Manage updates with the Download AppLG Optimus V (Virgin Mobile)
Manufacturer: LG Part number: OptimusV
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The LG Optimus V is a great entry-level Android smartphone if you want to go the prepaid route.
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CNET editors' review
LG Optimus V (Virgin Mobile) price range: $79.36 - $129.99
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 01/31/2011
- Released on: 02/01/2011
The good: The LG Optimus V is a slim and simple Android smartphone. It ships with Android 2.2 and features Wi-Fi, GPS, EV-DO Rev. A, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. It is also affordable.
The bad: The LG Optimus V does not have hot-spot tethering, nor does it have Flash video in the browser.
The bottom line: The LG Optimus V is a great entry-level Android smartphone if you want to go the prepaid route.
User reviews
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More than decent mid-range Android powered phone!
by Fuze_Man on June 19, 2011
Pros: 1. Slim, sleek form factor
2. Relatively quick and fluid screens even with a sub-par processor
3. Insanely cheap serviceCons: 1. Battery life
2. Screen
3. No other cons!Summary: The big issue that everyone should consider before purchasing this phone is the absolutely horrific battery life. The phone was at 100% around 11am, and at about 7pm, of barely ...
Summary: The big issue that everyone should consider before purchasing this phone is the absolutely horrific battery life. The phone was at 100% around 11am, and at about 7pm, of barely ANY use (light web browsing, no calls, no texts) it was getting down into the low 20%. I've installed Task Killer and Juice Defender, and hopefully they will extend the battery life to something reasonable.
Beyond this major gripe, there is nothing bad about this phone! It's a mid-range Android device, higher up on the tier than say, the Sanyo Zio, but definitely no HTC G2. The screen is made of plastic, so it may need a screen protector to defend against the possible scratch, but overall I'm very satisfied with it. At first it felt a bit too tacky/grainy, but after a little use it seemed to "break in", so to speak (the oils in my fingers lubed it lol.)
I really am a fan of the simplistic, yet solid feeling design of the device. Feels like it could take a moderate beating, yet it's not heavy at all.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Entry Level Phone with many possibilities
by PancakeShake on June 14, 2011
Pros: Super sick phone that's east to root!
Cons: Lame Froyo version when stock and a bunch of crapware.
Summary: I rooted this phone in the first couple of days and am now running gingerbread. I overclocked from 600mhz to 806mhz and the phone is killer fast now. Super rad ...
Summary: I rooted this phone in the first couple of days and am now running gingerbread. I overclocked from 600mhz to 806mhz and the phone is killer fast now. Super rad phone and I recommend it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome phone!
by violaceous on June 14, 2011
Pros: Android, nice camera, good call quality, fast processor, unlimited text and web for $25
Cons: Pre-loaded apps unnecessary.
Summary: I was wary of trying Virgin Mobile again. I'd had the Rumor Touch, which was an awful phone and kind of put me off trying anything else from them. ...
Summary: I was wary of trying Virgin Mobile again. I'd had the Rumor Touch, which was an awful phone and kind of put me off trying anything else from them. The Optimus V though, wow is all I can say. In the areas that I travel the signal is strong. I love that I get service in areas where my friends who all have Verizon can't. I love this phone!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great phone disastrous service
by lordsummerisle on June 9, 2011
Pros: Really slick phone, love it
Cons: I could never imagine coverage this bad
Summary: I love this phone..when it works. The coverage is absolutely horrible (I'm in the Seattle area!). I go FOR DAYS with no data connection and phone call quality ...
Summary: I love this phone..when it works. The coverage is absolutely horrible (I'm in the Seattle area!). I go FOR DAYS with no data connection and phone call quality is a joke, constant break-ups and dropouts. If anybody knows a way to unlock this phone, I'm all ears...
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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About as good as a basic talk and text phone
by Lagoonbug on May 10, 2011
Pros: -Screen looks nice
-Camera is decent, although I haven't tried the video recording feature
-It comes with a 2GB micro SD card
-Can charge battery with a USB cable with a certain mini plug, the slim kindCons: -Very low battery life
-Mine never, ever worked on the Sprint 3G network that it was supposed to do through Virgin Mobile. Same result with many other customers of this phone.Summary: If you buy this phone to use with Virgin Mobile, prepare for a big serving of disappointment. Since this phone is used with the Virgin Mobile service, the service is ...
Summary: If you buy this phone to use with Virgin Mobile, prepare for a big serving of disappointment. Since this phone is used with the Virgin Mobile service, the service is a part of this product. That's why I feel that it's valid to involve this in the review for the phone. The phone itself is made and programed to be used with Virgin Mobile, so that is an actual physical part of the phone.
Like it's been said by so many people on the internet, the LG Optimus V for Virgin Mobile either has extremely poor reliability when connecting to the internet or it simply can't connect at all. That is, it cannot reliably stay connected or connect in the first place using the Spring 3G network. The Optimus V I got could not connect to the internet on its own at all. The phone connected with Wi Fi, but not without it.
I was not satisfied with that. The product is sold as a phone that can connect to the Sprint 3G network. Mine didn't do that. So the product I got did not function fully as it was supposed to. So I canceled my Virgin Mobile 'Beyond Talk' plan and got a refund. And I took the phone back to the store I bought it from and got a refund.
If you search online about this issue, you'll see people recommend things like turning the phone off and back on, putting it on airplane mode and then off, and dismounting the SD card. I tried all of these repeatedly and the phone still never got online.
I was able to make calls and do text messages. And that is all the phone could do in terms of communicating. It worked great with a Wi Fi, but I'm not satisfied with being limited to Wi Fi on a phone. The phone itself seems to perform nicely for what it is. But without the use of the 3G network, it's a very incomplete product.
If you research this phone, you'll also read about the short battery life. At first, I felt that I would be okay with this. I've seen complaints of this on many products that use a rechargeable battery. But I've personally experienced a disappointingly short battery use on this phone. The charge does go down quickly on the battery that is included with the phone.
Whenever you research an electronic product and there are a lot of reviews for it on a website like Amazon, there are usually a few or more negative reviews. No matter how many good reviews there are. I'm sure there are cases when the bad reviews can almost be disregarded and the product turns out fantastic after all. But that's not the case with the LG Optimus V for Virgin Mobile. This really is an absolute problem product.
Calling Virgin Mobile for tech support will be a hassle also. If you call them and keep pressing 0 for a live representative, you'll be told good bye and hung up on after the third time. That is uncalled for, tacky, and low on their part. You'll have to jump through the hoops in the automated system to get to a live person.
To me, a cell phone should be able to do calls, voicemail, text messages, text messages with attachments, and internet without Wi Fi from the start of activation. No exceptions. Mine didn't perform all that it was supposed to be able to from the start, nor did it later on. So I got full refunds on the service and phone.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good phone but does not support Flash
by Qwirk on May 7, 2011
Pros: no contract, swype, android, unlimited txt, unlimited data
Cons: arm6 processor, froyo, limited service area
Summary: I was looking to get out of an over-priced annual, excuse me 2-year, requirement just to use a phone. Also I wanted to get a phone with the newest Android, ...
Summary: I was looking to get out of an over-priced annual, excuse me 2-year, requirement just to use a phone. Also I wanted to get a phone with the newest Android, Gingerbread (2.3), that had a qwerty keyboard. These previous two things were what I was looking for. Qwerty Gingerbread...
The phone does not have Gingerbread, yet (grrr). The phone does not have a qwerty keyboard. Still the price of Virgin Mobile service made me try a phone without the qwerty keyboard. bbye contracted service, hello Virgin Mobile.
I keep reading that Optimus V will get Gingerbread but I have yet to see it. The lack of Gingerbread but knowledge of its coming has ants in my pants (more like it is producing frustration farts).
This phone does not have a qwerty keyboard however it does have Swype. Swype is actually faster than qwerty keyboard BUT I'd recommend holding the phone horizontally and you should know where the keys are on the keyboard. It is rather difficult to be 100% sure you hit the right keys as you glide from key-to-key. You can turn on/off the word prediction feature, but Swype always appears to look for words of some kind no matter what once you are finished with a word. Typing a url can be awkward if I am reading something online on a commute to/from work.
The screen, you don't need something to protect it > don't use a fingernail during Swype and wipe the screen off with something made to clean off cell phone screens then this screen will last a long time.
Summary title here, Flash... I didn't learn about the Adobe Flash until I discovered PlayOn would not work quite right > you need at least Android 2.2 to watch PlayOn AND Flash. Adobe requires a minimum ARM7 processor to use Flash, the Optimus V has ARM6 processor. Unless Adobe does something to take a little off the requirements for flash this phone can't handle flash apps. So I can't watch The Daily Show or The Colbert Report while I am on the Metro - this would be great. The hardware in this phone and Android o/s still seems to produce a good response in most apps.
Battery can last a day but if I forget to charge it overnight I have to plug it in to my laptop at the office so it stays alive. I should keep a usb at my desk. >> I do not use a lot of data transfer, but I am usually reading the Washington Post online with my phone while I am on the Metro.
The phone is not too light/heavy, in my opinion. Optimus V will not fall out of your pocket unless you do a handstand, but I can forget it is there at times since it doesn't seem to weigh me done. The phone is thin enough for me. (I've dropped a phone in the toilet before so I want something with a little weight)
This is not a phone designed to handle the higher end things for Android but if cell phones are not what your world revolves around and you do not live that far from a larger city, airport, etc then it'll work very well. Most interstates are set to get reception as well.
I have to get the $40 plan due to the fact I may have conference calls on my cellphone if I get stuck working from home any day.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great plan, great phone
by juniparr on February 20, 2011
Pros: Android prepaid phone
Beautiful bright screen
MicroSD card for storage
Swipe keyboardCons: Poor battery life
Small on-screen keyboard
Can't uninstall previous installed AppsSummary: I bought this phone and dumped by contract with T-Mobile. The $25/mo plan from Virgin Mobile seemed extremely attractive, especially since I had been wanting an Android phone for ...
Summary: I bought this phone and dumped by contract with T-Mobile. The $25/mo plan from Virgin Mobile seemed extremely attractive, especially since I had been wanting an Android phone for a long time and didn't want to fork over the extra $20 a month for their data plans.
The plan is great but so is the phone. It's slim, its sleek and it is pretty to look at! The screen is bright and colorful and it makes all those colors POP! It might just be cause my previous phone was a dingy Blackberry but I love just looking at it. The Android OS is great. Love the apps, love how quick and easy it is to install and use them. Not to mention there's an app for everything.
The Micro SD card is upgradable up to 32GB which is great if you want to store a lot of music and files. But don't plan on replacing your iPod with this phone, the battery life is poor. I was about to return it to the store because it got drained in two hours while I was at work! Thankfully a friend pointed out that I needed a Task Killer application that shuts down programs from running in the background while on stand-by and eating up your phone's resources, without it my phone was practically unusable. So keep that in mind, you will need it.
I really like the Swipe keyboard functionality. Especially because the keyboard on-screen is small and easy to make typos with, once you get a hang of Swipe though, it becomes a breeze to text and message friends. I wish I could figure out how to switch from different languages though, the phone says it supports Spanish but I haven't figured out how to use it yet! And its such a niche issue I can't find answers online.
But other than the battery issue (which is doable once you get a task killer app) the phone is FANTASTIC, so much my cell-phone hating boyfriend got one too! Highly recommend!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Phone for a Great price!
by MoMerrell on February 16, 2011
Pros: Swipe: is amazingly fast and accurate. makes texting so much easier
Weight of phone is not bulky but sleek and simple yet modernCons: BATTERY LIFE is horrible!!! After a full charge and the phone is just sitting around not being used, the battery dies and i barely used it.
Summary: Overall this phone is great. the battery life in making me contemplate getting something else because my phone dies every other hour and its takes a lot to charge it....
Summary: Overall this phone is great. the battery life in making me contemplate getting something else because my phone dies every other hour and its takes a lot to charge it.
I love the Swipe texting because it allows me to text easily especially being that I am not a fan of all touch and no qwerty keyboard phones.
picture quality is okay and call quality could be a little better but having been a Virgin Mobile customer for about 6yrs now..and have tried every single phone they have,; the Blackberry, intercept, Rumor, Rumor Touch and the rest...this phone is definitely the best and I applaud Virgin Mobil for finally making a great Android phone.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent Phone - Fast, Easy To Use, Good Form Factor
by brandonkirsch on February 14, 2011
Pros: This phone is very fast, it feels every bit as quick as an Evo or other premium phone.
The OS is clean and very easy to use.
Great form factor, feels perfect.
It's great as a phone and very capable as a smartphone as well.Cons: No LED indicator -- seriously?
Every phone I've had for the past 10 years has an LED to let me know when I've missed a message or phone call. Somehow, this doesn't.
They could have at least made the keys light up as a notice, but chose not to.Summary: This phone covers all of the phone basics (calls, texts, contacts, etc) almost flawlessly. I can't say that about previous "smart" phones I've owned that were slow, buggy, ...
Summary: This phone covers all of the phone basics (calls, texts, contacts, etc) almost flawlessly. I can't say that about previous "smart" phones I've owned that were slow, buggy, or got in the way of all of the basic things a phone should do well. So I'm very happy with that and feel like I've made a huge improvement of my previous Palm Pre.
As a bonus, the Android OS is really easy to use and very fast.
I keep reading about "entry-level Android" but the only thing it lacks from other smartphones is the big sticker price. Music, phone, photos and messaging all open instantly. The web browser works well but can take a moment with very large web pages.
The phone feels perfect for my preference: slim and flat with a solid weight to it. The phone has a sturdy feel to it and the headphone jack seems like it will hold up to a couple years of use and abuse. This is my first "touchscreen only" phone and I'm surprised at how well I've adapted. Typing is as quick as with my Palm Pre, but takes a bit more concentration and is also a slightly more error prone. The built-in spell check / word correction is a great feature.
The only downside I've found is the lack of any LED indicator - it was truly a *** moment when I realized this on my first day. I can't imagine cramming so many features into a phone and forgetting to equip a light that blinks.
Bottom line: Buy this phone. Even if you're not into smart phones, it will serve you very well for calls, contacts and messaging. If you are into smart phones, go nuts with the Android Marketplace and customize it to your heart's content. I'm happy with the Virgin Mobile service and delighted with the cost of service.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Bang for your buck
by galaxy999 on February 12, 2011
Pros: Light, slim, sleek form factor, 3.2 megapixel camera, latest android OS, very little customization on VM's end.
Cons: Lacking camera flash, swype is very finicky at times, weird undesired scroll
Summary: This is a great phone, and I don't think I could have picked anything better at this price to replace my Blackberry 9700 on T-Mobile. Not only does Virgin ...
Summary: This is a great phone, and I don't think I could have picked anything better at this price to replace my Blackberry 9700 on T-Mobile. Not only does Virgin Mobile beat contract carriers price-wise, they finally have a device worth replacing other contracted high end devices with. I am a long time blackberry fan, but I did not feel the desire to downgrade from my BB 9700 to the BB curve on VM because it didn't have as good of specs. The Optimus was the perfect compromise. The OS is fast and the data is decent (definitely no worse than the 3g on T-Mobile). I had heard from other people that data on VM was super slow, but so far it has met my expectations and so has the device.
My only complaint is that when I am trying to type in swype, no matter how accurately I swype a word I will sometimes have to swype it up to 5 times for the app to correctly guage what I am attempting to type. This can be tedious and really annoying when you are in a hurry to type something out. At that point I have to resort to tapping out the word letter by letter. Obviously its not the end of the world, but if you are going to advertise with swype then the swype should at least be comparable, if not better than regular typing.
I also seem to have a weird glitch where when I am scrolling down a page the screen scrolls super fast and jumps down to the very bottom of the page even though I did not want that. And when I am typing sometimes there is a sort of lag to where it doesn't register that I am swyping my finger and then some sort of gibberish pops up. I tried returning the phone and getting another one only to end up with the same small glitches. They are not enough to make me want to get rid of the phone, but they are a little irritating. Perhaps this isn't a problem with everyone though.
All in all, $150 decent phone on a $25 monthly plan is FANTASTIC. If you are on a budget and you don't care about having the latest greatest google phone/iphone/blackberry/windows phone/palm phone, then this is definitely THE best deal you can possibly get! I highly recommend it above anything else. Not to mention I actually get a f'ing signal in my home (unlike on T-Mobile).1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG
- Part number: OptimusV
- Description: LG Optimus V touts advanced features and user-friendly simplicity. Having the brilliant Android 2.2 operating system and Google app functionality, users are set with everything they need to navigate through their daily life. They will be pleased to find that searches are an easy command away with Google Voice Search and a large, vibrant touchscreen crisply displays all the results. What's more, Optimus V sports 5 customizable home screens so users have the option of compartmentalizing their needs in a multitude of combination's. Now that's just smart.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Product Type Smartphone
- Form Factor Touch
- Phone Design PDA
- Integrated Components GPS receiver,
Digital camera,
Digital player,
Voice recorder - Width 1.9 in
- Depth 0.89 in
- Height 3.5 in
- Weight 4.7 oz
- Body Color Black
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Band CDMA2000 1X 1900
- Mobile Broadband Generation 3G
- Service Provider Virgin Mobile
- Operating System Android 2.2 OS
- Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen , Capacitive
Messaging & Internet
- Cellular Messaging Services MMS,
SMS - Instant Messaging Services Google Talk
- Supported Social Networks and Blogs MySpace,
Twitter,
Facebook - Messaging & Data Features Text messages,
E-Mail,
Voice mail - Downloadable Content Applications
- Mobile Services YouTube,
Gmail,
Google Search,
Google Play Communications
- Data Transmission EV-DO
- Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11b/g,
Bluetooth 2.1 EDR - Bluetooth Profiles Object Push Profile (OPP),
Hands Free Profile (HFP),
Headset Profile (HSP),
File Transfer Profile (FTP),
Phonebook Access Profile (PBAP),
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP),
Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) - Communication Features Internet browser,
Mobile Email client Phone Features
- Phone Functions Voice control,
Call timer,
Conference call,
Flight mode,
Speakerphone,
Voice dialing,
Vibrating alert - Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Ring Tone Formats MP3
- Sensors Proximity sensor
- Additional Features Text-to-Speech (text recognition),
Picture editor,
TTY compatible,
Widgets support,
Intelligent typing (SWYPE) Organizer
- Personal Information Management Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder,
Alarm clock Media Player
- Supported Digital Audio Standards AAC +,
MP3,
WMA,
AAC - Supported Digital Video Standards MPEG-4,
WMV,
3GP Processor
- Type QUALCOMM MSM7627
- Clock Speed 600 MHz
Memory
- User Memory 160 MB
- Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC - up to 32 GB
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 3.2 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 2048 x 1536
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Digital Zoom 4
- Video Recorder Resolutions 640 x 480 (VGA)
- Features Video recording,
Macro function Navigation System
- GPS Navigation A-GPS receiver - Simultaneous GPS (S-GPS)
- Navigation Software & Services Google Maps
Display
- Type LCD display - Color
- Diagonal Size 3.2 in
- Display Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
- Color Depth 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Connections
- Connector Type Micro-USB
Battery
- Capacity 1500 mAh
- Run Time Details Talk ( CDMA ) - up to 360 min,
Standby ( CDMA ) - up to 168 hour(s) Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards HAC(Hearing Aid Compatible)
- Included Accessories Power adapter , Power adapter
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse LG products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:LG
- Address:
1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
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