When we typically hear “œbudget” phones, one of the things that come into our minds is bare essentials. In the smartphone arena, it means sacrificing performance and extra features for a working phone that can send SMS, make a call, browse the web, and even run basic apps for traffic, weather, and even GPS tracking.
Then comes LG with their new line of L series smartphone. The LG L40 is the entry-level smartphone for those on a budget that seeks more performance than your average budget phone. Yes, this is not your typical budget phone.
Let’s start with the design.
This is an Android phone with a 3.5 inch screen. It uses an IPS LCD, which is similarly used in high flat panels for a more accurate and vivid viewing experience. Despite it having only 320×480 pixels, watching YouTube videos is easy on the eyes, as well as reading e-books, though you might be limited on the PDF side because of the 3.5″ screen.
You’ll get the standard setup, volume buttons on the left and the power/lock button on the right. It has 4 touch keys on the bottom of the screen: Back, Home, Menu and the Dual Sim key. It puts at a disadvantage if you’re using it in the dark as the keys are not backlit.
The build is solid as the body is made of aluminum and doesn’t feel like a cheap phone at all. It’s easy to grip as well because of the dotted back design, as compared to a glossy, smooth back cover.
Now for everyday use.
How can you make use of your smartphone with its battery drained out? Gone are the days of having to go 1 week without the trouble of looking for an outlet. A high-end smartphone can handle about 4-6 hours under heavy use, and about half a day for standard use. The 1,540mAh is enough to keep the L40 Dual going for about 8 hours of heavy use with 3G activated.
Watching movies is as good as it gets on a 3.5″ screen with the help of the IPS Panel. Speaker is not that loud, earphones/headphones recommended.
Typing with the on-screen keyboard is a magnificent experience for a 3.5″ smartphone. Coming from an S4, I can say that I pretty much enjoyed typing on LG’s on-screen keyboard with its responsiveness and haptic feedback. There’s something subtle about the haptic feedback that is different from the S4’s. The screen is also very responsive.
The Knock Code feature is an advanced version of the KnockON. Basically put, you can put a 2-8 digit Knock Code on specific areas of your screen to wake your phone without having to press the Lock key on the right side of the phone.
Surely, having a smartphone sometimes means having your nephew, niece, younger cousin to borrow your phone to play, you know, games. You can easily setup your phone to unlock in Guest Mode. To enable it, you simply have to input the code you designated for your Guest Mode on your lock screen.
The camera is adequate given the right conditions, just don’t take pictures in low-light settings as the L40 Dual doesn’t have an LED flash.
The verdict.
If you’re low on budget and definitely need a workhorse smartphone, the LG L40 Dual is the right choice for you, given it has Dual-SIM capabilities for all your business and personal needs. Priced at Php 4,790, you surely can’t go wrong with the L40 Dual. Enough for your social media needs and enough to get you by on that 5 minute queue.
Check out our LG L40 Dual unboxing post for more photos and specs of the LG L40 Dual smartphone.