
Introduction
Aside from all the flagships, we’ll take a look at the lower section of the smartphone market. Today we have a LG K8 (2017), which represents the middle grounds of the LG lower class lineup. It emerged on the market towards the end of 2016, in December to be more precise. It is a compact device with a 5” display, and preinstalled Android 7.0 Nougat firmware. It comes in both single and dual SIM versions. Inside the factory box you can find a battery, a microUSB cable, an LG charging adapter and user manuals. With a very nice design which is very similar to the designs of flagship phones, the LG K8 (2017) should find many satisfied owners. Let’s now see whether the K8 is up to the challenge.
Unboxing
Display
K8 (2017) has a 5” display. This is typical for the lower class, and with HD resolution it offers decent quality. The number of PPI is 293. Clean and sharp image is characteristic for this display, alongside excellent maximum and minimum brightness levels. When it comes to color reproduction, this display provided only average results. Colors seem washed up, with pretty bad black colors which sometimes look like dark grey. Nonetheless, the display still looks suitable for this class and price range. Visibility on the sunlight is quite good. In the picture 4, you can see the details of the panel, as shown is AIDA64.
Hardware and OS
K8 (2017) is equipped with the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 chipset, but there is also a version with a MediaTek MT6737. Both chipsets are quadcore clocked at 1.4 GHz, supported by 1.5GB of RAM. GPUs are also different – Adreno 308 with Qualcomm, and Mali T720-MP2 with MediaTek. We have a Qualcomm version for our review, and it also has 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. MicroSD cards of up to 32GB are also supported. This device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat firmware, which runs very smoothly and feels excellent. Everything works without stuttering, and all tasks and finished rather quickly. The device doesn’t overheat, but since this is a lower class product, after heavy use slight overheating is noticeable on the back of the device.
Camera
When it comes to cameras, the K8 (2017) provided decent results, meaning that you should not expect phenomenal results. For everyday photos, there’s a 13MP camera of the rear. This resolution has become standard for the lower class in 2016. Auto-focus works pretty fast, both in photo and video modes. Other photo options are Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus, Face Detection and Panorama mode. The sharpness is only average for a 13MP sensor, and the color reproduction could be better. Video is captured in FullHD at 30fps. The front facing camera is actually very good for this class with its 5MP. Selfie lovers will definitely be satisfied with the selfie camera of the K8 (2017). It also captures videos in FullHD.
Connectivity
The K8 (2017) supports a wide range of 4G frequencies, and it comes as both a SingleSIM and a DualSIM device. We have a SingleSIM version which uses a nanoSIM card. Download speeds go up to 150 Mbps, and upload speeds go up to 50 Mbps. MicroUSB port is used for charging and data transfer, and 3.5mm headphone port is also present.
When it comes to wireless connections, there are:
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (with hotspot mode)
- Bluetooth v4.2
- NFC
- FM radio
- A-GPS
Battery
The battery in the K8 (2017) has the capacity of 2500 mAh, and it can be easily removed by removing the back cover of the phone. The device does not support quick charging, and it takes around 2 hours for a full charge. The good news is that when in standby, the device uses very little power, which will ensure longer battery life. With average use, the K8 (2017) can last around 2 days.
Final words
LG have once again proven that they can make a good lower class device for users who don’t want to spend too much money. A good design and Android Nougat only support this claim. The thing that we didn’t quite like is the display, but it’s still good for this price. If you like LG, and you seek a modern device with a nice design, but don’t care too much about not so perfect photos and a bit washed up colors – the K8 (2017) is a great choice for you.
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