Review: LG K7 Is Just Not Worth Its Price

The phone might a viable option at a later price point.

LG K7 smartphone. (Photo: The Quint)

Barring the smartphone, LG has been making big moves in the consumer electronics space. The South Korean brand has tried following in Samsung’s footsteps but the results speak for themselves.

Earlier this year LG managed to surprise us all with its modular-friendly LG G5 but even then, all the Indian consumer has got till date is the LG K series of smartphones. The LG K7 may be priced under Rs 10,000 but does it really warrant a buy right now?

The power button and volume rocker are on the back. (Photo: The Quint)

Pros:

• Durable build and design
• Voice over LTE (VoLTE)

Cons:

• Mediocre hardware
• Overpriced
• Entry-level cameras

What’s Good?

The K7 is one of LG’s rare entry-level phones but that’s not obvious when you look at it. The company has continued with its “everything belongs at the back” motto, as the power button and volume rocker, are placed under the camera sensor. This may take some getting used to but for a change, we like the variation on offer at this price.

LG K7 gets power button at the back panel. (Photo: The Quint)

Also, the textured body ensures durability and safeguards it from those irksome fingerprints. The K7 shows us that a good design isn’t dependent on glass and metal.

The 5-inch display is bright and easy to read even under the sunlight. The phone comes with 4G/LTE connectivity and is powered by a Snapdragon 210 processor (thank God for that).

What’s Bad?

Where do we even start? Who’s willing to buy a phone with an 854x480 pixel resolution which is not even high-definition (720 pixels) for Rs 9000 today? It’s amazing that LG thinks buyers in India will even consider the K7 as an option.

The display is bright but the content is not sharp. (Photo: The Quint)

Except for the VoLTE (Voice over LTE) nothing really works for the phone. The entry-level processor is paired with 1.5GB RAM – a favourite of Samsung for many years now. And on the storage front too, you get a meagre 8GB storage.

To make matters worse, it comes with a 5-megapixel camera at the back. This is 2016, where we can buy a smartphone with 16-megapixel on the front. Even a phone worth 6K offers an 8-megapixel camera at the back.

So, for Rs 9,500 the K7’s features are as good as non-existent for us.

LG K7 gets a 5-megapixel camera at the back. (Photo: The Quint)

The battery life is no good either and with a 2125mAh battery on a 5-inch device is simply suicidal. And that’s exactly how the K7 feels. Multiple charges during the day cannot be to everyone’s liking.

Why Buy It?

We’ve never had it this simple while giving a verdict for a phone. So, here it is, don’t buy the LG K7. There are too many flaws, that could only be forgiven if the phone was selling for around Rs 5,000.

The 2.5D glass finishing is a mere hoax to hide the obvious flaws. (Photo: The Quint)

For Rs 9,000 we suggest you buy the Motorola Moto G (2015), the Samsung Galaxy J3 or if you’re willing to shell out a few more bucks, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a good option.

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