LG Spectrum Review

Introduction:

Now that the busy holiday season is behind us, there’s no arguing that Verizon had plenty of juicy second-generation 4G LTE smartphones for its customers – with each offering its own unique aspects to lure in people. One might’ve easily noticed LG’s absence, which is rather surprising considering that the Korean based company is a force to be reckoned with. Well, it’s better late than never, right? Just like its rivals before it, the LG Spectrum is stuffed with all of the lovable qualities of a contemporary high-end Android smartphone. However, will it have enough allure to rise over some of the benchmarking devices we’ve seen already? Or will it simply left out to dry for its late arrival onto the scene?

The phone package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• Master Your Device Guide; Product Safety and Warranty Information

Design:

Hardly attempting to differentiate itself from its previous offerings in the LG Optimus LTE (Korean model) and LG Nitro HD (AT&T), the LG Spectrum follows forth with a very familiar, yet bland looking design. In fact, the only major thing new is its glossy and smooth plastic back cover, which so happens to be notorious for accumulating fingerprints – and worse yet, it’s much more prone to scratching versus the textured cover on the Nitro HD. Still, it’s pretty skinny (0.42” thick) and lightweight (4.99 oz) by today’s standards, but more importantly, it doesn’t feel as overbearing to hold in the hand. As a whole, we adore that its size has been reduced considerably versus the Revolution, but it doesn’t offer anything tantalizing in design.



You can compare the LG Spectrum with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The LG Spectrum places all of its ports on the top edge of the phone – such as its microUSB (MHL port) and 3.5mm headset jack. Meanwhile, its noise-cancelling microphone and easy to feel dedicated power button are also lined all on the same edge. On the left, there’s a very tactile volume rocker, while the right edge is devoid of anything.

In the rear, its 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash protrudes from the surrounding surface, while two inconspicuous slits towards the bottom edge are merely there for its internal speaker. Prying off the back cover, we’re given access to its 4G LTE SIM card slot, 1,830 mAh battery, and microSD card slot, which is occupied by a 16GB card out of the box.


Display:

Indeed It’s a first for an LG made device for Verizon, but the 4.5” True HD IPS display of the LG Spectrum isn’t new per se, especially when AT&T customers have been treated to it on the Nitro HD for some time now. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most attractive things about the entire handset because its sports a resolution of 720 x 1280, while relying on the more favorable RGB arrangement for superior detail. On top of that, since it’s an IPS panel, its color production is remarkably realistic looking and boasts wide viewing angles to ensure clarity in almost any conditions. Needless to say, we’re humbled by all of it, but it doesn’t get as much notoriety over other things for the simple reason it isn’t particularly new to the game.

Interface:

Expectedly so, the LG Spectrum features the same-old Optimus 2.0 skin that’s been synonymous with LG’s line of smartphones for the last year. Beneath it, however, the handset runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, not ICS. The custom UI adds some LG flavor to the interface graphics, as well as some additional tweaks here and there, and it also comes with a number of new widgets to enhance your homescreen.


While this is all good, it's still a bit underwhelming to see new Android smartphones shipping with Gingerbread, instead of the latest OS version. Currently, an update to Android 4 ICS is expected to arrive sometime in June, according to Verizon.

Functionality:

Another feature that the Optimus UI 2.0 delivers is the implementation of motion gestures. Since the LG Optimus 2X, tapping on the sides of the device can move the cursor when typing or browsing through the image gallery. Moreover, you can use motion gestures to turn off your alarm clock or to mute an incoming call by flipping the phone over. We can argue how useful these motion gestures can be in real life because the idea of physically hitting a pricy device, no matter how lightly you do it, can always cause an accidental drop if you are not being careful enough. Luckily, some or all of the motion gestures can be turned off through the Settings menu.

Thankfully, the combination of having a large display and speedy processor enables us to easily type messages with the handset’s available keyboards with minimal mistakes. Using either the LG or Swype keyboards, their layouts are ample enough to accommodate even the largest of fingers, while the responsiveness they offer enable us to input text at a consistent rate.


Being the Android powered device it is, the LG Spectrum delivers the good old fashion Gmail experience we’re so used to seeing at this point, but equally as usable, the LG Email app is also quite useful on its own. too As for setting up accounts, it’s your typical process of providing an email address and password for automatic set up. However, you might be asked to input additional pieces of information before it’s able to correctly complete.



Processor and Memory:

Of course, this wouldn’t be deemed as a second-generation 4G LTE smartphone if it doesn’t include a dual-core processor of some sort. Specifically, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor with 1GB of RAM helps power this beastly phone, which is undoubtedly warranted since it packs a pixel pushing 720p display. Honestly, it gets the job done by executing most basic tasks with minimal effort, though, some levels of choppiness are evident with more processor intensive tasks. Certainly, this isn’t the peppiest thing we’ve seen, especially after checking out the Asus Transformer Prime, but its performance is pretty much indicative of any other dual-core packing smartphone out there.

Preloaded with a 16GB microSD card, it actually supplements the handset’s internal 1.69GB of storage  that’s reserved for strictly apps. Then again, if that’s not enough, you can always replace the microSD card with a 32GB one instead.

Internet and Connectivity:

Data speeds are undoubtedly fast with this one, as we’re able to obtain maximum download and upload speeds of 33Mbps and 9Mbps in a relatively good 4G LTE location. As for its actual web browsing performance, it’s very much tolerable with its accurate rendering and decent response, however, it tends to be on the choppy side with its navigational control. Regardless of that, it’s equipped in dealing with heavy Flash content without many problems – so we’re accepting of its overall prowess.


Much like other 4G LTE smartphones in Big Red’s stable, it’s a CDMA device that will only work domestically on the carrier’s network – so this won’t help you abroad. Nevertheless, it’s a great candidate if you happen to live in a good 4G LTE area, even more when it posts some awesome data speeds in our testing. Obviously, it features all of the usual set of connectivity items you’d expect on a modern smartphone – such as aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspot functionality.

Camera:

The LG Spectrum’s camera interface is no different from other devices running the LG Optimus 2.0 UI skin, seeing that it’s functional and easy to operate, although the settings menu feels a bit cluttered, due to the sheer number of options available.


At 8-megapixels, it’s abundantly ample for this kind of device, but as we all know, it’s not the size that necessarily counts. Unfortunately, we can’t come to terms with the poor quality of images produced by the LG Spectrum, even more when it doesn’t handle dynamic range that well and fails to deliver accurate colors in nearly all lighting conditions. Actually, it tends to cast a very prominent greenish hue! Besides that, its details indoors under artificial lighting and low lighting conditions are very hazy looking.

Well, there aren’t better things to say about its high definition 1080p video recording – though, we do like its clear audio and smooth record rate of 29 frames per second. Aside from those two items, the biggest distraction that we find is the over-exposed appearance with recordings shot in sunny conditions, which simply masks fine details. Meanwhile, low light recordings are marred by the usual staple of things such as poor detail and heavy noise.

LG Spectrum Sample Video - Day:



LG Spectrum Sample Video - Night:



Multimedia:

In portrait, there’s nothing advantageous with the music player interface of the LG Spectrum from other smartphones, as it displays the album cover and on-screen controls. However, placing it in landscape presents us with a spiffy looking 3D carousel used for browsing through our collection, and we have to admit, it’s really polished looking. With its internal speaker however, it pumps out some neutral tones that doesn’t offer much power in blowing us away, but at least there’s no strain.


Video playback is an absolute joy on the LG Spectrum thanks primarily to its sharp looking display. With our test video encoded in DivX 1920 x 1080 resolution, it delivers some exciting visuals with its smooth playback, sharp details, and natural looking color reproduction. Frankly, its sizable display aids in making the experience very comfortable and pleasing during extensive watching.

On one hand, we’re able to share multimedia content very easily with its MHL port, while on the other, we also have DLNA functionality as an alternative. With the wired option, we’re given the advantageous function of having that useful mirrored experience on the big screen. Though, the bummer in it all is that the required MHL adapter cable isn’t supplied – meaning, it’s an extra cost out of your pocket.

Software:

Not shocking in the very bit, especially when it follows like any other Verizon handset before it, but the LG Spectrum is stuffed to the roof with bloatware. Naturally, we find all of the usual Verizon branded apps on board with the handset – such as My Verizon Mobile, V CAST Apps, V CAST Media Manager, V CAST Tones, Verizon Video, and VZ Navigator. Beyond that, the handset is supplemented by other preloaded third party apps like Amazon Kindle, Netflix, Bitbop, Blockbuster, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Let’s Golf 2, NFL Mobile, Rhapsody, TuneWiki, VideoSurf, Smart Movie HD, and ESPN Scorecenter.

Performance:

Calling quality is nearly superb on the LG Spectrum as clear, distinctive, and noise-free voices are heard very audibly on both ends of the line. However, when switching over to using the speakerphone, its volume output is rather weak in tone, while some muffled tones tend to degrade its quality, but despite those qualms, we find it still to be usable for most occasions.

One of the prevalent issues we’ve experiencing with nearly all of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones is the constant loss of 4G LTE connection. Well, we’re happy to report that it isn’t much of an issue with this one – still, we do experience some drops in connection, but it’s not as constant as other devices. During our time testing the handset, it maintains a solid connection to the network – with no evidence of fluctuation.

By now, we’ve grown accustomed to the notion of poor battery life with devices connected to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, and right on cue, we can say the same thing with this one. After charging its 1,830 mAh battery, we’re only presented with approximately 10 hours of juice with our normal usage – consisting of web browsing, email, texting, and the occasional phone call. Simply, it’s nothing new and basically establishes the marks we’ve found on other high-end 4G LTE devices. All in all, you’ll probably want to charge this whenever the opportunity arises.

Conclusion:

Rather than setting this at the usual price point of $299.99 that we’ve grown to see with Verizon’s top-shelf Android smartphones, it’s blessed with an even better $199.99 on-contract pricing, which is perhaps one of its most appreciated offerings. Even though LG has made some great strides on the Spectrum over its previous work with the Revolution, it simply pales in comparison to some of the other devices it’s competing against. Yeah, we adore the 4.5” True HD IPS display it’s packing along, but there’s simply nothing new or unique that the LG Spectrum can call its own. And now that the Galaxy Nexus is out and available packing the latest Android experience, it’s rather revolting to see this one launching with Gingerbread. Honestly, you’re better off spending another $100 on benchmarking devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX.

Software version of the reviewed unit:
Android Version: 2.3.5
Build Number: GRJ90
Kernel Version: 2.6.35.11-perf

LG Spectrum Video Review: