​LG X Power smartphone review

Camera

A major feature of a phone is the camera. LG has installed a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. Software is relatively standard although LG has added a potentially-useful quick share shortcut bar.

For stills the cameras were hit and miss. In low light pictures were frequently poor unless all elements of the photo were motionless and even then they’d come out grainy. However, in decent lighting sharpness and colour from the main, rear camera became respectable. We also liked the instant fast shutter which meant we could take many photos quickly although few were sharp in anything other than good lighting.

The selfie camera struggled to focus a bit too frequently. It comes with a Beauty Mode but results were better when it was turned off.

Movies were recorded in 720p. While performance was poor when walking around and lighting was mediocre (there was a great deal of shake present), the picture was actually quite sharp when held still. Captured audio could sound a bit robotic, though.

Battery life

So how long does the battery last? We hit two days flat and we weren’t going easy on it. This includes navigation, social media and some Pokemon Go-ing. While this sounds impressive, it’s still not the best we’ve seen lately. Oppo’s F1s managed three days on a 3,075mAh battery – it looks as though Oppo’s Color OS software really makes a difference with its power saving apps. It’s also worth mentioning Moto’s impressive X Force which is much more powerful (and rugged) and also lasted two days (albeit at a higher price).

Frankly, with such low-powered components we expect a 4,100mAh battery to last longer.

Conclusion

It’s arguable that a phone that’s all about battery life, but doesn’t set the world alight with its battery life, is a bit of a failure. But this is still a low-priced phone that can please unsophisticated users who’d likely stretch more battery life if they weren’t using power-hungry apps.

There’s still serious competition in this space. Moto’s G4 Play is only $269 but has a weaker camera and weaker battery. Oppo’s F1s is its main rival and offers an excellent fingerprint reader and protective case for the same price. The camera is modest but not too dissimilar to this one. With these reasons plus the more luxurious build quality and software features, we’d have to say the Oppo is the better buy.