Looking for a break from smartphones? A basic phone is hassle-free. Read this LG Wine 2 LTE review and see if this could be your next phone.
LG Wine 2 LTE flip phone was released in April 2020. It fills the gap in the current market for feature phones. In the era of smartphones, people still need a good old simple gadget for various reasons.
This LG phone employs the flip phone design that once was popular. Coming in a compact design, the device feels like a much-needed break from gigantic smartphones that are the trend nowadays.
LG Wine 2 LTE features a 2.8-inch display, a 4G support, and an Emergency button. Mostly, features are nothing but essentials. There are not many bells and whistles that could distract users.
Learn more about this phone in this LG Wine 2 LTE review. Learn its strengths and weaknesses. And decide for yourself whether it will be the right gadget for you.
Page Contents:
Key Specs
LG Wine 2 LTE specifications:
- Weight: 127g
- Dimensions: 108 x 55 x 17.8mm
- OS: Proprietary
- Screen size: 2.8-inch
- Resolution: 320 x 240
- CPU: 1.1GHz Quad-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 210
- RAM: 1GB
- Storage: 8GB
- Battery: 1,470mAh, Removable
- Rear camera: 2MP
Design
LG Wine 2 LTE measures at 108 x 55 x 17.8mm when it’s fully closed. The phone is very lightweight at 127g. It won’t take much room in your pocket or in your bag. The compact size is always the best thing about a basic phone.
It is slim, adopts the old-school flip-design, yet it’s quite stylish. LG Wine 2 LTE won’t make you feel like carrying an outdated phone with its sleek platinum casing. The external screen also gives a modern touch to the overall design.
In truth, design is not a priority for a feature phone as long as it is practical. LG Wine 2 fits this description as well. It is quite sturdy although it only uses plastic as its casing. Most importantly, the phone is also easy to use.
The keypad is big enough for human’ thumbs. Fonts on it are big and clear. Typing is not a problem although it won’t be as fast on a QWERTY keyboard. The keypad also comes with a backlight for when you need to type in the dark. Shortcut keys on the keypad allows users to access the camera and speakerphone in one push.
Then there’s an emergency button which you can access even though the phone is closed. Located in the back, you can dial a predetermined number in case of an emergency.
Read also: LG Wine 2 LTE User Manual
Display
LG Wine 2 comes with a small QVGA display with 2.8-inch in diagonal. It’s a low-res display, at 320 x 240 px, and has a pixel density of 143 ppi. The specs are as minimalist as you can get in today’s phone.
This setup works well for a basic phone, though. It doesn’t take up too much battery power. The display is quite clear and displays color well. Rough edges in apps icons is a common occurrence and should not surprise users.
It’s not a touchscreen, so navigation is done with the keypad. Texts appear roughs, as expected, but they are readable. They appear big enough for menus and app labels. However, the screen may feel too small if you want to read a webpage. Overall, it’s possible to do some light internet surfing with relative comfort.
Additionally, you will see an external display. It’s a small LCD display showing the battery level, time, and network status. This display purely serves as a notifications center. It makes the phone more convenient since you can look at the information at a glance .
There’s nothing left to be desired about the phone’s display. Like the phone’s design, the display is nothing but practical. Another big caveat, sometimes it’s hard to see clearly under the sun. Sadly it’s not sharp and bright enough for outdoor use. You will need to cover it with your hand in that situation.
Camera
LG Wine 2 LTE’s camera is a 2MP lens located on the top part of the phone. It’s easy to miss it if you aren’t paying attention. The camera lies alongside the external screen. It has no LED flash that can help with night photography.
The quality is passable, as expected. But it helps users to snap pictures once in a while. There’s a dedicated button on the keypad that launches the camera with a single push.
The result is good under optimal lighting conditions. But the low resolution combined with the absence of LED flash, taking pictures under low-light situations is frustrating. The lens also has fixed focus instead of auto-focus.
There are software features that help you with taking photos easier. For example, the timer can turn the rear camera into a selfie camera. Zoom helps you aim objects closer, especially when recording videos. However, there are not many features beyond what is mentioned above.
Read also:
Storage
LG Wine 2 LTE packs 8GB raw internal storage. But this capacity dwindled to 4.3GB due to system usage. It doesn’t matter anyway, people who use basic phones usually need little storage. Just a handful of disk space to store contacts and occasional photos.
If users want to store more files, especially multimedia ones like music and videos, there’s an SD card slot on this phone. You can expand the storage to up to 32GB. Make sure to get one when you buy the phone because it is not included with the purchase.
Performance
LG Wine 2 LTE depends on the Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 to run its system. There’s no better option for a CPU than this low-cost chipset. It is lightweight and doesn’t demand too much power. All while supporting the latest network support a phone is required to have today.
The CPU has a low processing rate at 1.1GHz. It runs tasks with the help of 1GB RAM. In this LG Wine 2 LTE review, we deem this pairing to be suitable for everyday use.
As long as users know the limitations, low performance can be something to live with. For example, there are some delays when opening tasks and switching between menus.
Everything is relatively quick on this phone, when compared to competitors. Partly it’s due to the RAM, which capacity equals to an entry-level smartphone. Since apps here don’t demand a lot of processing, 1GB is more than enough of a RAM capacity.
LG Wine 2 LTE uses a proprietary OS. Its user interface is similar to flip phones from years ago. The Home screen consists of two shortcut menus, Message, and Contacts. The Apps screen reveals more apps that let you do tasks beyond calling and texting. It’s where you can send emails or browse websites.
LG Wine 2 LTE also packs small features to help with accessibility. You can enlarge texts for better reading. For people with hearing disabilities, this device is compatible with hearing aid devices.
The SOS key is another important feature this device provides. You can set a custom number to call during an emergency. Users need to press the button 3 times to activate this emergency feature.
Connectivity
Thanks to the CPU, LG Wine 2 LTE is a 4G-capable phone, despite being “only” a basic phone. This capability allows users to communicate across LTE and CDMA radio bands. As a result, you can have a clear phone call and a speedy internet connection. This phone also supports domestic roaming.
When available, users can switch to Wi-Fi for even speedier internet. The 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi is here as an alternative to the LTE network. This phone also facilitates file transfer through Bluetooth.
LG Wine 2 LTE uses a type of GPS called A-GPS for location finding. You can’t use it directly for navigation, like with a map app. Instead, this GPS assists the SOS key when finding users’ location during an emergency.
Battery
The 1,470mAh battery on LG Wine 2 LTE promises for all-day use without having to charge midday. The cells come in a removable type, allowing users to replace with a spare by themselves. It’s a small capacity battery but it’s adequate for this phone’s purposes.
The phone claims 5 hours of talk time, with 10 days max on stand by. You can also listen to music for 36 hours non-stop. Not bad for a feature phone, however, real-life performance can be lower than that depending on many factors. Meanwhile, charging takes a couple of hours until the battery is full. Understandably, there’s no feature like quick charging to boost up the speed.
Is LG Wine 2 LTE a good phone?
LG Wine 2 LTE is available for buyers at a $49.99 price tag. This upfront price is expensive, in our opinion. But in some retailers, you can buy through installments for around $5/month.
The price aside, we think LG Wine 2 LTE is a good choice for anyone considering a basic phone. The advantages of this device lie in its LTE support, SOS key, and overall comfortable design, as mentioned above in this LG Wine 2 LTE review.
It is not a perfect phone, even by a flip-phone standard. It misses useful features like LED flash, which you can use as a flashlight when you need one. However, if you look for a simple, no-fuss gadget, LG Wine 2 LTE is a trusty device.
LG Wine 2 LTE Pros
- LTE support
- Practical design
- SOS key
- Good battery life
LG Wine 2 LTE Cons
- Poor camera
- Small internal storage
- Price is relatively expensive