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LG X power2 Smartphone Review

Large battery with nothing behind it? The LG X power2 promises a long battery life with its high-capacity battery. But besides the battery life, there are many other aspects that make a good smartphone. In our test we will find out whether LG's mid-range device can deliver here.
LG X power2
LG X power2

For the original German review, see here.

LG's smartphones of the X series are marketed as superheroes: each has something it excels in, a special power. In the LG X Power, it was the extra-strong battery which really lasted very long. Of course, the LG X power2 has the same super power. In terms of capacity, the battery has become even slightly larger, the same as the smartphone itself, which now goes over the counter with a 5.5-inch screen. The X power2 is also considerably more expensive than its predecessor. With a price of 299 Euros (~$353) it advances deep into the mid-range, where there are many other devices waiting to compete: the Lenovo P2 which has an even higher-capacity battery, for example, or the Moto Z Play, which can also be upgraded to be a battery monster, thanks to the Moto Mods. The Samsung Galaxy J7 also has a very good battery life, and the HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle, which has the lowest-capacity battery here, is also in this price range.

LG X power2 (X Series Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6750 8 x 1.5 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 267 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 9.15 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio combo, Card Reader: microSD up to 256 GB, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: acceleration sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, compass, DLNA, Miracast, USB-OTG
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM (850/​900/​1800/​1900), UMTS (850/​900/​1900/​2100), LTE (B1/​B3/​B7/​B8/​B20), LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.4 x 154.7 x 78.1 ( = 0.33 x 6.09 x 3.07 in)
Battery
17.1 Wh, 4500 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix f/2,2, 1/3" sensor, 1.12 µm pixel size, contrast AF, LED flash, videos @1080p/​30fps
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix LED flash
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker on the back, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, quick charger, USB cable, earphones, LG SmartWorld, LG Backup, QuickMemo+, 24 Months Warranty, bandwidth (download/upload): 300Mbps/​50Mbps (LTE); SAR value: 0,519 W/kg (head), 1,360 W/kg (body), fanless
Weight
164 g ( = 5.78 oz / 0.36 pounds), Power Supply: 73 g ( = 2.58 oz / 0.16 pounds)
Price
299 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The LG X power2 is available in black/blue or in gray color. In both devices, the front is completely black and a gray or black stripe goes around the device. The back is either gray or blue, depending on the color choice. Our test unit is the blue variant, which is also slightly glossy, and has a light pinstripe pattern. The case design is more organically round rather than square and therefore fits in the hand comfortably. Perhaps the LG X power2 is not a device with a very exciting design, but it is ergonomic and solid. The case can hardly be twisted and appears to be built very compact. The device does not mind any pressure on the back, but with forceful pressure on the touchscreen you can see waves in the liquid crystal.

The battery of the device cannot be removed, which is not really customary in this price range anyway.

LG X power2
LG X power2
LG X power2
LG X power2
LG X power2
LG X power2

Size Comparison

156.9 mm / 6.18 inch 76.9 mm / 3.03 inch 7.7 mm / 0.3031 inch 155 g0.3417 lbs156.4 mm / 6.16 inch 76.4 mm / 3.01 inch 7 mm / 0.2756 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs154.7 mm / 6.09 inch 78.1 mm / 3.07 inch 8.4 mm / 0.3307 inch 164 g0.3616 lbs153 mm / 6.02 inch 76 mm / 2.99 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 177 g0.3902 lbs152.5 mm / 6 inch 74.8 mm / 2.94 inch 8 mm / 0.315 inch 181 g0.399 lbs148.9 mm / 5.86 inch 74.9 mm / 2.95 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 139 g0.3064 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Features

With only 16 GB of storage, the X power2 remains on par with its predecessor. However, that was 100 Euros (~$118) cheaper, and most of the other devices in the same class as the X power 2 are equipped with 32 GB of storage. The 2 GB working memory is also not in keeping with the times for a device of this price range, 3 GB is the minimum. There is also no modern USB-C connection, but only a classical Micro-USB port. However, NFC, DLNA, Miracast, and USB-OTG are on board. In our configuration, the LG X power 2 has only one SIM card and there is currently no dual-SIM model available in the central European market.

MicroSD cards can be used to expand the storage. They can hold up to 256 GB, although currently there are no cards with more storage available anyway. Although storage cards can only be formatted as external storage, you can also store apps on the external storage card.

Top: microphone
Top: microphone
Bottom: 3.5-mm audio-combo, microphone, USB port
Bottom: 3.5-mm audio-combo, microphone, USB port
Right: standby button
Right: standby button
Left: volume rocker, SIM drawer
Left: volume rocker, SIM drawer

Software

The operating system of the smartphone is Android 7.0, which is not the most current version. Moreover, the security patches from April 1 2017 are quite dated at the time of this test, and an update is not available. LG uses on its own launcher, which allows various designs, and optionally groups the setting into categories, but otherwise corresponds to a large extend to the original Android in terms of operation, so that anyone who had an Android smartphone should easily find their way around. 

Although the manufacturer has pre-installed several apps, there are much fewer advertising apps than in the LG X Power. Besides Evernote, there is also no third-party software and the remaining apps are from Google or LG. In addition, there are several direct links to Settings on the start screen or in some folders.

Software LG X power2
Software LG X power2
Software LG X power2

Communication and GPS

With 300 MBit/s during download and 50 MBit/s during upload, the LG X power2 is as fast in the LTE net as most of the comparison devices. The predecessor cannot keep up anymore. Five LTE bands, four UMTS bands, and four GSM bands are supported. Here, the LG X power2 remains considerably behind the other competitors with the same price. All of the comparison devices support more LTE bands; the Lenovo P2 even supports ten of them. The reception in the inner-city areas of the decent German Vodafone net is reasonable indoors as well. We had at least half the signal strength for LTE most of the time. 

The WLAN module transfers according to the 802.11 b/g/n standards. Here, some of the comparison devices can even score with support for the fast 802.11ac standard and almost all support at least the 5 GHz WLAN network. The LG X power2 cannot claim any fast data rates, and in our standardized test it even sends slightly slower than the LG X Power. In the practical test, the reception is very good near the router, and after a short delay, the pages are rendered fairly quickly. At a distance of 10 meters (~33 ft) from the router and through three walls, the reception is still good, there are 3/4 of the signal strength, and the pages are rendered as quickly as when near the router.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
280 MBit/s +447%
Lenovo P2
Adreno 506, 625, 32 GB eMMC Flash
216 MBit/s +322%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
Adreno 506, 625, 32 GB eMMC Flash
112 MBit/s +119%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 32 GB eMMC Flash
104 MBit/s +103%
LG X Power K220
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
53.5 MBit/s +4%
LG X power2
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 16 GB eMMC Flash
51.2 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Mali-T830 MP1, 7870 Octa, 16 GB eMMC Flash
251 MBit/s +449%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
Adreno 506, 625, 32 GB eMMC Flash
121 MBit/s +165%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
Adreno 305, 400 MSM8928, 32 GB eMMC Flash
101 MBit/s +121%
Lenovo P2
Adreno 506, 625, 32 GB eMMC Flash
88.8 MBit/s +94%
LG X Power K220
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
47.1 MBit/s +3%
LG X power2
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 16 GB eMMC Flash
45.7 MBit/s
GPS test indoors
GPS test indoors
GPS test outdoors
GPS test outdoors

Indoors the GPS module is unable to locate us, but outside it can locate us very quickly and with and accuracy of 3 meters (~10 ft), it is quite exact.

But how does it look in practice? We want to evaluate this in a mountain bike tour, where in addition to the LG X power2 we also take the Garmin Edge 500 professional navigation device that serves as our reference due to its accurate locating abilities. The LG X power2 measures almost exactly the same distance in a 12-km (~7.5 miles) route, which is already very good. Aside from some minor drops in the curves, we have to give credit to the LG X power2 for the accuracy of the GPS module: While the Garmin Edge 500 may be more accurate in some places, the differences are really quite small.

GPS Garmin Edge 500 - overview
GPS Garmin Edge 500 - overview
GPS Garmin Edge 500 - crossroads
GPS Garmin Edge 500 - crossroads
GPS Garmin Edge 500 - bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 500 - bridge
GPS LG X power2 - overview
GPS LG X power2 - overview
GPS LG X power2 - crossroads
GPS LG X power2 - crossroads
GPS LG X power2 - bridge
GPS LG X power2 - bridge

Telephone and Call Quality

LG has adjusted the Telephone app slightly. It is kept in the same overall light design as the user interface and is slightly more adjustable than Google's standard app. You can, for example, specify which screen should appear when starting the app. Otherwise, there are the same tabs such as the lists of calls and contacts. You can also create your own groups. 

The voice quality is passable, and even though the earpiece can become quite loud, it then becomes boomy. Our conversation partner is slightly muffled, but still easily understandable. The microphone can record even low voices, the recording is also a little muffled though. Background noises are clearly audible. You can call using the also quite loud and boomy speaker which also reproduces the voice of your partner slightly muffled. When using the speaker, the microphone cannot record a low voice anymore. 

Cameras

Picture taken by front camera
Picture taken by front camera

In terms of camera resolution, with 13 megapixels in the back and 5 megapixels in the front, the LG X power2 lies within a normal range for the current mid-range smartphones. However, the Lenovo Moto Z Play and the Samsung Galaxy J7 show that you can also get even more megapixels for the same price. But the megapixel count is not that important for the image quality anyway. The image sharpness and color display are more important. Here the back camera shows quite cool colors, and the sharpness seems to be decent as long as you do not zoom in, which makes muddy areas and a generally mediocre sharpness clearly noticeable. The dynamic in dark and bright areas could also be better. In the details, high-quality smartphones are clearly ahead. The Lenovo P2 is also compelling with a more detailed and sharper representation here. In low-light conditions, the LG X power2 can also not score. Here as well, for example the Lenovo P2 offers a much better performance.

Videos can be recorded in Full HD quality with 30 fps. The quality is fairly good, although in darker situations you can quickly see some image noise. The sharpness and color presentation are similar to the pictures: superficially okay, but slightly muddy in the detail. 

The 5-Megapixel front camera has trouble taking really sharp pictures, and the dynamic is also lacking.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

In the next step, the main camera of the LG X power2 goes back into the test lab, where we re-examine the color display under controlled light conditions. Here the image sharpness is quite decent in parts of the image, and also the display of text in front of a colored background brings a decent result. In the left image area in particular, the sharpness declines visibly, and the edges appear fuzzy over the whole image. The color representation deviates from the reference value more in some colors, and in others it is relatively accurate. Overall, it is an average result in the color representation. 

How should we judge the performance of the camera? For those who mainly keep their pictures on the camera and only rarely take pictures in low light, the camera will be sufficient. However, there are much better camera modules in this price range. The front camera takes rather mediocre pictures, even if you have low expectations. 

Picture of the reference card
Picture of the reference card
Detail of the reference card
Detail of the reference card
Picture of ColorChecker colors: the bottom half of each patch shows the original color.
Picture of ColorChecker colors: the bottom half of each patch shows the original color.

Accessories and Warranty

Besides the charger and the USB cable, there are also earphones in the box of the LG X power2. According to the manufacturer's website, there are no special accessories for the LG X power2.

LG offers 24 months of warranty for the smartphone. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Operation

LG has developed its own keyboard app which the manufacturer uses for its smartphones. Other keyboard apps are not pre-installed on the LG X power2, but can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. The LG keyboard has a separate row with number keys as well as separate keys for the umlauts. In addition, there are extensive options to configure the keyboard. You can split the keyboard with a gesture, or move it towards the edge in order to use it with one hand. Vibration and sounds, pop-ups and word suggestions, there are many options overall.

The operation via touchscreen works quickly and very well, the surface is comfortable, and the screen is also very responsive in the corners. Gesture controls are integrated to a small extent: You can tap twice on the screen to turn off or activate the screen, but this only works on the Start screen.

The standby button is on the right side, and the volume rocker on the left. All the buttons cannot be seen clearly from the front, but you can easily feel them. The pressure point of the standby button feels slightly spongy. As a secondary function, the volume rocker can activate the camera or a notepad from standby mode. The volume lowering key can be used as a shutter release.

Keyboard landscape
Keyboard landscape
Keyboard portrait
Keyboard portrait

Display

Subpixel image
Subpixel image

With 1280x720 pixels, the 5.5-inch display has the customary number of pixels in this price range. However, the Lenovo P2, the Galaxy J7, and the Moto Z Play show that for about 300 Euros (~$354), a Full HD display is not a luxury anymore. Furthermore, the brightness of the LG X power2 is considerably lower at an average of 237 cd/m² than in all the comparison devices. Even the predecessor offered considerably more. At least at 92%, the brightness distribution is enough so that even larger color areas appear evenly.

232
cd/m²
236
cd/m²
225
cd/m²
239
cd/m²
237
cd/m²
238
cd/m²
244
cd/m²
245
cd/m²
240
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 245 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 237.3 cd/m² Minimum: 1.92 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 237 cd/m²
Contrast: 1823:1 (Black: 0.13 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.07
LG X power2
IPS, 1280x720, 5.50
LG X Power K220
IPS, 1280x720, 5.30
Lenovo P2
AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.50
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
IPS, 1280x720, 5.50
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
Super AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.50
Lenovo Moto Z Play
AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.50
Screen
-9%
61%
-3%
62%
69%
Brightness middle
237
381
61%
479
102%
380
60%
454
92%
509
115%
Brightness
237
352
49%
477
101%
369
56%
463
95%
511
116%
Brightness Distribution
92
85
-8%
91
-1%
92
0%
86
-7%
93
1%
Black Level *
0.13
0.2
-54%
0.26
-100%
Contrast
1823
1905
4%
1462
-20%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.5
7.3
-33%
2.4
56%
6.6
-20%
2
64%
2.2
60%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
12.7
21.2
-67%
5.6
56%
10.4
18%
5.3
58%
5.8
54%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.1
7.4
-21%
2.8
54%
7.4
-21%
1.7
72%
2
67%
Gamma
2.07 106%
2.26 97%
2.28 96%
2.29 96%
2.1 105%
2.25 98%
CCT
7943 82%
8417 77%
6702 97%
8665 75%
6394 102%
6768 96%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

With a 0.13 cd/m2 black value, the LG X power2 is exemplary for an IPS display. The problem with this is that many competing devices are at this point using AMOLED displays, which can display absolute black. Due to the relatively low brightness, the contrast ratio is also worse than in the LG X Power. Apparently the LG X power2 does not use pulse width modulation to reduce the brightness in low settings, at least we are not noticing any flickering.

While testing the display more thoroughly with the CalMAN software and the spectral photometer, we noticed a slight blue tint, which can be reduced by the blue filter of the LG X power2 called Comfort mode. The coverage of the sRGB color space is rather limited, and the color deviations are higher than in some other comparison devices.

CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN color space
CalMAN color space
CalMAN grayscales
CalMAN grayscales
CalMAN saturation
CalMAN saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
40 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 24.4 ms rise
↘ 15.6 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 97 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
55.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 26.4 ms rise
↘ 28.8 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms).

The display is really too dark for using it outdoors. In maximum brightness, you can still recognize a little of the contents, if the surroundings are not too bright. If you tilt the smartphone to the side, the display darkens further. To be fair, this is more noticeable to the camera than to the eyes.

Outdoor use - brightness sensor
Outdoor use - brightness sensor
Outdoor use - maximum brightness
Outdoor use - maximum brightness
Outdoor use - medium brightness
Outdoor use - medium brightness
Outdoor use - minimum brightness
Outdoor use - minimum brightness
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

The Mediatek MT6750 is built into the LG X power2 as the SoC. It possesses four cores and clocks at a maximum of 1.5 GHz. The performance is noticeably higher than that of its predecessor, but cannot keep up with the Lenovo P2 or the Moto Z Play. Overall, the LG X power2 places in the middle of the field of the comparison devices in terms of performance. In everyday use, you can surf all the menus smoothly and all the apps we tested also ran without any problems.

The graphics unit is called ARM Mali-T860 MP2, possesses two cores, and clocks at up to 700 MHz. Even though it also provides the LG X power2 with a clear advantage compared to the predecessor, it cannot pose a threat to the Lenovo P2 or the Moto Z Play.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
38547 Points
LG X Power K220
30432 Points -21%
Lenovo P2
63522 Points +65%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
24799 Points -36%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
47339 Points +23%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
61345 Points +59%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
LG X power2
4157 Points
LG X Power K220
3759 Points -10%
Lenovo P2
4810 Points +16%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
2383 Points -43%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
4920 Points +18%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
6767 Points +63%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
LG X power2
3191 Points
Lenovo P2
4810 Points +51%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3722 Points +17%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
LG X power2
773 Points
LG X Power K220
200 Points -74%
Lenovo P2
1226 Points +59%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
517 Points -33%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
353 Points -54%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
1019 Points +32%
System (sort by value)
LG X power2
1758 Points
LG X Power K220
1092 Points -38%
Lenovo P2
1960 Points +11%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
858 Points -51%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
2368 Points +35%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
2069 Points +18%
Memory (sort by value)
LG X power2
693 Points
LG X Power K220
521 Points -25%
Lenovo P2
1451 Points +109%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
421 Points -39%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1265 Points +83%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
795 Points +15%
Graphics (sort by value)
LG X power2
489 Points
LG X Power K220
290 Points -41%
Lenovo P2
1016 Points +108%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
346 Points -29%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
533 Points +9%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
1013 Points +107%
Web (sort by value)
LG X power2
601 Points
LG X Power K220
10 Points -98%
Lenovo P2
783 Points +30%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
573 Points -5%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
10 Points -98%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
649 Points +8%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
593 Points
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
736 Points +24%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
2297 Points
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3777 Points +64%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
1448 Points
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
2371 Points +64%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
8156 Points
LG X Power K220
4960 Points -39%
Lenovo P2
13808 Points +69%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
4675 Points -43%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
8318 Points +2%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
13920 Points +71%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
LG X power2
8140 Points
LG X Power K220
4330 Points -47%
Lenovo P2
13398 Points +65%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
7456 Points -8%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
13437 Points +65%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
LG X power2
8213 Points
LG X Power K220
10103 Points +23%
Lenovo P2
15462 Points +88%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12955 Points +58%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
15923 Points +94%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
LG X power2
442 Points
LG X Power K220
201 Points -55%
Lenovo P2
831 Points +88%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
58 Points -87%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
340 Points -23%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
827 Points +87%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
LG X power2
379 Points
LG X Power K220
165 Points -56%
Lenovo P2
726 Points +92%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
46 Points -88%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
278 Points -27%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
725 Points +91%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
LG X power2
1053 Points
LG X Power K220
860 Points -18%
Lenovo P2
1682 Points +60%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
813 Points -23%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1535 Points +46%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
1631 Points +55%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
LG X power2
306 Points
LG X Power K220
127 Points -58%
Lenovo P2
459 Points +50%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
247 Points -19%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
461 Points +51%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
LG X power2
254 Points
LG X Power K220
102 Points -60%
Lenovo P2
380 Points +50%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
199 Points -22%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
382 Points +50%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
LG X power2
1074 Points
LG X Power K220
854 Points -20%
Lenovo P2
1673 Points +56%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1522 Points +42%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
1636 Points +52%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
22 fps
LG X Power K220
15 fps -32%
Lenovo P2
23 fps +5%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
10 fps -55%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12 fps -45%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
23 fps +5%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
13 fps
LG X Power K220
8.4 fps -35%
Lenovo P2
23 fps +77%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
5.7 fps -56%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
12 fps -8%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
23 fps +77%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
LG X power2
11 fps
LG X Power K220
6.6 fps -40%
Lenovo P2
10 fps -9%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
4.2 fps -62%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
5.1 fps -54%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
10 fps -9%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
5.3 fps
LG X Power K220
3.1 fps -42%
Lenovo P2
10 fps +89%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
2 fps -62%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
5.1 fps -4%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
10 fps +89%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
8.6 fps
LG X Power K220
4.1 fps -52%
Lenovo P2
6.7 fps -22%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3.2 fps -63%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
6.7 fps -22%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
3.5 fps
LG X Power K220
2 fps -43%
Lenovo P2
6.2 fps +77%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3.3 fps -6%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
6.2 fps +77%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
4.3 fps
Lenovo P2
3.7 fps -14%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1.9 fps -56%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
3.7 fps -14%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
LG X power2
1.9 fps
Lenovo P2
3.4 fps +79%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
1.9 fps 0%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
3.4 fps +79%

Legend

 
LG X power2 Mediatek MT6750, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG X Power K220 Mediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo P2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8928, Qualcomm Adreno 305, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 Samsung Exynos 7870 Octa, ARM Mali-T830 MP1, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Moto Z Play Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Unfortunately, the LG X power2 only achieves one of the last places in the browser performance and is even slightly slower in parts than its predecessor. Yet, the demanding “letsplay.ouigo.com” browser game can be displayed with a few stutters and the flippers react relatively quickly to our inputs.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Lenovo Moto Z Play
31.8 Points +90%
Lenovo P2
28.88 Points +73%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
25.97 Points +55%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
18.22 Points +9%
LG X Power K220
18.13 Points +8%
LG X power2
16.74 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Lenovo Moto Z Play
4979 Points +84%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
4560 Points +68%
Lenovo P2
4435 Points +64%
LG X power2
2712 Points
LG X Power K220
2657 Points -2%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
2141 Points -21%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
LG X power2
13763 ms *
LG X Power K220
13196 ms * +4%
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
12145 ms * +12%
Lenovo P2
8463 ms * +39%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
8169 ms * +41%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
6821 ms * +50%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Lenovo P2
84 Points +53%
Lenovo Moto Z Play
83 Points +51%
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
75 Points +36%
LG X power2
55 Points
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
51 Points -7%

* ... smaller is better

While accessing our Toshiba Exceria Pro M401 reference microSD card, the LG X power2 shows its good side again. It achieves considerably higher values than the LG X Power and can even keep up with the fastest comparison devices. Unfortunately, this high point is immediately followed by a low: The access rates to the internal storage are very slow, and the LG X power2 can only gain some ground again during sequential reads.

LG X power2LG X Power K220Lenovo P2HTC Desire 10 LifestyleSamsung Galaxy J7 2017Lenovo Moto Z Play
AndroBench 3-5
-33%
78%
-24%
3%
74%
Sequential Read 256KB
243.8
196.8
-19%
270.1
11%
149.4
-39%
198.5
-19%
254.8
5%
Sequential Write 256KB
41.7
43.74
5%
76.7
84%
60.6
45%
53
27%
73.1
75%
Random Read 4KB
25.3
18.78
-26%
38.2
51%
17.03
-33%
25.86
2%
38.78
53%
Random Write 4KB
10.7
7.32
-32%
44.4
315%
7.94
-26%
10.54
-1%
45.58
326%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
76.6
32.08
-58%
79.3
4%
47.7
-38%
76.1
-1%
74.6
-3%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
58.1
18.17
-69%
59.4
2%
29.2
-50%
63.9
10%
50.6
-13%

Games

The demanding “Asphalt 8: Airborne” racing game can only be played with reduced details. However, “Dead Trigger 2” achieves a smooth 47 fps. Less demanding games such as “Angry Birds” can also be played without any trouble.

The control via position sensor and touchscreen works smoothly and feels very comfortable.

Asphalt 8: Airborne
Asphalt 8: Airborne
Dead Trigger 2
Dead Trigger 2
Asphalt 8: Airborne
 SettingsValue
 high28 fps
 very low30 fps
Dead Trigger 2
 SettingsValue
 high47 fps

Emissions

Temperature

GFXBench battery test
GFXBench battery test

The absolutely highest case temperature that we reach in our test is 40.6 °C (~105 °F) at the back of the case. The heating is very limited, it is noticeable, but not critical at all. In the front, the device also warms up under full load, but at 37.4 °C (~99°F) it is less. While idling, there is hardly any noticeable warming and we measured a maximum of 31.2 °C (~88 °F).

With the help of the Manhattan 3.1 battery benchmark in GFXBench we can test whether the device can maintain its performance even during prolonged loads. We can absolutely confirm this: even after the 30th repetition of the same benchmark sequence, the frame rates are almost identical.

Max. Load
 33.4 °C
92 F
33.7 °C
93 F
35.7 °C
96 F
 
 35.2 °C
95 F
36.6 °C
98 F
36 °C
97 F
 
 35.7 °C
96 F
37.4 °C
99 F
36 °C
97 F
 
Maximum: 37.4 °C = 99 F
Average: 35.5 °C = 96 F
34.4 °C
94 F
34.4 °C
94 F
34.3 °C
94 F
34.7 °C
94 F
34.7 °C
94 F
34.4 °C
94 F
33.6 °C
92 F
40.6 °C
105 F
40.1 °C
104 F
Maximum: 40.6 °C = 105 F
Average: 35.7 °C = 96 F
Power Supply (max.)  28.5 °C = 83 F | Room Temperature 21.4 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 35.5 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.4 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 40.6 °C / 105 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.3 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat map front
Heat map front
Heat map back
Heat map back

Speaker

Speaker test, pink noise
Speaker test, pink noise

Many smartphone manufacturers no longer place the loudspeaker at the back, since it could easily be covered by the hand or is muffled when the smartphone sits on the table. Nevertheless, LG has decided to continue placing the speaker in the back, and accordingly you have to live with a more muffled sound when the device sits on the desk in front of you. If you lift it up, the sound becomes much clearer and the speaker can become noticeably loud. We measure up to 89.4 dB(A) in the test lab. Another positive is that the speaker does not distort even at high volumes. The bass is even less present than in many other comparison devices and there are almost no lower mids either. Accordingly, the lab test shows bad results. However the subjective impression of the speaker is not quite as bad. Of course, the sound of high-quality smartphones is much fuller and warmer, but since the sound is reproduced clearly and undistorted, you can give the music a quick listen sometimes, and the video sound also comes out of the speaker clearly. 

Listening through the 3.5-mm port and the included earphones is also clearly possible. The audio signal is also transferred clearly and cleanly to external speakers via Bluetooth.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2031.636.52525.4333125.333.44032.932.25033.634.36331.631.18028.426.21002728.512520.829.41602229.420021.33025020.831.531521.231.740019.437.650019.544.963017.754.980017.964.2100017.873125017.377.9160017.477.1200016.778.1250017.276.5315018.273.9400017.977.3500017.676.6630017.779.9800017.884.41000017.980.91250018.172.21600018.262.3SPL3089.4N1.372.3median 17.9median 72.3Delta1.416.931.630.825.430.525.331.232.930.733.631.731.628.828.422.6272620.836.82240.221.349.220.853.721.257.119.462.619.567.417.767.817.969.517.870.717.372.117.474.616.775.217.275.518.277.917.981.417.67917.775.617.875.417.971.318.162.618.255.83087.11.370.5median 17.9median 70.51.410.2hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLG X power2Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
LG X power2 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 42.2% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (1.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 13.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.2% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (31.5% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 78% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 88% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 26.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.2% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 27% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 47% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency comparison (Checkboxes selectable!)

Battery Life

Power Consumption

Whereas before, the LG X power2 was in the middle of the field of comparison devices in terms of the performance, it is on top in the power consumption, which in this case is not good news. At least when it is turned off, it really uses no power at all and the consumption in standby mode is also okay. But as soon as you turn on the device, it uses more power in every scenario than all the other comparison devices. The predecessor was also considerably more energy efficient. At 7.85 watts during maximum load, it uses even more than twice as much as the Samsung Galaxy J7.

There is an energy saving mode, which is automatically activated when the battery reaches 15%. Of course you can turn off this feature, if you always want to have the full power available.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.23 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.63 / 1.42 / 1.47 Watt
Load midlight 5.89 / 7.85 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
LG X power2
4500 mAh
LG X Power K220
4100 mAh
Lenovo P2
5100 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3600 mAh
Lenovo Moto Z Play
3510 mAh
Power Consumption
16%
38%
44%
43%
Idle Minimum *
0.63
0.64
-2%
0.54
14%
0.39
38%
0.51
19%
Idle Average *
1.42
1.3
8%
1.01
29%
1.06
25%
0.87
39%
Idle Maximum *
1.47
1.34
9%
1.03
30%
1.08
27%
0.9
39%
Load Average *
5.89
4.18
29%
1.78
70%
1.82
69%
1.69
71%
Load Maximum *
7.85
4.87
38%
3.98
49%
3.21
59%
4
49%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

Despite the high power consumption, the 4500 mAh battery provides a good battery life to the LG X power2. However, it has not improved compared to the predecessor, which has a weaker battery. Our test unit can also beat the Samsung Galaxy J7 with its much smaller battery by only 3% overall.

In the WLAN test, the X power2 achieves a runtime of 16:22 hours. This is a very good value with which the device lasts for two working days even with continuous surfing. In practice, with mixed usage you should last about as long as with the LG X Power, which is to say, three to four days before the device has to be recharged. Thanks to the fast charging technology that will not take long, the battery is fully recharged after about 1:15 hours.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
45h 20min
WiFi Websurfing
16h 22min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
20h 26min
Load (maximum brightness)
6h 24min
LG X power2
4500 mAh
LG X Power K220
4100 mAh
Lenovo P2
5100 mAh
HTC Desire 10 Lifestyle
2700 mAh
Samsung Galaxy J7 2017
3600 mAh
Lenovo Moto Z Play
3510 mAh
Battery Runtime
-2%
10%
-44%
-3%
11%
Reader / Idle
2720
2841
4%
1485
-45%
1950
-28%
2540
-7%
H.264
1226
1199
-2%
622
-49%
1096
-11%
1190
-3%
WiFi v1.3
982
987
1%
978
0%
574
-42%
904
-8%
824
-16%
Load
384
365
-5%
528
38%
234
-39%
525
37%
652
70%

Pros

+ well-built, robust case
+ NFC, USB-OTG, App2SD
+ very accurate GPS module
+ easy operation
+ low black value of the display
+ fast access to the microSD card
+ hardly any warming
+ acceptable speaker
+ great battery life

Cons

- bad price-performance ratio
- high power consumption
- dark display
- camera often takes blurry pictures
- older security patches at the time of testing
- slow internal storage access

Verdict

In the test: LG X power2. Test unit provided by LG Germany.
In the test: LG X power2. Test unit provided by LG Germany.

A smartphone with X – this time it did not work out. The LG X power2 is not really a bad device; it is only that there are many similarly priced devices that are better. To make the X power2 100 Euros (~$118) more expensive than the LG X Power is not easily justifiable in our opinion. There is a little more performance, the screen is a little bigger, and the battery capacity is a little larger. Otherwise the measurements of the LG X power2 are even worse in parts than those of the predecessor, for example in the power consumption or display brightness.

There are quite a few positive points in the LG X power2 as well: we like the case and it is quite sturdy, the performance is fairly good for the price range, the speaker is quite loud and does not distort, and the device remains cool and does not throttle under load. Of course the battery life is also considerable, but other devices in this price range such as the Samsung Galaxy J7 or the Lenovo P2 can do as well. In addition, through the additional charge of 100 Euros (~$118), LG's smartphone of the second generation arrived in a completely new competition class without being adjusted accordingly: The screen has a lower resolution than many competing devices, the camera takes pictures that are less good, and the provided storage is at the lower end of the competition. We are agreeably surprised that the GPS module works quite accurately. However, the WLAN transfer rates are low, and it supports less LTE bands than the competing devices.

The LG X power2 is simply too expensive for the offered features: a low resolution display, weak camera, and only mediocre performance values. The competition looks quite overpowering. The long battery life is a good selling point, but at this point other devices of this price range have this as well.

Anyone simply looking for a smartphone with a long battery life and willing to spend the money receives a fairly well-equipped smartphone with the LG X power2. However, competitors such as the Lenovo P2 or the Samsung Galaxy J7 offer clearly more for the money. A tip: at this point the LG X Power predecessor costs only around 150 Euros (~$177) on the Internet and offers a similarly long battery life.

LG X power2 - 08/01/2017 v6(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
78%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
37 / 60 → 61%
Weight
91%
Battery
100%
Display
81%
Games Performance
16 / 63 → 25%
Application Performance
36 / 70 → 51%
Temperature
90%
Noise
100%
Audio
53 / 91 → 58%
Camera
61%
Average
69%
80%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Florian Wimmer, 2017-08- 7 (Update: 2019-04- 5)