LG L1 II: Performance and Software

Powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, the LG L1 II handles basic tasks with consummate ease, but quickly struggles when more demanding tasks come its way. Launching apps is, for the most part at least, speedy and efficient. Switch between apps or attempt to play even a moderately taxing game such as Angry Birds, however, and the L1 II starts to slow down noticeably.

Like most budget phones, the LG L1 II has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. That’s not much space for games, apps and photos, but there’s an up to 32GB microSD card slot for expansion.

On the software front the LG L1 II is still a half step behind some of its competition. Whereas most new budget Android phones are touching down with Android 4.2 or 4.3 in tow, the L1 II is stuck with Android 4.1. This is not a major concern, but there are one or two pain points to deal with.

The worst of them is the cramped on-screen keyboard. Keys are tiny and prone to accidental presses due to their compact nature. On top of this the phone’s browser is a little sluggish and further hampered by the phone’s disappointing screen. Web pages are a mixture of grainy, pixelated images and text that is so ill-defined that zooming in is a must to be able to determine individual letters.

LG L1 II: Camera

The LG L1 II’s camera is another sign of corner cutting in a bid to keep costs low. The flash-less 2-megapixel camera on the phone’s rear is basic to the extreme. Shots captured by the phone fail in all the same areas as the L1’s screen, with the low resolution snapper plagued with iffy exposures and white balance that cause all pictures to appear bleak, flat and lacking in virtually any redeeming qualities.

Many high-end and mid-range phones now have cameras of superior quality as their secondary, user-facing option, which just demonstrates how basic the L1 II really is. It doesn’t even have a front-facing camera, either, so self-shots and video calls are out of the question.

There are a couple of very basic imaging effects packaged with the LG L1 II’s camera. Although the high-end camera features such as dual-camera shooting and Eraser modes are still something of a pipedream for this entry level model, images can be enhanced with the likes of mono, sepia and negative effect shooting.

Although VGA videos can be captured at 30 frames-per-second, looking back at the results will prevent you from doing so on a frequent basis. Captured video content is low quality, with blocky, pixelated images struggling with movement or variable lighting.