Hands-on with LG's low-cost L70 phone
LG's modest L70 serves up Android 4.4 on a sure-to-be-budget device.
BARCELONA, Spain -- The middle child in LG's new lineup of 3G-only L-series devices, the 4.5-inch LG L70 is only 0.2 inch shorter than the L90. Be that as it may, it's a much more generic handset, meant to bring an affordable Android option to emerging markets where it'll be sold.
Android 4.4 KitKat is one constant, and a smart addition on LG's part. Not only is the OS more current, it's also adapted for running on handsets with more modest memory -- like the L70's 4GB -- so it should (in theory at least) run smoothly on LG's newest toy.
On the L70, these include an ordinary 800x400 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and a 2,100mAh removable battery. You get 1GB of RAM and -- depending on where you are in the world, either an 8- or 5-megapixel rear-facing camera. A VGA front-facing camera means that you can take selfies and video calls, but don't expect stellar quality.
What you can expect is a handset that looks pretty decent for the affordable price that we anticipate -- we saw it in black, like the L90 and even more basic L40. Just like its brethren, it has curved shoulders and a very slightly nubbly backing. A wide, narrow home button handles smoothly,and the phone is small enough to work one-handed.
The L70 may not astound, but it has three potentially redeeming features. The first, as we mentioned, is price -- with unspectacular hardware, we're not expecting the L70 will set you back much in terms of cash. The second is Android 4.4, which we hope will keep the lower-powered L70 feeling slick and responsive to use will tell us a lot about whether Google's low-memory ploy has worked. Finally, the phone can expand to up to 32GB in extra storage.