LG K51 Review: Premium Exterior and Stunning Cameras

Check out this LG K51 review and decide whether this budget device deserves to be your next smartphone purchase. 

The LG K51 smartphone was released in 2020. Budget phones have been making their rounds these past few years. Thanks to the latest technological innovations, phones as low as $100 are packaged like quality smartphones.

Keeping up with the trends, the recent LG K51 promises high-end features without burning a hole in our wallets. The brand has been continuously manufacturing cost-friendly phones. Despite its low price, the device contains a few surprises.

Like most other phones, there are ups and downs. Some elements require further development. This phone review provides insight from different angles. At the end of the day, it is up to the users’ technological preferences

Need more reassurance? Read our LG K51 Review before buying this device.

LG K51 Key Specs

The LG K51 specifications:

• Weight: 204g
• Dimensions: 167 x 78 x 8.4mm
• OS: Android 9
• Screen size: 6.5-inch
• Resolution: 1560 x 720 
• CPU: 2GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Helio P22 
• RAM: 3GB
• Storage: 32GB
• Battery: 4,000 mAh Non-Removable
• Rear camera: 13MP (Standard Angle), 5MP (Wide Angle), 2MP (Depth)
• Front camera: 13MP

LG K51 Design

The LG K51 appears to be a big, sturdy phone that looks heavy in your palms. From a glance, it may seem that the device is made out of premium materials. To our surprise, the phone uses plastic-build material for its back cover.

The cover is complemented with a polished mirror to give it a chrome-looking finish. Despite being a budget phone, it comes presented with an expensive touch.

Right off the bat, the first thing we checked was the front screen. It features an LCD wrapped by its bezel sides. Upon closer inspection, the bezel on the bottom seems to be thicker than the other sides. It may not affect the phone’s performance as a whole. However, it does reduce the display size, which may come off as a pet peeve for some.

Besides the bezels, the front side comes with a front camera wrapped in a teardrop notch. An interesting feature we observed was that the phone has its own LED Notification Light. Unfortunately, it’s rather small and tucked a bit on the top. Users may not immediately be aware of such a function upon the first use of the phone.

The back cover of the LG K51 is as simplistic as it gets. We can find its notable triple rear camera on the back. Just right below the cameras is the phone’s standalone fingerprint readers. Asides that, there is so much space below those two features. Ergonomic-wise, the abundance of space means more room to hold the big phone.

LG K51 Display

The LG K51 display showcases a 6.5-inch LCD screen supported by a 1560 x 720 resolution. Moreover, the phone accommodates 264 pixels per inch.

Like their recent devices, this one is enhanced by their HD+ FullVision Display. Presenting visuals in HD, users can expect a high-end multimedia experience. For a budget phone, this may come off as ambitious.

We understand that the FullVision Display is meant to optimize the phone’s LCD screen. The function makes it as if your display is stretched to the very corners of the device. It puts us under the illusion that we have a larger screen on an already large phone.

As such, the LG K51 promises rich quality imagery on a screen unlike any other. Although, it is important to remember that the size of the screen may affect quality. Visuals may not come off as crisp as the display screen is stretched so far. Still, it is impressive that developers have tried to implement these elements. Especially since we are discussing a budget phone.

Another nifty perk that we can use is its Comfort View function. It allows us to reduce the amount of blue light presented on the screen. This comes tremendously handy for users with vision problems.

Read also:

• LG Stylo 6 Review: All-rounder phone with a huge display
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LG K51 Camera

The LG K51 presents three kinds of rear cameras and a front camera. The diverse triple rear cameras consist of a 13MP Main Camera, 5 MPWide Camera, and 2MP Depth Camera. Meanwhile, the front has a 13MP Selfie Camera to take stunning portrait shots. With such variety, this low-end phone leaves us spoiled for choices.

All three rear cameras are equipped with Phase Detection Auto Focus. This guarantees a quicker and more accurate focus. Users will not have to worry about blurriness when taking shaky objects.

There are other functions that we can take advantage of to maximize our photography needs. For instance, the phone comes with an AI Cam to instantly get your angles right.

Besides the main camera, the LG K51’s Wide Camera and Depth Camera steals the spotlight as well. The wide camera assures larger-than-life shots taken from a 115° angle. Additionally, the depth camera ensures close-up photos taken with great sharpness.

Of course, no phone in this generation is complete without a Selfie Camera. For a budget phone, having a 13MP front camera is a plus in our books. Especially when accompanied by the phone’s iconic Portrait Mode.

We can add in unique Bokeh effects and the background blurs for a special touch. It’s nice to see that the LG K51 puts details into their creative elements.

LG K51 Storage

The LG K51 is equipped with a 32GB ROM in storage. It’s outstanding that a phone this cheap has a huge storage space. Unfortunately, we are only able to use 16GB of it.

Recent phone applications typically come in sizes that require larger space. With the phone’s low storage, this could potentially be a disappointment for gadget shoppers.

To make up for the low phone storage, we have the option to expand it manually. The LG K51 accommodates microSD storage that goes up to 2TB. Alternatively, we may opt to transfer our data to other gadgets to save the phone’s initial storage. However, this may be a hassle as it has to be done regularly.

LG K51 Performance

The LG K51 is supported by a 2GHz Octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 and a RAM of 3GB. This type of processor is common within the budget phone market. The MediaTek Helio processor is known to cater to a huge portion of budget phones. This is due to its cost-friendly price, which attracts the attention of phone developers.

The MediaTek Helio processor ensures that the device maintains its sharp display. Accommodating a 20:9 ratio HD+ resolution, this is impressive for a budget phone. Besides, the processor does not sacrifice the phone’s battery life. On the contrary, the processor is meant to improve power efficiency on the LG K51.

This LG K51 review is incomplete without checking into the phone’s Android 9.0 Pie OS. The operating system promises efficient battery optimization that adapts to your daily use.

Considering the processor installed into the phone, a battery-saving software is something to look forward to. Users need not worry about continuously charging the device.

The devices Android 9.0 offers us the option of using gestures to switch between apps. We can instantly access our apps in a swift, horizontal manner. Flipping through apps becomes a breeze.

Accessibility is something that developers have been working on this operating system. As we heavily rely on our smartphones nowadays, developers are increasingly prioritizing smartphone efficiency.

Moving on, the LG K51 operates on a RAM of 3GB. Within recent years, smartphones require between 2-4 GB of RAM to carry out their functions smoothly. Having 3GB of RAM, especially on a low-range phone, is considered as a luxury. This amount of RAM provides a sufficient amount of room to open heavier apps without crashing.

Additionally, there are plenty of ways to make sure that your available RAM runs smoothly. A simple way is to reduce the number of active apps running in the background. Alternatively, we can also opt for a clear cache to get rid of any unnecessary data. This may help maintain the sustainability of our device.

The LG K51 features a fingerprint sensor on the back cover. This gives us the option for easier access to the phone. All it takes is a simple one-touch on the feature and the phone is available for us. It may require a couple of tries to set it up in the initial configuration. However, after further usage, the fingerprint sensor is bound to work efficiently.

LG K51 Connectivity

The LG K51 can accommodate several networks and has its own Wi-Fi Direct function. Besides LTE, the phone can stay connected through CDMA, GSM, and UMTS networks. Just don’t forget to insert your Nano SIM card. Meanwhile, Internet data savers can use the phone’s Wi-Fi Direct. It lets you stay in touch with up to 10 external devices.

Bluetooth technology has come a long way since the past. Take a look at the device’s most recent Bluetooth Wireless Technology Version 5.0. We can optimize this to share our pictures, music, and even calendar events without having to use any cable. Amazingly, the phone’s Bluetooth enables us to be paired up with up to 100 pairings. It may come off as too much, but it’s interesting to know that.

LG K51 Battery

The LG K51 has a 4,000mAh battery that cannot be removed from the phone. The large size of the battery promises long hours of use. It can withstand up to 21 hours of talk time, and 588 hours of standby time. With this in mind, we can anticipate less time spent just to charge our phone.

However, it is important to take note that our usage affects the battery’s efficiency. To minimize sudden battery drops, we can use the phone’s Battery Saver tool. This nifty innovation limits the number of apps running in the phone’s background. With one simple push of a button, users can instantly save up battery life.

Is the LG K51 a good phone?

To sum up this LG K51 review, the phone is a reliable device with optimal features. Despite being a budget phone, it presents itself as a premium device. Let’s not forget that the phone has an array of cameras, large battery capacity, and a smooth RAM. It is a bummer that the initial phone storage is small. However, we can still tweak the phone to match our preferences.

The LG K51 is going at a retail price of $186. This is a tad bit expensive for a phone categorized under the low-end range. However, a budget phone like this is worth the investment. Especially if we are planning to use it for the long-term.