Jelly fishing
Keeping all the hardware in step is the latest(ish) version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich v4.0.3. To date LG’s reputation for rolling out Android updates hasn’t been great, so if you are the kind of person who just has to have Jellybean you may want to factor that into your purchase decision.
Chrome browser and quick memo
LG has added its own Optimus 3.0 UI to ICS but thankfully it’s highly customisable, easy on the eye and generally more of a help than a hindrance. LG has also thrown in some handy tweaks and enhancements like the excellent MediaPlex video player and system-wide QuickMemo integration, which lets you take screen grabs and doodle on them even when using a third-party launcher.
Dive into the screen settings menu and you will find that the white backlight for the three capacitive buttons can be set to always-on or always-off, which is a neat visual trick, especially if you go for the white model. I’m also awarding LG points for using a standard Sim card rather than a micro version.
Snappy dog and bone? Click for a larger image
The 8Mp main and 1.3Mp secondary cameras are both perfectly good exemplars of the breed and both take a more than decent snap. Put pictures taken with a 4X, S3 and One X side-by-side and I defy you to tell them apart. The camera’s autofocus is the quickest I’ve ever encountered on a mobile phone.
The webcam works a treat with Skype video calls and you can capture 1080p video through the main camera and 720p using the secondary shooter. Again the results are on a par with what you will get from the HTC One X or the Samsung Galaxy S3.
Next page: Chemical relief
COMMENTS
Re: Fab phone. Dinosaur price.
That's like saying because you can buy a TataCar for £8, the game is up for BMW.
LG - Steer Clear
Sorry but after the firmware debacle that was & is the LG O2X I wont be going anywhere near any LG product. Current track record for LG would suggest that Jellybean will be available for this handset sometime Q4 2012..no wait that would be Q4 2017 and even then it will be buggy & broken.
Re: SIM
"Why does the reviewer think not using a MicroSim is any kind of advantage?"
Easy, you can swap SIMs between different phones. That was always the entire point of having a SIM in the first place. So you could switch phones, networks etc without having to ask anyone's permission. As a VERY simple example, whenever I travel, I buy a SIM pack from the country I am travelling in and stick it in my smartphone (much cheaper data, local calls etc). So that I can still receive calls and texts from home, my UK SIM goes in a 1p Samsung I got years ago.
Try sorting that out when one phone takes a standard SIM and the other a Micro SIM.
We have standards for a reason. Companies break standards for a reason!
Oh no, LG aren't very good at providing software updates. Oh no, I'll have to decide now whether i like the features and stick with them for the lifetime of the phone.
Remember a few years ago when we bought a phone and its capabilities remained exactly the same until such time as it went to landfill?? Just because Google releases a new version doesn't mean it needs to be on your phone, especially if you chose the right phone in the first place instead of whatever looked like it had the most horsepower & biggest screen.
Re: Not another 5in screen...
What the hell are you babbling about? Fandroid? What is that junk?
