LG Spirit review: Now Marshmallow-powered

Android 5.0

LG has used a relatively plain version of Android 5.0.1, with a few minor tweaks inspired by the flagship G4’s interface. The drop-down notification menu only requires a single swipe to access its shortcut buttons, and the main settings menu has been divided into four sensible categories to help ease navigation. However, you can always switch back to the generic list view if you prefer.

It also supports LG’s Glance View feature, which shows you the time, date and any notification icons when you swipe down from the top of the screen when the display is turned off. However, like the LG G4c, I found it often didn’t work or it responded far too slowly for it to be of any practical use.

Camera

We were disappointed by the lack of HDR and panorama modes, but otherwise the Spirit’s 8-megapixel camera produced respectable photos considering the price of the phone. Colours were accurate and noise was kept to a minimum, even in low lighting conditions indoors. Zoom in close, though, and areas of detail quickly become quite grainy.

^ Zoom in to its full resolution and you quickly lose a lot of fine detail

Paving stones and brickwork quickly blur together when viewed at a native resolution, and I saw quite a lot of artefacts around object outlines. This became more noticeable indoors, especially around the stems of our still life plant, but on the whole its indoor and outdoor performance was relatively good compared to other budget phones, including the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6.

^ While colours were relatively accurate, we noticed a lot of compression and jagged edges in our indoor photos

Conclusion

The LG Spirit isn’t a particularly memorable handset, then, but it does have a decent camera and good battery life. However, when the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 gives you so much more for your money, including faster performance and a superior 5.5in, Full HD screen for just £125 on PAYG, the Spirit feels very much behind the curve for great-value budget smartphones. Speaking of which, see our Best budget smartphone 2015 – buying guide & top mobile phone picks. Buy the LG Spirit now from Three