So here we go, my first gadget review on this blog.
LG Optimus Black P970 is LG’s latest android smart phone to hit the markets. With a thickness of 9.2mm and weighing just 109 grams, this is one of the slimmest and lightest smart phones available. The Optimus Black is the first phone that uses the NOVA display technology capable of generating 700 nits of brightness.
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Key Specifications:
Display – IPS LCD 4.0 inches capacitive touchscreen,
16M colors and
Resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
16M colors and
Resolution of 480 x 800 pixels
CPU – 1 GHz Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX530 GPU, TI OMAP 3630 chipset
Memory – Internal: 2GB storage, 512 MB RAM
Card Slot: up to 32GB
Camera – Primary: 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Front: 2 MP
Radio – Stereo FM radio with RDS
Battery – Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh
OS – Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo), upgradable to v2.3
Experience:
LG Optimus Black is a beauty to look at, a very aesthetically designed phone with a very minimalistic look. You'll find nothing on the left and bottom sides of the Black, with a couple of buttons serving as volume rocker and G-Key on the right, and the usual headphone jack, power / lock combo button, and MicroUSB port at the top. Though being very slim and light and with a plastic body, the phone sure does look premium and is very good to hold. The curved edges make it resistant to slipping.
In the era of dual cores Optimus Black’s 1Gz single core does look a bit light but along with 512MB of RAM you shouldn’t have much problems playing most if not all applications available in the android market. Moving across screens, playing videos and playing HD games are smooth though you might find a lag sometimes but that is not a deal breaker.
Optimus Black comes with a 5MP primary camera and a 2MP front camera. The photography experience is pretty good with a good auto focus facility and a whole set of other options for a budding photographer to play with. Optimus Black records video in 720p and with a decent frame rate, the videos do look good when viewed on the phone. The front 2MP camera can be used for video calls but you will be able to do that once Optimus Black gets a ginger bread upgrade, till then be happy using it as a mirror.
Optimus Black does have a host of connectivity options starting with GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DLNA, and a new thing called Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer file transfers. The phone doesn’t have any death grip issues as we didn’t find any loss of signal strength while holding the phone in different ways.
Watching videos on this phone is a delight on Optimus Black’s 4 inch NOVA display. The music player on the phone is superbly designed giving you a 3D effect on the landscape mode for all the albums you have in your music collection. The GPS signal receiver on this phone sure is one of a top notch quality getting a lock in less than a minute with data connection switched off.
Competitors:
Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy SL are the main competitors with similar specs but without a camera flash. Similarly you can also look at HTC Desire S with a higher RAM, Gingerbread onboard and an awesome Sense UI but then you will need to compromise on screen size and the display. Sony Ericson fans can look at Xperia Neo.
Conclusion:
LG have got a winner here with a super slim and a beautifully designed smart phone with an excellent display. It may not be powerful as the dual cores but it sure does all your various smart phone activities with aplomb. Wish the phone had Android 2.3 Ginger bread out of the box and a little bit better audio output, well that’s about what is missing from this super elegant and efficient device. At Rs 19,500 it sure is a great buy.
