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LG releases fashion-forward, wallet-friendly pair of phones

The LG K8 and K5 will be available in emerging markets later this year.

Xiomara Blanco Associate Editor / Reviews - Tablets and monitors
Xiomara Blanco is an associate editor for CNET Reviews. She's a Bay Area native with a knack for tech that makes life easier and more enjoyable. So, don't expect her to review printers anytime soon.
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Xiomara Blanco
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LG

Flagship phones, like the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7, have a high-end allure to them with lofty prices to match. If spending an arm and a leg for a new phone isn't an option, LG is offering two alternatives, the K5 and K8, that might be a better fit for your budget -- without sacrificing a sense of style.

The pair are expected to hit emerging markets later this year and pricing has yet to be announced, but LG purports that they'll be reasonably priced. This post will be updated when that information is available.

The LG K8 is the fancier of the two, sporting an au courant look with curved edges and a woven-textured back panel. It has a sharper screen and better cameras than the K5, but is otherwise very similar to it. Both models come in a variety of colors, including gold, and the K5 comes in "titan", which I'm pretty sure is just a lavish way of saying "black."

They don't hold a candle to the fancy modular LG G5, but these phones are stripped down in features in order to meet a lower price point. Since they're geared toward emerging markets, like the K7 and K10, it's unlikely that we'll see them hit US stores.

LG K8 specifications:

  • 5.0-inch HD display
  • 1.3GHz quad-core CPU
  • Rear 8-megapixel camera
  • Front 5-megapixel camera
  • 1.5GB RAM with microSD expansion slot (1GB in Latin America)
  • Removable 2,125mAh battery
  • Android 5.0 Marshmallow
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • NFC
  • USB 2.0
  • Color options: gold, indigo and white
  • Available in: Asia, Africa, Middle East, CIS and Latin America

LG K5 specifications:

  • 5.0-inch VGA display
  • 1.3GHz quad-core
  • Rear 5-megapixel camera
  • Front 2-megapixel camera
  • 8GB internal storage
  • 1GB RAM with microSD card expansion slot
  • Removable 1,900mAh battery
  • Android 6.1 Lollipop
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 4.1
  • USB 2.0
  • Colors options: gold, silver and titan
  • Available in: Europe, CIS, Latin America and Mexico