India might still be in the early phase of smartphone revolution but consumers are adopting this portable form factor? and all the new apps that go with it?at breakneck pace to stay connected with friends, family, their work and do more while being on the move. Given this rapid adoption, mobile companies are clamouring for a share of this fast-growing market. The level of competition in the smartphone market has gone up a few notches higher. Strengthening its Optimus portfolio, South Korea?s LG Electronics has introduced two new phones? Optimus Sol (LG E730) and Optimus Hub E510. Both the phones run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
How does LG Optimus compete with other smartphones in the market? Is it a decent performer in a supercharged market brimming with a plethora of devices? LG sent us their Optimus Sol smartphone to get a closer look at and conduct this in-depth product review. My first impressions: a pocket friendly stylish Android phone packed with specs and features. It is slim, light weight and comfortable to use. That?s not all. It is an elegant looking smartphone and can be a great buy for getting a new and fresh mobile device.
The new LG smartphone is named after the Spanish word Sol that stands for Sun. The company chose this name due to its 3.8-inch WVGA (Wide Video Graphics Array) Ultra AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display screen that provides clear view even in the direct sunlight. AMOLED displays are used in smartphones, digital cameras and other products?as they are thin, efficient and bright.
The LG Optimus Sol is touted to feature 3.8-inch, 800 x 480 resolution, Ultra AMOLED display. The new 9.7 cm Ultra AMOLED display is claimed to have a two-fold advanced reflection rate compared to standard AMOLED displays even while under heavy sunlight outdoors, which gives it better clarity outdoors and lower image quality degradation. And because both the display and touch panel are merged into one, you now enjoy greater durability without ever sacrificing clarity. However, I found the colours overpowering especially at high brightness.
The phone is only 9.8 mm thin and this slimfit and fashionable design easily slips into pockets and bags for comfort you can carry. The device is powered by 1 GHz processor. A user can maximise his/her internet experience with blazing mobile browsing that loads pages in no time. The fast processor also helps in quicker application start up and powerful multimedia data processing.
A common problem faced by smartphone users is that they have to charge their devices frequently. But folks at LG have incorporated an innovative smart battery consumption feature in the Optimus Sol. The LG Optimus Sol is equipped with a different power management system that enhances the battery life of the smartphone with 20-30%, in comparison to other smartphones. A user can extend the battery life for long lasting enjoyment with Optimus user interface dark version that automatically utilises less white light, helping to reduce battery consumption associated with the ultra-AMOLED display.
The Optimus Sol sports a dazzling 5 megapixel primary camera, 0.3 megapixel secondary camera and 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen. You get Face Tracking, Panorama, Burst mode, Colour effect, White balance, ISO, and geo-tagging, as some of the options. The images captured are fairly okay. The smartphone has an embedded storage of 1 GB which can be expanded up to 32 GB via microSD and microSDH cards. For connectivity, the device supports GPRS, EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi platforms.
The LG Sol is sleek, lightweight, has a good display, good connectivity options and more onboard storage for apps. Apps that come bundled with the phone, include Facebook, Google+, Google+ Messenger, Navigation, Latitude, Polaris Office, Richnote, SmartShare for DLNA, SmartWorld, which is LG?s own mini app store.
Overall, a lively and entertaining phone with some smart features.
Specs
Dimensions: 122.5 x 62.5 x 9.8 mm
Display technology: Ultra AMOLED display
Touch screen type: Capacitive touchscreen
Display size: 9.7cm
Resolution: WVGA, 800 X 480
Camera type: 5 MP CMOS AF
1Ghz processor with 512MB RAM
Operating system: Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
