LG X Power 3 explains what the phone got to be your reliable device. Discover its big battery, fast charging, and fingerprint features here.
LG X Power 3 smartphone was released in July 2018. This model is one of the proofs that you don’t need to pay a lot for a good phone. With the LG name as its guarantee, the device offers some features worth considering.
Among them is the fingerprint reader. It functions more than just a security feature. LG X Power 3 also has a big battery to ensure you are staying connected all day.
Furthermore, this battery comes with a fast charging capability. On the photography side, LG X Power 3 lacks a dual camera, but it has a portrait mode. There are some pros and cons we noticed.
For more, read this LG X Power 3 review. Get insightful information to help you with your buying decision.
Page Contents:
Key Specs
LG X Power 3 specifications:
- Weight: 171g
- Dimensions: 154.7 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
- OS: Android 8
- Screen size: 5.5-inch
- Resolution: 1280 x 720
- CPU: 1.4GHz Quad-core, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 16GB
- Battery: 4,500mAh, Non-removable
- Rear camera: 13MP
- Front camera: 5MP
Design
LG X Power 3 features a design of older no-notch phones popular a few years back. It is quite heavy due to its big battery, at 171g. The size, meanwhile, is average for a 5.5-inch phone. As for the material, LG X Power 3 employs a plastic back and frame, with a glass front.
As we mentioned above, this is a phone before a notch became a thing. You can see the rectangular display design, with no Full-Vision approach. It means bezels are dominant, especially on the chin area. Here you can also spot the LG logo.
The back cover is elegant, in our opinion. We appreciate the textured back, which resembles a wood pattern. Items such as the camera, the speaker, and the fingerprint scanner look a bit scattered and asymmetrical. However, it’s still a gorgeous design overall.
It’s the front area that we’re not a fan of. The top of the screen is a bit messy. There is too much empty space around the edges. Considering this is an old design, we can’t exactly blame the phone anyway.
As for sturdiness, we rate the phone as average. There is no extra protective coating nor a waterproof feature. It’s better to put on a case to make the phone more durable.
Read also: LG X Power 3 User Manual
Display
The 5.5-inch display on LG X Power 3 was considered sizable in time of release, but not so much now. However, it offers a nice pause for consumers seeking smaller size displays. Not everyone needs or likes 6-inch and more devices. For these people, LG X Power 3 would be perfect.
The resolution of the display is 1280 x 720. That means you will enjoy a high-definition (HD+) screen. Take note that above an HD+, there’s the better FHD and AMOLED screen. Just so you know what to expect with LG X Power 3’s display.
In short, buyers can enjoy a display with decent clarity and better outdoor visibility than cheaper phones. Images and videos also come out brighter. However, there will still be something to pay attention to. For example, on some occasions, a user might need to still cover the screen when used outdoors. LG X Power 3’s display is not the most perfect. The viewing angle is also rather limited.
LG claimed that, in case of a drop, the touchscreen keeps working despite being cracked. This in-cell technology is a norm today, even on a budget phone. This feature of LG X Power 3 also somehow hinted that there’s no scratch protection like Gorilla Glass on this phone’s display.
Camera
There’s no dual camera on this phone, just in case you haven’t noticed. Instead, consumers get a single rear camera with a 13MP resolution. It has autofocus, but not the one that can capture fast-moving scenes accurately. Meanwhile, there’s also a 5MP selfie camera on this phone.
Pictures taken with the back camera are adequate for social media, but certainly not meant to be pro photos. In general, it’s average at best, with optimal results obtained on naturally-lit scenes. There’s an LED flash to improve the image in a low light environment.
Another feature available here is the HDR. It helps improve your photo when a scene you want to capture has too much light and color contrast. The HDR will balance things out. This camera also has the ability to record Full HD 1080p videos. From what we examined, unfortunately, there’s no additional video-enhancing feature like image stabilization.
It seems that LG X Power 3 focuses more on the front camera as the phone’s selling point. The selfie shooter comes with an LED flash when you’re having a good time at night and want to commemorate with a picture. This camera also has a portrait mode. You can take a selfie with a blurred background with it.
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Storage
LG X Power 3 comes with a very low 16GB internal storage. This can come as inadequate for many users. After the system, you’ll be left with only half of that capacity. It means you can only store a handful of apps and files. We don’t like to be forced into frugality when using a phone’s storage space. We’re sure many will agree.
This phone tried to compensate with its expandable storage option. The biggest SD card capacity you can install on this phone is 2TB. Very rarely people would take advance of this, as a 2TB SD card can be very expensive. It is way better to have LG installed more than 16GB on this phone.
Performance
LG X Power 3 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset with 2GB RAM. The CPU itself is a quad-core one. Today, when an octa-core processor is more common, this configuration may look lackluster. The Android on this phone is Android 8, also an older version.
Although, we rarely doubt the performance of most Snapdragon CPUs. They are known to be efficient. This phone is no exception. With a quick-charge supported, efficiency comes from two directions. Both from the power management and the task processing.
This phone runs smoothly on most apps. Typically on everyday light apps consumers use, it provides no lags or hiccups. The phone itself is not blazing fast. We don’t expect that keeping its budget status in mind. What’s important here that it isn’t slow and frustrating to use.
LG X Power 3 is accommodating for entertainment uses. It has DTS:X Virtual Surround Sound for louder and richer audio. When watching movies or listening to music, this phone delivers a great experience.
LG X Power 3 also comes with a fingerprint reader. LG promoted it as more than a scanner. Its main function is still to secure your phone, but with additional settings. In the Camera app, pressing the scanner once takes a photo. While in everything else, pressing it twice captures a screenshot.
When it comes to software, it’s a bit of a bummer we only got the Android 8. It misses all the features and improvements newer Androids have. LG added their own custom skin for the user interface. There are also several notable LG apps that are pre-installed.
LG X Power 3 prides itself on its Google Assistant. Coming with a dedicated button, users can launch the smart assistant with just one press. You can check the weather, add a reminder, and do a quick search with only a few steps. It is responsive to voice commands.
This LG X Power 3 review concludes that the phone has decent hardware and software performance. Lastly, it also has a hearing aid and multi-language support.
Connectivity
LG X Power 3 is a phone running on GSM, HSPA+, and 4G LTE frequency. Having this phone means exposing yourself to fast and widely available network coverage in the country. There’s great call quality and the internet download speed is up to 150Mbps. LG X Power 3 is a reliable communication device.
Further, it also provides Wi-Fi with a mobile hotspot. Connect to it if you want to save some mobile data. The Bluetooth on this phone still uses the older version. At the time of release, Bluetooth 5.0 was still reserved for flagships.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that you won’t get NFC support on this phone. At least it has GPS (A-GPS, Glonass.) So, LG X Power 3 is a good navigation device too, but not for mobile payment.
Battery
There’s a 4,500mAh battery on this phone, which it promises to be able to stay on for a couple of days. The Li-Ion non-removable cells are designed to be as durable and as long-lasting as possible. With other specs and performance that are still on the low side, this battery performance does sound possible.
Even better news coming from this phone is the fast charging support. Utilizing the feature coming from the CPU, LG X Power 3 presents Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which can boost up a phone in as quick as 15 minutes.
Is the LG X Power 3 a good phone?
Our verdict for this LG X Power 3 review is neutral. LG X Power 3 has its own type of consumers, and for them, it’s the right phone. These consumers typically don’t require much from a phone. In that case, a 5.5-inch phone with decent performance will be more than enough to fulfill their needs.
Moreover, this phone has a big battery that can last two days. There is also a dual-camera and portrait mode. Additionally, it has a fingerprint reader. All this will more than satisfy casual users.
The price may look expensive at $259.99. However, you can choose to pay only $9.17/mo through a 24-months installment. That way, the phone is way more affordable.
LG X Power 3 Pros
- Cheap price
- Fingerprint reader
- Big battery
- Fast charging
LG X Power 3 Cons
- Older Android
- Small internal storage
- No dual-camera