LG Optimus L7 II

Currently, LG's new mid-range line-up consists of three models, the largest being the LG Optimus L7 II with its 4.3-inch screen. The predecessor (simply called LG Optimus L7) came with the same screen size, but less RAM, a lower-resolution camera and a smaller battery. In addition, the new variant now sports a dual-core processor. But with an RRP of 299 Euros (~$396), the smartphone has also reached the mid-range price segment.

There are many other great smartphones close to this price point such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus, the Alcatel OneTouch Ultra, the Yarvik Ingenia X1 and the Windows Phone HTC 8S - as well as two Chinese alternatives, the ZTE Grand X IN and the Huawei Ascend G615. For a little more, even the Google Nexus 4 (16 GB model) can be had. So is LG's mid-range device able to hold its ground against these competitors?

Case

We have already mentioned this in the review of the LG Optimus L5 II: The preceding generation of LG's mid-range smartphones was more of an eye-catcher. This time round, a rather boring and inconspicuous design language has been used. Apart from their respective (screen) sizes, the LG Optimus L7 II and its smaller sibling look almost exactly the same.

The only major difference is the color choice of their rear panels: While our Optimus L5 II test device came with a titanium-gray metal look, the Optimus L7 II we were sent sports a glossy black finish. We much prefer the former, as the latter attracts fingerprints and dirt.

The Optimus L7 II is made from nothing but plastic, however, it is well-built and very stable. We also like the light weight, coming in at just 118 grams. Out of all of its competitors, only the HTC 8S (which sports a smaller screen) manages to weigh even less.

Connectivity

The selection of ports is typical for smartphones: A micro USB port below and a 3.5 mm Line In/Out audio jack at the top.

The L7 II is driven by a dual-core processor, 768 MB of RAM and a disappointingly low amount of 4 GB of internal storage space. While this isn't less than what its predecessor came with, the larger operating system used in the newest generation leaves less useable room for data and apps, just 1.6 GB.

Software

Luckily, LG employs a rather recent version of Google's operating system: Android 4.1.2. Although LG did change some small details of the user interface (such as cosmetic alterations to the menu buttons), using the phone feels close to a stock Android experience. The only noticeable changes are an emergency call function in the lock screen and the Quick Memo app, which can be used as an overlay, e.g. to note down telephone numbers which can then simply be typed out again.

Communication & GPS

The LG Optimus L7 II now comes with HSUPA which is supposed to accelerate uplink connections, thus speeding up the web experience. In addition, it is equipped with Bluetooth and Near Field Communication (NFC). The Wi-Fi module is capable of handling all standards up to 802.11 n, yielding great data transfer speeds in both directions. Even 10 meters and three walls away from the FritzBox router, three out of four bars remain - decreasing to two once another two meters and a fourth wall are added.

It also ships with a GPS module for navigation, which works decently fast and well without a roof over one's head (but never finding more than five satellites, even after some waiting), yielding a typical error of around 20 meters. While not being very precise during outdoor usage, it cannot be used at all within buildings - the Samsung Galaxy S4, for example, is far better in this regard.

Phone functionality and speech quality

The phone call app sticks close to the functional standard version of Android, apart from a few cosmetic changes. Speech quality is great, as it was with its smaller sibling. Only the speaker phone is not satisfying, sounding tinny at times.

Cameras & Multimedia

The rear camera sports 8 megapixels, yielding pictures with 3264x2448 pixels. Apart from some blurring in brighter areas and some color noise (which is clearly visible when zooming in), image quality is decent and more than sufficient for snapshots and small format prints.

The front camera with its VGA resolution of just 640x480 is only suited for video calls. Its images are very blurry (as was the case with the Optimus L5) and lack finer details.

Accessories

Again, the Optimus L7 II comes very close to the L5 II, shipping with a power adapter, a USB cable and a headset. It is possible to acquire additional headsets, replacement batteries and external speakerphones on LG's website. Great: It is also possible to buy a mobile photo printer which, thanks to a special kind of pigmented paper, does not require any ink. The device costs 199 Euros (~$264) and will be available soon.

Warranty

LG offers 24 months of warranty for all its smartphones. Care has to be taken as this only holds true within the first 27 months after the device has been manufactured rendering models from older production runs a bit of a risky purchase. All accessories, such as the battery and the power adapter, come with six months of warranty.

Input Devices & Handling

Luckily, LG has removed the sticky layer on top of the touchscreen which we were so annoyed by during our test of the Optimus L5 II. Thus, it is far easier to work smoothly and comfortably with the touchscreen of the L7 II. The freely customizable button on the left hand side of the device has stayed with us, being assigned either to serve as the camera trigger or to start any application.

The virtual keyboard - while called "LG keyboard" in the settings - has remained virtually unchanged in comparison to Android's stock keyboard. This is no disadvantage, as it works intuitively and offers a special mode for the input of internet addresses. Thanks to the large 4.3-inch screen, precise input is no problem. In addition, different keyboards can easily be installed via Google's Play Store.

Display

The LG Optimus L7 II makes use of an IPS display with a now-mediocre resolution of 480x800 pixels, the same as its predecessor, but also not less than what most competitors offer.

As with people, the largest are not always the brightest: An average value of just 244.1 cd/m² is worse than almost all of its competitors, including its smaller sibling. Only the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus remains even fainter. Still, when compared to the smaller Optimus L5 II, the L7 II's image quality is superior thanks to its better black levels and higher contrast ratio, leading to a more vivid experience. Brightness homogeneity has been somewhat improved as well.

As mentioned above, the Optimus L7 II offers great performance in terms of black levels (0.24 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (1075:1), beating nearly all of its competitors.

Like many other displays, the panel used in the L7 II over-exaggerates blues, as analyzed using a colorimeter and CalMAN software. Also, shades of blue deviate further from the sRGB definitions than all other colors. The grayscale isn't rendered perfectly, either.

Due to its reflective coating, the screen can barely be made out in direct sunlight, leading to worse readability than the LG Optimus L5 II despite the improved contrast ratio of the L7 II. In the shade and in closed rooms, all content is easily readable at maximum brightness.

Viewing angles are great, thanks to the IPS display which allows for superb visibility of the screen contents down to very narrow angles (in all directions).

Performance

The SoC used in the Optimus L7 II is made by Qualcomm. It comes with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8225 dual-core CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno 203 GPU with just one core. While the processor is capable of delivering decent performance, we are less sure about the undersized graphics card, especially during demanding tasks.

Our synthetic system and processor benchmarks quickly show that the LG Optimus L7 II is quite a bit faster than its smaller sibling, the LG Optimus L5 II. Still, it falls behind when compared to other mid-range smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus or the Huawei Ascend G615 which are consistently more powerful. The system performance is decent - both the operating system and all of the apps we tested ran smoothly.

As mentioned above, the Optimus L7 II offers great performance in terms of black levels (0.24 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (1075:1), beating nearly all of its competitors.

Like many other displays, the panel used in the L7 II over-exaggerates blues, as analyzed using a colorimeter and CalMAN software. Also, shades of blue deviate further from the sRGB definitions than all other colors. The grayscale isn't rendered perfectly, either.

Due to its reflective coating, the screen can barely be made out in direct sunlight, leading to worse readability than the LG Optimus L5 II despite the improved contrast ratio of the L7 II. In the shade and in closed rooms, all content is easily readable at maximum brightness.

Viewing angles are great, thanks to the IPS display which allows for superb visibility of the screen contents down to very narrow angles (in all directions).

Performance

The SoC used in the Optimus L7 II is made by Qualcomm. It comes with a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8225 dual-core CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno 203 GPU with just one core. While the processor is capable of delivering decent performance, we are less sure about the undersized graphics card, especially during demanding tasks.

Our synthetic system and processor benchmarks quickly show that the LG Optimus L7 II is quite a bit faster than its smaller sibling, the LG Optimus L5 II. Still, it falls behind when compared to other mid-range smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 Plus or the Huawei Ascend G615 which are consistently more powerful. The system performance is decent - both the operating system and all of the apps we tested ran smoothly.