SPECIFICATIONS
Operating System: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
CPU: Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-AS Snapdragon
LCD size: 4.3 inches
Physical Dimension: 1215 mm x 66.6 mm x 9.7mm
Weight: 118 g
Band: HSDPA 900/1900/2100
Memory: 768MB RAM; 4GB internal memory; microSD up to 32GB
WHAT’S HOT
- Good image quality of the rear camera
- Lightweight
- Decent battery life
- Responsive touchscreen
WHAT’S NOT
- Mediocre speaker
- Consumes too much power when idle
- Dark screen
BOTTOMLINE
The LG Optimus L711 is a decent budget smartphone that is adequate for those who do not expect the highest specifications from their phones and who just need something that’s easy and that works.
REVIEW
The LG Optimus L7 II is a nice refresh to its precursor, the LG Optimus L7. It was made to deliver affordable, but handsome Android smartphones, so it looks pretty impressive and packs some features that bring together smarts and style.
The LG Optimus L7 II has a 4.3-inch IPS WVGA display. The screen looks pretty good, even though pixel density is not too high at only 217ppi. The display looks more than adequate to the casual user and images appear nice.
Flipping the Optimus L7 II on its rear side gives you a white, matte plastic solution that gives the appearance of a solid device. Though it’s made from plastic, the handset is well-built and very stable. Plus, it’s pleasantly light, coming in at just 118 grams.
The LG Optimus L7 II has a selection of ports that is typical for smartphones. There is a 3.5mm audio jack on top and a microUSB port below. On the left side is a customizable button and a volume rocker, and on the right is the power button.
Inside, it has a 1GHz dual-core processor. It’s clearly not that much but it manages to deliver enough power to the handset. The Optimus L7 II has 768MB of RAM and a rather low amount of internal storage space of 4GB. Although this is more than what its predecessor came with, the extra software used in the L7 II leaves less usable room for your own data and apps. All told, you have just 1.6GB of storage left.
With Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean installed into the Optimus L7 II, LG changed some small details on the Ul, such as cosmetic alterations to the menu buttons. Even so, using the handset still feels close to using stock Android. The only pronounced changes are an emergency call function found in the lock screen and the Quick Memo app that can be used as an overlay to write down notes.
The Phone Call app adheres to the standard version of Android save for a few cosmetic changes. Speech quality is great, but the speaker sometimes sounds jangly.
The Optimus L7 II comes installed with other LG standard apps, such as QSlide, QTranslator, and Safety Care. The system performance is rather good, with both the operating system and all of the apps I tested running smoothly, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside.
With the Optimus L7 II, you get an SMP camera with LED flash. Besides some blurring in brighter areas and noise that becomes visible when zooming in, image quality is decent and more than sufficient for snapshots and small format prints. However, the same can’t be said with its front camera, having a VGA resolution of just 640 x 480. Images appear blurry and lack finer details, making it only suitable for video calls.
Due to its reflective coating, the Optimus L7 ll’s screen can barely be made out in direct sunlight, but in the shade and in enclosed rooms, all content is easily readable at maximum brightness.
To sum up, the LG Optimus L7 II is a decent budget smartphone that is pretty adequate for those who do not necessarily need the highest specifications inside of their phones and who just need something that’s easy and that works.
Words by Janelle M. Bustilla
First published in Gadgets Magazine, August 2013