LG Aristo 5 Review: Fast Processor and Sharp Camera

Check out this LG Aristo 5 review to see why this Android budget phone is your next best purchase with its impressive specifications.

The LG Aristo 5 smartphone was released in July 2020. As smartphones continue to rise on the market, budget phones have also stepped up their game. This generation’s budget phones have welcomed the latest hardware and software.

Just take a look at the LG Aristo 5. The smartphone has all the necessities that complete the entire Android package. Although, certain elements differentiate the LG Aristo 5 from its predecessors. 

This piece of technology is within the cheaper price range. However, like most budget phones, some features require improvement. Still, you can’t resist a phone that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Need more information? Have all your questions answered by scrolling through our LG Aristo 5 review. 

LG Aristo 5 Key Specs

LG Aristo 5 specifications:

• Weight: 145g
• Dimensions: 148 x 71 x 8.6mm
• OS: Android 10
• Screen size: 5.7-inch
• Resolution: 1520 x 720 
• CPU: 2GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Helio P22
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 32GB
• Battery: 3,000 mAh, Non-removable
• Rear camera: 13MP
• Front camera: 5MP

LG Aristo 5 Design

At first glance, we noticed that LG Aristo 5 has a simplistic design with not much on the front screen. All of the necessary buttons are tucked on the sides of the phone. Besides the display screen, the front camera is located on the top in a teardrop notch design. This is a common sight to see with most modern smartphones.

Moving on to the back of the phone, we can see LG Aristo 5’s dual camera lenses and its fingerprint sensor. The phone has opted for matte plastic on its back cover. Future buyers might be skeptical of its choice of material, but it is surprisingly sturdy. Although, we recommended purchasing extra protection for more durable use.

The phone has bent sides that allow a better grip. This will prevent any potential damages that might happen from accidental falls. The right-hand side has a power button. Meanwhile, the left-hand side features not just the volume buttons, but that’s not all. It also has a special button specifically for Google Assistant.

We checked the bottom side and there is a lot going on down there. We can find a speaker, microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. When it’s out of battery, plug in the charger into its Micro USB jack, which is also located at the bottom.

The LG Aristo 5 has a compact design that can be easily carried around with one hand. Color-wise, unfortunately, the phone only comes in silver and does not offer much variety.

LG Aristo 5 Display

The LG Aristo 5 includes a 5.7-inch LCD screen that uses an HD+ FullVision Display. The screen itself accommodates a 295ppi pixel density with a total resolution of 1520 x 720.

Despite the phone 19:9 screen ratio, the phone features a slightly smaller LCD screen compared to other gadgets (even the budget ones).

No need to worry about the phone’s display size. Thanks to the LCD screen’s smaller sizer, the already high display resolution becomes even crisper. We enjoyed its richer and bolder colors that the display screen has to offer. This feature is a luxury to have for a budget phone.

What’s unique is the phone’s FullVision Display. LG’s latest technology allows us to have an even wider viewing space on our fingertips. Despite the phone’s relatively small LCD screen, the FullVision ensures more room to swipe around.

The LG Aristo 5 display comes with a Panda King Glass Screen Protection. Unlike other types of screen protectors, the Panda King Glass uses an alkali-aluminosilicate sheet as its main material.

This brand is often referred to as toughened glass. The reason for that is because of its durability and ability to withstand scratches.

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LG Aristo 5 Camera

The LG Aristo 5 features Dual Rear-Facing Cameras (13MP PDAF and 5MP Wide-Angle), as well as a 5MP Front Facing Camera. The rear and front cameras are set up with their specifications but share certain functions.

Need more information based on your surroundings? Try their Google Lens. Want to share your photos on social media? The cameras’ Quick Share Capability has your back.

The phone boasts a 13MP PDAF Rear Camera that enables fast focus shots. Thanks to its Phase Detection Auto-Focus feature, we can take sharper photographs. The camera also boasts a Burst Shot feature to take multiple photos quickly.

Unfortunately, the rear camera only allows Digital Zoom up to 4x. If you need something that can take detailed close-ups, this phone might not be for you.

Despite that, the LG Aristo 5 has a 5MP wide-Angle Rear Camera. Photography enthusiasts can take advantage of this feature to take landscape pictures. With its 120° Super-Wide lens, we are able to attain full pictures that encompass greater spaces. Fans of wide-angle photography are definitely in for a treat.

Of course, what’s a smartphone if we cannot take photos of ourselves? The gadget’s 5MP Front-Facing Camera includes a Portrait Mode to fulfill our selfie needs. Having a 5MP front camera is a plus for a budget phone. With its 2560 x 1920 pixel resolution, we can still retain decent quality of our selfies.

LG Aristo 5 Storage

Let’s talk about hardware in this LG Aristo 5 review, starting from its storage. The phone has 32GB storage. It may seem impressive that a budget phone has that much space.

Unfortunately, only 18.15GB can be used. This is since a huge portion of the built-in storage is used for the phone’s software. It can be tricky to download multiple apps and save tons of files at the same time.

To make up for this, the phone allows a 32GB microSD card to expand its storage. This gives us the ability to save more files without sacrificing the built-in storage space. However, considering how big phones apps are getting, this much memory might not be enough.

LG Aristo 5 Performance

The LG Aristo 5 boasts a 2GHz MediaTek Helio P22 processor supported by 2GB of RAM. Another common name for this processor is the MediaTek MT6762 2GHz Octa-Core. We noticed that the processor plays a central role in the phone’s sharp display quality. It supports the screen up to 1600 x 720 resolution with a 20:9 ratio HD+.

Moreover, we know that the MediaTek Helio P22 processor promotes power-efficiency. This should help the phone maintain longer battery life.

There are other benefits to this processor as well. For example, the MediaTek Helio P22 has the latest Rolling Shutter Compensation. This prevents any possible disruptions when taking fast or panned shots on your camera.

The LG Aristo 5’s RAM of 2GB can only go so far. It’s no surprise since it’s a budget phone, which explains the small RAM size. Although, we are skeptical that the 2GB RAM can support the overall phone performance. Nowadays, most smartphones would require a RAM of 3 – 4GB to prevent disruptions.

The LG Aristo 5 indeed does have relatively large storage space. However, with this RAM size, we are not sure if users can run many apps smoothly at one go. This could be a disadvantage for app downloaders. There is a huge possibility of the apps crashing mid-use.

To prevent this, we may need to open our apps one by one for optimal use. Additionally, clearing its cache from time to time might be helpful. Despite these tips, it doesn’t steer away from the fact that the phone cannot endure heavy performance.

Talking about its Android 10 OS, the operating system has some unique features. It enhances the security and privacy levels of the phone. On top of that, phone accessibility has gone through several improvements. Assistant’s on-device functions have been further developed to provide a more beneficial experience.

Unfortunately, there is not much significant change with their interface. What may be a crucial problem is that the operating system has gesture issues. This could fatally disrupt the phone’s many sensors, which may reduce the phone’s accessibility.

On the topic of sensors, the LG Aristo 5 has a fingerprint sensor. It helps us lock and unlock the phone with a touch of our fingerprint. This type of sensor has become even more popular with smartphones. It’s good to see that the budget phone is keeping up with the trends.

We can find other available sensors on this phone’s camera function. The phone accommodates Auto Shot, Gesture Shot, Gesture Interval Shot, and Interval Shot.

No need to press the button to snap pictures. The phone can detect the user’s face or hand gestures to automatically take a photo. However, with the Android 10, this sensor function might potentially run into some problems after long usage.

LG Aristo 5 Connectivity

The LG Aristo 5 offers 4G LTE connectivity and Bluetooth technology version 5. But if you would like to browse the Internet without mobile data, the phone’s Wi-Fi has got you all covered. Plus, the phone has a USB tethering function if your computer relies on the phone’s data.

Equipped in this phone is a mobile hotspot, where we can share our data connection to a total of 10 wireless gadgets. There is also the S-GPS that displays accurate location pinpoints. The coolest part? We can connect certain musical instruments onto our device. The LG Aristo 5 doubles as a proper MIDI device.

LG Aristo 5 Battery

The LG Aristo 5 sports a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3,000mAh. A Micro USB is needed to charge this phone. We are pleased to know that the phone can withstand up to 10 hours of talk time. Under the phone’s current processor, longer battery life is ensured. This is an impressive feat for a budget phone.

However, the battery life depends on our usage. This could mean the total screen time, application usage, and network connectivity. To maximize the phone’s battery life, try to minimize the number of apps running in the background. If possible, switch off the Internet connection if you’re not currently using it.

Is the LG Aristo 5 a Good Phone?

For a total price of $150, the LG Aristo 5 is a suitable phone for casual users. It has all of the necessities of a smartphone. It may lack quality in certain specifications, especially with its performance. Still, it’s hard to resist a budget phone that has surprisingly decent camera functions and a vivid interface.

From this LG Aristo 5 review, we can determine if this phone is the right choice for casual users. Ultimately, it depends on what activities you plan on doing with the phone.

If it’s simply for day-to-day communications, the LG Aristo 5 may work for you. But if you need to operate heavy-duty work on your phone, consider other phone options instead.