LG K10 LTE #ExpressReview: When style isn’t enough

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LG K10 LTE

LG K10 LTE is a premium-looking device with a 2.5 D curved glass on the front, and LG’s new pebble design at the back. Similar to many other LG smartphone, the volume and the power buttons are placed at the back, just below the camera

LG K10 LTE, sure is a well-designed device, but does it perform well too? Let us find out in our review:

LG K10 LTE is a premium-looking device with a 2.5 D curved glass on the front, and LG’s new pebble design at the back.

Specs: 5.3-inch HD in-cell display | Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor | 2 GB RAM + 16 GB storage space | 13 megapixel rear and 5 megapixel front camera | 2,300 mAh battery| Android 5.1 Lollipop OS | dual-SIM with 4G, VoLTE support

Price: Rs 13,500

What is good?

LG K10 LTE bears a design, which is far more premium than what one can expect at this price point.

The 2.5D curved glass on the front, metal frames running along the sides, a textured back, and round edges altogether give the smartphone a stylish look. The pebble design at the back and metal frames provide for a good grip, making sure the smartphone doesn’t fall from your hands easily.

We could answer calls or shut off alarms, with the cover closed, which is really convenient.

Our review unit came with a smart cover, which displays alerts, whenever there’s a message or a call. We could answer calls or shut off alarms, with the cover closed, which is really convenient. The cover is pretty comfortable to hold and has a textured back for a good grip. The 5.3-inch HD screen is great to look at too. The colours are vivid and the icons appear sharp. Using the phone in bright sunlight, however, is a bit of a task.

K10 has on-screen navigation buttons, and can be modified to add up to 5 of them on the home screen. We really liked the capture feature, present in the notifications drop-down that enabled us to take quick notes when required.

K10’s 2,300 mAh battery should easily last you for a day on moderate usage, which is great. The smartphone lasted for more than 15 hours in the battery test.

We really liked the capture feature, present in the notifications drop-down that enabled us to take quick notes when required.

Multi-tasking on LG K10 LTE is pretty decent too, except when you have multiple tabs open, and you are switching between them frequently. In such scenarios, the response time taken to open a tab slowed down. Also, LG K10 cannot handle graphic heavy games well, so we wouldn’t recommend playing for more than just a couple of minutes.

What is not good?

The 13 megapixel rear camera in K10 LTE is bit of a let down. It manages to take decent shots in ample light, but we expected more at this price-point. The low-light results are a disappointment, both in terms of picture quality and visibility as they appear grainy.

The 13 megapixel rear camera in K10 LTE is bit of a let down. It manages to take decent shots in ample light, but we expected more at this price-point. (Image resized for web)

The low-light results are a disappointment, both in terms of picture quality and visibility as they appear grainy. (Image resized for web)

The five megapixel front camera shots weren’t sharp either. The colour reproduction isn’t good and the pictures, again appear grainy. Also, it doesn’t come with a lot of tweaks except for Gesture shot, which allows a user to take four selfies in a row, and rely on voice control to click pictures.

The smartphone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the box, and thus K10 doesn’t really make for a great option right now. The company hasn’t promised Android Marshmallow for these devices yet.

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If you are not a LG user, be ready to get used to controlling volume and unlocking the phone from buttons on the back, instead of sides. It took me some time to realise that the power and volume buttons aren’t on the side in my new smartphone anymore.

Verdict

LG K10 LTE, faces tough competition from players like Xiaomi and LeEco. Smartphones like Redmi Note 3, Le 1s and Coolpad Note 3 Lite offer better specs, including fingerprint scanner; and great camera and processor under Rs 15,000.

Go for LG K10, if you want a stylish phone, and that is pretty much all that you care about.

Read: LG K7 LTE Express Review: Nothing impressive for its price

Photos: LG K7 LTE, LG K10 LTE starts at Rs 9,500, will be made in India