VERDICT
LG's new X Power 2 may offer great battery life and an attractive design, but it's limited in storage and doesn't feature a high-resolution screen.
PROS:
- Long battery life,Attractive design
CONS:
- No Full HD screen,Limited storage
So, for those for whom battery life is a deal-breaker, LG has also launced the X Power2, a mid-range phone that should last you a whole weekend on a full charge.
The X Power2 was launched just in time for MWC 2017 , and we’ve had some time to try out the phone briefly at the show.
LG X Power 2 price and release date
The LG X Power2 is expected to go on sale in Latin America in March, with a rollout across the US and Europe to follow – so expect it to be April or later before you can get your hands on this phone. There’s no word yet if it'll be launching in Australia.
As for the price, LG has yet to reveal that. The original X Power launched in the US at $199 (about £160, AU$260), so we’d expect it to be a similar price level to that phone.
LG X Power2 design
The X Power2 isn’t a premium-feeling phone. It does have an attractive design, but the build quality isn't that impressive – it feels like you can pull the back panel off, but you can't.
There’s an interesting metal effect on the back of the phone which makes it feel strange to the touch, but it dazzles when you hold it up in the light.
But it all feels a little tacky on the back when we're used to seeing full metal uni-body phones, even at this price point.
You’ll be able to buy the X Power2 in four colors: black, silver, gold and a dark blue.
LG X Power2 display
On the front of the phone is a 5.5-inch display, but it’s not Full HD, as we’d hope for on a phone at this price point now.
Instead it’s 720p, and you can really tell that LG hasn’t opted for a high resolution on this screen.
If you plan to watch a lot of video and play games on your new phone, this may not be a great choice, with a lower resolution than most phones this year.
That said, the lower resolution may mean the claims about battery life that LG is making are borne out.
LG X Power2 spec and features
The battery pack inside the LG X Power2 is the key highlight here – it’s a 4,500mAh cell that LG claims will last for a whole weekend.
Whether this will actually prove to be the case is unclear, but Lenovo managed to do it with the Lenovo P2 , with that phone lasting for a whole two days on its 5,100mAh cell.
Android 7 Nougat software is on board here, and it’s a clean UI, which means you’ll get the latest features wrapped in an attractive design.
Under the hood is a MediaTek MT6750, which is an SoC (system on a chip) we haven’t used in another phone yet, so it's hard to judge how powerful it’ll be.
That’s paired with either 1.5GB or 2GB of RAM (depending on what market you're in), which should keep you going when playing modern games and using a variety of high-end apps.
Storage-wise there’s only 16GB on board, which may cause some issues if you want to keep a lot of media on your phone. MicroSD support is present, but you may not want to spend the extra on a large enough memory card to make use of it.
LG X Power2 camera
There’s a respectable 13MP rear shooter on the X Power2, and during our limited testing of the device we got some okay shots that won’t blow anyone away, but which also didn’t look awful.
In bright lighting the phone looked like it could compete with the likes of the Lenovo P2 or the Moto G4 , but we’ll put the camera through its paces properly for our full review later in the year.
On the front is a 5MP selfie shooter which again didn’t blow us away, but did give us acceptable shots that we wouldn’t be embarrassed to upload to Instagram.
Early verdict
We haven't had the chance to do a great deal with the LG X Power2 yet, and whether this phone is worth buying will come down in large part to whether it can make good on LG's battery life claims.
Lasting two whole days on a charge is still a far-off feature for most flagship phones, so if the X Power2 can manage the feat it could be one of the best budget phones to buy right now.
In the meantime, if you’re desperate for a cheaper device that offers a full two days of battery we’ve tested out the Lenovo P2 and we know that survives for that long, so you may want to buy one of the those instead.
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