LG Journey Review - Tracfone Smartphone
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| Tracfone LG Journey (L322dl) Review |
Another new LG phone has been released by Tracfone for the fall of 2019 just in time for the holiday season.
The LG Journey features a 5.45" HD touchscreen, Android 9 Pie, and quad-core processor with 16 GB storage. This review contains the full list of features and specs, as well as a closer look at some of the main features on this phone.
The Journey could be considered the replacement for the older but still popular LG Rebel 4. However, we see that the LG Journey only has 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. It does have additional storage capability via an external MicroSD card but many consumers are looking to have at least 32 GB storage if not more.
Tracfone offers a wide selection of smartphones from various manufacturers and the LG Journey release coincides with several other smartphones including the
LG Solo and
Samsung Galaxy A10e. To keep up with all the new phones coming from Tracfone, see our
Latest List of Tracfone Smartphones.
Let's see some of the quick pro's and con's for the LG Journey before we get into the full list of features and specs.
LG Journey Quick Facts
What we Like
5.45" HD touchscreen
Android 9.0 Pie
What we Don't Like
2 GB RAM
16 GB Storage
Quad-core processor
The lack of internal storage could be a problem for many users as the actual available storage after the Operating System (OS) is installed is closer to 8 GB which can quickly be filled with apps, pictures and music. The LG Solo also only has 16 GB storage which is disappointing. We are hoping to see another LG phone with 32 GB storage soon, perhaps in the form of the LG Stylo 5.
There are several other Tracfone smartphones with 32 GB storage available now including the
Moto G6 and
Samsung Galaxy A10e so if that's an important feature, check those devices out.
The LG Journey is a low-cost device, and as such there will be some corners that have to be cut. Let's look at the full specs to learn more.
Tracfone LG Journey (L322DL) Features and Specs
Below are the features, followed by the technical specs.
- Android 9.0 Pie
- 4G LTE Coverage
- WiFi
- GPS
- Accelerometer
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Fingerprint sensor
- Alarm Clock
- FM Radio
- Access to over 1 Million Apps on Google Play Store
- Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting
- SMS/MMS
LG Solo LTE Technical Specs
- Size: 5.78'' x 2.81'' x 0.32'' and 5.18 OZ
- Camera: 8MP Rear Camera (Flash, Autofocus, Burst shot) and 5MP Front Camera
- Screen: 5.45" HD+ FullVision™ display with 1440x720 resolution
- Processor: 1.4 Ghz Quad-core (Qualcomm MSM8917)
- Memory: 2 GB
- Storage: 16 GB (Up to 2 TB additional storage via Micro SD card)
- Battery: 3000 mAh (non-removable) with 14hrs talk time, 13 days standby
The manufacturer of the Journey is one of the largest electronics companies in the world with cell phones one of their strengths. LG has a variety of different phones ranging from budget to flagship and a number of them are compatible with the
Tracfone BYOP program (such as the new,
LG G8).
Looking through the specs on the L322DL Journey we see some nice improvements over previous LG models including the large touchscreen with a slim bezel and latest Android OS. However, a number of the specs, such as the RAM, ROM, battery and camera don't appear to be a significant improvement over last years models such as the Rebel 4, and there are some interesting differences compared to the recent LG Solo.
Let's get into the full review to find out.
Tracfone LG Journey Review
Touchscreen
The touchscreen is a 5.45" HD display with rich, bright colors. It has a resolution of 1440x720 with a pixel density of about 296 which means the display is sharp and clear.
Most smartphones are moving towards larger screens by increasing the vertical size of the phone but not changing the width and the LG Journey follows this trend. Overall the screen is a nice feature on this phone and overall a good size for most users.
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| Tracfone LG Journey Review |
Internal Specs - RAM, Memory, Processor
When it comes to the performance and storage on the Journey, it will accomplish most everyday tasks and run most apps but don't expect to use it for any resource intensive apps or games.
The Journey comes with a 1.4 Ghz Quad-core processor which can handle a wide variety of tasks and functions without much of a problem but isn't really built for running anything too demanding.
Rather disappointingly, the Journey only has 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage. Most other smartphones from Tracfone also only have 2 GB RAM (whereas most unlocked phones in the $150-200 price range have 3 GB) but the low amount of internal storage (about 8 GB after the OS and other pre-loaded apps are taken into account) doesn't leave much room for storing apps and media.
If running out of storage space has been a problem for you before, or you like to load a lot of photos, music or other media, then the Journey might not be a good choice. There is a MicroSD card slot for up to 32 GB additional external storage.
Camera
We don't see anything too fancy with the camera but it does shoot 5 MP photos with the front camera, and 8 MP images with the rear facing camera. It also comes with autofocus, flash and a handful of other features like 'food mode', 'auto mode' and 'Portrait'. The LG Solo also features the same camera setup.
For video the camera is capable of recording full HD in 1080p.
Battery
With the 3000 mAh non-removable battery the LG Journey will run through the day with a talk time rating of 14 hours and when on standby, 13 days. the combination of a slightly smaller screen and newer operating system lead to the Journey achieving better battery performance compared to the LG Solo.
Android OS
Currently the latest version of the operating system, the LG Journey come with Android 9.0 Pie. This version has a number of visual and performance upgrades over previous versions. It is very good that Tracfone is offering this device with the latest Android version.
It is usually best to have the latest Android OS on your phone for both the security fixes and also to access the latest features and improvements.
Overall Design
The design of the Journey is slim and sleek, following the general tradition of most LG smartphones. It does not have a fingerprint reader unfortunately (which the Solo does include).
Volume and power buttons are located on the side of the phone with the charging and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom.
Conclusion
Most budget phones are a trade-off with certain features left out to reduce the cost and the LG Journey certainly cuts corners when it comes to the performance and storage. But otherwise the Journey has a nice, large screen, latest Android version, very adequate photo capabilities and is available from several retailers bundled with airtime for a pretty good price.
For users who don't need the storage or performance, the LG Journey might make a nice upgrade to the LG Rebel or other older devices from Tracfone
Buy the LG Journey with airtime bundle from
HSN or
QVC for $69
Also find the Journey on the
Tracfone website and from
BestBuy without airtime.
And take a look at
phone tutorials for the Journey and the
User Guide.
Let's take a quick look at how it stacks up to a couple of other Tracfone devices.
LG Journey Compared to the LG Solo, LG Rebel 4 and Samsung Galaxy A10e
The
LG Rebel 4 was released over a year ago (in 2018) but shares several of the same specs as the LG Journey including the same amount of RAM, storage, and camera megapixel count. They also share the 1.4 Ghz quad-core processor.
The Journey improves on the Rebel with a larger screen, newer Android OS, and newer Bluetooth version.
Looking at the new
LG Solo that was just released we see that the Journey has the newer Android (S (9.0 Pie) and newer Bluetooth, but smaller screen and only a quad-core processor to the Solo's octa-core. Otherwise these two phones are very similar.
Compared to the newly released
Samsung Galaxy A10e, the Samsung devices as more storage, at 32 GB, the same Android OS (9.0 Pie) and a larger screen. They both have the same amount of RAM and megapixel count for the cameras.
The A10e retails for a bit more, but the extra internal storage and larger screen might be worth it for some.
That concludes our review of the LG Journey from Tracfone. We hope you found it useful and leave a comment with any thoughts or questions.
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