The top of LG's mid-range "L" series comes with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a 5-megapixel camera and a 4.3-inch screen. But is its single-core processor up to the job?
Design
Coming in above the L3 and L5 (but below the forthcoming 4X HD), the L7 is slim at a sliver under 9mm and good-looking in a minimalist, functional sort of way, with aluminium trim around its textured plastic casing.
Coming in above the L3 and L5 (but below the forthcoming 4X HD), the L7 is slim at a sliver under 9mm and good-looking in a minimalist, functional sort of way, with aluminium trim around its textured plastic casing.
The large 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen is protected by a sheet of tough Gorilla Glass and offers a fearsomely bright display and a decent, if not outstanding, pixel count of 800x480. It's let down a little by a slight lack of sensitivity though, as is often the case with LG's screens -- it's not as pronounced as it is with some of LG's budget handsets, but you'll find yourself having to make the odd double tap to make your presence felt.
Software
It's running the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, which is welcome in a mid-range handset, though you'll also find it in HTC's One V. The facial-recognition unlocking feature isn't here (though LG says it should be available as an update later) and you can't resize the homescreen widgets, but you do get the recent apps button (beneath the screen, to the right of the hard "home" button).
It's running the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, which is welcome in a mid-range handset, though you'll also find it in HTC's One V. The facial-recognition unlocking feature isn't here (though LG says it should be available as an update later) and you can't resize the homescreen widgets, but you do get the recent apps button (beneath the screen, to the right of the hard "home" button).
LG has put its own spin on the standard Android interface, with some wizzy 3D graphics when you switch screens and some distinctive looking widgets, including one for LG SmartWorld, which gives you access to range of exclusive apps and games on top of Google Play. It's nowhere near as extensive a revamp as HTC Sense interface but it's fine.
Performance
What's less fine is the rather sluggish processor. LG's quad-core handset, the 4X HD, should be with us anytime now, but the L7's single-core 1GHz number seems to struggle a bit to power the pixels. Switching between apps can take a couple of seconds and browsing the web takes longer than it really should with a Wi-Fi connection. It's noticeably slower than a few other mid-rangers including the HTC One V and Huawei G300, which seems a shame, since it delivered an okay AnTuTu performance benchmark rating of 3,113.
What's less fine is the rather sluggish processor. LG's quad-core handset, the 4X HD, should be with us anytime now, but the L7's single-core 1GHz number seems to struggle a bit to power the pixels. Switching between apps can take a couple of seconds and browsing the web takes longer than it really should with a Wi-Fi connection. It's noticeably slower than a few other mid-rangers including the HTC One V and Huawei G300, which seems a shame, since it delivered an okay AnTuTu performance benchmark rating of 3,113.
It's also got NFC ( Near Field Communication) technology which allows you to transfer media to similarly equipped phones just by touching them. It comes with an LG Tag+ sticker which you can attach to your car or your desk -- you set up the settings you want, and when you touch the phone to the tag, they'll automatically be activated. It's a similar system to Sony Ericsson's Smart Tags, though LG's sticker tags feel less likely to last.
Camera
The 5-megapixel camera is a little slow to get going but once it's there it does a pretty good job. Features include face tracking and touch focus, and picture quality is a cut above most 5-megapixel camphones, with good colour balance and sharp edges, though it struggles with too much (or too little) light. Video drops the resolution to 640x480 pixels -- it isn't HD, but it'll do for YouTube and Facebook clips.
The 5-megapixel camera is a little slow to get going but once it's there it does a pretty good job. Features include face tracking and touch focus, and picture quality is a cut above most 5-megapixel camphones, with good colour balance and sharp edges, though it struggles with too much (or too little) light. Video drops the resolution to 640x480 pixels -- it isn't HD, but it'll do for YouTube and Facebook clips.
You can save pics and videos to the 4GB of onboard memory or you can bump that up by 32GB via microSD card.
The good-sized 1,700mAh battery did well for itself, delivering around a day and a half of steady use.
VIDEO REVIEW
Conclusion
The LG Optimus L7 has a large, good-quality screen, an okay camera, and delivers Ice Cream Sandwich at a reasonable price. It's a pity its single-core processor doesn't make using it as smooth as it might be.
The LG Optimus L7 has a large, good-quality screen, an okay camera, and delivers Ice Cream Sandwich at a reasonable price. It's a pity its single-core processor doesn't make using it as smooth as it might be.
SPECIFICATIONS
Software : Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich
Processor : 1GHz Cortex-A5 Qualcomm MSM7227A Snapdragon
Memory slot : microSD
Display : 4.3in capacitive touch screen, 800x480 pixels
Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v3.0
Ports : Micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera : 5 megapixel with LED Flash, digital zoom, autofocus,geo-tagging, VGA front-facing camera
Video playback : MP4, H.264, H.263, WMV, DivX, Xvid
Audio playback : MP3, WAV, WMA, eAAC+
Radio : Yes
Battery : Li-ion 1700mAh
Size : 128x69x9mm
Weight : 121g
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