LG Electronics has decided not be left out of the Make-In-India push. Recently, with Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister, Communications and IT, Pankaj Mahindroo, Founder and President, Indian Cellular Association and others, Kim Ki Wan, MD LG India, flagged off the K7 and K10, two devices in its 'K Series' that will be made in the country.
LG is very proud of its 'glossy pebble' design which the company feels makes the devices look premium and far more expensive than they are. They're probably hoping for a bit much. The Rs 13,500 price of the K 10 usually elicits a 'What?' From those who see the phone. The K7 is Rs 9,500.
There is little that is glossy about the two phones. The back for both is textured plastic. Neither looks like an expensive phone. On the front though, the glass is curved or is "2.5-D Arc" on the sides, a design that doesn't look bad specially as there are no buttons at all on both sides. LG is fond of putting its buttons on the back, in a nice assembly that works quite well except that I often press the power button instead of the volume button and vice versa. But then, you can always just double-tap the screen to wake it up.
LG is aiming its glossy pebble design at young people. Problem is that young people have a host of new options in this price bracket, some of them from Xiaomi, whose phones really do look premium. The next in Motorola's line of G phones is also launching tomorrow. In fact, the K10 looks, from the back, quite Motorola-like.
The K7 is a 5.0-inch phone and the K10 a 5.3-inch one. That's smaller than the standard 5.5-inch devices going around these days and that certainly makes them much easier to grip and use. On the ergonomics front, these phones do quite well, being quite light and thin and grip-friendly. Neither side of the phone takes too much fingerprint abuse, interestingly. LG has bundled a smart flip cover with the K10.
The K10 (K-420) has a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage, a third of which is gobbled up by software. But you get 100GB of free space on Google Drive for two years. The phone doesn't come out well on tech benchmarks, but in everyday usage, it's fine if one doesn't want a device to push to the limits with heavy gaming etc.
The 1280x720p screen is usable enough, but doesn't sparkle and could even do with slightly better viewing angles. It's comfortable enough, if you aren't looking for the crisp hi-res phones one gets these days, even at this price. The sound is a bit sharp and tinny, but loud.
There's a lot that pleases Indian users on this device. It's a Dual SIM, has a memory card slot, a removable back with replaceable battery, FM Radio, and 4G VoLTE support. The battery is a 2,300mAh.
The cameras on the K10 are 13MP and 8MP. Images are a bit inconsistent, often out of focus and soft. It records 1080p video.
On the K7, all specs are dialled down.
LG may make in India, but if it wants to make for India, the company will have to give better specs for a lower price, for one.
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
_20240816145558_original_image_26.webp)
