The LG Optimus U is an entry level phone that managed to score 8/10 for its features and performance. Its design has a score of 7/10. At a price of only $80.00 this cellphone is smart Android based and also has Wi-Fi capabilities. It is quite affordable for anyone who wants a good enough smartphone.

Review

The phone has a simple body and design structure. The phone works on Android OS, which means you can download apps for free and enjoy using it at a price much more affordable than the iPhone. It also has Wi-Fi along with EV-Do Rev. A, GPS and a good enough 3.2 megapixel camera. The only put off point for any user would be the lack of LED flash for the camera and the unavailability of a built in Flash video in the browser.

The Good

The phone has a number of good features to it, such as the dialing over Bluetooth, the ability to share apps amongst other LG phone users, and 24/7 connection with Facebook and Twitter users. The connectivity and other media features of the smartphone are quite effective with its ability to include Wi-Fi hotspots and a GPS, which is perfect for Google Maps etc. Because the phone is Android based, you will find it filled with popular apps such as Google Talk, Google Search, Google Calendar etc. People who constantly work on doc files will find the ThinkFree Office suite installed in the Optimus U as a lifesaver. The multimedia section of the phone also works quite well for being an entry level device. The built in memory is merely 170MB, but there is also the extendable card slot of up to 32GB, so you can easily listen to good music from the Android based player.

Experts also find call quality to be optimal as there was no mention of any voice disturbance while in a call. However, if you use the speakerphone, there may be a slight drop in quality, but that won’t really matter as you would seldom use the speakerphone. There was also no noticeable lagging or slow performance with the phone even while downloading or going through HTML pages. The talk time is of approximately 11 hours and you can have a standby time of 18.75 days! That is great indeed!

The Bad

There seems to be no real bad scores against the LG Optimus, apart from the unavailability of Flash integration for videos. You would have to use third party apps to view flash videos. The videos look a little rough, but its buffering speed was good.

Conclusion

LG Optimus U is a perfect smartphone for the geek in you. It’s not as flashy as the Apple iPhone, but it has a good performance rate and comes at an amazingly low price. Do give the LG Optimus U a try if you want to explore the world of smartphones. Android lovers would love this phone for its simplicity, flexibility and a bargain price. With a good 3G connection, this phone can be set out for a good race.