiently. The chipset is based on four computing elements. The power of each reaches 1300 MHz. This "hardware" is used by most companies to equip smartphones in the budget segment.
The coprocessor model did not come as a surprise to buyers either. ARM Mali-T720 is also often installed on modern gadgets... The video card allows you to work with any type graphic images. Operating memory LG K8 LTE is limited to one gigabyte. Unfortunately, these characteristics are not enough for the user to be able to work with modern applications... If you increase the load on the processor, the phone immediately starts to freeze.
Buyers will not be pleased with the amount of integrated memory. Currently 16 GB is critically small for full-fledged work... The developers offer owners to expand the storage up to 32 GB by installing an external drive.
"Fotosklad.ru"Not so long ago, we came across the LG K7, the closest relative of the smartphone, which we will be considering in this review. Despite the close location in digital numbering, LG K8 (2017) looks more advantageous than its younger brother, which, as we wrote, can hardly be called a successful purchase. In any case, if you have a cursory comparison of the specifications of the smartphone. Is this really so, and we will try to find out.
First, let's traditionally look at the characteristics of the test sample:
| Display | IPS, 16 million colors |
| Display diagonal | 5 inches |
| Display resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| Operating system | Android 6.0 |
| CPU | Mediatek MT6737 |
| Video accelerator | Mali-T720MP2 |
| RAM size | 1.5 GB |
| Permanent memory capacity | 16 GB |
| Memory card slot | microSD, up to 32 GB |
| Main camera | 13 MP, f / 2.2, matrix size ⅓ inch, pixel size 1.12 nm |
| Front-camera | 5 MP, f / 2.4, sensor size ⅕ ", pixel size 1.12" |
| Filming | 1080p (main and front camera) |
| Number of SIM-cards | 2, nanoSIM |
| Interfaces | Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE), GPS (GLONASS), FM radio, 3.5 mm jack, microUSB 2.0 |
| The fingerprint scanner | No |
| Fast charging | No |
| Battery | 2500 mAh, extractable |
| The weight | 148 g |
| Dimensions (edit) | 147 x 73 x 8.3 mm |
| Colors | Indigo, golden |
As you can see, this smartphone compares favorably with the K7 with a more capacious battery, a large amount of RAM and permanent memory ... But first things first.
Box and equipment
The LG K8 comes in the usual gray box. Inside, we found a standard kit: the device itself, a charger, a USB cable, an extractor for a SIM card slot, a separate battery and instructions. Nothing supernatural, the usual set for a budget smartphone.
Frame
The back cover of the smartphone is made of matte corrugated plastic. The frame around the device is made in the color of the smartphone cover. There are silver inserts on the right and left in the frame. Volume control buttons are located on left side, and the power button is on the back of the device below the camera and flash. At first, this is very confusing: reaching for the unlock button is unusual, and it is more convenient to adjust the volume with your thumb. We would have understood the move with the installation of the fingerprint scanner on the unlock button, but here it is not. In general, the button solution is rather controversial. Otherwise, there are no complaints: thanks to the grooved lid, the smartphone sits firmly in the hand, the case does not creak or play. Navigation buttons software, separate touch buttons no.
A small ledge is provided in it to open the lid.
Screen
The screen, in contrast to its budget counterpart, in the LG K8 was delivered acceptable. The diagonal of the smartphone display is 5 inches, so we have compact smartphone... The screen is made according to IPS technology, and the resolution is 1280x720, which is quite acceptable for a smartphone of this price category with such a diagonal. The display, unlike the LG K7 (2017), is fairly visible in bright sunlight.
Operating system
The operating system in the smartphone is already slightly outdated Android 6.0, but the OS is currently available for updating to Android 7.0. It's nice that LG cares about its users. The device has its own shell, but it is not modernized too much: the function has been added Knock code and a few other "improvements". There are also native non-removable LG applications, which, in principle, do not interfere with the work with the device in any way. Navigation in the menu is smooth, no complaints.
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Processor and memory
LG K8 (2017) has a processor Chinese firm Mediatek MT6737. This is already a middle-aged, not the most productive and not the most energy-efficient chipset. It will do for simple tasks, but hard games can hardly be played comfortably on the device. The results in AnTuTu are consistent.
The RAM in the smartphone is 1.5 GB, which, in principle, is enough for single-tasking work, but when using several programs alternately, programs will be constantly unloaded, which can be a little annoying. If you are used to using big amount programs that run in the background, you should get used to constant downloads even when switching from messenger to browser and back.
16 GB of permanent memory is available out of the box, of which about 10 GB is available for the user, which, in principle, is enough for basic needs. If you need more, there is a slot for a microSD card, which is combined with a slot for a SIM card.
Interfaces
The device pleased with the number of interfaces. except standard Wi-Fi(unfortunately operating in the same 2.4 GHz band), Bluetooth version 4.2 (there is support for A2DP and LE), GPS, microUSB port and a headphone jack, it was very nice to see support for FM radio.
Battery
The battery capacity of the LG K8 (2017) is not at all impressive 2500 mAh. However, the battery should be sufficient for daylight hours with average use. Fast charging no. However, such a small battery charges very quickly: a little more than an hour- and you are back on horseback. It is worth noting the ability to remove the battery.
Communication and sound
TO conversational dynamics and no complaints about the microphone. Sound quality external speaker located on the rear panel is not the best, but it is understandable. The smartphone supports LTE bands, which are relevant in Russia, there are no problems with this. The only caveat is that the speed via LTE is no higher than 54 Mbit / s, which can be explained by the old processor. However, in most situations this will be enough for the eyes.
Camera
The smartphone has rear camera by 13 megapixels with a matrix size of ⅓ "and a pixel size in a matrix of 1.12 nm. Due to such a small sensor and tiny pixel size, the pictures taken by a smartphone do not hold up to scrutiny. More or less acceptable photos are obtained only in conditions of ideal illumination of the entire frame. Autofocus often misses the mark.
The front camera also does not shine with the quality of the pictures. However, expecting something more from a smartphone with a price of about $ 100 is somewhat optimistic.
