A cheap mobile with dual camera? Analysis of the LG X Cam, the original commitment of the South Korean brand to revolutionize the mid-range. We thoroughly examine your main camera and its wide angle, is it worth buying? We checked it out.
An original bet
Disbursementing more than 300 euros to buy a mobile is not an option available to anyone. That is why in recent years a huge competition has developed within the mid-range with terminals that bet on a tight relationship between performance and price.
However, not everyone is looking for the same thing when choosing a smartphone. And that’s just what LG is trying to take advantage of, which has launched three different terminals that attack three of the most essential features in a phone: the LG X Power bets on a high-capacity battery, the LG X Screen incorporates a second screen and the LG X Cam bets on the photographic section.
In this analysis of the LG X Cam we will try to examine the usefulness of its dual camera, a feature that we have already seen on several high-end smartphones and which the South Korean company now rescues for the general public. The son of the fantastic LG G5 and the amazing LG V10, this model lands in Spain as one of the most interesting bets among the best mobiles for less than 300 euros.
Next we will go round point all the features of this terminal, which goes much more of its dual camera, with the aim of deciphering what its strengths are and what areas to improve to answer the million question: is it worth buying the LG X Cam?
Very light design
As we pointed out above, LG’s new mid-range rescues some of the most original features of its latest high-end terminals, the LG G5 the amazing LG V10, although we found no trace of the modular design that was written so much about just a few months ago.
At first glance this LG X Cam looks like a pretty elegant smartphone, at least in the silver edition that we have been able to try to write this review. The dual camera brings personality and differentiates it from other terminals of the same price range that are quite anonyging at the design level.
Already in the hand it is quite ergonomic and manageable, even with one hand, even though your screen stretches beyond 5 inches. And among the best of the LG X Cam at the design level stands out its weight: the scale stops at an outstanding 118 grams so they place among the lightest in its segment.
On the other hand, polycarbonate reigns among the terminal manufacturing materials. And that won’t please the most demanding users. In any case we can not forget that we are facing a mid-range phone, so something will have to be given up with respect to flagships.
On the front we have the 5.2 inch screen that we’ll talk about later. Below it we find the LOGO of LG and on top, in a frame too bulky, the front camera for selfies, the LED notifier and the light and proximity sensors accompanying the speaker for calls.
The sides also do not stand out for having an extraordinary quality and even the buttons correspond more to an input range. However, they are placed in their position favoring the ergonomics of the terminal: on the right we have the off/lock and on the left the button to control the volume.
On that left side we also have the removable tray in which you can insert a SIM card and a microSD to expand the available memory. Look, that’s for, despite having two holes, this phone is not dual SIM.
The top edge is bare of connections as the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom, which accompanies the microUSB connector.
However, what will draw attention to its own and strangers is the back of this smartphone by the dual camera. In fact many prying eyes will think that this is a high-end mobile phone.
In the lower left corner we find the main speaker, a position that is probably not the best of all although it does not get completely obstructed if we place the smartphone on a flat surface.
A surprising screen
The LG X Cam has a 5.2-inch display with IPS technology and Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080p), leaving us with an average density of about 424 pixels per inch.
What does this mean? Very simple. In practice the screen of the LG X Cam has been a pleasant surprise, placing itself among the best of the terminal.
We have in front of us a vibrant panel, highly recommended for consuming multimedia content. And that is certainly a success when it comes to viewing the photographs, the other central element of this device.
The color reproduction is quite correct, the level of contrast noticeable and although the brightness falls below one of its most direct rivals, it is enough to use the smartphone outdoors except what we put except the direct effect of the sun rays.
Something simila
r happens with the viewing angles, enough as in most IPS panels although quite far from what the high-end terminals already offer. In short, the screen is one of the most noteworthy sections of this LG X Cam. And that’s great news in view of the type of user you intend to target.
Unsused performance
Below the housing we find an eight-core MediaTek processor -MT6753 – that mount a few mid-range terminals such as the Oukitel U10, Lenovo K4 Note or ZTE Blade V7.
In this case the processor comes with 2 GB of RAM, a figure that at the end of 2016 ensured will seem a short thing to quite a few users, especially those who prioritize performance above all else.
However the performance of this LG X Cam is remarkable. The device moves in a remarkable way in almost every scenario, also when it comes to managing multitasking and even when moving really heavy applications.
The story gets a little complicated when we really squeeze out the processor and, above all, the graphics card. When it comes to playing demanding video games, we will notice quite a lot of lag and jumps if we make them run at the highest resolution.
Our performance tests and benchmarks of the LG X Cam put the device in a discrete position, but we already say that it does not aspire to lead any classification in this regard. For the common mortals offers more than enough fluidity.
What could improve is internal storage, as this LG mobile comes with 16GB of internal storage that stays at around 10GB.
Software
Although the LG V20 was introduced a few weeks ago as the first smartphone with Android Nougat the new mid-range of the South Korean company comes from Marshmallow, so you will have to be aware of the calendar of updating LG mobiles to Android 7.0.
We came across a customization layer similar to the one we saw on the LG G5. It stands out for its simplicity and for not having too many pre-installed applications: you can hardly find Facebook, Instagram, Evernote and Smartworld, the LG store where you can access different customization options.
LG V20, so is the first high-end mobile with Android 7
Of course, if we’re looking for performance, we’ll want to turn off screen transitions. As standard, by the way, we find an interface in which we don’t have an app drawer, but that’s something we can easily fix when updating the phone software.
We also have some gestures that can be very useful to us in everyday life. Highlights the possibility to activate the screen by double tapping the panel without having to press any buttons and the shortcut key: if you press the volume up key twice with the locked phone we will open the notepad and if you press the volume down button the camera will open.
A camera with lights and shadows
We arrived at the heart of this review of the LG X Cam, a cheap mobile with dual camera that surprises anyone at first glance. The configuration is similar to the one we saw on the LG G5, with two sensors located on the back. One of them works in a conventional way and another acts as a 120-degree wide angle with the aim of capturing much wider scenes.