LG G Pro Lite Dual Review: Priced Out of Contention?

LG G Pro Lite Dual Review: Priced Out of Contention?

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Could’ve been a low-cost alternative to the Galaxy Note, but its price holds it back

The LG G Pro Lite Duo is an interesting proposition on paper. It borrows heavily from the company’s highly successful LG G Pro, marketed as a contender to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. The G Pro Lite Dual was supposed to be a cheaper, slimmed down version of the LG G Pro, with the same basic functionality with lower specifications to make it cheaper and more accessible to more people. The problem here is that while LG managed to stuff the majority of the LG G Pro’s  functionality in the LG G Pro Lite Dual , they may have gone overboard with the hardware downgrade. That issue is exacerbated with the device’s unfavorable pricing relative to the hardware.

LG G Pro Lite Dual specs

  • 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577
  • PowerVR SGX531
  • 1GB RAM
  • 5.5-inch IPS LCD capacitive display, 540 x 960 inches
  • 8GB storage, expandable via microSD up to 32GB
  • 8-megapixel camera with BSI, autofocus
  • 1.3-megapixel secondary camera
  • WiFi, WiFi hotspot, HSDPA
  • Dual SIM, dual standby
  • 3140mAh battery
  • Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
  • Php 15,990

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Design and Build Quality: Shades of G Pro

The LG G Pro Lite Dual borrows heavily from the design of its bigger brother, the LG G Pro. It’s designed to be comfortable to use and hold one handed, even with it’s 5.5-inch display. It has rounded edges and a curvy back, which allows you to get a good purchase on the device. On the left side of the G Pro Lite Dual lies the volume rocker, with the dedicated button for LG’s proprietary note taking software, QuickMemo slightly above it. The power button is located on the opposite side, roughly 2/3rds of the way down from the top. We liked how LG positioned the power button, as it allows you to press it while holding the device with one hand. The bottom of the bezel holds four capacitive keys. Three of the keys are standard Android, while the fourth is a dedicated key that takes you to the SIM management screen, allowing you to set what default SIM you want to use with calls, text, data and so on. The G Pro Lite Dual is exactly the same size as its bigger brother.

Turning the device over, you’ll see the gloss white back of the device, along with the 8-megapixel camera with BSI. The dock for the pen is located on the upper left side of the device. If you look closely at the gloss white back of the G Pro Lite, you’ll see that it has small dots that are almost imperceptible from a distance. The overall design and build of the G Pro Lite Duo Dual is solid and well built, although we’re not really a fan of the gloss white back.

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Hardware: Not even close to its bigger brother

Remember when we said that the LG may have gone overboard with the hardware downgrade? We weren’t kidding. The LG G Pro Lite Dual is equipped with a 1 GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor, which is a far cry from the G Pro’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. In fact, it’s a processor that we’d normally associate with smartphones on the bottom rung of the smartphone ladder. It honestly has no business being in a device that carries LG’s G Pro name.

To LG’s credit, they’ve managed to optimize the device extremely well, wringing out all the available performance from the lowly MT6577 processor. They’ve managed to achieve this through the Optimus UI that’s present on the device. Navigation through the device is fluid and seamless, and we were surprised that we didn’t get hit by lag during its time with us. Yes, you read that right, not even once. We’re not sure exactly how LG managed this particular feat of wizardry considering the relatively weak processor.

Unfortunately, no amount of software tweaks would hide the processor’s limited horsepower in practical applications and AnTuTu benchmarks. The LG G Pro Lite Dual only managed to score a measly 8481 points in AnTuTu. With hardware intensive games like Dead Trigger 2, we noticed some definite lag while we were playing, especially when there’s a lot of particle effects and whatnot on the screen.

One bright spot for the G Pro Lite Duo is the screen. While it runs a qHD display to cut costs, the screen is bright and colors are punchy. The G Pro Lite Dual also has LG’s convenient knock on feature – you basically knock on the display twice to turn it on, which is a nice alternative to just reaching down and pressing the power button. Weirdly enough, LG also did not include an ambient light sensor with the display.

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G-Pen: Not worth the trouble, unless you’re a creative

We knew coming in that the G-Pen, LG’s own version of a stylus, would stay mostly in the dock while we used the device. While the G Pro Dual has LG’s proprietary QuickMemo software, there’s not really a lot you can do with it. You can write on the display itself, leaving notes on websites and photos you see (and later sending the composite image to the social network of your choice or through email) and….that’s it. To be fair, it’s not really the pen, or LG’s fault – most people who own stylus equipped smartphones usually tinker with it for the first few days then leave the stylus in the dock most of the time, simply because it’s usually easier to just use the touchscreen with your hands than use the stylus. Granted, more creative types would probably use the stylus more, but those users are usually the minority.

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Camera: Relatively good optics

The G Pro Lite Dual’s 8-megapixel camera with BSI generally did a good job, especially in environments with mostly artificial light.

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We did notice that the autofocus of the device takes a bit longer to focus, but other than that the camera is relatively decent.

Battery: Excellent battery endurance

One thing that the G Pro Lite Dual excels at is battery life. With relatively heavy use (movies, gaming, internet, calls and SMS), the G Pro Lite managed to stay awake amid a particularly busy workday (that’s 11 hours) with 20% still remaining in the tank.

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Verdict: Bad pricing killed its chances

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to recommend the LG G Pro Lite Dual. It would have been a killer phone for people who wanted a smartphone with a stylus if it was priced at around Php 11,000. Unfortunately, it retails in the Philippines for Php 15,990. Right now, it’s on sale for Php 13,990 (until Feb. 28) but even at that price point, it’s extremely difficult to recommend, considering the somewhat dated (not to mention slow) hardware. There’s also a couple of specs missing like NFC, GLONASS, ambient light sensor and so on and so forth. Our recommendation is give this one a pass. Sorry LG.

 

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