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"Good for the money, but don't expect great."
on by CaptiosusPros Retail friendly price; Android 2.2; Easy Setup; Budget friendly pre-paid plans
Cons Lousy battery life unless you tweak most of the settings, low-end processor leading to laggy apps and games, no LED camera flash, factory reset forces you to go through the activation process again, preinstalled apps that can't be deleted w/o root
Summary I have to say I'm rather flabbergasted at all these 5-star reviews and I suspect they're being driven, mostly, by the cost of the service rather than the performance of the phone. My wife and I picked up two of these from Radio Shack at 149.99 each when our AT&T contract expired to reduce our overall cellular expenses. For my wife, who has never had a smartphone before, it's perfect. For me, someone who is coming off the iPhone 3GS, this phone leaves a lot to be desired.
First, and foremost, let me address the battery issue. Battery life is absolutely horrid in the out-of-the-box (OOBE) configuration. After doing a battery calibration (full discharge to full recharge), with OOBE settings, I monitored the battery literally dropping 35% in 3 hours. The solution for anyone complaining about battery life is this:
- Turn off Live Wallpapers, they eat a ton of power.
- Turn off GPS unless you REALLY need it.
- Try to minimize the amount of e-mail addresses you add to the device to one or two.
- Disable background sync of e-mail, Facebook and Twitter accounts.
- Disable background data downloading (you will have to turn it on every time you use market).
- Get a Task Killing app like Advanced Task Killer Pro and set it to kill your apps every time you lock the screen.
Doing all of the above will SIGNIFICANTLY boost your battery lifespan. Of course, you'll have to manually sync everything when you use it, and switch GPS and Background Data on and off when you need them. If you leave everything as pre-configured, you can expect your battery to die in 10-13 hours, even in standby.
The screen resolution is ok, a bit fuzzy at times on both devices, so I suspect it's a problem with all LG Optimus S/V models. The processor in this unit is only a 600MHz one, so while the cNet review claims the Optimus V may see Android 2.3, don't hold your breath on that one (most of the current 2.3 devices have 1GHz processors). This processor is barely able to keep up with most games, including Angry Birds, where the simple act of rendering a bird being flung across the screen can make the phone's graphics choppy and laggy. The same lag holds true for many apps and Google Maps runs PAINFULLY slow when using satellite view.
Virgin Mobile's price is a double-edge sword. SMS takes forever to go through, and pictures sometimes won't even send. They included a series of apps on the phone which cannot be uninstalled without rooting the phone, one of which - an app named Where - will DESTROY your battery life on its own if you leave background data and GPS on. Additionally, if, for any unforeseen circumstance, you need to do a factory reset on your phone, you have to go through the activation process with Virgin Mobile again.
In short, before buying know what you're getting into. The $25 monthly tag looks great, but this phone, based on technical specs, is a low-end to mid-grade Android phone that probably won't be receiving any 2.3 or 2.3.3 updates. Heavy use will drain the phone with ease, even with the tweaks, and has a penchant for being slow and laggy. It's a great "first" smartphone, but if you've had others, you will find yourself demanding better. -
"AMAZING and CHEAP!!! BEST BUY EVER!!!!"
on by VerzulaPros -Camera - crisp, clear and 3.2 megapixels is pretty dang good!!
-Speed - apps and websites open up as fast as a 3gs if not faster
-Screen - finger prints are hardly ever seen
-Swype - texting so much faster
-Apps - Google enough said
-Touch ResponseCons - onboard keyboard is tight yet swype texting beats the need for a large keyboard
- longer battery lifeSummary Ok so everyone and anyone that wants to pay $25 and get unlimited data/texts(pics) and 300 minutes and with no contract with a touch screen android phone then may I introduce the LG OPTIMUS V. My god is this phone amazing and I am the person that is coming from a iPhone 3gs, yes an iPhone 3gs 16gb white.
The difference between these two is that the iPhone 3gs needs a contract and that the LG Optimus V uses free google gps and has swype texting (which makes texting so much faster trust me) and has many more apps like google voice recognition for search and texting unlike the iPhone 3gs.
The only difference between these two is that the iphone 3gs screen is slightly bigger and I say slightly but since I've had this phone for more than a week now I can confirm that you hardly notice any difference.
Also, unlike many other carriers and phones I've used this phone can get hot-spot (you cnet people need to download the app sheesh) and use the unlimited Virgin Mobile unlimited data plan to use it for your laptop for taking the train or anywhere you are located and are receiving 3g!!!!
And for your information I commute every day 25 miles into the heart of chicago from the suburbs and NEVER lose any reception along the way, because ever since SPRINT took over Virgin Mobile, VM's service is phenomenal and always stays true to its word about bringing the best coverage for the cheapest value (and do not get fooled by the word cheap - the phone with this $25 plan will kick any carrier out of the water).
I've always HAD Att and iPhone from 2g to 3g and then 3gs but eventually got fed up with paying at least $80 per month and being on a contract that I tried this prepaid plan out and I have loved it ever since.
If you are even thinking about getting prepaid let me tell you Virgin Mobile gives you the best bang for your buck, has the best, most polite customer service (called them five times for different things and was assisted in the best way), and uses SPRINT's 3g service and its towers therefore has the BEST coverage especially anywhere in the Chicago land area including Milwaukee and even up to Madison - yes never lost signal once while traveling even that far away.
Best part is that you can import your prior number so you don't have to alert everyone on your contact list that you have a new phone AND yes there is even BETTER NEWS the app BUMP can shift all your contacts from either another android phone or iphone to this phone in a matter of seconds so no need to input all those phone numbers.
I am truly loving this service and this phone and as a graduate student let me tell you this is TRULY the best thing that's ever happened to me...and to think I actually spent 4 grand over two and half years paying ATT for unreliable service.
Even if you are thinking about this go out to your nearest Target or Radio Shack and try it out both give you 30-90 days for return policy and if you don't like it return it for the full refund and for the pre-paid card also.
Though you will like it please let everyone know how your experience was so we can let people know what the best product is so other phone companies should compete and give US CONSUMERS better pricing!!!!!! -
"A very awesome first time smart phone"
on by DesmockPros - Responsive Touchscreen
- Good connection up at almost all times (I never lose 3G it seems like)
- Easy learning curve, especially if you're coming from another phone like iPhone 3GS
- Fast phone for not a lot of $$$Cons - Internal phone memory is smaaaalll... should be larger but it is only $150 for the phone
- Some games lag, despite GPU
- Stock Bloatware is very unappealing
- I dunno... this phone rocks, not a lot wrong with itSummary I came from using an iPhone 3GS 32GB phone to using this phone. I gotta tell ya, it's definitely different but all in all, despite the fact that the app market for Android is smaller than the iPhones app market, it still has an astounding selection to choose from. Not to mention the quality of the free apps parallel that of the paid apps on an iPhone.
I never got to play around with an iPhone 4, but I doubt that 3 vs 4 could match the awesome abilities that all comes with a phone like this. I tell it to do something verbally and it knows and does it. Or I take a picture with Google Goggles and bam, it knows what it is just on the picture alone.
Not to mention, as EVERYONE here has pointed out, the phone is CHEAP for a smart phone with all these options available to it. AND the plans that come for Virgin Mobile smart phones:
$25 / 300 Anytime Minutes & Unlimited Texting, Web, & Data
$40 / 1200 Anytime Minutes & Unlimited Texting, Web & Data
$60 / Unlimited Everything
Tell me ONE OTHER company that offers THAT sweet of a deal, ANY of those plans are A+ compared to any other prepaid or contract plan from any other carrier. You have Boost Mobile maybe, with their $60 Unlimited Everything but that's it, and they don't have THIS sweet phone (At least yet).
The customer support here is awesome, I had an issue with my minute pack and they did it for me AND gave me an extra 100 minutes. Then quite a few times, when I had not repaid on my plan in a while, I'd get FREE months just to keep me going, what other company gives you freaking free months of service?
All in all... this phone is NOT the latest and greatest piece of hardware out there, but it IS very freakin fast for it's price, of CHEAPNESS, $150.00. It's plan smashes all other plans. It's just an awesome buy for a first time smart phone buyer or someone who just wants a great deal. I love this phone. I will always recommend. -
"Great Android Phone- Better than Samsung Intercept"
on by sdxbenPros This review is incorrect in saying it does not have hotspot. It does, you just need to download "Quick Settings" from the market and can be seen in options.
Cons No Flash and no hardware keyboard if that bothers you. Also, screen is not glass- easy to scratch- get screen protector!
Summary This phone is slick and fast running on Rev.A. It is rumored that it will receive an upgrade this spring to Gingerbread. At $150 available at RadioShack right now- cheaper than the inferior Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept ($250) you can't go wrong! With a $25 dollar unlimited plan and future capability on VOIP this is a must have.
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"This is a great phone regardless of price."
on by gigg865Pros Speedy, very responsive, excellent fit and finish. Excellent value.
Cons Battery life.
Summary This is a great phone, so glad I waited for this one before springing for the intercept. Comparing the two side by side, the intercept feels a little cheap and fragile. This phone however feels great in the hand. I love the actual buttons instead of capacitive buttons. My only con about this phone is battery life. I wish the battery lasted about 20% longer at least. I have to keep a cable with me at work to charge it at work. The case does not pick up fingerprints at all, I really love that. It really feels like a nice expensive phone. Voice actions are AWESOME.Paying $25 a month for a smart phone is just icing on the cake.
LG Optimus V user reviews (Virgin Mobile)
Results 1-5 of 148
Results 1-5 of 148
Quick Specifications
- Release date02/1/11
- Service provider Virgin Mobile
- Cellular technology CDMA2000 1X
- Talk time Up to 450 min
- Combined with With digital camera / digital player
- Weight 4.7 oz
- Sensor resolution 3.2 megapixels
- Diagonal screen size 3.2 in
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