Meet the LG Optimus One. It is an easy-to use smartphone priced at a lower range but yet implemented with high-end enhancements. LG Optimus One runs on Android 2.2, Froyo, the latest edition of Google?s mobile platform, which allows for two to three times faster and smoother internet browsing, webpage loading, application pop-ups and multi-tasking.
The P500?Optimus One?has a simple, yet elegant look. The phone sports a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen which responds to even the slightest of touch in an instant. There are the standard Menu, back, search and Home button below the display with the 3.5 mm audio jack and the power/hold button on the top side. The power button is a bit thin and so are the volume keys which might be a problem for people with large hands. The backside has a matte finish and houses the 3 MP camera module.
The phone runs on a 600 MHz processor with 512 MB of RAM and 170 MB onboard storage expandable via microSD card unto 32 GB. The phone runs on Android 2.2 Froyo and LG has not done any customisation of the user interface. The 2.2 version provides user with tethering support and app installed in SD card options as the major advantages over 2.1 version. The phone is 3G ready but lacks a front facing camera. In terms of connectivity, it comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS all of which work flawlessly. GPS on Google Maps locked on to our position within 3 seconds, even when we were indoors at the ground floor of a three storey building. The P500 also features social media integration and comes preloaded with Twitter and Facebook apps. We loved the Twitter app preloaded by LG for its ease of use and intuitive way of showing the trending topics.
In terms of multimedia performance, the phone literally shocked us with its loud volume output from the loudspeaker as well as in-ear speaker. We played back a few songs, DivX videos and streamed videos from Youtube and the phone impressed us with the audio quality and crisp video output. The video streaming was quick with excellent quality. The sound output from the loudspeaker was loud enough for a small room. The FM Radio reception was also good with the phone catching 9 stations in the first search. In terms of camera, the phone sports a 3 MP camera with autofocus but lacks any flash support. The images were of above average quality in daytime, but indoors noise became visible around darker areas. The VGA video recording which is limited to 18 fps is another drawback for the phone.
The phone comes with a 1500 mAh battery which gave us almost a day and half backup on a single full charge. At its price of Rs 12,000, the Optimus One is a phone that can devastate an Android phone in the Rs 9,000-14,000 range. The only Android phone that can stand as competition is the Samsung Galaxy 3, which has almost the same specifications at the same price, but has 256 MB RAM, QVGA video recording at 15FPS and runs Android 2.1 OS. It is interesting to see that LG has positioned the phone in the same price bracket as the Optimus GT540 which has almost the same specifications as well.
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