Purchasing a budget smartphone is a risky choice, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Read our LG Phoenix 5 Review to get accurate information.
The LG Phoenix 5 smartphone was released in 2020. The budget phone industry has been booming like never before. This has led to the public demanding for inexpensive phones that can perform smartphone-like functions.
One notable example is the newly-released LG Phoenix 5. The device has been gaining immense traction thanks to its attractive low cost. Despite being cost-friendly, the phone promises multiple quality features.
Like most budget devices, several specifications will need to be compromised. Therefore, the phone might not provide the complete experience. However, it gets the basic tasks done.
Find out more about this piece of technology in our LG Phoenix 5 Review. This may help you make up your mind before making your next smartphone purchase.
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Key Specs
LG Phoenix 5 specifications:
- Weight: 145g
- Dimensions: 148 x 71 x 8.6mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 5.7-inch
- Resolution: 1520 x 720
- CPU: 2GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Helio P22
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16GB
- Battery: 3,000mAh, Non-removable
- Rear camera: 13MP + 5MP
- Front camera: 5MP
Design
The LG Phoenix 5 has a rather miniature build to it. Since it is a budget phone, it is not surprising that the device is small. On the front side, we have our display screen cornered by bezels. We do appreciate the effort that developers have taken to make the bezels thin. Despite the phone’s minuscule size, we are still treated to fairly decent display size.
Besides the display screen, we notice that the front camera is tucked in a water drop notch. This is a rather popular design with most modern smartphones. Moving onto the back cover, we have our dual camera setup complemented with flash. The back cover makes use of a hard plastic material with a matte exterior to it. It gives off a smooth finish which feels nice in our palms.
The rest of the sides have a series of buttons that perform different functions. The left side features a Google Assistant button and volume controls. It also has a card tray to insert your SIM cards. The bottom side has a headphone jack, single speaker, microphone, and USB port for charging. To turn on the phone, we can press the Power Button available on the right side.
Read: AT&T Radiant Max vs LG Phoenix 5: Which should you buy?
Display
The LG Phoenix 5 employs a 5.7-inch display screen with a 1520 x 720 resolution. As previously mentioned, the display doesn’t stretch from edge to edge. Due to the bezels, we’re not able to get that wide-screen viewing pleasure. However, it should be considered that most budget phones have an average screen size of 5 inches.
Meanwhile, this device has a screen size that is almost nearing 6 inches. It may not be a huge difference, but it is indeed a luxury. Users are still able to get ample space to watch videos at large resolutions. At this price point, we can’t complain much about the size of the display.
Accompanying the display size is its 1520 x 720 resolution. Under this, the phone’s pixels are compressed nicely to provide sharp imagery. Accommodating a total of 16 million colors, we can enjoy vivid visuals as well. It may not offer stunning, cinematic viewing pleasure, but this quality is pretty adequate.
The display also makes use of HD+ to give the display a high-definition touch. This further sharpens the display, making the images, even more, crystal clear. There may be better HD options, but HD+ is enough for a 5.7-inch display screen.
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Camera
The LG Phoenix 5 has a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. A 13MP phone camera for a low cost is impressive, but that’s not all. The main rear camera is only one part of its dual-camera setup. It also comes with a 5MP wide camera to fully capture expansive landscape shots. Also, the wide camera allows us to zoom up to 4 times.
For our selfie needs, we have a 5MP front camera for that. It’s not as high as other selfie cameras, but having 5MP is fine enough to take adequate shots. To make up for this, the device has its portrait mode and selfie filters. Selfies are about to get more enhanced with these smart tools.
Folks with a passion for recording memories can use the LG Phoenix 5 to take videos. The LG Phoenix 5 can record up to 1080p and 30 frames per second instantly. This translates to a smoother, sharper video that we can enjoy watching.
There are also some helpful options developers have included to enrich our camera experience. We can create movies and GIFs and utilize its Quick Video Editor. There’s also a gesture shot mode for easier accessibility when taking photos.
Storage
The LG Phoenix 5 comes with internal memory storage of up to 16GB. Truthfully speaking, 16GB is not the most optimal storage space for 2020. With many more apps requiring huge memory, 16GB is just not sufficient enough. It should also be noted that the phone has several preloaded bloatware that has taken up internal storage.
Compensating for the lack of internal memory is the phone’s expandable memory. We have the choice to add in extra storage by installing a microSD. The phone can accommodate up to 32GB of expandable memory. This way, we’re still able to download bigger apps and store tons of data.
Performance
The LG Phoenix 5 is powered by a 2GHz MediaTek Helio P22 with a RAM of 2GB. The processor alone has gained recognition for being a sought out chipset for budget phones. It gives off the sharpness required for displays without sacrificing much of its battery capacity. Furthermore, it can tackle a series of tasks that allows much smoother performance.
The processor also improves the quality of cameras. Thanks to its noise-reduction technology, we can take pictures that are not so grainy. Any types of distortions are minimized in an attempt to provide clarity with photos. Topped off with its adaptability to lighting, the phone promises better focus.
Supporting the processor is the 2GB RAM. We can never skip any talks about RAM, especially in our LG Phoenix 5 Review. Similar to the phone’s storage, having a 2GB RAM in this generation is not sufficient. Most of the apps available are starting to lean towards the heavy-duty range. While it is still possible to operate them, performance crashes cannot be avoided.
A regular smartphone should require at least a 2.5-3GB of RAM. This still leaves room for the device to breathe when operating. Another alternative that we can try is to minimize the number of apps running in the background. Sure, it takes quite an effort to clear the cache. But phone maintenance should be the norm with any phone.
The phone’s software runs on the Android 10 operating system. With generation, there is a tendency for certain upgrades and flaws. To start, the Android 10 has improved their gestures system for faster task-switching. The current operating system also has a specific setting category designed for Privacy.
Unfortunately, with this version of the gesture system, we are unable to open app drawers. Additionally, some features overlap with others. Multi-tasking can be a bit tricky with this system. However, it all boils down to everyone’s personal preference.
Topping off the LG Phoenix 5’s performance is its sensors. The phone is equipped with an accelerometer, heart rate sensor, gyroscope, and ambient light. The accelerometer can track the number of steps we take when we carry our phones. This greatly benefits the phone’s heart rate sensor.
The gyroscope makes sure that it can pinpoint the phone’s orientation accurately. This is apparent in how fast the screen rotates when we use it horizontally. As for the ambient light sensor, it helps to adjust the brightness level of the screen automatically.
Connectivity
The LG Phoenix 5 can connect to phone networks up to 4G LTE. Users who rely on GSM, GPRS, or EDGE can also use this device to get in touch. We will need to insert a Nano SIM card first for the phone to activate. As the data connection goes, the phone does its job decently.
As an alternative to data, we can turn on the Wi-Fi feature to access the Internet. The device can reach up to 2.4GHz. It is capable of some light browsing, but probably not enough for heavier usage like live streaming. Besides that, the device has Bluetooth Version 5.0 to share data wirelessly.
Battery
The LG Phoenix 5 is powered by a whopping 3,000mAh non-removable battery. The capacity can withstand up to 11 hours of talk time. In other words, the phone is powerful enough to last for 18.8 days on standby. For a budget phone, this is surprisingly outstanding.
However, we cannot say the same about its charging speed. A 50% charge would require 90 minutes. But for a 100% charge, we will need to wait for up to 200 minutes. This can be a downer for people who depend on fast charges. It’s advisable to bring a power bank if we’re always on the go.
Is the LG Phoenix 5 a good phone?
This LG Phoenix 5 review has assessed the device from multiple perspectives. Selling at a retail price of $49.98, this might not be the most perfect of gadgets. The phone has minimum storage space, a small RAM, and a slow charging speed. It might not be everyone’s first choice when purchasing a smartphone.
Still, not everyone has the privilege of getting a high-range device. We appreciate that the developers have attempted to create a phone with decent essentials. Some of the basics are of good quality. This includes the dual-camera setup, large battery capacity, and system processor.
LG Phoenix 5 Pros
- HD+ display screen
- Dual-camera setup
- Good processor performance
- Large battery capacity
LG Phoenix 5 Cons
- Minimum storage space
- A small RAM
- Slow charging speed