Review of the Tracfone LG Premier (L62VL) LTE Smartphone
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| Tracfone LG Premier Review |
Tracfone has released another new LG smartphone for use on their prepaid network, giving consumers a wider selection to choose from. But the differences between the LG Premier and the other LG phones is somewhat small, making it tricky to know which new LG phone from Tracfone is best.
In this review of the LG Premier we will share the full specs and features, and also compare the Premier to the
LG Rebel,
LG Treasure, and
LG Stylo 2, which are all currently available from Tracfone.
Take a look at our list of
New Samsung and LG Phones coming to Tracfone to see the full lineup. There are also several different iPhone's coming to Tracfone as well. In fact, you can already get the
Tracfone iPhone 5S from Target.
The Premier comes with a 5.3" touchscreen which is a nice size for most people. It also has Android 5.1 Lolipop and uses a quad-core processor.
Let's look at our quick list of pro's and con's for the Premier.
LG Premier Quick Facts:
The Good:
-5.3" touchscreen (1280x720 resolution)
-1.2 Ghz quad-core processor
- Full HD Video Recording
The Not So Good:
- 8 GB Internal Memory (about 4 GB usable)
- 1 GB RAM
The Premier has several great features, but, like most Tracfone smartphones, it struggles with both internal memory and RAM. The low internal memory simply means you can't store as many apps or photos on this phone, while the low RAM means you can't run too many programs at once. If these are big concerns for you, we suggest taking a look at the wide variety of smartphones you can use with
Tracfone BYOP.
There are two versions of the LG Premier from Tracfone - the L62VL which we are writing about here, and the L61AL. They are both identical except for which network they use - GSM or CDMA. The 'VL' version uses Verizon LTE while the 'AL' version uses AT&T LTE (both through Tracfone prepaid service). Currently, only the VL version of the Premier is available.
The Premier fits into the Tracfone smartphone lineup as a mid-level device with a good screen but fairly mediocre other features. It is slightly better than the LG Rebel and Treasure, mostly because of the larger screen (but also an improvement in the camera megapixels) but not as good as the LG Stylo 2.
Let's see the full list of features and specifications for the LG Premier.
LG Premier L62VL Features and Specs List
Below are the phone's features, followed by the technical specs.
- Android 5.1.1 lollipop
- 4G LTE connectivity on CDMA networks (Verizon)
- 8 MP Rear Camera, 5 MP Front Camera
- WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 capable
- Access to over 1 Million apps on Google Play
- MP3 Player
- Alarm Clock
- GPS
- 2 Home Screens
- Voicemail, Voice Dialing, Caller ID
- Handsfree Speaker
- Hearing Aid Compatible
- 3.5mm Headphone connecting
- Speaker phone
- Text to speach
- Proximity/Accelerometer Sensor
LG Premier Specs:
- Size: 5.77" x 2.95" x 0.34"
- 5.3" TFT Touchscreen with 1280x720 resolution
- 1.2 Ghz Quad-Core Processor
- 1 GB RAM
- 8 GB Internal Memory (about 3 GB usable)
- 2300 mAh Battery with 14 hrs talk time, 11 days standby
There are some good specs that come with the Premier, which we will look into more carefully a little further along. But you can also see certain limitations, especially in memory and RAM.
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| LG Premier for Tracfone |
LG phones generally have a good reputation for both build quality and performance. Obviously the LG Premier, and other LG phones available from Tracfone, are budget smartphones, meaning certain corners had to be cut to keep the price low, but you still end up with a pretty good phone here.
LG is one of the largest electronics manufacturers, and has a substantial mobile phone lineup. They are based in South Korea, along with Samsung which is another popular cell phone manufacturer.
While certain Chinese manufacturers (like ZTE, Alcatel) are producing less expensive smartphones, LG and Samsung mobile devices usually have better longevity and value. We expect to see more and more budget friendly smartphones coming from both China and Korea that offer good value for the price as the cost of technology slowly drops.
Keep in mind that airtime works a little different on Tracfone smartphones. Prepaid airtime is split into three 'pools' of talk, text and data. When you add airtime, you get a certain amount of each. Regular Tracfone airtime cards will triple on Tracfone smartphones, but the new smartphone-only cards do not triple. Learn more about how this all works be reading our
Comparison of Tracfone Airtime Cards and How they Work.
Let's get into our full review of the LG Premier and see some of the key pro's and con's for this device.
Tracfone LG Premier L62VL Review
What we Like
There are a lot of good features that come with the Premier including the screen size, processor, camera and Android operating system.
The 5.3" touchscreen is a comfortable size for many, making it easier to see, and easier to type on the virtual keyboard. It has HD resolution of 1280x720, with about 277 DPI which is quite good. This helps make the screen more detailed and vivid compared to the Rebel, which has less pixel density. The screen is plastic, like many budget LG phones, but it has a beveled edge that gives it a nice look and feel.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2 Ghz quad-core processor powers the Premier, helping make it quick and responsive. If it were paired with more RAM, it would be able to handle more multitasking.
Both the rear and front cameras on the LG Premier are actually pretty good with the rear camera even capable of full HD video recording at 1920x1080. We're very surprised at the camera and the number of features that comes with it, including:
LG Premier Camera Features:
- Cheese shot - say 'cheese' to take a photo
- Gesture shot - use a hand gesture to snap a selfie
- Burst shot - for capturing multiple images
- Live shot - take photos while recording video
- 4x Zoom (digital)
- Rear Flash
- Self timer
The LG Stylo 2 also shares the same front and rear cameras, while the LG Rebel and Treasure have smaller resolution cameras, but most of the same features.
Lastly, the LG Premier comes with Android 5.1.1 which is a newer version of the Android operating system. With Tracfone, you can't update the phone's OS (for various reasons) so getting a phone with a newer version of Android is generally a good idea. Older versions of Android have known vulnerabilities that can jeopardize the security of your phone. All the newer LG phones from Tracfone use Android 5.1.1.
That concludes are main likes for the LG Premier. We also want to share a few things about this phone we don't like and thing consumers should be aware of before buying
What we Don't Like
Basically there are two main dislikes about this phone - internal memory and RAM.
The RAM, which is 1 GB on the Premier, allows the phone to run multiple apps at once. The more RAM a phone has, the more things it can do at once before it starts slowing down, or even freezing up. It would be nice if the Premier came with 1.5 or 2 GB RAM. If you aren't running graphic intensive apps, or too many apps at once, you shouldn't notice too much of a problem with the RAM.
However, internal memory is where you store apps, music, pictures, and other data. The Premier comes with 8 GB, but only about 3 GB is actually available to use. This is enough for a handful of apps, but if you start to take a lot of photos, or add more and more apps, you will run out. You can add up to 32GB extra storage with a Micro SD card, but not everything can be transferred to the card. We hope to see more budget phones from Tracfone with at least 16 GB memory in the near future.
Checking your airtime balance isn't as easy to do on Tracfone smartphones, but we've created a guide with
4 ways to check your Tracfone Airtime Balance if you need some help learning how to do that.
Overall the LG Premier is a good budget smartphone with small improvements in screen size, processor and camera over the LG Rebel and Treasure, and a smaller screen compared to the LG Stylo 2. They all share a lot of the same features and specs.
To learn more about this device, check out
Tracfone's interactive tutorial and the
LG Specs List (PDF)
Where to Buy the LG Premier
The
LG Premier is currently available through QVC.com where you also get it bundled with airtime and other accessories.
The phone occasionally goes on sale, but usually retails for $130 (including airtime). This is a pretty good deal, as the airtime, 1350 minutes plus 1 year service, usually retails for about $100.
We haven't found the Premier available anywhere else yet, but will update when we do.
This concludes our review of the LG Premier for use with Tracfone prepaid service. We will be comparing all of the new LG smartphones soon, so look for that in the near future.
A great way to keep with all our news, reviews and information is to
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Here are some additional resources we have created for those using or buying a Tracfone Smartphone:
Visit our
Tracfone Smartphone Activation Guide if you would like some tips and advice on the activation process with Tracfone.
Our
Cell Phone Reviews page page is a great place to start if you're searching for a new phone. it lists all of our cell phone reviews in one place.
We've also shared information on
How to Buy Only Texts for your Smartphone and also
How to Add More Data to your Tracfone Smartphone for those who tend to run low on these.
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