LG K10: At First Glance
LG seems to have taken a different path with the K10. Unlike their usual approach of giving each series in their lineup a distinct look and collection of features, they’ve come up with something different.
With the LG K10, they’ve fitted a mid-range smartphone into the same design pattern as their flagship G series. Aside from the obvious difference in display size, every other design and build pattern is a replica of the company’s high-end smartphones’ design.
The smartphone’s 5.3-inch display and stylish design make it fall somewhere between a premium-looking phone and a phablet. Moreover, the LG K10 has an elegantly patterned back that adds a touch of premium quality to its overall look.
LG K10: Design, Dimension & Weight
Like I mentioned in the preceding paragraph, LG has made use of the same design on their flagship G range – the G4 to be precise. This makes the LG K10 appear a bit more stylish for its range.
In fact, I would say that the design of the LG K10 is one of its best assets. Unlike the slab-like design you would see on most smartphones of its size, the LG K10 impresses with its pebble-like look.
This makes the casing of the smartphone look more rounded which is necessary for a smartphone of its size. There are no visible sharp edges on the LG K10.
Consequently, the rounded edges and curved back makes the smartphone feel good to hold.
Some might find the LG K10 to be a bit slippery in the hands, but the nicely woven pattern on the back of the smartphone helps to improve the grip. It also makes the LG K10 look more premium.
Furthermore, the 2.5 D Arc glass bezel on the smartphone improves its appearance. The front of the LG K10 looks as if it has been constructed from a single piece.
Also, the way the glass bends around the sides towards the back makes the front of the LG K10 appear uniform.
LG was able to achieve this feat thanks to its design pattern that entails the rear positioning of the smartphone’s buttons. This design style is a major contributing factor to the LG K10’s one-piece appearance.
Quite similar to other LG designs, the smartphone’s volume rocker and power button are both located on the back. You will find them right below the rear camera that has a LED flash situated on its right side.
The LG logo is engraved below the buttons.
Move to the left lower side and you will see the loudspeaker grill. I find the speaker positioning to be a bit inappropriate because of how muffled it sounds when the smartphone is kept flat on a smooth surface.
At the bottom of the LG K10, you’ll find a micro USB charging port, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a primary microphone.
In terms of measurement, the LG K10 measures 146.5 x 74.6 x 8.6 mm. Though the slightly thick bottom bezel makes it look too big to be used with one hand, you will not find it hard to use the smartphone with one hand.
On another note, the LG K10 feels surprisingly light for its size. It weighs just 140.3 g.
Although its plastic body build and lightweight might suggest a fragile body build, the LG K10 feels very solid and premium.
The sturdiness of the LG K10 is remarkable. Its casing hardly folds when pressure is exerted on it.
However, strong pressures exerted on the back of the smartphone tend to have effects on the screen’s liquid crystal. The LG K10 also makes creaking noises when its casing is strongly twisted.
Nonetheless, the build quality of the smartphone is commendable.
Overall, the LG K10 is undeniably good-looking smartphone.
When the LG K10 was released, LG expressed its desire to appeal more to young users. In my opinion, I would say that LG succeeded in doing so with the beautiful and stylish look of the smartphone.
Hence, the smartphone scores an eight in this review.
LG K10: Display Features
LG equipped the LG K10 with a 5.3-inch IPS display.
If I was to guess the resolution of this display, I would have mentioned a 1080p Full HD resolution. This is because it is what most would expect on a 5.3-inch display.
When I realized that the display offers a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution, I was surprised. I became even more surprised when I saw how good the display of the LG K10 was.
In fact, this smartphone’s display is one of the best I’ve seen on a budget smartphone. Though it’s not as sharp as the display on the Moto G4 Plus and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, it does a good job.
The LG K10 offers a display quality of 277 pixels per inch.
The colors on the display are rich and beautiful. The display also has good viewing angles thanks to its panel’s IPS technology.
You can easily view contents on the smartphone from flat viewing angles. The colors do not fade and brightness also remains even.
Overall, LG has done a good job with this smartphone’s display. However, few downsides prevent the LG K10 from getting a better score in this review segment.
For instance, the smartphone’s display isn’t as bright as many would want it to be. Even with maximum brightness, you will still find it difficult to view contents clearly under bright sunlight.
Other smartphones like the Asus ZenFone 2 and the Honor 5x offer brighter screens. Hence, the LG K10 scores a seven in this review.
LG K10: Camera Features
The LG K10 features an 8 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front facing camera.
I found the rear camera’s performance to be average. Though the images captured with the rear camera displayed colors as they were in real life, I discovered a noticeable amount of digital noise on the images.
Furthermore, image details appear better in bright environments than in dark environments. The quality of images the LG K10 produces in low light drastically reduces compared to what it offers in brighter conditions.
To make it worse, the LG K10 isn’t equipped with regular features like the HDR and Panorama modes. This is surprising considering the fact that most budget smartphones are usually equipped with these features.
Instead of the regular features, the LG K10 comes with features like shooting on hand gestures, visual flash, and front camera shots with a touch.
Moving over to the 5 MP front camera, you’ll find it okay for taking selfies. The color reproduction is impressive and it offers better details compared to the rear camera.
Some features the front camera comes with include a Gesture Shot mode that allows you to take pictures by clenching your fist in front of the camera. You can also use your voice to take pictures by saying “cheese”.
Additionally, the LG K10’s front camera also has a 120-degree wide-angle mode which is awesome for capturing group selfies.
Overall, the camera performance of the LG K10 is average. Hence, it scores a six in this review.
LG K10: Battery Life and Talk Time
The LG K10 comes with 2,220 mAh battery
Though this battery capacity is not the best, it is not unacceptable considering the smartphone’s price range.
On a battery test that involved continuous web surfing over Wi-Fi, the LG K10 lasted for 7 hours and 30 minutes. If you intend to use the smartphone intensively, it will require more than a single charge for it to last a day.
Fortunately, the smartphone has a battery saver mode option that helps to save power by reducing the screen’s brightness. You can also enable the “Restrict apps in the background” option to save battery.
The smartphone doesn’t have a quick charging feature, so it takes a while for it to fully charge after draining the battery. It will take about 2 hours 30 minutes to fully charge the smartphone.
Overall, the LG K10 scores a six in this review for its average battery life.
LG K10: Storage Options & Performance
LG offers a storage capacity of 16 GB for the LG K10’s internal storage.
By all standards, 16 GB of internal storage is fair enough for a smartphone of this range. After all, you will be able to easily store a large number of files.
However, since the smartphone’s operating system makes use of a part of the internal storage, it is possible it quickly becomes insufficient for some users. Only about 9 GB of internal storage is available for your personal file storage.
Fortunately, LG seems to have taken this into consideration. LG has provided users with the option of expanding the smartphone’s storage with a microSD card of 32 GB maximum capacity.
As a result, you will be able to save most of the files on the SD card to avoid running out of internal storage quickly. For its good storage options, the LG K10 scores a seven in this review.
LG K10: Security Features & Sensors
Smartphones have advanced technologically in recent years. They have attained the computing potential of personal computers.
After all, they are referred to as “smart” because of their ability to perform tasks that conventional communication devices cannot. Modern smartphones perform a complex range of activities that help to improve user experience.
Smartphones have gained more processing power thanks to the integration of sensors. These sensors interact with the user’s environment by detecting changes and sending the data to the smartphone’s operating system.
Overall, these sensors help the smartphone to function better and serve more purposes. The LG K10 comes with a proximity sensor and an accelerometer.
The accelerometer detects the exact orientation of the smartphone. Apps use this sensor to switch from portrait to landscape mode and vice versa.
The proximity sensor detects when an external object is close to the smartphone. Based on this feature, it turns off the display during phone calls to help save battery.
Unfortunately, the LG K10 doesn’t come with a fingerprint sensor. You only get pin, password, and pattern locks.
In conclusion, the LG K10 scores a five in this review for its limited sensor collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
The LG K10 is a good-budget smartphone with a stylish and sturdy build. However, it disappoints in terms of hardware specs and performance. It offers a mediocre camera quality and an average battery life.
The LG K10 was released in 2016.
Yes, the LG K10 is a 4G smartphone.
No, the LG K10 doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor.
The RAM of the LG K10 is 1.5 GB.
Conclusion
The LG K10 definitely shines when it comes to its build quality and overall design. However, it disappoints a little in terms of some of its hardware performances.
The camera on the smartphone captures pictures of average quality and the battery will hardly last you an entire day on a single charge.
If an attractive smartphone is your priority, you should consider the LG K10, but you should reconsider if you need a strong overall performance.
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