LG Spectrum user reviews (Verizon Wireless)

4.5 stars

"Beautiful Screen and Lightning Fast LTE" on April 22, 2012 by James3Nash

Pros: Call quality is excellent,
Screen is absolutely gorgeous,
1080p video recording with 8 MP camera,
1.5 GHz dual-core processor,
4GB onboard memory and a 16 GB installed card,
Phone is really fast on Verizon.

Cons: Glossy back has a bit of a sticky and sometimes grimy feel with use,
No Google for search.

Summary: I purchased this phone for a family member and have been tempted to keep if for myself over the Galaxy Nexus I ordered for me. The only thing really holding me back is the bloatware and sometimes laggy LG firmware.

Display:

The screen is absolutely gorgeous. I've had just about every modern smartphone including the iPhone 4s, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S II, and Motorola Droid Razr and this is by far the most amazing display I've used. It has excellent color accuracy and white whites and black blacks. Reading a Kindle book on it is a pleasure. Honestly, this screen is so great it is leaving me a little jealous over my Galaxy Nexus which is supposed to be one of the best on the market.

Design

I didn't really like the design from seeing pictures online but it looks much better in person.. Better than some reviewers state. The back features a glossy black/carbon fiber look which is very finger print prone. The only major complaint I would have is the glossy back has a bit of a sticky and sometimes grimy feel with use.

Speed & Reception

Sometimes it is very fast and on occasion there is a little lag. I blame this solely on the subpar and bloated LG firmware and believe with a firmware update(especially to ICS) that it would be a really snappy phone.

I was surprised upon turning it on to find that my area has LTE(unannounced so for) and after doing a speed test via Speedtest.net's app I'm receiving LTE speeds of up to 35mbps down and over 10mbps up. I also purchased a Galaxy Nexus at the same time and this phone is getting a bar or two better reception and at times nearly twice the data speeds. So if you are looking for a phone with great reception I highly recommend the Spectrum.

Software

The firmware is very very bloated and not very refined in general. In my opinion it needs a major overhaul and the app bloatware really needs to go. The things I do like are the keyboard which works and looks very similarly to an iPhone, the SMS App, and phone dialer. Unfortunately, LG's UI really makes this great phone with an amazing screen look more like a feature phone. Hopefully, if/when this finally gets an ICS update LG will leave it more of a stock Android look/feel.

Camera

The camera is on par with most of the other 8MP camera phones on the market. The software is pretty nice and offers a ton of settings. It also snaps photos pretty quickly.

Overall, I would recommend this device if you are willing to look past the firmware limitations and install a third party app launcher or wait for the ICS update.

P.S. if you're will buy this LG Spectrum, I suggest have to check for best deal before you decide at: Androidphonesrefer.wordpress.com/lg-spectrum-4g/

I hope this review is helpful.