LG Optimus L5

LG Optimus L5 Specifications

General

• Touch Screen
  Yes, Capacitive Touch Screen
• SIM Network Type
  GSM
• Announced
  2012, February
• Operating Frequency / Network Type
  GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 / HSDPA 900 / 2100 MHz
• Status
  Available

Dimensions

• Sensors
  Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass
• Display Type
  HVGA TFT LCD Capacitive Touchscreen, 16M Colors
• Weight
  122 G
• Display Size
  4.0 Inches,320 x 480 px
• Dimensions - HxWxD
  114x67x9.6 MM

Memory

• Memory Card Type
  Yes, Micro SD Card
• Internal Memory
  Yes, Internal Memory : 2 GB Storage, 512 MB RAM
• Expandable Memory Slot
  Yes, Up to 32 GB

Camera

• Primary Camera
  5.0 MP
• Secondary Camera
  0.3 MP
• Camera Resolution
  2592 x 1944 Pixels
• Flash
  Yes
• Video Recording
  Yes, 640x480 (VGA) (30 fps), Recording Format : MP4
• Zoom
  Yes, Digital Zoom
• Other Camera Features
  Geo-tagging, touch focus

Multimedia

• Music player
  Yes, Music Formats : MP3, AAC, AAC+, AAC++, WMA, AMR, MIDI with Loud Speaker and 3.5mm Audio Jack
• Loudspeaker
  Yes
• FM
  No
• Video Player
  Yes, Video Formats : MP4, H.263, H.264, DivX, WMV, AVI, 3GP

Features

• OS
  Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• CPU
  Yes, CPU : Single core, 800 MHz, ARMv7, Chipset : Qualcomm MSM7225A, GPU : Adreno 200
• Java
  Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
• Colors
  Black, White

Connectivity & Internet

• 3G
  Yes, HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA
• Wifi
  Yes
• Bluetooth
  Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
• Browser
  Yes, HTML
• GPS
  Yes, with A-GPS support
• USB
  Yes, Micro USB v2.0
• WLAN with
  Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPRS
  Yes
• 3.5 mm Jack
  Yes

Battery

• Standby
  Up to 900 h (2G) / Up to 900 h (3G)
• Talktime
  Up to 10 h (2G) / Up to 9 h 20 min (3G)
• Capacity
  Li-Ion 1500 mAh

Messaging

• MMS
  Yes
• E-MAIL
  Yes
• SMS
  Yes

Additional Features

• Phone Book
  Yes
• Received Calls
  Yes
• Missed Calls
  Yes
• Dialed Calls
  Yes

LG Optimus L5 Review

LG Optimus L5 is a mid-range smartphone by LG in its L series. This handset runs on Ice Cream Sandwich OS by Android which provides an affordable entry to this smartphone with loads of latest features which will satisfy the needs of the customers who cannot afford a high-end device. This could be the entry-level smartphone of the L series of LG where its other siblings are quite costlier that LG Optimus L5. This phone basically captures the mid-ranging market of smartphones with an affordable price. This smartphone supports 2G and 3G networks at HSDPA and HSUPA speed with Wi-Fi Hotspot, GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth, NFC and microUSB v.2.0 connectivity to entertain the users any time and at any place. The heart of Optimus L5 is powered by 800 MHz single-core processor with a standard Li-Ion battery which can provide a good standby and talktime to the phone.

LG Optimus L5 has a 5 MP auto focus camera with special features like LED Flash that enables a user to click photos even when the light is dim, geo-tagging and touch focus with 2592 x 1944 pixels of resolution that gives a real life experience to the image. It has a 4 inch, multi-touch, capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors showing a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels with accelerometer, proximity and compass sensors. Special features like FM Radio, voice recording, MP3 Player/support, Video Player and games are blessed upon this smartphone by LG. A little disappointment with LG Optimus L5 is that it does not have in-built memory but it can store phonebook details and call records and also it has a microSD card slot to expand the external memory of the phone upto 32 GB. This smartphone is only 9.7 mm thick which makes it easier for the user to handle this phone with great ease for a longer duration without straining the muscles. A slot for 3.5 mm jack enables the user to connect their device to a big speaker of woofer to enjoy the full rocking sound of the music. The basic facility of messaging with T9 dictionary, without which even a smartphone is incomplete, is also there in this phone with add-on features like MMS, Push Email, IM, etc. LG Optimus L5 supports MPEG4, H.263, H.264 video formats and MP3/WAV/eAAC music formats that allows the user to flow in the stream of music whenever they want. Apart from these features, this smartphone even permits the user to browse YouTube, Google search, Gmail, and so on.

All in all, LG Optimus L5 is a good entry level smartphone of LG from L series that can help LG to penetrate the mid-segment of smartphones where the customer base is more wide than the higher segment of smartphones.

Overall Review

LG Optimus L5 with its 9.8 mm sleek and compact dimensions turns out to be a well designed Android handset. Its design is inspired from LG’s own  PRADA 3.0 series handsets. Like its close cousins, LG Optimus L3 and LG Optimus L7, it also boasts Ice Cream Sandwich Android operating platform and its display is also equipped with “Floating Mass Technology”. It has another added attraction in form of NFC connectivity.

Precisely, LG has used every fancy ingredient to make this handset a tasty treat for the buyers in the mid-range segment. Yet, the flaws of the handset don’t go unseen. The custom user interface, that LG fondly refers to as, 3.0 UI is an absolute letdown. It ruins the fun factor associated with the advanced and latest Google’s ICS operating platform. Both the cameras of LG Optimus L5 are also a letdown. The video recordings are extremely poor, there isn’t any camera button for taking shots and camera interface is slow.

 We do admire certain things in LG Optimus L5 but as it is essentially a smartphone, it should be extremely user-friendly and convenient to use, which it is not. One will not enjoy the goodness of ICS because of that paltry hardware and not ‘up to the mark’ kind of software used inside. The NFC connectivity is its definite plus and so also is its slim design, ergonomic shape and solid body make. Also, it is an affordable ICS device but the LG Optimus L5 really seems to lack that “wow” factor even for the budget buyers. It is expected that LG Optimus L5 will unveil during Q3. By that time, we guess it will cost you well under Rs. 15K.