Review LG D605 Optimus L9 II Smartphone
For the original German review, see here.
LG's 4.7-inch D605 Optimus L9 II is not only another device from the comprehensive Optimus-series, but our review unit is also comparatively inexpensive: The recommended retail price is 349 Euros (~$473), but you can already save about 120 Euros (~$162) online and get the smartphone for around 225 Euros (~$305). What you get for this money is a solid mainstream device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core processor, a Qualcomm Adreno 305 GPU, 1 GB RAM as well as 8 GB storage. Our review shows that both the price and the performance of the D605 Optimus L9 II are very appealing.
Case
The D605 Optimus L9 II has a sturdy polycarbonate case with a good build quality and a decent torsion resistance as well. The good overall impression is also supported by the rounded edges and corners of the 9.4 mm thin case. Together with the metal frame at the sides, the LG smartphone does look really nice. The D605 Optimus L9 II also feels good in the hand, despite the smooth back.
The 4.7-inch smartphone, which is available in white or in black, is also very light with just 120 grams. This weight is usually typical for 4.3-inch devices. For comparison: The HTC One Mini is just slightly heavier with 122 grams and the same applies for the Nokia Lumia 720 (128 grams) as well as the LG P875 Optimus F5 (131 grams).
Connectivity
LG equips the D605 Optimus L9 II with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core SoC, which is clocked at 1.4 GHz instead of the usual 1.2 GHz. Graphics are handled by the Qualcomm Adreno 305 GPU. The memory equipment consists of 1 GB RAM as well as 8 GB storage, which can be expanded by a micro SD card. With the OS and preloaded apps the user can use around 3.9 GB of the storage.
Software
The D605 Optimus L9 II uses the somewhat aged 4.1.2 version (Jelly Bean) of Android – the latest version of the operating system is 4.4 (KitKat). It is currently not certain if there will be a firmware update. LG added its own launcher to the user interface that adds some visual effects like a transition effect from the lock screen to the home screen. You also get a QuickMemo app, which is launched via quick-start button. It allows taking and saving notes directly on the screen with your finger.
LG was pretty conservative in regard to the software and added some useful apps instead of bloatware. This includes a file and app manager as well as a task planner and the security tool LG Backup. Also, there is the Office-Suite Polaris 4, several Google services and a mail client.
Communication & GPS
The D605 Optimus L9 II has several communication modules. The smartphone supports quad-band GSM (2G) and quad-band UMTS (3G) with transfer rates of up to 42 Mbps (HSPA+). However, you cannot use LTE or 4G networks. The WLAN module supports 802.11 a/b/g/n networks, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. Our practical test of the WLAN signal was successful: We still had four out of five bars with a distance of 10 meters from the router and with two walls in between.
An A-GPS sensor can be used to locate your position. We tested the precision with a little 10 km bike ride and compared the position data of the LG smartphone with our professional navigation device the Garmin Edge 500. The GPS sensor of the D605 Optimus L9 II is pretty reliable, but the accuracy has problems in the forest and very tight passages.
Making calls almost falls into oblivion if you consider the numerous features of modern smartphones, but it is still very important. The D605 Optimus L9 II makes everything right in this category: It does not matter if you call mobile numbers or landlines – the voice quality is very good on both sides. We did not encounter connection problems or other interferences.
Cameras & Multimedia
The webcam of the D605 Optimus L9 II has a resolution of 1.3 MP (1280x960 pixels) and is more than sufficient for video chats or snapshots. The main camera has an 8 MP sensor and takes pictures with a resolution of up to 3264x2448 pixels. The results are decent, but you should not look too close. Pictures and videos appear blurry and there is picture noise even under good lighting conditions.
Accessories & Warranty
The box contains the usual accessories: Besides the smartphone you get a modular power supply unit, a micro USB cable, an in-ear headset and a printed quick-start guide. LG does not offer any additional accessories on its website.
The manufacturer grants a two-year warranty for the D605 Optimus L9 II. However, this does not include the battery, which is only covered for 6 months.
Input Devices & Handling
The D605 Optimus L9 II can convince us with its intuitive and smooth handling. We only encountered some delays right after we turned the device on because the according contents were still loading. But after that, the LG smartphone executes all inputs without delays. The 4.7-inch capacitive touchscreen can recognize up to ten fingers simultaneously. You also get a good feedback from the physical buttons and the three soft-touch buttons under the display. The lettering of the soft-touch controls is directly imprinted into the glass cover.
The virtual keyboard leaves a good impression as well. The key size is sufficient – even in portrait mode – and fast inputs are no problem. You get an additional row with the numbers 0 - 9 above the keyboard in the standard setting. The standard browser also adds a navigation bar for favorites or the homepage as well as previous and next.
Display
The glossy display of the D605 Optimus L9 II has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels and a 16:9 screen ratio. This resolution is pretty much standard for this smartphone class nowadays. This is a big step forwards compared to the predecessor; the Optimus L9 only had 960x540 pixels. Our review unit shows almost twice as many pixels. The "small" HD resolution of the D605 Optimus L9 II is also used by the HTC One Mini, even though it only has a 4.3-inch screen.
An average brightness of 352.6 cd/m² is more than enough for outdoors, although the brightness distribution is not very even (only 81%). Black value (0.5 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (750:1) are, however, good. Other smartphones are brighter, for example Sony's Xperia M with 422.4 cd/m², the HTC One Mini with 466.1 cd/m² and the Nokia Lumia 720 with an impressive 579.7 cd/m². Only the LG P875 Optimus F5 is darker than our review unit with 317.8 cd/m².
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Brightness Distribution: 81 %
Center on Battery: 375 cd/m²
Contrast: 750:1 (Black: 0.5 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.52 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.87
ΔE Greyscale 5.51 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
Gamma: 2.23
Some display specifications cannot be seen with the human eye, so we use a colorimeter and CalMAN software to determine them. Our measurements show that red tones in the sRGB color space are too pale on the Optimus L9 II, while blue colors are too saturated (DeltaE of 5.52). There are also some deviations with the grayscale presentation; they are a bit too intense with increasing brightness levels (DeltaE of 5.51).
Because of the high luminance, you can use the LG D605 Optimus L9 II indoors and also outdoors without any problems. The glossy surface results in annoying reflections under unfavorable lighting conditions, for example under direct sunlight, but that does not really affect the outdoor capabilities.
The viewing angle stability of the LG smartphone is excellent: The content is always visible, even with extreme viewing angles, and there are no color distortions or even inverted colors.
Performance
LG equips its mainstream device with solid components. You get a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 SoC, the integrated Qualcomm Adreno 305 GPU as well as 1 GB memory. Our benchmarks show that this hardware combination ensures a smooth operation of the Android OS.
The D605 Optimus L9 II is on a level with similarly equipped smartphones in the synthetic benchmarks. 3DMark 2013 and GFXBench results are accordingly very close. Only Epic Citadel shows a small advantage for the LG smartphone, but the situation changes in Linpack. All in all, it is a tie in this category.
| 3DMark - 1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 - 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Epic Citadel - High Performance (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Linpack Android / IOS - Multi Thread (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
Browser benchmarks show a balanced performance of the D605 Optimus L9 II, which is comparable to the HTC One Mini and the LG P875 Optimus F5. Both the Sony Xperia M and especially the Nokia Lumia 720 fall behind the three devices in the browser tests.
| Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Nokia Lumia 720 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Browsermark - --- (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Nokia Lumia 720 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Nokia Lumia 720 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Octane V1 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Nokia Lumia 720 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
The good overall impression of the LG D605 Optimus L9 II continues with the good read and write performance. LG's smartphone is once again at the top of the performance chart with the HTC One Mini and the LG P875 Optimus F5. Random and sequential writes are much slower on the Sony Xperia M.
| AndroBench 3-5 | |
| Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Random Read 4KB (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
| Random Write 4KB (sort by value) | |
| LG D605 Optimus L9 II | |
| HTC One Mini | |
| LG P875 Optimus F5 | |
| Sony Xperia M | |
Games
Current applications and games are no problem for the LG D605 Optimus L9 II. The smartphone neither has performance problems with HD videos nor complex games. The dual-core SoC Qualcomm MSM8230 should also have sufficient performance reserves for the upcoming generation of games and apps.
Emissions
Temperature
The D605 Optimus L9 II only gets lukewarm under load. We only measured a maximum temperature of 37.2 °C (29.9 °C during idle), which is significantly cooler than the Sony Xperia M (43.4 °C) and HTC One Mini (43.2 °C). LG's P875 Optimus F5 warms up moderately to 39.6 °C, and only Nokia's Lumia 720 is cooler than the LG smartphone (35.6 °C).
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.2 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34 °C / 93 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.7 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The integrated mono speaker of the D605 Optimus L9 II produces a decent sound for music playback and voices are easy to understand. It is certainly not overwhelming, but the sound is surprisingly rich for such a small speaker and there are no distortions with higher volume settings. As expected, you can improve the sound quality with the provided headphones.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
Despite its 4.7-inch display, the LG D605 Optimus L9 II is so frugal that it does not really differ from the 4.3-inch competition. 1.6 Watts during idle is even less than the 1.9 Watts of the Nokia Lumia 720, but still slightly higher than the HTC One Mini (1.3 Watts). Load increases the consumption to a moderate 3.4 Watts and therefore less than the HTC One Mini (3.8 Watts) and LG P875 Optimus F5 (4.1 Watts). Sony's Xperia M is especially frugal with a maximum consumption of 2.8 Watts.
| Off / Standby |   0.3 / 0.4 Watt |
| Idle |  0.5 / 1 / 1.6 Watt |
| Load |
2.6 / 3.4 Watt |
    
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Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Voltcraft VC 940 | |
Battery Runtime
The battery runtimes of the LG D605 Optimus L9 II are decent, but they could be even better when you consider the 8.2 Wh battery. LG's smartphone manages a good maximum runtime (minimum display brightness, activated energy-saving mode, all wireless connections except for WLAN deactivated) of 13 hours and 2 minutes, but this is still the last spot within our competition. LG's P875 Optimus F5 lasts 14 hours and 15 minutes and Nokia's Lumia 720 even manages 21 hours and 40 minutes.
It is the same situation with our WLAN test (display brightness adjusted to 150 cd/m² and activated energy-saving mode while a script refreshes a website every 40 seconds). This very realistic scenario results in 8 hours and 27 minutes for the LG, which is again at the end of the list. All comparison devices, starting with the LG P875 Optimus F5 (9 hours 3 minutes) up to the Nokia Lumia 720 (15 hours 51 minutes), are superior.
High workloads (maximum display brightness, all wireless connections active) reduce the battery runtime to 3 hours and 23 minutes. This is a very competitive result; all devices except for the HTC One Mini (2 hours 39 minutes) are on the same level.
Verdict
LG offers a good mainstream smartphone with the D605 Optimus L9 II. Because of the performance and the features it is not enough for the high-end class, but it is still a convincing device. Advantages of the 4.7-inch smartphone are the high build quality, the bright display with an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels, decent battery runtimes and a sufficiently powerful SoC for games and apps. This is quite a lot for the current street price (around 225 Euros, ~$305).
We are not really convinced by the 8 MP main camera that only produces average results. An LTE module is not an exception anymore, even for a mainstream device, but the D605 Optimus L9 II does not support the fast wireless standard. Android 4.1.2 is also not up to date anymore; the latest version of the OS is currently 4.4.
