LG X Power review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Where to buy

When you buy a cheap phone, you accept all sorts of compromises compared to devices that play in the mid-range or over $1,000 premium space. Cheaper processors, cheaper design and, all too often, smaller battery capacities are the norm in this space.

That clearly wasn’t the case with the LG X Power phone. While it retails for an affordable $349, its key selling point is the inclusion of a 4,100mAh battery, way above what you would usually expect from a phone at this price point. But does the LG X Power deliver beyond its huge battery?

Design

• Slim and sleek design is more attractive than your average mid-range smartphone
• Plastic construction feels a little cheaper than we'd like

• Read more on the LG X Power's design

  Most budget to mid-range phones tend to look plain, and while we’d never call the LG X Power a real looker, it does manage to look a little better than you’d expect at this price point, with a rear dimpled case that reminds us a lot of the Samsung Galaxy S5, and nicely rounded edges.

  But while the X Power looks acceptable from a distance, as soon as you pick it up it’s clear where corners have been cut. We will give it the accolade of being surprisingly light, so much so that when we first picked it up we figured the battery hadn’t been installed. That light feeling does mean that you can feel just how plasticky the sealed body shell is. This isn’t helped by very thin and indistinct power and volume buttons either.

  If you’re shifting from iOS and you don’t like the app drawer approach of Android, LG’s inbuilt launcher will appeal. It's a simple affair, with a straight flowing set of app icon pages that stack to the right. Nothing too fancy, but it makes navigating your phone that much easier.

  LG’s been notable in sticking to removable batteries for the LG G5 and LG V20 phones, so it's a little disappointing that the X Power’s battery is sealed in place. This means that when it goes, you won’t be able to easily pop in another battery pack. For all that, it's also not rated for any type of water resistance. Boo!

Camera

• A capable pairing of front and rear cameras suitable for regular photography
• Hands-free shooting modes make selfies even easier

• Read more on the LG X Power's camera

  LG delivers a solid but relatively standard camera set-up with the X Power. There's a 13MP sensor at the rear for regular photography and a 5MP sensor on the front for your selfie shots. This is a common pairing among phones at this price point, and while it might not be the X Power's greatest strength, both cameras are still perfectly capable of capturing decent photos under the right conditions.

  You'll also find the LG X Power loaded with the standard retinue of camera modes and features. There's a panorama mode for wide-angle photography, a burst-shot mode to help with capturing fleeting moments and support for hands-free camera activation both through gestures and by simply looking and smiling at the camera.

Performance

• Can be frustratingly slow at times, even for a low-cost phone
• A steep price to pay for that long-legged battery

• Read more on the LG X Power's performance

  The X Power’s battery has impressive life, but that’s only partially down to the size of the supplied battery. The other factor in its battery life is the Mediatek MT6735 processor that runs the whole show. It’s not a processing powerhouse by any definition, and you’ll soon find that out when using the X Power, as it can be downright slow.

  Predictably, this led to some very ordinary benchmark scores. Here’s how the X Power compared using Geekbench 4’s CPU test:

  Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
  Apple iPhone 7 Plus	3374	5649
  Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	1359	5333
  Samsung Galaxy S7	1378	4718
  Apple iPhone SE	2449	4171
  Apple iPhone 6s	2465	4052
  Google Pixel XL	1629	4051
  Motorola Moto Z	1477	3853
  Sony Xperia XZ	1636	3604
  Google Nexus 6P	1293	3594
  Motorola Moto X Force	1352	3581
  Motorola Moto Z Play	799	2648
  Sony Xperia X	1122	2626
  LG X Power	554	1482
  Motorola Moto G Play	522	1334

  Here’s how it stacks up with 3DMark’s Ice Storm Unlimited test:

  Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result
  Alcatel IDOL 4S	18186
  HTC One X9	16877
  Motorola Moto Z Play	13958
  Oppo R9	11053
  Motorola Moto G4 Plus	9757
  Oppo R7s	8390
  LG X Power	4953
  Motorola Moto G Play	4475
  LG Stylus DAB+	4321
  Alcatel Pop 4	3863
  Samsung Galaxy J2	3469

Battery life

• Phenomenal battery that outlasts all its contemporaries
• Multi-day battery life is easily attainable

• Read more on the LG X Power's battery life

  The LG X Power is well named, because that 4,100mAh battery is easily the best reason to pick one up. Single-day battery life is ridiculously easy to attain, and multi-day use should be quite feasible. Running Geekbench 3’s battery life test over the LG X Power saw it utterly destroy every other phone we’ve run that test over in terms of battery life, including models that cost triple its asking price.

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
  LG X Power	14:50:30	5714
  Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	11:55:00	7150
  Huawei Mate 8	11:14:40	6659
  Apple iPhone 7 Plus	11:11:20	6713
  Samsung Galaxy J2	10:05:20	2689
  Samsung Galaxy S7	10:01:20	6013
  Motorola Moto X Force	9:46:50	3914
  Motorola Moto 4G Plus	9:44:10	3977
  Motorola Moto G Play	9:36:00	3840
  Alcatel Pop 4	9:20:30	2490
  Google Pixel XL	9:14:20	5543
  Sony Xperia XZ	8:24:20	5042
  Samsung Galaxy Note 5	9:18:00	5580
  Alcatel Idol 4S	8:14:20	4943
  LG Stylus DAB+	8:11:40	3278
  LG G5	7:36:10	4561

  To put it in perspective, the LG X Power managed more than double the battery life of LG’s own G5 premium smartphone, and while it did so with a much lower power processor, it also beat out the next nearest budget competitor, Samsung’s otherwise entirely unremarkable Galaxy J2.

Verdict

• If it's exceptional battery life you want, the LG X Power has it in spades

• Read our full LG X Power verdict

  The X Power lives and dies on that remarkable battery performance, and that makes it a decent choice for anyone who’s forgetful about charging their phone on a regular basis, because you simply won’t need to do it quite as often. That being said, it’s otherwise a plain and unremarkable phone, and you’re not spoiled for choice at this kind of price bracket for phones that offer a little more in either performance or features, and sometimes both.

  Consider perhaps any of Oppo’s mid-range smartphone offerings, or for that matter Huawei’s selection of capable handsets. If you’re seriously cash-strapped and still want long battery life, consider the Galaxy J2, which is even cheaper, but at the cost of being considerably worse in the performance department compared to the X Power.

Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP $349
• Where to buy: eBay

Specifications

Latest LG news

LG G8s ThinQ review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

The LG G8s ThinQ hits all the right notes for a premium smartphone in essential performance, but its gimmicks are best ignored.

Read more…

5G Phone camera shootout: Galaxy S10 5G vs LG V50 ThinQ vs Oppo Reno 5G

5G phones are fast, but how well do they take photos in low-light situations?

Read more…

LG’s V50 ThinQ 5G launches with Telstra on 11 June

The LG V50 ThinQ will arrive in Australia on 11 June for outright purchase or on contract through Telstra with a unique dual screen and some seriously premium capabilities.

Read more…

Image: Shutterstock