T-Mobile G2x Review

Introduction:

Still thriving as the world’s number three handset maker, there is no arguing that LG has a big opportunity in capturing the lucrative smartphone market, but they don’t necessarily have that high-end flagship device to contend with the competition. Sure we’ve seen them more recently making some waves globally thanks to the popularity of the LG Optimus One and its army of variants; however, they’re still missing that quality top shelf device that would cement them as a big time player in the Android sector. Fortunately for T-Mobile, they’re bringing aboard LG’s biggest hit overseas and plopping it directly on their lineup. Re-branded as the T-Mobile G2x, which is Tmo’s variant of the popular LG Optimus 2X, this fitting $200 on-contract Android powered device seemingly might be the device that will characterize LG as a prominent player.

The package contains:

• T-Mobile G2x
• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• Quick Start Guide
• Terms & Conditions

Design:

Thankfully, there isn’t anything too different about the design and style of the G2x over the Optimus 2X – aside for the fact that it’s minutely longer and wider, but more streamlined at 0.40” thick. For some, it might appear as being a little bit unwieldy, which is primarily due to the amount of dead space found below its display, but it’s still nonetheless quite comfortable to hold. In fact, its soft touch back cover not only provides plenty of grip, but it keeps the device looking pristine and new as it handles in easily repelling dirt and debris from sticking on. In addition, the metallic strip with its “with Google” branding in the rear gives the handset a little bit of character. And even though it doesn’t embody something that has a memorable design, it sticks to keeping things simple and clean – which is supplemented by its solid construction.



You can compare the T-Mobile G2x with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Capturing our attention right away, the 4” WVGA (480 x 800) LCD display of the G2x is undoubtedly crisp and beautiful to say the least. There’s plenty of detail, and at the same time, we like its natural looking color production. Furthermore, its great viewing angles and blinding luminance only supplement its luster in being visible under the presence of the gazing sun.


Although the amount of space found below the display contributes to its larger size, it helps to reduce any accidental presses with any of its customary capacitive Android buttons because they’re spaced away from the bottom edge.

Looking at the left edge, we find it completely clean and free of buttons, but the right side of the G2x houses its separated volume up and down buttons – which are gladly distinguishable and responsive to the touch.


Appropriately located on the top edge of the phone, we find its 3.5mm headset jack and dedicated power button that’s positioned at a convenient spot towards the edge – plus, it has a solid tactile feel when pressed. Moreover, the handset’s microHDMI port is safely hidden behind a removable plastic flap.

Oppositely, the microphone, speaker, and microUSB port are all placed in succession on the bottom portion of the handset.


Smacked dead center where you notice its subtle bump in the rear, you’ll find its higher than normal 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash fixed on that location. Finally, removing its plastic rear cover is accomplished by yanking it off from the bottom edge – which then gives you access to its 1,500 mAh battery, spring activated microSD card slot, and SIM card slot.

Interface:

Yes, the LG Optimus 2X was the first handset to sport NVIDIA’s 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 processor, but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it used by a phone stateside. Regardless of that, our jaws literally drop to the floor because the T-Mobile G2x, with its peppy dual-core chip, feverishly operates at a higher level than most other devices. Just when we think devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and T-Mobile G2 are wicked fast, the G2x simply obliterates them in the speed department with its buttery smooth movements and execution. In fact, there are very few things that test its processing power, and with that, you know that you’re going to be future proof for quite some time.

Gone is the customized Android experience found with the LG Optimus 2X, and favorably (for some people), we’re now presented with a stock Android 2.2 Froyo experience that should appease a wider audience. Interestingly enough, it’s quite rare to find devices flaunting the stock experience, but seeing that it carries T-Mobile’s “G” series branding, it’s only natural to find it gracing this one. Still, there’s plenty of personalization with it, as usual, since you’re presented with an array of useful widgets, shortcuts, and live wallpapers to beautify the handset to your liking.


Showing of its processing might, there’s no stopping the G2x from profoundly exhibiting a high level of performance in just about every aspect. Even after plastering a ton of widgets on its 5 homescreens and activating a graphically intensive live wallpaper, it doesn’t stutter for a second when navigating between any of them. Furthermore, we’re undoubtedly impressed by its responsiveness while effortlessly scrolling through the 3D like rolodex of its app panel – which goes to show the kind of raw power it’s hiding under the hood. Even more, we’re presented with extremely short load times with 3D intensive games like Nova and Need For Speed Shift.

Organizer & Messaging:

During the setup process, you’re required to sign into your Google account – which automatically syncs your contacts onto the handset. Obviously, there is a ton of information that you can associate with each person in your address book, but it’s just nice to know that they’re backed up in the event that an unfortunate accident takes place. Unless you download social networking apps like Twitter or Facebook, you won’t be able to quickly read posts from friends directly on the homescreen. Additionally, you’ll be able to sync contacts from places like Twitter and Facebook once you install their respective apps.


Much like any other Android smartphone out there, you have all the organizing functions with the Calendar app. Not only will you be able to make new appointments, but you’ll also find its ability to sync to come in handy if you’re constantly moving between using the handset or computer. As always, the calculator app is there at your disposal for simple calculations, but you’ve also got the advanced panel to compute complex functions. Finally, the clock app is especially convenient because it acts similarly to any bedside alarm clock – plus, it takes the hassle out of researching the temperature since it displays some weather information as well.


Combining its spacious display and wicked fast processor, the typing experience is naturally tight and solid for a touchscreen device. But isn’t that the kind of experience you’d expect out of a high-caliber device like this?


Being the Android powered device it is, the T-Mobile G2x delivers the good old fashion Gmail experience we’re so used to seeing at this point. Albeit, it’s supremely more satisfying thanks to the ridiculous speed of the G2x – which so happens to keep us super productive. As for setting up additional email, 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.

Camera:

The T-Mobile G2x's camera interface is functional and easy to operate, although the settings menu feels a bit cluttered, due to the sheer number of options available.


Packing along a number crunching 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash, we’re enthralled by the lovely set of photos that the G2x is capable of capturing. Specifically, it’s able to muster up some extremely sharp looking images which even allow us to distinguish words plastered on signs in a mall. Moreover, its detailed filled shots are further supplemented by their natural looking color production – and we don’t even see too much degradation indoors under low lighting. Meanwhile, the LED flash does a wonderful job in lighting up shots appropriately without seeing much digital noise in its production. All in all, you can ditch that traditional point and shoot camera and simply rely on the G2x for all your needs.



Although you’ve got a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera on board to easily snap self-portraits, we’d suggest using the rear camera for the best results worth saving. Instead, it’s mainly reserved for video chat use with services like Qik or Fring – the latter of which provides a tolerable experience with the handset.

Taking the crown from everyone else, the T-Mobile G2x is the sole smartphone on Big Magenta’s lineup to offer full 1080p high-definition video recording. Granted that it’s able to capture a fair amount of detail and doesn’t adversely change white balance when transitioning to different lighting conditions, there’s a little bit of jerkiness to its recording due to its 24 frames per second capture rate. However, we find smoother capture rates when it’s positioned to shoot in 720p. Nonetheless, its video recording quality is admirable considering that we don’t see many devices offering 1080p recording just yet.

T-Mobile G2x Sample Video 1:



T-Mobile G2x Sample Video 2:



Multimedia:

With its 3D like gallery app, the T-Mobile G2x delivers some nice looking visuals that are complemented with its fluid movement while browsing albums. Routinely, we find all the usual set of sharing functions available to us with our content – like sending them to Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Also, we’re presented with basic photo editing functions like cropping and rotating directly on the handset.


Sadly, we miss the elevated 3D elements found with the music player of the LG Optimus 2X, and instead, we’re basically stuck with the tried and true stock Android music player. Nowhere close to offering an eye catching presentation, it’s nevertheless functional in quickly playing our tunes. Audio quality from its speaker is decent at best, though mute in tone, but activating its “DTS Ultra Mobile” function adds just a little bit more pop to its output. However, there’s some hint of crackliness when it’s positioned at the highest volume level.


Already proving its worth with its brilliant looking display, the video watching experience is resoundingly satisfying mainly because it’s able to easily handle high-definition videos with no hassle. Loading up a video in 1080p resolution, the G2x delivers an amazing experience thanks mostly to its rich details and smooth playback. Likewise, we also admire how it’s able to output 1080p videos to a high-definition television via its microHDMI port – thus giving you an easy way of quickly sharing videos.


For something that’s able to capture 1080p videos, its built-in 8GB of internal storage is no doubt slim pickings, however, you can always pop in microSD cards up to 32GB in size to increase its capacity.

Connectivity and Internet:

Individuals constantly traveling abroad will find this quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and UMTS (850/1700/1900/2100 MHz) smartphone extremely versatile since it’ll work in most locations around the world. And much like most of T-Mobile’s smartphones, it packs on Wi-Fi calling as an alternative solution when connection to the network is iffy. As for data connection, it’s able to take advantage of possibly hitting 14.4 Mbit/s (maximum) download speeds through T-Mobile’s HSPA network. Finally, the G2x packs on items like 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Without a doubt, the G2x is unanimously our favorite smartphone on T-Mobile’s collection thus far for web browsing seeing that excels in aptly bringing along a fantastic experience on a mobile scale. It’s evident by its near perfect rendering of complex web sites, lightning fast downloads, and buttery smooth navigational execution. Although some devices cringe in the presence of Flash heavy sites, the power of the G2x doesn’t fade for one bit as it effortlessly handles Flash content like no other. Exhilarating you say? Most definitely!

Performance:

Calling quality with the T-Mobile G2x is average at best seeing that we have a hard time trying to comprehend the muffled voices heard through both the handset’s earpiece and speakerphone. Interestingly enough though, our callers fared better on their end of the line since they’re greeted with voices that are clear and free of any distortion.

Measuring up at -79 dBm of signal strength in a high coverage area, we never came across any instances of the handset struggling to keep a sufficient connection to the network in the greater Philadelphia area.

In our experience of testing out the G2x, it’s neither stellar nor poor in the battery life, but it’s actually on par with the likes of other high-end Android smartphones out there. Fortunately, we managed to get a solid day of normal usage with some juice still left in the tank – however, heavy users will want to carry along a spare charger just in case.

Conclusion: 

We can’t resist not saying it, but the T-Mobile G2x is probably the best Android powered smartphone on T-Mobile’s lineup right now – hands down! Taking into account its $200 on-contract cost, much like many other respectable high-end devices out there, it’s able to dramatically separate itself from the pack due to its standout of firsts – like its 1GHz dual-core processor and ability to shoot 1080p videos. Naturally, it doesn’t simply just meet with the levels obtained by prior devices, but rather, it shatters the mark and raises it to an entirely new level with its glorious radiance. The only thing that seems missing from the package is support for  HSPA+, but as long as you don't need the most of T-Mo's 4G network, you'll be perfectly fine with it. So if you have $200 to shell out for a speedy and powerful smartphone, it’s nearly almost unthinkable for you to not pick this one up. You won’t regret it!

Software version of the reviewed unit: LG-P999-V10f

T-Mobile G2x Video Review: