LG K8 LTE k350e (LG K8) review and specifications. LG K8 K350E review: a beautiful smartphone for housewives

Today we have a review of the LG K8 LTE k350e. How successful was the smartphone for its price of 6 thousand rubles? Let's deal with everything in order.

Equipment

The box is made in the usual way last years LG style - white in combination with other bright color. Includes:

• smartphone;
• USB cable for connecting to a computer and charging;
• battery;
• USB adapter with top output;
• documentation ( warranty cards, instructions).

There's nothing else included, including headphones, so you'll have to purchase them separately if you need them.

Appearance

The manufacturer offers us two color options for the Lji k8 Lte: black, dark blue and gold. The first two differ only in color back cover, the third standard is a gold cover and a white front part.

The phone is made of corrugated plastic that looks like wicker fabric. It looks interesting and feels quite pleasant to the touch. Thanks to this coating, the device is not easily soiled and is also resistant to various physical damages.

In addition, the back side is replete with various elements:

• rubberized LG logo;
• a slot for the speaker and a control unit that includes volume buttons;
• main button to turn the device on and off;
• LED flash;
• camera.

The back cover is removable, just like the LG K10. It comes off quite easily. Below it are:

• Removable lithium ion battery at 2125 Milliamps/hours.
• Slot for NanoSim card.
• Combined slot for NanoSim card and MicroSD card for memory expansion.

At first glance, the LG k8 LTE looks very similar to the older K10 model, at least in appearance. The differences lie only in some of the dimensions, and even those are not critical.

Due to this, the right and left sides remained completely empty. There is a 5-inch display in front, with the LG logo underneath it again. There are no touch buttons, as they are now on-screen. Above the screen there is a speaker, proximity and light sensors, and a front camera.

At the top you can only see an additional microphone. At the bottom there is a connector for standard headphones 3.5 mm, MicroUSB port for charging and connecting to a computer and a conversational microphone.

Screen

The LG k8 k350e smartphone has a 5-inch display, which is 0.3 smaller than its older brother K10. Permission of this screen— HD, that is, 1280 by 720 pixels. This is an IPS display, which is made using Incell Touch technology. Multi-touch is designed for 10 simultaneous touches. The screen is covered with 2.5D glass, which is now installed almost everywhere.

There is an oleophobic coating, however, fingerprints still remain on the display, but they can be easily removed with a cleaning cloth.

The screen turned out pretty good. There are no complaints about viewing angles or colors - everything is as it should be.

The display can be unlocked double click. This technology Knock-on is the hallmark of LG smartphones.

There is no light sensor, so the brightness will have to be adjusted manually. The menu also has an option to reduce the display brightness. For example, you can set an hourly interval and at this time the brightness will be reduced to zero, that is, until the screen is completely black. This will save battery.

Processor and software

The LG k8 LTE k350e is powered by a Mediatek MT6735 processor, which has four cores clocked at 1.3 GHz. Paired with him is video accelerator Mali T720.

State employee equipped random access memory 1 GB and built-in 16 GB, of which only 11 will be available at launch. The owner can also expand the built-in memory using a card up to 32 GB.

Test results:

1. The GeekBanch 3 gadget scores 525 points in the single-core test and 1606 points in the multi-core test, which is a pretty good result.
2. In Antutu Banchmark it scores 30539 points, which is also a good result.

In terms of synthetics, the phone shows decent performance, at least compared to competitors in the same category. price category.

The main test of the power characteristics of a smartphone is, of course, carried out in modern games. For example, in GTA San Andreas LG k8 LTE k350e works on maximum settings graphics, but the game slows down a little. For complete comfort, it is better to set the default settings.

This situation occurs only in GTA San Andreas, but in other heavy games such as Real Racing, Mortal Combat, World of Tanks, everything works fine. There are no slowdowns or lags, stable fps is maintained.

In general, the phone can be safely called a gaming phone.

k8 LTE k350e runs on Android 6.0 Marshmellow, on top of which is installed proprietary firmware from LG. The interface works smoothly, there are no complaints about it in this regard.

This gadget has interesting features. For example, on the rear buttons you can enable the function quick opening programs: you can assign a notepad to the top button, and a camera to the bottom button.

Camera

The state employee has two camera modules:

• main one with autofocus and 8 megapixel LED flash;
• frontal with the ability to shoot by gesture, virtual flash and one-touch shooting at 5 MP.

Focusing occurs quite quickly and the shutter is released immediately. An example of a photograph can be seen in the photo below.

To get the most high-quality images It is best to focus the camera manually on specific object. If you film the text, it is quite readable, although there is some blurring of the words. But for an 8 MP mid-range camera this is acceptable.

Photo quality is average even in good lighting.

The front camera is turned on either from the display with the corresponding icon or with a special “swipe”. Its main mode is called “shooting by hand gesture.” We bring our fist to the camera, unclench it, and the picture is taken in 3 seconds.

There is also a virtual backlight function. What's the point? This is illumination of the main part of the display, which is designed in such a way as to provide light to the front camera. The quality for 5 megapixels is also average, which means you can easily post the resulting photos on social networks.

Video recording is carried out in HD or Full HD format. True, there are no preset modes.

Results

The LG k8 LTE k350e model turned out to be quite successful for its price category. The only difference from its older brother K10 is the changed hardware.

Video

Not long ago, we came across the LG K7 for review, the closest relative of the smartphone that we will consider in this review. Despite the close location in digital numbering, the LG K8 (2017) looks better than its younger brother, which, as we wrote, can hardly be called a successful acquisition. In any case, if you quickly compare the specifications of the smartphone. We will try to find out whether this is really so.

First, traditionally, let's look at the characteristics of the test sample:

As we see, this smartphone It compares favorably with the K7 with a more capacious battery, a larger amount of RAM and permanent memory... However, first things first.

Box and accessories

The LG K8 comes in the usual gray box. Inside we found a standard set: the device itself, a charger, a USB cable, an extractor for the 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 in the frame on the right and left. Volume control buttons are located on left side, and the power button is on the back surface of the device, below the camera and flash. This is very confusing at first: it’s unusual to reach for the unlock button, but it’s more convenient to adjust the volume with your thumb. We would understand the move to install a fingerprint scanner on the unlock button, but it’s not here. In general, the solution with buttons is quite controversial. Otherwise, there are no complaints: thanks to the corrugated cover, the smartphone fits firmly in the hand, the body does not creak or play. Software navigation buttons, separate touch buttons No.

To open the lid there is a small protrusion.

Screen

The LG K8 has an acceptable screen, unlike its budget counterpart. 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 in this price category with such a diagonal. The display, unlike the LG K7 (2017), is quite visible in bright sunlight.

operating system

As operating system the smartphone already has a little installed outdated Android 6.0, but the OS is on this moment available for upgrade to Android 7.0. It's nice that LG cares about its users. The device has its own shell, but it has not been modernized too much: a function has been added Knock Code and a few other “improvements”. There are also native uninstallable LG applications, which, in principle, do not interfere with working with the device. Navigation in the menu is smooth, there are no complaints.

Processor and memory

The LG K8 (2017) has a processor from the Chinese company Mediatek MT6737. This is no longer a young, not the most productive and not the most energy-efficient chipset. For simple tasks it will do, but in heavy games You can hardly play with a comfortable device. The results in AnTuTu are consistent.

The smartphone has 1.5 GB of RAM, which, in principle, is enough for single-tasking work, but when using several programs alternately, the 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, then you should get used to constant downloads even when switching from the messenger to the browser and back.

16 GB of permanent memory is available out of the box, of which approximately 10 GB is available to 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 me 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 headphone jack, it was very nice to see support for FM radio.

Battery

The battery capacity of the LG K8 (2017) is an unimpressive 2500 mAh. However, the battery should be enough to last through daylight hours with average use. There is no fast charging. However, such a small battery charges very quickly: a little more than an hour- and you are back on horseback. It is worth noting that the battery can be removed.

Communication and sound

There are no complaints about the speaker and microphone. The sound quality of the external speaker located on the rear panel isn't the best, but that's 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 was no higher than 54 Mbit/s, which is explained by the old processor. However, in most situations this will be enough.

Camera

Installed in the smartphone rear camera 13 megapixels with a matrix size of ⅓ inches and a pixel size in the matrix of 1.12 nm. Because of such a small matrix and tiny pixel size, pictures taken with a smartphone do not stand up to criticism. More or less acceptable photographs are obtained only in conditions of ideal illumination of the entire frame. Autofocus often misses.

The front camera also does not shine with picture quality. However, expecting something more from a smartphone priced around $100 is somewhat optimistic.

In recent years, LG Electronics has pleased us with a lot of interesting flagship smartphones, which combine unique charm and the highest functionality. But during the same period it is difficult to remember a truly memorable solution in an accessible price segment. To correct this situation should be a new one, which was announced at CES 2016. This article will focus on the mid-budget model LGK8 LTE.

The new product has a 5-inch IPS display, 4-core MediaTek processor MT6735 and an 8 MP main camera. At first glance, we have before us another inconspicuous device, of which there are many on the market. But is this so - let's figure it out.

Specification

Appearance, arrangement of elements

If a person is greeted by his clothes, then a smartphone is greeted by his design. And I must say that the LG K8 LTE has it full order. It looks far from boring and is perceived as expensive and very elegant. All thanks to the rounded ends, volumetric or 2.5D glass, silver (albeit plastic) edging and the same back, but with a tenacious texture that imitates the large texture of fabric (practical, absolutely not easily soiled). Yes, it resembles a kind of symbiosis and with a number of changes, but this is definitely a plus for available model. There are three color options on the market - blue, white and gold, but the front panel always remains black.

Dimensions and weight (144.6 x 71.5 x 8.7 mm and 140 g) of the device are slightly larger than we would like, including due to the not very thin side frames around the display (4.5 mm on each side , top - 15 mm, bottom - 18 mm). But thanks to its rounded shape, the smartphone not only fits perfectly in the hand, but is also easy to operate.

The protective glass of the front panel of the LG K8 LTE smoothly flows into the side frame. Above the screen there is a camera lens, a proximity sensor and an earpiece. Below it is only the manufacturer’s logo, since the touch buttons are on the screen.

On bottom end there is a micro-USB port, a microphone and a 3.5mm audio port, and on the top there is only an additional microphone. The sides of the body are empty; There is only a protrusion for prying the back cover when removing it.

On the back of the gadget there is a main camera lens with a flash, the usual three control buttons (Rear Key), the manufacturer’s logo and a multimedia speaker. If you have not used LG smartphones before, it will take some time to get used to the location of the hardware keys. Nevertheless, in practice it is quite convenient. It is also worth noting that the smartphone is inconvenient to operate when it is lying on flat surfaces, since every touch on the screen causes it to wobble.

After removing the back cover, access to a removable battery, slots for two Nano-SIM cards and a microSD memory. In general, the build quality and rigidity of the LG K8 LTE case does not raise any questions - everything is in order here.

Display

The LG K8 LTE has a 5-inch screen based on an IPS matrix with a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a pixel density of 293 PPI. The matrix is ​​covered with durable mineral glass Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with a good oleophobic layer and an anti-reflective filter. There is no air gap between them, which improves image readability on a bright day, but also increases the cost of repairs if damaged.

In general, the screen is characterized by good detail, pleasant colors (slightly shifted towards cooler shades) with a sufficient level of contrast and good viewing angles (a slight drop in saturation appears when viewed diagonally).

The brightness adjustment range is sufficient for comfortable work on a sunny day or in complete darkness. But, as in previous budget LG models, adjustment occurs only manually (there is no light sensor), which is very strange for a 2016 solution.

The display supports up to ten simultaneous presses inclusive. In-Cell Touch technology is used. There is a lock/unlock option double tap. Everything is functioning properly.

Audio subsystem

The model under review is equipped with one multimedia speaker. It's loud enough to not miss a call in a crowded place. The sound itself is pleasant and characterized by good frequency range. At maximum volume there is no hoarseness, but the body resonates a little. In general, its capabilities should be enough to perform basic functions: games, video and speakerphone.

The delivery package of the new product does not include a headset, so the sound in the headphones was checked using in-ear Vivanco HS 200 WT (impedance 16 Ohms) and gaming headphones (impedance 60 Ohms). In both cases, the sound is quite standard, like most Android smartphones, without any frills. The volume level is sufficient.

Additionally, there is a radio module for recording and listening to FM radio stations with connected headphones.

Camera

LG K8 LTE is equipped with two cameras: the main one (8-megapixel with f/2.4 aperture and autofocus) and the front (5-megapixel module with f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus). Both can shoot video in 1080p resolution at 30 fps.

Under favorable conditions, both cameras produce average quality content. The pictures have good detail and nice colors, but there is a noticeable lack of dynamic range and sharpness at the edges of the frame. In addition, there is no HDR mode. With a lack of light, an abundance of noise and color confusion appear. All this applies to video shooting. An interesting thing to note is the ability to take pictures using gesture control, for which you just need to clench your palm into a fist and a 3-second timer starts. It’s also worth mentioning the virtual flash in the form of a bright field on the screen when taking selfies, which can be useful indoors.

The main menu of the camera is characterized by a pleasant and convenient design, but has minimal functionality. From the settings - frame size, voice control, timer, grid and flash activation. There is a simple mode, when all icons are removed from the screen, and a picture is taken by touching at any point.

Examples of photo and video shooting

An example of daytime shooting from a smartphoneLG K8 LTE in 1080p resolution at 30 FPS

Custominterface

The LG K8 LTE smartphone runs on the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, which is complemented by the proprietary LG UX 4.0 add-on. It is characterized by excellent functionality and wide personalization possibilities, without cluttering unnecessary software.

Among the features, we highlight a pleasant design, redrawn notification curtain, keyboard with voice input and a number of settings, the ability to quickly respond to SMS messages and reconfigure touch buttons. You can find out more in the review.

Separately, we note two main screen display modes - classic and simplified, when all interface elements become noticeably larger for more convenient interaction with them.

The smartphone settings menu is made in light colors. Access to almost all parameters is open: communication capabilities, appearance, screen settings, sound effects and so on.

In general, the OS runs very quickly and smoothly, but sometimes, after closing resource-intensive applications or games, there are minor hiccups due to lack of RAM.

Productivity and communication capabilities

LG K8 LTE is based on the budget SoC processor MediaTek MT6735. It combines four ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.3 GHz. The graphics are handled by an ARM Mali-T720 with support for OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenVG 1.1 and DirectX 11. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, and the permanent memory is 16 GB (10.21 GB available to the user). Expand given space possible using microSD memory cards (up to 32 GB).

This hardware platform does not set records in benchmarks, but in practice it demonstrates very decent performance. By the way, it is slightly higher than that of competing solutions with Qualcomm Snapdragon 410. The smartphone copes well with everyday tasks - making calls, working with documents, surfing the Internet, listening to audio, watching videos, and so on. Some hiccups may occur due to lack of RAM. Fortunately, there are versions of the device on the market with 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of ROM, which more demanding users should pay attention to. As for games, everything is pretty good here too. For example, Asphalt 8: Airborne works great on high settings graphics and only occasionally there are drops in FPS. WoT Blitz at high settings, but without shadows, it produces quite comfortable 25-35 FPS, and sometimes higher. Mortal Kombat X runs quite smoothly, but looks graphically simple, since many visual effects automatically disabled. Even with prolonged use, the body of the smartphone becomes only slightly warm.

The built-in video player has good support modern audio and video formats, as reported by the Antutu Video Tester benchmark.

LG K8 LTE supports robot with modern mobile networks 2G GSM, 3G UMTS and 4G LTE Cat.4. Support for two SIM cards is implemented on the basis of one radio module.

The quality of calls is at a high level and does not cause any comments. The speaker and microphone perform well. The vibration alert is average in strength and pleasant in timbre.

Communication capabilities are represented by the most necessary modules: Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi. The latter has support for 802.11b/g/n protocols and is capable of operating only in the 2.4 GHz band.

When testing problems in the operation of modules wireless communication not noticed - everything is quite standard.

The navigation module is characterized by support GPS systems(A-GPS). “Cold start” takes about 8-10 seconds.

Autonomous operation

The smartphone is powered by a replaceable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2045 mAh (although the official website states 2125 mAh), which is a rather modest figure by modern standards. But thanks to the energy-efficient platform and good OS optimization, you can count on an acceptable minimum - a day battery life under average load conditions with several hours of display operation (calls, SMS, music, some Internet).

As a result of watching HD video (MPEG-4 / AVC, MKV container, flow 4 Mbit/s) the device was discharged in 7 hours 21 minutes. A gaming simulation using Asphalt 8: Airborne drained its battery in 2 hours and 26 minutes.

The estimated battery life according to the PCMark benchmark showed 6 hours 12 minutes, according to the Geekbench 3 test results - about 5 hours, while the GFXBench benchmark gave a result of 284 minutes. In all cases (except for the gaming one), the display brightness was 50%, and the Wi-Fi and GPS modules were activated.

The battery charging time from an incomplete power supply (5 V, 1 A) reaches 3-3.5 hours, which is surprisingly quite long.

Results

After getting to know each other, I was left with generally positive emotions, but with a slight dissonance on certain issues. The smartphone pleased us with an interesting and memorable experience appearance, practical materials of construction and initially unusual, but later very comfortable ergonomics. High-quality IPS screen with oleophobic coating and protective glass copes well with its responsibilities, but the absence leaves a residue automatic adjustment brightness The performance level is sufficient to solve daily tasks and even running demanding games, but still experiencing a lack of RAM. Fortunately, there are versions on the market with 1.5 GB of RAM and 8 GB of ROM, which more demanding users should pay attention to. Both cameras offer fairly average photo and video capabilities that will suit casual users, but may not satisfy heavy Instagram and Facebook followers. Among the positive things we can highlight current version Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, which is complemented by the proprietary LG UX 4.0 add-on. The battery life is also not great, but is within an acceptable minimum.

If you look at domestic market, then devices with similar characteristics can be bought for $40 (1000 UAH) cheaper, however, only from Chinese manufacturers, which in many cases entails the absence of an official guarantee and affordable service. In the case of A-brands, the hero of our review may well compete, for example, with representatives Samsung lines Galaxy J. That is, the choice is quite large, and it all depends on your preferences.

Advantages:

• interesting appearance;
• high build quality;
• high-quality 5-inch HD IPS screen with In-Cell Touch technology, oleophobic layer and protective glass;
• sufficient performance of the hardware platform based on MediaTek MT6735;
• support for two SIM cards and the necessary network capabilities;
• The current version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS paired with the functional LG UX 4.0 shell.

Flaws:

• lack of light sensor;
• not the best high time battery life in its price range.

We express our gratitude to the Ukrainian representative office of the company LG Electronics for the smartphone provided for testing.

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Description of the K8 smartphone (2016)

In this description we will get acquainted with budget smartphone, which was announced by LG in February 2016. It's about about the entry-level smartphone LG K8, which received a five-inch IPS display, 1.5 GB of RAM, and an energy-efficient MediaTek chipset. Let's figure out what came of it.

The K8 LTE smartphone model with the technical index K350E received an unassuming appearance with a chrome edging and a plastic cover with a textured pattern. Mechanical keys are located in the usual places for devices from this manufacturer - we are talking about the rear panel. A multimedia speaker is also located there. The device came in dark blue, gold, and white. The large frames around the screen are confusing; in addition, it is worth noting that the lid is a little loose. As a plus, we can note the rounded glass with a 2.5D effect.

As already noted, the LG K8 smartphone model is equipped with a 5-inch display with an IPS matrix, which has an HD format (720x1280 pixels), an aspect ratio of 16:9, and a pixel density per inch of 294 ppi. On a sunny day, the picture fades and viewing angles are not the greatest. In short, the display meets the budget level.

If we move on to the hardware platform, then in the case of the LG K8 smartphone model it is quad-core processor MediaTek MT6735 which works with clock frequency 1.3 GHz, works with it in pairs graphics chip Mali-T720MP2. Let's just say that the hardware is far from the most advanced, as confirmed by the AnTuTu benchmark, which scored approximately 26,000 to 28,800 parrots. In addition, our state employee received 1.5 GB of RAM, as well as two versions of the flash drive: 8 and 16 GB, and the smartphone received a slot for a microSD memory card with which it can be expanded up to 32 GB. The device is not for gamers, that’s for sure, but it’s quite suitable for hanging out on social networks, messaging in messenger and other basic tasks.

The rear panel has an 8-megapixel main camera sensor with LED flash and autofocus. The front camera has 5 megapixels, which is only enough to capture your silhouette against the background of a landmark.

As preinstalled system Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) was installed, which is currently updated to 7.0 (Nougat). The battery has a capacity of 2,125 mAh, which is enough for almost a day of battery life, given the not the most productive processor. The LG K8 smartphone model can be purchased for about $110-130.

It continues to expand towards accessibility, which is very pleasant against the backdrop of acute and chronic financial crises. Mid-level smartphones suit the capabilities of most users, so what is happening in this niche should be constantly kept under review. LG K8– the device is quite bright and is perfect for those who are just gaining experience in mastering serious gadgets. And if this particular product is chosen to get acquainted with the catalog of smartphones, there is no doubt that the impression of it will remain good.

Optical miracle

Digital magic begins from the moment it is turned on, when a living logo appears before us and for some time it seems that the display occupies the entire front side. The device is equipped with Gorilla Glass 3 with smoothed edges, creating the so-called 2.5D effect. Thanks to the glass, a manual feeling of the thinness of the side edges is created Lji K8, although 8.7 mm thick is not the thinnest solution. Plastic case has a removable cover, under which lies a replaceable 2125 mAh battery.

The texture of the body resembles woven fabric High Quality and this will prevent the device from simply slipping out of the palm of your hand. The color of the device will be white and blue. On the back side there is a fingerprint sensor and a camera, designed as a complete unit.

Display

It is made using IPS In-Cell Touch technology. This means that touch recognition sensors are integrated with the matrix, due to which the display with a resolution of 1280x720p is thinner, and the displayed image is located as close to the surface as possible, so that it can be touched. In addition, the technology improves brightness, readability and viewing angle in sunlight. HD display diagonal 5 inches.

Equipment

Like many other devices in 2016, the LG K8 is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The main component of the device is a 64-bit MediaTek MT6735 chipset with 4 cores and 1.3 GHz. The RAM size of 1.5 GB means that fans of heavy simulators will have to limit themselves in some way, since many powerful games require a minimum of 2 GB. The built-in memory is designed for only 8 GB and, taking into account the space for pre-installed software, it will be reduced even more. Users will receive a pleasant bonus in the form of a slot for a memory card up to 32 GB.

The 8-megapixel main camera allows you to take pictures by voice command, and the 5-megapixel front camera allows for gesture control.

The LG K8 dual-SIM phone with a glossy pebble style and LTE support is likely to be welcomed not only by newbies, but also by connoisseurs of practical minimalism.