The review you need before purchasing a new budget phone. Dig deep into our LG K31 Rebel review to find out whether this phone is worth your money.
LG K31 Rebel smartphone was released in August 2020. When it comes to a budget LG phone, you will never have short of options. This particular model is one of them. A little glance to its specs and we’re intrigued. Is this phone worth it?
At first impression, here’s what seems irresistible about the phone: A big 5.7-inch screen and a dual-camera. LG K31 also features Android 10, the latest stable Android version out there. It also has a fingerprint sensor.
Other specs look standard, such as the 2GB RAM and the 32GB storage. The battery, at 3,000mAh, doesn’t impress us that much. However, this is only the first impression.
In this LG K31 Rebel review, we’ll dig more into the phone specifications and test everything. Let’s see how the final verdict would be.
Page Contents:
Key Specs
LG K31 Rebel specifications:
- Weight: 146g
- Dimensions: 147.8 x 71.1 x 8.6mm
- OS: Android 10
- Screen size: 5.7-inch
- Resolution: 1520 x 720
- CPU: 2GHz Octa-core, MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762
- RAM: 2GB
- Storage: 32GB
- Battery: 3,000mAh, Non-removable
- Rear camera: 13MP + 5MP
- Front camera: 5MP
Design
Measuring at 147.8 x 71.1 x 8.6mm, the LG K31 Rebel has a perfect size. It’s a sizable phone, but snuggly fits in most people’s palms. This phone is also super lightweight weighing only 146g.
The design itself is quite captivating and modern. Although it’s odd to see the black frame surrounding the display, yet the back cover comes in silver color. Depending on one’s taste, it can be quirky, or else it’s a bad design. However, the good news is there’s also an option that comes in full black.
The plastic frame doesn’t hide the fact that it’s still a budget phone, but at least it feels sturdy. LG K31 Rebel is one of those phones that is okay without a case. The silver back cover, no matter how it may look aesthetically odd to some, hides fingerprint marks really well. Meanwhile, it’s not so much with the black version of the phone.
The back cover houses a camera and a fingerprint reader. Keys are strategically placed on the side of the phone, not too high you can reach it easily. There’s a dedicated button for Google Assistant. Furthermore, bezels are relatively thick for today’s standard, and you can see a camera notch on the top.
If we can summarize the LG K31 Rebel design in one sentence, it serves the purpose. Nothing mind-blowing about it, but it’s ergonomic. It’s thoughtfully designed to be a reliable day-to-day smartphone. It has nothing flashy that would catch your friends attention.
Read also: LG K31 Rebel User Manual
Display
We’re mentioned earlier about LG K32 Rebel’s 5.7-inch display. Now it’s time to look into it more closely. We see that the resolution is 1520 x 720, with a 19:9 aspect ratio and 295 ppi for its pixel density.
Size-wise, LG could be more generous with a 6-inch or more display. It has become common to have such big screens today, even among budget phones. On the other hand, we don’t have a problem with its HD resolution. At this price, that’s what users typically get from LG or Samsung phones.
The display is enclosed by quite a thick frame, which some would find less optimal. We found the notch to be distracting at first, but after a time, we got used to it and almost forgot it’s there.
When it comes to the display quality, we think this phone gives an immersive viewing experience. LG K31 Rebel handles videos well. Therefore, it’s a treat to watch our favorite TV shows on our phones. It also gives a similar experience for gaming. Colors come out sharp and rich in details.
For day-to-day operations, the phone displays apps and interfaces perfectly. It’s a 2020 phone and nobody wants to see pixelated icons on their screen. In this case, LG K31 Rebel successfully delivers. We’ve got no annoying imperfections as we scrolled through the screen.
Camera
LG K31 Rebel features a dual camera, which is an exciting feature to have on a budget phone. It has increasingly become common these days, and LG has fully embraced the trend.
With this phone, you get a 13MP main camera. It’s just not a camera, but also comes with Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) capable of taking more accurate photos. It is especially useful when you’re taking objects in motion. The color output is pretty decent. It resembles the real-life representation of the colors or brightness during an optimal photography session.
When the surrounding isn’t supportive, such as when the light is lacking, it’s no surprise to experience imperfections here and there. White balance can be slightly off, resulting in overexposure pictures. For night photography, there’s an LED flash but it can only help so much.
The second camera is an ultra-wide one with a 5MP lens. Able to shoot a 120° view, it’s perfect for capturing landscape photos when traveling. And when combining it with the main camera, users can play around with the depth of field to create the blur effect.
For the selfie camera, here we got a 5MP shooter that comes with no LED flash. LG promises stunning selfies, such that they equip the camera with a portrait mode. You will get a blurred background, a smoothened skin, and a brighter complexion.
Read also:
- BLU View Mega (B110DL) Review: Big display phone for casual users
- Alcatel TCL A2X Review: Affordable and covering all the bases
Storage
This phone comes with 32GB of internal storage. In this day and age, having 32GB storage only allows users so much. Yes, you can add external storage if you want, which LG K31 Rebel allows up to 32GB. However, when it comes to installing a lot of apps, you’ll hit the roof sooner than you think.
Sadly a 64GB budget phone is not yet a standard today. We also found 32GB of external storage to be inadequate. This is the big caveat of this phone. It doesn’t have that much storage space, built-in or external. It’s something you need to consider before purchasing. This phone is certainly not for someone who downloads a lot.
Performance
LG K31 Rebel runs on a MediaTek Helio P22 MT6762 processor. To be specific, it’s a 2GHz Octa-core chip and there’s also a GPU too, called IMG PowerVR GE8320. The whole setup is completed with 2GB RAM.
A slight detour from our typical Snapdragon chipsets, we’re curious about what this setup is capable of. Our initial impression was it feels smooth for casual use. It’s a 64-bit processor, which handles nowadays apps better than a 32-bit processor.
What we mean by casual activities is your everyday light use of the phone. Scrolling the screen, switching between apps, and opening plenty of tabs on a web browser. These activities run well on LG K31 Rebel and we couldn’t ask for more considering its price range.
The GPU may sound intimidating at first. However, it didn’t meet our expectations in gaming. The best you can get with a 3D game is a low graphic setting. You can expect delays in frame rates when you select a graphic setting higher than “low.” So, make sure to keep your gaming activity lights with this phone.
For its operating system, LG K31 Rebel runs on Android 10. We like it because it’s a recent version, and it also looks clean and feels intuitive. The interface design is tidy without too much visual clutter. It’s a pleasant experience just browsing apps and trying everything.
This phone uses LG UX 9.0 on top of the Android operating system. It is quite lightweight and beautiful-looking. LG also adds its in-house apps and functions such as Do Not Disturb and Knock On. We found some apps like Capture+, a quick note-taking app, to be very helpful. When you need to jot down a to-do list quickly from any screen, this functionality is the way to go.
LG also adds other useful features such as Battery Saver and Smart Cleaning. We like these apps because it means you won’t need to install any third-party app. They also work better because unlike a third-party app, they are optimized for this particular phone.
For extra security, LG equips this phone with a fingerprint sensor. The feature is quick to set up, and the fingerprint reader unlocks the phone in seconds. It’s one of our favorite highlights in this LG K31 Rebel review. The location of the sensor itself is easy to reach with one hand.
Additionally, LG K31 Rebel also has Accelerometer, Ambient light, Proximity sensors. This phone is also hearing-aid compatible.
Connectivity
With all the excitement around 5G, sadly LG K31 Rebel is not one of the smartphones participating. It is a phone that still stays with 4G. Also worth mentioning, this device also supports older bands like 3G and you can use HD callings with it.
For now, though, we deem the 4G on this phone fast enough. It’s what users need, considering the budget-conscious users base this phone targets. You don’t have to worry about getting a slow network. Whether you’re calling or browsing the internet, we found little to no interruption on average.
If anything is new, it’s Bluetooth. Strapped with the latest version 5.0, users now can connect the phone with another device faster, and from a further distance. On the other hand, nothing special with the Wi-Fi and the GPS. But we had no problem with them because each works fast and seamlessly.
The USB port this phone has is a micro USB one. Yes, it’s also an older technology which many newer phones begin to ditch. To our dismay, LG K31 Rebel still uses it. It would be better if it uses the USB Type-C one instead.
Battery
LG K31 Rebel comes with a 3,000mAh battery. To be honest, in this aspect we’re not particularly impressed with the spec. We think it’s slightly inadequate for a 2020 smartphone. There are some other competitors that dare to provide 4,500-5,000mAh for a battery, yet LG is opting to not do that with this model.
With a 3,000mAh battery, the phone promises 11 hours of talk time. Casual phone usage should last you until the evening. However, if you’re feeling like gaming all day or streaming movies, that capacity will run out faster. You’ll need to charge more than once in a day.
Is the LG K31 Rebel a good phone?
In general, our conclusion on this LG K31 Rebel is positive, specs-wise. The phone by itself is a decent gadget. It has a dual-camera, a big display, and comes with a fingerprint reader. What we like the most is its camera setup, which LG clearly put more thought into it.
It has some caveats buyers need to consider, such as how limited the storage is. The external storage is only capable of handling 32GB SD cards. That’s very low by today’s standard.
However, for a price of $49.99, we think this phone is priced in line with the specs it offers. Many competitors out there offer less with a more expensive price tag. With a price that won’t put a hole in your pocket, you get a decent LG phone to bring home.
LG K31 Rebel Pros
- Large HD display
- A fingerprint sensor
- Dual-camera
LG K31 Rebel Cons
- Small storage
- Small RAM
