Mid-range: LG L90 review

The senior model in the company's portfolio is still the extremely entertaining and considerably cheaper LG G2, and its successor should be released very soon - in early summer. And it will have nothing to do with the line of devices with the letter L in the name. In the L-series, LG, as before, offers inexpensive smartphones with a proven, as we know from past reviews, price-quality ratio.

Advertising banner with LIII series smartphones from the official website of LG Russia

The Koreans released the third generation of smartphones of the mentioned series and, without further ado, called this generation LIII. As before, the L-series includes four smartphones: L40, L65, L70 and L90. Before moving on to the older model, which this article is dedicated to testing, let’s talk a little about the more affordable members of the updated L-series.

The most modest representative of LG LIII - model L40 - can be purchased in the store for - attention! - three thousand rubles. For this money, the user will receive a smartphone from a first-tier manufacturer with a one-year warranty. Sounds strange, doesn't it? The characteristics of the device, of course, are quite modest, but they are well compensated by the price. The LG L40 has a 3.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 320x480 pixels (we emphasize, IPS, even ultra-budget smartphones are no longer equipped with TN matrices) and a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor. Plus 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of built-in flash -storage.

Models L65 and L70 will cost more: 7 and 8.5 thousand rubles, respectively. The hardware for this pair is the same: the same dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, based on the “stock” Cortex-A7 architecture, a gigabyte of RAM, 4 GB of flash. By and large, only the display diagonal differs: the L65 is equipped with a 4.3-inch screen, and the L70 has a 4.5-inch matrix. Now, perhaps, let’s return to what we are all here for, in fact: let’s get acquainted with the senior representative of the updated L-series, the LG L90 smartphone.

⇡#Appearance and ergonomics

LG marketers positioned the first generation of the L-series as “designer”. We don’t know from what considerations they proceeded. In our opinion, the smartphones included in it looked quite ordinary, even a little rude. In general, there were no special design delights there. With the new line, this “experimental positioning” no longer applies. Which is, perhaps, for the best: although the L90 looks completely ordinary, there is no dissonance in this - no one promised any design delights now.

LG L90 - front panel

The case material is plastic, there is no metal anywhere. The front panel of the device is covered with protective glass, which quite successfully protects it from scratches and other minor damage. At the bottom of the panel there are four dedicated touch keys: “Back”, “Home”, “Menu” and “Change SIM card priority”. They don’t have a backlight, but your fingers quickly remember the location of the buttons—it’s not at all difficult to use by touch in the dark.

LG L90 - front panel keys

The thickness of the frames around the display is relatively thin, making the device easy to use with one hand. The smartphone is quite light and thin - only 125 grams and about ten millimeters, respectively. The gadget even fits into the breast pocket of a shirt and does not stick out too noticeably.

LG L90 with display on

The device's hardware keys are located in the usual way - on the side ends. So if you like the feature of the flagship LG G2 device, which has the power and volume buttons located on the rear panel, then instead of the L90 you should take a closer look at the slightly more expensive LG G2 mini. By the way, these devices are almost identical in terms of filling.

LG L90 - top and side edges of the case

At the top end there is a universal 3.5 mm audio jack for connecting a wired headset, an infrared port and one of two microphones, thanks to which an active noise reduction system is implemented. The power key is located on the right side, and the double volume control button is on the left. The buttons are plastic, quite small, but with a distinct and understandable action. Pressing them while holding the smartphone in one hand is convenient - there are no comments about the ergonomics of the gadget.

LG L90 - bottom end

The micro-USB connector, which is used to connect a charger and for data transfer, is located on the bottom edge. A silver plastic edging runs along all ends of the device.

LG L90 - back panel

The “back” of the device is textured and embossed. It is made of matte plastic. The solution is very successful - the surface is resistant to collecting fingerprints and other dirt. In addition, the smartphone does not try to slip out even from wet palms.

LG L90 without back cover

The main area of ​​the compartment under the rear panel is occupied by a removable 2540 mAh battery - if necessary, it can be hot-swapped. There are also slots for microSD and two full-size (mini) SIM cards.

There are no complaints about the assembly of the device. The gadget bravely withstands squeezing the sides - characteristic colored “spots” do not appear on the screen. Even the plastic doesn’t really creak – amazing! In general, the exterior of the LG L90 left a pleasant impression.

Mid-range: LG L90 review

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Specifications
• Packaging and equipment
• Appearance and design
• Display
• Hardware platform and performance
• Firmware and software
• Multimedia
• Memory
• Communications and wireless capabilities
• Autonomous operation
• Camera
• Comparison with competitors
• Conclusion

Introduction

The Korean company needs no introduction - now it is one of the largest manufacturers of various equipment, including smartphones.
Our current guest is the dual-SIM model LG L90, which arouses interest with its price-performance ratio. For ~10,000 rubles we are offered a smartphone with a 4.7″ screen and qHD resolution (960 x 540), built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 and equipped with one gigabyte of RAM. At first glance, this is a typical representative of the modern middle class, but knowing LG, you should expect some highlights.

Let's start our review of the LG L90 by studying the specifications of the model and its delivery package.

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Specifications

This is not to say that this is an incredibly tempting offer, but the price/performance ratio is not bad, at least on paper. Let's figure out what's what.

Packaging and equipment

Unfortunately, the test copy came into our hands without packaging and a complete set of accessories, so we had to look for information about the configuration on the Internet. However, this is just the bare minimum, so there’s not much to talk about.

LG L90 comes with:

• Charger;
• Micro-USB cable;
• Protective film (already pasted on the phone).

Appearance and design

The LG L90 smartphone is a candy bar with a touch screen.

The dimensions of the device are 132 x 66 x 9.6 mm, weight – 124 g.

The dimensions make a favorable impression - the device is lightweight, and thanks to the fairly narrow frames, the display occupies almost the entire front panel.

The back cover is made of matte plastic, rough to the touch, with a soft-touch coating. The device does not slip in the hand, the back cover does not collect fingerprints at all - all thanks to the rough coating. However, I, for example, did not like the surface of the back cover - purely for tactile sensations.

The device is available in black and white versions. Our test sample is white.

The display is protected by a regular glass panel. There is no oleophobic coating on the display itself; its functions are performed by a protective film, “out of the box” glued to the screen and clearly not intended to be removed.

On the front side at the top there are: earpiece, proximity sensor and front camera. There is no LED indicator.

At the bottom there is a block of four touch keys “Back”, “Home”, “Menu” and “Change SIM card”. A very controversial decision - there may be people for whom it is critically important to quickly change the active SIM card, but during everyday use this key only gets in the way. The optimal solution would be to make the main keys of a normal size; in their current form, when operating with one hand, reaching for the “Back” button is not very convenient. But that's not so bad. The fact is that the key icons are painted on the surface with silver paint, and, accordingly, they do not have LED backlighting, which means that even in semi-dark conditions the keys are no longer visible and you have to touch them “blindly”.

This unfortunate approach to key design is, unfortunately, not new for LG, and although this point is criticized every time, the company continues to use it with tenacity worthy of better use.

On the back of the smartphone at the top there is an eight-megapixel main camera eye and an LED flash. Just below is the logo of the manufacturer.

At the bottom of the back cover there is a grille behind which the external speaker is hidden.

On the left side of the LG L90 there is a power/lock button.

On the right side there is a single volume rocker.

The 3.5 mm jack and IR port are located at the top, the microphone and MicroUSB port are at the bottom of the device.

To disassemble the smartphone, just carefully lift the cover near the MicroUSB port. After removing the cover, we get access to the battery and slots: two SIM (regular format) and a memory card (MicroSD).

The device boasts good build quality and small dimensions, but the extremely controversial solution with front touch keys adds a fly in the ointment.

It's time to move from theory to practice - a hardware test of the LG L90 awaits us. Let's start with the screen.

⇡#Technical characteristics

LG L90 - information about the system and hardware according to the CPU-Z application

Description of the advantages and disadvantages of the L90 phone

The LG L90 measures 66.02 mm wide, 131.55 mm long and 9.65 mm thick. With such dimensions it is convenient to operate the device with one hand. In addition, the weight of the device is about 126 g. Even if you operate the device with one hand, its weight is almost not felt.

If we evaluate the overall ease of use of the phone taking into account the size and weight, then there will be no problems with everyday use.

The smartphone is equipped with a 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8226 processor, which is made at 28 nm. technical process.

The smartphone has only 1 GB. RAM, which is quite small. Instances of low RAM will occur regularly, so even when using light applications you will experience instability in operation.

The storage capacity of the device is 8 GB, and if the smartphone is mainly used for correspondence and social networks, then there will be no problems, but if you are going to use it for photography, video shooting and games, you should look at a device of a higher class.

The phone is compatible with SD cards, so you can easily expand its memory. So you probably don't need to worry about storage capacity.

The L90 has a display diagonal of 4.7 inches. The display is large enough that you will rarely have problems with its size. However, this display is not suitable for writing long texts.

In terms of quality, the screen may appear pixelated when displaying a picture or video. It should be sufficient for normal use.

The main camera of the phone has 7.99 megapixels, which should be enough in most cases. However, you may be slightly unsatisfied with the quality of the photos.

Also, the smartphone has a front camera of 0.31 megapixels, which is low. If you care about the quality of your photos, you should consider a higher-end smartphone.

The LG L90 battery capacity is 2540 mAh, which is a typical capacity indicator. Compared to other smartphones, the LG L90's battery life is average. You don't have to worry about anything during daily use. However, if you spend time surfing the internet or playing games, you might be a little underwhelmed by the battery life.

⇡#Display

The smartphone has a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 540×960 pixels. Of course, it’s not difficult to see the ladder of pixels - their density slightly exceeds 234 dots per inch. However, in everyday use this point is not particularly bothersome. Small fonts on the LG L90's screen look quite clear, and multimedia content looks detailed. Except that not all sites fit properly.

LG L90 display – pixelation effect is moderate

The display is made using IPS technology, and the smartphone has a very high-quality matrix, with all the ensuing advantages. Its viewing angles are very wide - information on the screen is displayed without distortion, no matter from which side you look at it. There is a slight drop in contrast, but this is a very common defect in budget matrices. The multi-touch layer is capacitive, it recognizes up to eight simultaneous presses and easily detects gestures. Unfortunately, the device does not respond to touches with loose gloves - the sensitivity is quite low.

LG L90 - AnTuTu MultiTouch Test results

The smartphone screen is moderately bright. The maximum luminosity of the white field is 326 cd/m2, the minimum is 13. Since the backlight adjustment range is quite wide, the device can be used comfortably in complete darkness. The display does not have a polarizing filter, so in bright light it noticeably fades and fades. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about this - just come to terms with it. It is not very convenient to use the device in direct sunlight. The air gap between the glass of the front panel and the screen also plays a significant role here. There is no automatic adjustment of a comfortable brightness level in the smartphone, just as there is no oleophobic coating on the display. Because of this, the front panel quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, which are not very easy to remove.

The maximum luminosity of the black field is normal (in this case, less is better) - 0.42 cd/m2. Even with 100% display backlight, the black color looks quite natural and rich. The screen has quite a contrast ratio: 775:1 (measured with an i1Display Pro colorimeter). The color temperature of white is higher than the reference 6500 K - on average about 8000 K. Because of this, the picture looks a little “colder” than it should. However, this is not noticeable and does not cause any significant inconvenience.

The screen color gamut is almost identical to the “reference” sRGB color space. The display's color rendering is fine - we didn't find any deviations. When viewing photos or videos, the colors look quite natural, moderately saturated, as intended by the authors of the content.

LG L90 - display color gamut (black triangle) compared to sRGB color space

Overall, we liked the LG L90's display. Perhaps its main drawback is the lack of an oleophobic coating and a polarizing filter. It is expected that the younger models - L70 and below - do not have such signs of humanism, but the older model of the series must have them.

Results

LG has once again managed to create a serious player in the mid-price segment. Taking into account the realities, the price of the LG L90 is more than affordable. Among the things we like, we highlight excellent battery life, the presence of an IR transmitter and a dual-SIM version, the current version of Android with the proprietary Optimus UI shell, a practical back panel, thin frames around the screen, a omnivorous built-in video player and loud sound in the headphones. Among the things that have haunted the L-Style line since its inception is the lack of a light sensor, oleophobic coating and screen resolution.

Pros: compact dimensions, build quality, practical back panel, ergonomics, presence of an IR transmitter for controlling household appliances, autonomy, current version of Android, Optimus UI shell capabilities, dual-SIM version, support for all popular audio and video codecs

Cons: lack of light sensor, lack of oleophobic display coating and relatively low screen resolution

Conclusion: a smartphone with excellent autonomy, a dual-SIM version, the latest version of Android, an IR transmitter, an Optimus UI shell with wide personalization options and an omnivorous video player

Specifications

⇡#Autonomous work

The smartphone has a fairly capacious, by class standards, 9.65 Wh (2540 mAh, 3.8 V) battery. For a 4.7-inch gadget with a very economical platform and low screen resolution, the energy reserve is quite decent - a positive result was not long in coming.

LG L90 - standard battery

Unfortunately, we cannot provide the results of the AnTuTu profile test, since the device spontaneously rebooted twice after launching it. Probably due to too heavy and prolonged load or banal incompatibility with the gadget. This happens in the Android world. We can only note that it was discharged from 100% to 47% in about two hours and ten minutes. The result is very decent - some gadgets manage to complete testing during this time, having discharged to the 20% charge required by the AnTuTu test.

In continuous HD video playback mode with the maximum display brightness level and an active wireless connection, the device was discharged in just over seven hours. An excellent indicator - just lower the backlight level, and you can watch a movie for the entire transatlantic flight.

LG L90 - Energy Saving Settings

In the general settings menu, it is possible to activate the energy-saving mode when the battery reaches a certain percentage of charge. It disables a number of features, reduces display brightness and inactivity time. In general, you can count on a day of battery life with the LG L90 even under high loads. And that is great.

⇡#Camera

The hierarchy of cameras built into smartphones for 2014 is as follows: camera phones and expensive gadgets that stand out from the crowd get a camera with a resolution of more than 13 megapixels, “regular” flagships get 8 megapixel sensors in mid-price smartphones, and 5 megapixels in budget solutions. or 3 MP. The LG LIII line clearly confirms this: in the L90 the camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels, in all other models in the series it is lower.

LG L90 - main eight-megapixel camera

The camera's viewfinder is, as they say, quite ascetic. The settings have standard options such as manual adjustment of ISO sensitivity and white balance. The device can take photographs by voice command and mark the location of the shooting. The standard camera application has several interesting modes such as “Sports”, “Snapshot time”, “Burst” and “Panorama”, but for some reason there is no HDR option here.

LG L90 - viewfinder and settings

Unfortunately, by default the L90 is set to a six-megapixel mode with a widescreen (16:9 - 3264x1836) image resolution instead of 4:3 - 3264x2448. We found out about this after a series of test shots. However, this will not interfere with an objective comparison - the central part of the frames is the same, it’s just that LG’s photos turned out to be cropped at the top and bottom.

At first glance, with sufficient lighting, the LG L90 produces quite good shots - both the sharpness and colors are decent. True, you think so until you start comparing the pictures with photographs taken on other devices - for example, on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, a rather old smartphone by the standards of the mobile industry. His photos are more detailed and rich, and things are better with contrast and noise. By the way, the competitor’s percentage of successful shots is also higher - the LG L90 has more blurry shots.

True, the LG L90 camera has more realistic color rendition - the automation selects shooting parameters better. This is clearly visible in a couple of frames above. The L90's sand is yellow, as it should be, but the Galaxy Note 2's is reddish for some reason. The LG L90's camera also handles shadow details more confidently.

Both smartphones failed in their own way when shooting in low light. It is noteworthy that we are talking about two ends of the same stick. The LG L90's photography is too soapy due to overly aggressive noise reduction. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 depicted the scene better and more realistically, but there was an unacceptable amount of noise in the image. Not a single device managed to reach the “golden mean”.

Taking a photo of a printed document is the simplest thing a mobile phone camera should be able to do. The LG L90 copes with this task without difficulty - the text is clear and easily visible across the entire frame. True, again it is clearly visible that the “Galaktika” has less noise, but this is not critical. The minimum focusing distance is about ten to fifteen centimeters. In photographs taken in the “mobile macro” genre, a nice bokeh effect is visible - the background is well blurred.

LG L90 - example of macro photography

In general, the camera on the smartphone is not bad. As we often say in such cases, no worse and no better than our competitors. With its own advantages and disadvantages. By the way, it can record video in Full HD 1920×1080 MP4 format. A minute of video takes up approximately 130 MB of disk space.

Design and ergonomics

Each of the smartphone configurations has two body colors: black and white. In our case we are dealing with the latter.

Thin frames around the display have long been the hallmark of LG smartphones. The LG L90 was no exception. With dimensions comparable to its predecessor, the developers managed to fit into the body not a 4.3-inch display, but a 4.7-inch one. To get an idea of ​​the weight and dimensions of the device, we provide a comparison table below.

As you can see, the smartphone can be considered compact, at least for its class and taking into account the battery capacity of 2540 mAh.

The main differences between the single- and dual-SIM versions are the presence of a mechanical Home key. With the exception of the mentioned key, the entire front part of the case is occupied by tempered glass. In turn, the glass is framed by a plastic frame, which is part of the sidewalls. At the top end there is a slot for a speaker. Below it is the logo, to the right of it is the proximity sensor and the front camera. Below, from left to right, are the following keys: “Back”, mechanical “Home” and “Menu”. The keys are not backlit, which is typical for mid-segment smartphones from this manufacturer. Since the mechanical key rises slightly above the body, you can navigate in the dark without backlighting. Unfortunately, in the dual-SIM version this problem is more acute, since the D410 does not have a mechanical key, and the row of three buttons is supplemented by a fourth, a key for changing the priority of SIM cards.

The sides of the case taper towards the back and are separated from the removable back panel by a thin strip of gray plastic. At the lower end this strip thickens a little. Here there are two holes made in it, one for the Micro-USB connector, the other for the earpiece. On the right side, under the gray stripe, there is a power/lock key. On the opposite side there is a double volume button. At the top end there is an IR transmitter, a hole for a second microphone and a headphone jack. The keys hardly protrude above the body, but due to the sharp edges, they are easy to find even blindly.

The back of the case is made of rough plastic that is pleasant to the touch. This solution looks much more practical and pleasant than gloss. There are no visible fingerprints or scuff marks on it. The arrangement of elements on the back side is as follows: at the top there is an LED flash and an 8 MP camera lens, in the middle there is a logo, at the bottom right there are two holes for the speaker with a small bulge between them.

There are no separate recesses for removing the rear panel. You can pry off the cover in the area of ​​the USB connector. By removing it and looking at the inside, you can see the contacts of the NFC antenna (relevant only for the model sold on the Korean market; NFC will not be available in the CIS countries). Now the user has access to the battery and two slots. To change the SIM card (Mini format), you need to remove the battery.

The build quality is excellent, the body is monolithic. The gaps between the parts are minimal. All the keys are located in convenient places, so there are no questions about ergonomics either.

⇡#Software

LG L90 runs on the modern version of the Android operating system - 4.4.2 KitKat. However, only the software core remains from Android - the shell has been completely repainted to the taste of the company's designers. It is very reminiscent of the “launcher” that we saw in the LG G2. However, it won’t take long to get used to the smartphone - the changes are purely cosmetic, the arrangement of elements and desktops is standard.

The marketing feature of all LIII series devices is the KnockCode device locking function. It is an improved version of the KnockOn unlock, which is performed by double tapping the screen. Now, in order to get to the desktop, you need to “knock” on the front panel in places pre-defined by the user. The difference from a pattern key is that there is no need to swipe your finger across the screen - choosing such a code is much more difficult. We specifically tried to unlock the device using the wrong combination of taps, but it didn’t work. You can wake up the gadget in this way, even if the smartphone is in sleep mode - it’s really convenient.

LG L90 - Knock Code setup

In addition, there is support for all gestures that have become traditional for LG, such as answering a call when holding the device to your ear. The ability to display two QSlide applications on one screen has also not gone away. In general, the engineers of the South Korean company are honing the Android shell, gradually bringing it to an ideal state. And they do it well - all that remains is to work out the shell fonts more carefully. The package of pre-installed applications, in addition to all the standard utilities from Google, also includes some third-party ones, such as a file manager, a notes service and many others.

LG L90 - Application Menu

Review of Android smartphone LG K10 (K410): simple, but tasteful

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Specifications
• Packaging and equipment
• Appearance and design
• Display
• Hardware platform and performance
• Firmware and software
• Multimedia
• Wireless Interfaces and Communications
• Memory and file system
• Battery life
• Camera
• Comparison with competitors
• Conclusion

Introduction

The Korean company continues its journey in the mobile segment.
This manufacturer can please us with decent quality, interesting design solutions and a developed software component of the product. Along with other devices, the new K10 model was presented at CES 2020 and went on sale earlier this year. Let's talk about it in detail. The LG K10 smartphone is one of those devices about which there is almost nothing to say, but this does not make them any less useful. Yes, the device does not have outstanding characteristics; it is not loaded with any unique functionality. This is a simple option with a pleasant, so to speak, face.

So, it is unlikely to be of interest to avid geeks who prefer unique solutions. But the categories of users are not limited to them alone, and it is on them that the manufacturer is betting by releasing the LG K10.

LG is officially represented in our area, so there will be no problems with support in Russia. The LG K10 (K410) smartphone was released in one hardware modification: 16 GB of memory for data storage and 1 GB of RAM. As for the possible body colors, there are two options: indigo blue and white.

Thanks to the online store Video-shoper.ru, we tested a blue LG K10. The approximate price of this model is around 13,000 rubles, fortunately it is already on sale in Russian retail. As usual, we’ll start studying the hero of the review with a brief description of the specifications.

announcements and advertising

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Specifications LG K10 (K410)

What can I say? We have before us a compact and lightweight smartphone with a very discreet, but well-balanced filling. The required minimum set has been met here. It's nice that there is support for two SIM cards and a memory card. We are not pleased with anything else special for this money. We can only hope that everything will be fine with the quality and that no flaws will be found during the testing process.

It is worth noting that the LG K10 is also available in a more advanced version, the K430ds. This smartphone received more RAM, a more advanced camera, LTE support, an eight-core processor and the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. There are enough advantages, and such a device may be more interesting, but its price is noticeably (3-5 thousand rubles) higher. But the manufacturer offers a choice, and this is definitely a plus.

Packaging and equipment LG K10 (K410)

The smartphone arrived for testing in a small light cardboard box. The packaging material is quite inexpensive.

The logo and basic technical information are printed on the surface of the box.

The box under the device contains the following delivery kit:

• USB to Micro USB cable;
• Charger (5.0 V, 0.85 A);
• Documentation.

The quality of all delivery components is not satisfactory. Headphones, a case and other goodies were not included in the package.

Let's begin the external inspection of the laboratory guest.