We checked out LG’s affordable feature-packed L-Series smartphones, the L40, L70 and L90 at MWC 2014. Here’s our full hands-on review…
LG’s L-Series range of smartphones are mid-range affordable mobiles that pack loads of unique and useful LG features. We checked out the LG L90, L70 and L40 at the loud and sweaty LG booth at MWC…
LG L-Series L90
At 4.7-inches, the LG L90 is the largest of the L-Series mobiles, rocking a 4.7-inch IPS screen. It’s only a qHD display (960 x 540-pixel resolution), which means it’s identical in size and sharpness to LG’s G2 Mini.
There appears to be little difference between the two displays: the LG L90 is colourful and bright, and there’s enough room to comfortably browse the web and mess around with apps.
LG’s Knock Code provides a cunning and unique way of getting into the phone without powering on the mobile and tapping in a code – you just knock on the hibernating screen in a set pattern, and it unlocks straight into your desktop. It worked perfectly for us every time, and while it doesn’t exactly save a ton of time, it’s a fun, original security feature.
A basic 1.2GHz quad-core processor, similar to the Motorola Moto G, powers the LG L90. It made short work of Android 4.4 KitKat, although it will most likely struggle with some of the beefier latest games. A 2,540mAh battery will hopefully keep you going all day, and might even come close to the LG G2’s mightily impressive two-day life.
In the UK we’ll get a 5-megapixel snapper, and it comes with a decent range of features for a mid-ranger, including continuous shot for capturing action shots and Time Catch which starts taking shots before the shutter button is even pressed, by caching images.
LG has thrown in a couple of extra features to make life as simple as possible for those coming across from feature phones for the first time. For instance, the dialler mode shown below recreates a feature phone experience with a dial pad right there on the desktop, along with shortcuts to the most-used functions such as the camera and internet.
Expect to see the LG L90 phone in the UK soon, for somewhere close to £200.
LG L-Series L70 and L40
The LG L70 (above) and the LG L40 (below) use the same design as the L90, which to be fair isn’t a massive leap from the flagship phones either.
These two phones are a mite smaller than the L90, at 4.5-inches and 3.5-inches respectively. And let us tell you, after fondling five-inchers all day long at the expo, that 3.5-inch L40 sure feels teeny in your palm.
Not only is it dinky, the L40 is also quite chubby, but it slips nicely into the pocket and it’s simple enough to use. We reckon kids would enjoy it, as it’s light and easy to handle, even with stubby little fingers.
The L70 packs a 4.5-inch 800×480 IPS screen, while the L40 cuts back to a 3.5-inch IPS display with a 480×320-pixel resolution. Thankfully the L40 doesn’t have a rough, cheap display like the old Optimus L3s, and it seemed responsive to all of our flicks and gestures.
Both phones thankfully come with Android KitKat, powered by a basic 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and the same LG features as the bigger LG L90. That includes Knock Code.
Of course, being smaller, the L40 has slightly cut-down specs in some other areas – for instance, the L70’s 2,100mAh battery has reduced to a 1,700mAh effort, while the L70’s 5-megapixel camera is toned down to a basic 3-megapixel snapper.
Both the LG L70 and LG L40 will be available in the UK soon, at a lower cost than the LG L90.
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