LG has had a very low-key MWC 2018, releasing only a very minor update to the V30 in the V30S ThinQ and a couple of devices from its ‘K’ series.
With high-end phones getting pricier by the year, it’s more important now smartphone makers offer interesting devices at lower pricer-points. Huawei, Honor, Nokia and many others are doing just this – but LG isn’t.
Related: Nokia 7 Plus hands-on | Huawei P-Smart review
Both the K8 and K10 feel like phones that would have fit in at MWC 2016. They have a cheap feeling plastic body, a big bezel running around the display and seriously outdated software.
I have seen a lot of phones in Barcelona and the K8 and K10 are the only two that are still, nearly 6 months on, running Android Nougat. That’s not good enough. They also seem to still have an older, uglier version of LG’s UI and not the one used on the LG V30 or LG G6.
The 720p HD display is fine, aside from its poor viewing angles, and at least there’s something vaguely unique in the form of a wide-angled front camera. That’s reserved for the K10 though, plump for the K8 and it’s a standard 5MP selfie camera.
On the back the K8 has an 8-megapixel camera, while the K10 has a 13-megapixel version. Whether these optics will be able to compete with the competition remains to be seen.
Both the K8 and K10 are lazy phones to release, whatever price they come in at. There’s no 18:9 screen – even Alcatel’s 2018 phones got this feature, for crying out loud – FHD panel, USB-C or anything that’ll worry other budget phone makers. LG can make really nice phones and I am excited for the upcoming LG G7, but it seems that very little though has gone into the K series this time around.
No price or release date was given for either device, but we’ll update this article when we know more.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
