LG Mach Review
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We won’t go into too much detail on the UI because there is no new software wrinkle the LG Mach introduces. Out of the box it runs LG’s Optimus 3.0 UI, something we’ve covered in great detail on our Optimus G review. The Mach doesn’t offer some of the fancier features, such as QSlide or Live Zooming, but does offer other tricks like Quick Memo. As far as manufacturer skins go, the Optimus UI is fairly unobtrusive and does not appear to hinder performance. The Mach also supports SprintID packs, but we much prefer LG’s option.
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The LG Mach runs the Opimus 3.0 UI | |||
As has become the norm with Sprint devices, there are very few extra apps installed out of the box. In fact, all that you’ll find is some of LG’s apps, like File Share, News or Voice Recorder, SprintID and Sprint Zone, and Google products. The single third party app on the LG Mach is Polaris Office, which is a one of the better Office suites available on Android.
Processor and Memory
The Mach has some impressive oomph behind it for a mid-range device. Under the hood is a dual core Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 processor at 1.2GHz, coubled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, 5 of which is available to the user. Memory is expandable an additional 64GB via microSD, and anyone activating an LG phone and signing up for a new Box account through the app will receive 50GB of cloud data. Though it may be clocked at just 1.2GHz, the S4 is a very capable processor and the LG Mach was very fluid in daily use. In fact, in benchmark testing the LG Mach beat Sprint’s Galaxy S III in every result. (AnTuTu has been updated since we published our Sprint GSIII results, but we ran the new version on Sprint’s GSIII and our best result was 10995.)
| Quadrant Standard | AnTuTu | NenaMark 2 | |
| LG Mach | 5404 | 11049 | 60,1 |
| Motorola PHOTON Q 4G LTE | 4746 | 6508 | 56,7 |
| LG Viper 4G LTE | 3002 | 5528 | 55,9 |
| Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE | 4129 | 5453 | 58,8 |
Connectivity and Internet:
If you’re lucky enough to have coverage the LG Mach will deliver 4G LTE speeds. Unfortunately most of us are still stuck with Sprint’s hobbled 3G network, so we’d suggest using Wi-Fi when available. The Mach has a bevy of other connectivity options you’d expect, like GPS, NFC, Wi-Fi direct and Bluetooth 4.0.
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The stock browser moved plenty quick and we didn’t run into any rendering problems, with fluid pinch to zoom and predictable double tap. Of course we still recommend downloading Chrome, but its good to know that even out of the box the Mach offers a pleasant browsing experience.
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Browsing the web on the LG Mach | |
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10 Comments
1. Nathan_ingx posted on 17 Dec 2012, 10:21 1
"...there is not a single Sprint logo to be found on the device. Do you hear that, Verizon?"
I wish i could say 'Aye Aye Captain Brian'. :)
3. OGman posted on 17 Dec 2012, 12:28 0
"with the Optimus Elite, Mach and Optimus G LG might just have the best Android phone in each market segment on Sprint right now" Agreed. Times are changing, Lg is stepping up.
4. Naviiin posted on 17 Dec 2012, 14:34 0
This gets an 8, but the Samsung Galaxy S Relay with similar specs/higher clocked processor gets a 7?
7. Brian.K posted on 20 Dec 2012, 17:32 0
Naviiin, we do admit that ratings are subjective to an extent, but if you haven't yet check out our guide on how we rate phones:
phonearena.com/howdowerate
In this particular case, the phones do seem very similar on paper but as you can see from the benchmark results the Mach scored much higher, plus in general I feel the Optimus UI is better than TouchWiz (again, subjective.) Another factor in the 8 rating is that it out-performed "high end" Sprint devices, specifically the Motorola Photon Q which is the Mach's main competition on the carrier.
8. Naviiin posted on 21 Dec 2012, 06:58 0
Okay, seems fair enough. Your comments make the review a lot more clear. I was just thinking from an off contract point of view, and I'd like to add (even though it's not relevant for this Mach review) that I ran an AnTuTu benchmark on my own Galaxy S Relay yesterday with all of the T-Mobile exclusive apps disabled and it did a score similar to the Mach's 10000+ (though I don't know how a benchmark actually works, if it had to do with all of the disabled apps). But that takes a lot of disabling. And subjectively, I like the way the Relay's built a lot more than the Mach's build. I just thought the difference between the phones is not worth a whole point, but maybe like a half point. But that's just me, isn't it? :)
10. doublej1970 posted on 08 Jan 2013, 13:04 0
Brian, I have the photon Q right now and enjoy it pretty well. Which camera would you say is better between the Q and Mach? I like LG better then Motorola in the past! Then Motorola passed LG, but now it sounds like LG has made a comeback. What are your thoughts if you had to choose between the Q and Mach? Thanxz
5. Scottjnsn posted on 17 Dec 2012, 19:30 0
I've seen rumors that this device will be released by Virgin Mobile as well. Can anyone confirm this and the price?
6. BREvenson posted on 17 Dec 2012, 22:57 1
That would be interesting. At this moment, I can't find anything regarding the Mach appearing on Sprint's prepaid carriers yet. Given their trend of putting several of their most well-known devices on prepaid (Galaxy S II, EVO 3D, Transform Ultra, EVO Design, etc.), I wouldn't doubt it.
It would be a solid choice on either Virgin or Boost. I'd expect it to be about $299. Now to see if they actually do it...
9. Izzy_V posted on 25 Dec 2012, 20:33 0
I'm assuming the Motorola Phonon Q is a variant of the Motorola Photon Q that was never released?
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