LG Optimus Review

hyp4mhz

Welcome to the 2010 LG Optimus (GT540) review page.  The LG Optimus released in early 2010 is the first Android based mobile phones we have tried from LG.  With such name that is derived from optimal we had high expectations as to its performance.  Thankfully we where not disappointed!  In addition considering its speed we where impressed by its outright price of under $280.  However there are a few missing things to bring down the price.

The LG Optimus is an Android 1.6 (Donut) based mobile phone not the latest version 2.1.  It does not appear to be upgradeable but I’m sure some enterprising hack will find a way.  It is our opinion that you will not miss much functionality offered in the 2.1 version because the hardware behind the Optimus is not the top end anyway. You only get a 3 inch 320 x 480 pixel resistive touch screen that can only show 65,000 at the one time but it is still nice to look at. What you do get with the phone is pretty good which includes Wi-Fi, a reasonable camera and A-GPS. The Optimus has more features than our current favorite the Nokia E63 in terms of value for money.  Definitely value for money here!

The LG Optimus is a very fast phone.  We encountered no lags of sluggish or any unexpected lags worth pointing out during our test.  The menus and transitions work perfectly and the apps open with minimal delay.  The touch screen in general and keypad work very well too.

Construction wise the Optimus is well built but it is a bit chunky.  The larger size means it is not sleek to look at and its all plastic is reasonable quality.  You can’t really complain due to the relative cheap price.

Based on price the camera and video camera are on par with the competition.  From the demos it looks acceptable.  The Optimus appeals to all sorts of people so you can’t really say this is a kids phone and so forth.  We think its the new mid-range paradigm.

Overall the LG Optimus GT540 is probably the best of the value touchscreen phones in the price range. The Optimus is better than any other Nokia touch screen for example and our prior favorite the Samsung Preston ICON.  Nice screen well made and designed so it doesn’t look low end and has all the connectivity options you need.  Along with the new Android Store for apps you have the what is a do it all phone.  We think you’ll be happy with one.

Specifications

  • LG Optimus
  • Network
    Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
    Dual-band 3G 850/900/2100 (Dependent on country)
    HSDPA 7.2 Mbits data speed (download)
  • Design
    Touch screen
  • L109 x W54.5 x D12.9 mm
    Weight 115.5 grams
  • Display/s
    External 3.0 Inch TFT 320 x 480
  • Camera
    3MP
  • Video Camera
    800 x 480 video camera 15FPS
  • Connectivity
    Wi-Fi
    Bluetooth V2.1
  • CPU
    600 Mhz
  • Memory
    Up to 200MB available to user
    MicroSD up to 32Gig
  • Ring tones
    MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
  • Features
    A-GPS
    Accelerometer
    FM Radio
    JAVA Apps
    Music and Media player
    Organiser/Calender
    SMS, MMS, IM, Email
    Speaker Phone/Hands free
    Li-Io 1400mAh battery
    Up to 350 hours Standby
    Up to 250 minutes Talk Time
  • Price history
    Under $279 AUD Mid-2010 (Outright)