LG Optimus L5 Hands-on Review
We got a chance to review LG Optimus L5. Read our hands-on review of the LG Optimus L5 smartphone and how we rate this phone compared to other smartphones currently in the market.
LG came up with a series of smartphones this year. The "L" series from LG is an attempt to come back with a bang to the smartphone market with some really good stuff. As of now, the L series include the following phones:
1. LG Optimus L3
2. LG Optimus L5
3. LG Optimus L7
L5 stands in the middle in the L series with well balanced price, features and quality for mid range smartphone users. Obviously, LG Optimus L5 is not THE BEST smartphone in the market, but in its price range, it is definitely way above any other smartphones currently available.
We had an opportunity to do a hands-on review of Optimus L5 recently. Our review team is very satisfied with the performance, design, quality and price of L5. In the low and mid-range smartphones, Optimus L5 will not disappoint the LG smartphone lovers.LG Optimus L5 Design
LG has paid attention to the minuteness of details in terms of the design of Optimus L5. Some of the key advantages are elegant design that offers comfortable grip to the hand without losing the aerodynamics and the premium look on the sides. The phone is definitely slim and sleek with just 9.5mm thick body, even though it is slightly thicker than Optimus L7 and Optimus 4X HD. You can read about the high end model Optimus 4X HD in our hands-on review of LG Optimus 4X HD.
When we talk about the design of smartphones, the size matters. Some people like very small phones that fit well into any small pockets, but some prefer large display screens to see a lot more data. I personally prefer smaller screens since I use the phone as a phone most of the time and not as a computer. However, occasionally I get into trouble when I am travelling and I need to read some documents or view some pictures. The size of LG Optimus L5 will satisfy most people. It has a medium size that is small enough to fit into most pockets or in a small handbag but is big enough to view pictures and read documents comfortably.
See the size of LG Optimus L5 smartphone compared to iPhone 4 and LG Optimus 4X HD:
You can see that L5 is slightly larger than iPhone but smaller than the Optimus 4X HD, which is a big brother of L5 and a higher end model offering a lot more features at a higher price tag. I have used all the 3 phones personally and felt L5 has a comfortable size that fits well into my palm yet offering reasonably big display screen size to view anything comfortably. I was very satisfied with this phone in our LG Optimus L5 hands-on review.Optimus L5 - Experience the Power
Optimus L5 comes preloaded with the Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which is Android 4.0. In our LG Optimus L5 hands-on review, we tested various applications and did not find any delay in loading applications or performing CPU intensive operations. We were able to play some of the games and we had a very smooth gaming experience in this smartphone.
Android Jelly Bean on Optimus L5:
There is no official word from LG yet on whether it can run Android Jelly Bean. Since the hardware requirements for the Android Jelly Bean is not far from the Ice Cream Sandwich requirements, it is possible that Optimus L5 users could be able to upgrade to Jelly Bean.
Processor:
The E612 variant of L5 available in India comes with 800MHz Cortex A5 processor. This processor is powerful enough to perform all day to day mobile tasks including playing most games or movies, reading documents, sending emails, recording videos and so on. Optimus L5 is powered by Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm, the most advanced chip from Qualcomm that powers many other smartphones including Nokia Lumia 820 and Lumia 920. The Snapdragon chips are designed to offer optimal performance and power for smartphones and tablet devices.
When coming to processing power - playing games or recording 3D videos - no big deal for this mid range smartphone. You can read more about the Snapdragon chips in the Qualcomm official website.Optimus L5 Camera
The hands-on review of LG Optimus L5 will not be complete without mentioning the camera quality. The 5 megapixel camera with LED Flash offers excellent quality and is one of the superior phone cameras in this price range. The flash helps to make very good pictures up to 5 feet distance, even though the brightness is affected a little bit in low light with flash beyond 4 feet.
Here is a video that shows the photo capture quality of Optimus L5. This video includes few picture shots and videos that we recorded during our Optimus L5 hands-on review.
We tested the camera under various light conditions and it offers good performance in most conditions. Of Course you cannot expect an SLR camera quality, but I would say for a mobile phone in this price range, L5 is behind no one.
Camera Specifications:
Camera type: 5 MP CMOS AF
Focus: Auto, Face tracking
Flash: Automatic LED flash
Zoom: 4X digital zoom
Shooting mode: Panorama, continues shot , Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Sunset, Night with advanced editing features and geo tagging
ISO: Auto, 400, 200, 100
Sharing options: Bluetooth, Gmail, Google+, Memo, Messaging, Picasa
Video: VGA(640x480), QVGA(320x240), QCIF(176x144), 4X zoom
Video playback: 30fps @ WVGA (MPEG-4 / H.263 / H.264 / DivX)
Video recording: 24fps @ VGA (MPEG-4 / AVC)
Here is a photo taken using LG Optimus L5 in bright light conditions outdoors during our Optimus L5 review:
L5 Display
The capacitive display does not disappoint at all, even though it is not a super clear HD display like LG Optimus 4X HD. The 4 inch TFT color screen with 256K colors can give very pleasing display, good enough to watch movies and pictures without losing any clarity.
Design & Display
Form factor: Full touch screen
Display Technology: TFT Display
Touch Screen Type: Capacitive Touch Screen
Display size: 10.2 cm (4")
Resolution: HVGA, 320x480
Brightness: 350nit
Color: 16M ColourFull technical specification
NETWORK & PLATFORM
GSM Band: Quad Band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
UMTS Band: Dual Band 900/2100
GPRS: Class10
EDGE: Class10
3G: HSDPA7.2
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: V3.0 (Profile : HFP, HSP, HID, OPP, FTP, A2DP, AVRCP, PBAP, MAP)
Other Specs
PC Sync Application: LG PC Sync 5
Others: GPS, USB, Video sharing
SIM Type: Single SIM
Operation System: Android Icecream 4.0.3
CPU: 800MHz (MSM7225A)
Dimensions: 118.3 x 66.5 x 9.5 mm
Weight: 125g
RAM: 512 MB
Internal Memory: 4GB (User Memory : 2.72 GB)
External memory support: Micro SD upto 32GB
Accessories: Battery, Charger, Stereo Ear Microphone, USB Data Cable
Battery of L5
Capacity: 1500 mAh Li-Ion
Talk time: 2G - Upto 15.5 Hrs at PCL 19 (GSM 900) 3G - Upto 10 Hrs at 0dBm
Stand-by time: 2G - Upto 838 Hrs at PP5 3G - Upto 1145 Hrs at DRX 8Where to buy LG Optimus L5 in India
LG Optimus L5 is currently available for purchase in few online shops. Please check out the following shops to buy it online:
LG Optimus L5 E612 - http://deals.sulekha.com/lg-optimus-l5-e612-black-23402 (Price Rs 11,999)
You may search for more options to buy LG Optimus L5 in India.
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