LG F7

Possibly the worst-kept secret in midrange mediocrity, the 4G LG Optimus F7 was officially announced by LG last week. It's a midrange handset that comes packing some useful features in a handy size.

Amusingly, this midrange smartphone comes with a very similar spec sheet to the supposedly high-end Motorola Razr HD – namely a 4.7-inch 720p display, dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and an 8MP camera. The Optimus F7, though, packs 2GB of memory to the Razr HD's 1GB.

That may actually be an unfair comparison, because the F7 looks and feels like a lower-tier handset in exactly the same way that the Kevlar-backed Motorola does not. Its plastic shell positively screams compromise, though there is some lovely chrome trimming to be found on the edges. We like chrome trimming.

The LG cannot match the HD's AMOLED screen either, but that doesn't mean it's bad - it's the same resolution but was noticeably less vivid. Viewing angles weren't as nice but with the price difference we're probably talking here, it isn't half bad.

The F7 throws Jelly Bean around easily enough and there wasn't much sign of that 'just OK' CPU holding it back. We were able to swoosh in and out of all the menus without any sign of delay and the camera was fast and responsive too. Apps loaded quickly and it was able to switch between them easily enough,

The F7 will go on sale later this year - certainly before the summer - though word is that it might never make it to the UK shores at all.

Early Verdict

It looks like a decent midrange effort that wouldn't be out of place at a tech show - just don't expect leading features.

Full Spesification's For LG F7

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE
	SIM	Yes
	Announced	2013, February
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, Q2

BODY	Dimensions	131.7 x 68.2 x 9.6 mm (5.19 x 2.69 x 0.38 in)
	Weight	-

DISPLAY	Type	True HD-IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3 ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	8 GB, 2 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, HSUPA, LTE
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA
	Bluetooth	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus
	Features	Geo-tagging
	Video	Yes
	Secondary	Yes, 1.3 MP

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
	CPU	Dual-core 1.5 GHz
	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity, compass
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
	Browser	HTML
	Radio	TBD
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Black, White
		- SNS integration - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player - MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player - Document viewer - Organizer - Google Search, Maps, Gmail - YouTube, Google Talk - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Li-Ion 2540 mAh battery