South Korean phone maker LG has joined the Make in India bandwagon with two budget smartphones—the K7 and K10. While the K7 (Rs. 9,500 is meant for a more casual user, the more expensive K10 (Rs.13,750) is a more consistent performer with more storage, better camera and a bigger screen.
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Design: Eye-catching and compact
With a curved back and pebble shaped design, the K10 looks quite similar to the Moto G Turbo, but is thinner (8.8mm) than Moto G Turbo’s 11.6mm. It is also lighter at 140g compared to Moto G Turbo’s 155g. We also liked the coarse back cover that almost looks like fabric of some kind, but is actually plastic. The phone feels good and handy, despite the 5.3-inch screen size. We also liked the fact that there are no physical buttons on the side panel. The power, screen lock/unlock and volume buttons are placed on the back panel right where the index finger rests when you are holding the phone. This allows user to unlock the screen or adjust the volume without shifting the phone or using the other hand.
Display: Big but dull
The 5.3-inch display packs in a screen resolution of 1280x720p. This somewhat unique screen is perfect for users who find a 5-inch display a little constraining and a 5.5-inch screen a tad too bulky for their hands. The display looks somewhat dull, because of the low resolution. Also it has a slightly warmer tone which gives it a slightly pinkish appearance instead of white. This affects the colours in videos, but does increase readability comfort the rest of the time. Viewing angles are flawless and the display seems to have some oleophobic coating which keeps the screen clear of smudges.
Software: A customisable UI
The phone runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with its own custom user interface over it. The absence of latest Android Marshmallow means users will miss out on features such as Now On Tap and app permission and functional improvements like more optimised battery. The custom UI doesn’t look very stylish but has plenty of features and customisation options. Not only can one arrange apps in the app drawer, and apply new themes, one can even change the app icons. There is a secondary interface with simpler layout and bigger icons for first-time smartphone users
Performance: Can handle most tasks well
The phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 410 quad core processor with 2GB RAM. It can handle most tasks smoothly even when we had 6 to 8 apps running in the background. Switching between apps is also swift. It is not powerful enough to run graphic-intensive games and can run the likes of SmashHit and GT Racing at best. The smartphone provides 16GB storage and can take in up to 32GB micro cards. It is a dual-SIM phone and supports all important 4G networks available in India.
The battery backup is average but if you don’t stress it, the 2,300mAh battery can muster a day’s backup comfortably.
Camera: Works best in daylight
The 13-megapixel camera is fast and works well under bright natural light. It doesn’t tend to darken objects in the background and captures details and colours very well. It is not very crisp though and one can see the noise with slightest of zoom-ins. It is good for close-up shots at best or when the light is really good. The front camera packs in some interesting features such as front-facing flash, option to take a shot without touching a screen through hand gestures.
Verdict
The good looks and the comfortable balance in terms of the screen size works for the LG K10, but when it comes to overall performance, the phone just can’t compete with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (Rs. 11,999) and the Moto G Turbo (Rs.12,499). The former offers a superior display, fingerprint sensor, better camera and a processor that can handle anything, while the latter offers latest Android, water and dust-resistant body, superb performance and a clutter-free interface.
