T-Mobile G2x
Manufacturer: LG Part number: 2001834
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The T-Mobile G2x's simple Android interface, blazingly fast speeds, and polished look make it the phone to beat in T-Mobile's lineup.
Read more
Where to buy
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CNET editors' review
T-Mobile G2x price range: $999.95
- Reviewed by: Nicole Lee
- Reviewed on: 04/18/2011
The good: The T-Mobile G2x features a 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor that delivers great performance. It also has a sharp design, plenty of multimedia features, and HSPA+ speeds.
The bad: The T-Mobile G2x's photo quality did not meet our expectations. The call quality could also be slightly better.
The bottom line: The T-Mobile G2x's simple Android interface, blazingly fast speeds, and polished look make it the phone to beat in T-Mobile's lineup.
When LG introduced the world to the LG Optimus 2X late last year we were suitably impressed by its dual-core processor and multimedia capabilities, but because LG has a history of not importing its high-end devices into the U.S., we held out little hope that it would hop across the pond.
Fortunately, we were proved wrong. At CTIA 2011 in Orlando, Fla., LG introduced the T-Mobile G2x, which is essentially a T-Mobile USA-branded version of the Optimus 2X. Available now for $199.99 with a two-year contract, it boasts an impressive 1GHz Nvidia dual-core processor, great specs, support for T-Mobile's HSPA+ network, and all-around good looks. Sure, it's running Android 2.2 at launch, but LG promises it will be upgradable to version 2.3 in the future and Android fans will appreciate the stock Android interface.
Also notable is that the T-Mobile G2x is T-Mobile's first "G-series" phone not made by HTC (unlike the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile G2). This underscores T-Mobile's confidence in LG; we hope the G2x is the first of many excellent LG smartphones to make their marks on the U.S. market.
Design
When you hold it in your hands, there is no doubt that the T-Mobile G2x is a premium handset. At 4.9 inches long by 2.5 inches wide by 0.4 inch thick, the G2x features smooth, rounded corners and is clad in a matte soft-touch finish on the back, with a seamless piano-black face and attractive gunmetal-gray accents around the sides. At 5 ounces, the G2x also has a certain heft that gives it a solid and luxurious feel in the hand.
The 4-inch IPS touch-screen display is simply stunning. The WVGA resolution provides crystal-clear sharpness, with vibrant colors and impressive detail. This is especially evident when playing games and HD video. It's not quite as vivid as the Super AMOLED screen on the Samsung Galaxy S 4G or the qHD display on the Motorola Atrix 4G, but it still offers rich colors and great graphics.
The touch screen is really responsive, requiring only a simple tap for a touch to register, and thanks to the dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, we were also amazed by how zippy the navigation felt. Simple tasks like scrolling through a Web page or launching an application felt that much quicker. Even the accelerometer kicked in faster when switching from portrait to landscape mode. The G2x comes with a gyroscopic sensor as well.
Beneath the display are the usual Android shortcut keys in the form of touch-sensitive buttons for menu, home, back, and search. On the top right of the phone is the front-facing camera. There are a couple of external speakers on the bottom along with the Micro-USB charging port. The volume rocker is on the right, and the 3.5mm headset jack, HDMI port, and power/screen lock button are on the top. The microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover, but you don't need to remove the battery to access it. On the back of the phone are the camera lens and LED flash.
T-Mobile packages the G2x with an AC adapter, a USB cable, and reference material.
Features
The T-Mobile G2x's feature set is an embarrassment of riches, with plenty of advanced smartphone technology that promises to provide speed and multimedia prowess. As we mentioned, it has the highly praised 1GHz Nvidia dual-core Tegra 2 processor. It does have only 512MB of RAM, but we didn't notice any performance drawbacks in real-world tests. Transitions between menus felt snappy, and we jumped through different points in an HD video clip with zero jittering.
To prove the strength of the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor even further, LG has included the Nvidia Tegra Zone app with the phone. The app lets you easily find, purchase, and download games that take advantage of the Nvidia processor. The G2x comes with Nova and Need for Speed Shift, and we have to say that both games performed very well in our initial tests. Graphics were very smooth and we experienced zero lag time during gameplay.
Because of all this power, it's no surprise that the G2x comes equipped with multimedia features galore. It has a Micro-HDMI port so you can hook up the phone to a big-screen television, and with mirroring mode, you can see on the TV whatever is on your phone. If you want to go wireless, the G2x also supports DLNA, a technology that lets you share media on your phone with other DLNA devices wirelessly. The G2x also comes with T-Mobile TV, a T-Mobile service that gives you access to live and on-demand TV.
If you would rather watch your own movies, the G2x comes with 8GB of internal storage. This might not seem like a lot, but you can load additional media onto a microSD card--the phone supports up to 32GB of extra storage. To get content onto your device, you can treat the phone like a mass storage device by dragging and dropping media, or you can use the DoubleTwist software to sync content wirelessly.
One of the other benefits of the dual-core processor is that the phone supports full HD 1080p video playback. In addition, the G2x can record video in 1080p with its 8-megapixel camera. The short video clips we recorded looked pretty impressive, considering they are from a phone. We don't think video quality quite compares to that of a professional quality camera, but for family videos or simple YouTube clips, it works great.
As for the still camera, photo quality was good but not as great we had expected. The autofocus works to sharpen image quality, but the colors still looked a little dull. Low-light photos improved with the use of the LED flash, but images were more washed out than we would like. The camera does have plenty of settings to assist you in getting the best possible photo, however. You can adjust the resolution, the focus mode, the scene mode, the ISO, the white balance, the color effect, the image quality, the stabilization, the timer, and more. You can also geotag photos to remind yourself where you took them.
The front-facing camera doesn't take very good photos, but that's because it's meant mostly for video calls. The G2x comes with Qik Video Chat so you can try this feature out as soon as you get it. You can make video calls over Wi-Fi and regular cellular airwaves as well.
Beyond the multimedia goodies, the G2x has plenty of regular smartphone features, too. It's a quad-band world phone with a speakerphone, conference calling, voice dialing, text and multimedia messaging, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. We're happy to see that it can make calls over Wi-Fi. The G2x can also be used as a mobile Wi-Fi hot spot for up to five devices. If you wish, you can tether the phone to your laptop over Bluetooth. Do note that T-Mobile charges around $15 a month for this privilege.
Perhaps one of the best features of the phone is that it ships with a native version of Android 2.2 Froyo. It's not the latest 2.3 Gingerbread firmware, but as it is stock Android, the G2x is absolutely upgradable. The interface is clean and purely Android, without any complicated skins or overlays. We definitely prefer this over the more customized interfaces as it contributes to the snappy feel during navigation. The T-Mobile G2x comes with both the basic Android keyboard and Swype.
Like all Android phones, the G2x supports all the standard Google apps and services. It can also handle Microsoft Exchange and POP3 and IMAP accounts. Froyo lets you integrate your contacts with various social networks, save apps to SD cards, and voice dial over Bluetooth, and it supports Flash Player 10.1 in the browser.
Last but certainly not least, the T-Mobile G2x supports T-Mobile's HSPA+ network. Though not technically 4G, it does provide 4G-like speeds with theoretical peak speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. As you might expect, we didn't quite achieve that upper limit, but we were still mightily impressed with what we got. You can read more about that in the Performance section below.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) T-Mobile G2x in San Francisco. Call quality was good on the whole, but we experienced the occasional dip in voice quality. On our end, we thought our callers sounded very natural without too much static and very little background noise. On the other end, however, callers said that while they could hear us clearly, they thought our voice had a slight fuzzy quality to it. They said that the volume level was good. As for speakerphone quality, callers said our volume dropped quite a bit now and then, so we had to speak up at times.
T-Mobile G2x call quality sample
Listen now:
As we mentioned, the overall performance of the G2x was very impressive due to the 1GHz Nvidia dual-core Tegra 2 processor. Some might expect that the only 512MB of RAM would slow it down, but we experienced very little lag.
We also tested the phone's HSPA+ or "4G" speeds in San Francisco. We managed to load the full CNET page in around 8 seconds, the mobile BBC site in 9 seconds, and the mobile ESPN page in 3 seconds. Though we didn't reach the theoretical 14.4Mbps speeds, we did get roughly 4.2Mbps down and 1.2Mbps up, which is still pretty impressive. As for Flash video, we managed to play a couple of HD-quality videos on CNET TV, but not without a tiny bit of lag at the start of the videos. Aside from that, we experienced no buffering issues.
The G2x ships with a 1,500mAh lithium ion battery with a rated battery life of 7 hours of talk time and 12 days of standby time. Our tests revealed a talk time of 6 hours and 31 minutes.
Anecdotally, we were able to get a full day's worth of use from the smartphone before having to charge the battery. We performed the standard tasks of checking e-mail, looking up directions on the map, and browsing the Web for a little bit to check baseball scores. There were stretches of time when the phone dropped down to 2G speeds in certain areas of the city, so that might have affected the battery life. We'll have to perform our own battery tests to be sure.
According to FCC radiation tests, the G2x has a digital SAR of 0.82 watts per kilogram.
Conclusion
With its dual-core processor, HSPA+ speeds, stock Android interface, and solid polished design, it's easy to see why the T-Mobile G2x won our Best of CTIA award in the phones category this year. While it does have a few failings, the pros far outweigh the cons, making the G2x one of the best Android phones on the market today. The T-Mobile G2x is also quite affordable, at around $199.99 with a two-year contract. If you prefer not to get a contract, it costs quite a bit: $499.99 retail.
Correction, Tuesday at 10:35 a.m. PT: We've since learned that the G2x does come with Swype built in and have updated the review to reflect that.
User reviews
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Beautiful phone, well made, and smooth!
by dayh8 on April 18, 2011
Pros: Build quality
screen size/resolution
Vanilla Android
speed (both internal, and data)Cons: lack of physical button (personal quibble, not like i didn't know it when i bought it!)
isolated incidences of unresponsive touch screenSummary: I'm really happy with my G2x so far. I picked it up on Friday afternoon, and have not had any issues so far. The batter was completely dead when ...
Summary: I'm really happy with my G2x so far. I picked it up on Friday afternoon, and have not had any issues so far. The batter was completely dead when I got it, so be prepared to wait a bit before you start playing with your new toy.
Build Quality: The phone is heavy, but not a burden. You will know it is there, but it won't be pulling your pants or purse down. The glass feels great, and the seal between all the seams is perfect. The back is easy to get off, but also very secure (luckily, I haven't done a drop test yet). The buttons are very firmly seated and have a clear 'click' when they are pressed, which is really nice.
Perceived Visuals: Quadrant Benchmark has topped at around 2450 on Friday night. Yesterday and today it is at around 2325. Games run absolutely fluidly (both pre-installed and downloaded), and the screen looks great. I know that many will wait to pick up the HTC Sensation, but the screen on this is more than adequate unless you are REALLY nit-picky (I would categorize myself as moderately nit-picky as far as this goes!).
I have not played with the HDMI mirroring yet, so I will have to assume that it does what it is supposed to.
Touch Screen: As noted above, there have been a few times when the screen is not responsive to my touch, but I think this has always been in an app, and so I am inclined to blame the app for bogging down for a sec more than anything else. Other than that, I find the screen very responsive. The glass has a great feel to it, and typing in landscape is as simple as it can be. The keys are well spaced and the response to typing is just as it should be.
Connection/Voice: The 4g speeds work really well (I'm lucky enough to live where I can take advantage of that). Most apps download in about ten seconds. Text messages send in about 1.5, and email is fluid. I have gmail, IMAP through the email program, and the Yahoo mail app all running, and they work great. I was having a lot of trouble with the new Amazon Cloud Drive playing my music, but I switched over to WiFi and the issues continued. I then switched to Pandora and there were no issues, so I think the problem is the Amazon app (among its many issues - but I digress). Voice connection is very clear, and I have no issues with volume levels. I have not tried the speakerphone yet, but the music from the speakers is loud and clear, so I image the speakerphone will follow suit.
Ergonomics: This of course has to do with me, my past phone experience, and my usage, so you can take it all with a grain of salt if you choose. I find the lack of any physical key an issue because unlocking a phone with just one unlock key on the top makes the act a two-hand process, especially since the unlock button is on the right side and I am right handed. I have to hold the phone with one hand and hit the button with the other. (I can do it one-handed easily with my left hand, but as I am right-handed this is not my natural predilection.) This also has to do with the size of the phone, which is quite a bit bigger than my last. That being said, all the capacitive buttons are clearly separated and easy to reach with one hand, so one-hand use is still possible. Next, I find the top edge of the phone where the speaker is very sharp, which, when pressing the earpiece against my ear, can become uncomfortable. I don't need to press it since the sound is plenty loud, but old habits die hard, and I find myself having to remember to pull it away or trying to reposition it a bit. It would have been nice to see the top of the phone rounded as beautifully as the sides!
Software: For me, Vanilla Android was one of the biggest sellers on this phone. I've been running a rooted and 2.2 rom'ed CliqXT for a while, and seeing how a non-skinned version of Android could run on even sub-par hardware really made me glad that this phone came out without any LG overlays. Again, I know that many will wait for the Sensation and will be very happy with Sense 3, but for me, Vanilla is good. I can put flare and function on my home screen with Fancy Widget and I customize my unlock screen with Widget Locker, and after that I am good to go! T-Mobile does pre-install a bunch of bloatware that is CONSTANTLY open, so I am really excited for someone to post root procedures for this phone. One great example is two different programs to help me find apps - as if the internet, app store (Google or Amazon), and Tegra Zone weren't enough. Programs like that just don't make sense.
Battery Life: What can I say? I run the phone hard and the battery dies. I turn stuff off, and it lasts longer. I would say that MY average usage (constant email checking by the phone, sending some texts, a few twitter posts, 30 min on the phone w/o bluetooth, a few minutes of gaming, and looking up info for a movie and dinner date) shouldn't run you dry in less than a day. Streaming from Amazon Cloud or sitting playing Dungeon Defenders for a hour, however, is probably going to have you reaching for the power cord by dinner time or earlier (esp. for the latter).
Overall, I am happy with my first three days with the phone. If you are up for a full upgrade, I don't think you can go wrong unless the Sensation's upped ram and resolution is to good to pass up. I will post a reply/edit if something major happens, but I think that this phone is well made and will last. I had VERY high hopes for this phone, and I have not been disappointed with my brief time with it.14 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fatal hardware and software flaws
by rescuetruth on July 15, 2011
Pros: - One of the fastest phones, if not the fastest
- Large screen
- Amazing specs on paperCons: - Random reboots
- Scrolling, Angry Birds laggy
- Screen goes black, requiring battery to be removed
- Random battery drainageSummary: The G2x is a phone with great potential, but it is serious, fatal flaws. On paper, it's one of the best phones out there, but all of its problems ...
Summary: The G2x is a phone with great potential, but it is serious, fatal flaws. On paper, it's one of the best phones out there, but all of its problems make it impossible to judge positively. According to multiple T-Mobile representatives (and LG apparently), the phone has been discontinuing, citing hardware AND software issues as the culprits. Unfortunately, I must recommend against buying the G2x.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Crap crap and more crap.
by joappleseed1981 on June 24, 2011
Pros: It sometimes works as a phone.
Cons: T-Mobile tells me the screen is a defect and LG knows about it and is attempting to fix it. Then LG tells me that it isn't an issue and that they won't fix it. Then T-Mobile tells me they will exchange it for another and wave the fee. Then when I go to
Summary: I've had it with this phone. After 4 of them all with varying degrees of screen bleed, 1 that would freeze, and 1 that would drop signal and give ...
Summary: I've had it with this phone. After 4 of them all with varying degrees of screen bleed, 1 that would freeze, and 1 that would drop signal and give me random sim errors I hope LG rots. They don't honor their warranty and even though T-Mobile told me it is an issue they still ship out phones that don't work. Buyer beware. If you don't think so then buy the phone and roll the dice.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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T-Mobile has crippled the Wifi function.
by KennyBunkport on June 3, 2011
Pros: Nice phone, nice screen, fast CPU
Cons: T-Mobile has crippled WiFi function
Summary: The WiFi problem discussed in several other forums.
There is a bug in the DNS stack that causes Wifi to stop working when T-mobile's data service is off.
T-Mobile ...Summary: The WiFi problem discussed in several other forums.
There is a bug in the DNS stack that causes Wifi to stop working when T-mobile's data service is off.
T-Mobile has known about this for 5 weeks now, and is unable or unwilling to fix it.
DO NOT BUY this phone if you want to use WiFi without a data plan from T-Moble.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Bleeding Light to Random Long Vibrations & Shutdowns
by AB2112 on May 25, 2011
Pros: Fast UI that is it
Cons: Data connection is more miss than hit.
Summary: All pros and cons aside I am pretty upset that my $500 phone might get recalled.
Summary: All pros and cons aside I am pretty upset that my $500 phone might get recalled.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Big Disapointment, Too many flaws and quirks
by gr8minds123 on May 18, 2011
Pros: I went to this phone from a mytouch 4g and I thought it was the next best thing until I got my hands on it and realized that LG has a long way to go. We all know about the PROS of this phone (Dual core cpu, hdmi port, 1080p camera, etc etc.) I will only l
Cons: 1. Phone has a charging issue and turns off automatically and won't turn on until you take the battery out. Big software issue.
2. No accessories except a charger. No HDMI cable, headset or SD card. For a $500 phone I'd expect more.
3. Camera flash is wSummary: These are the main flaws of this phone that I pointed out. I returned it and am sticking with the MT4g until the HTC Sensation comes out which should be ...
Summary: These are the main flaws of this phone that I pointed out. I returned it and am sticking with the MT4g until the HTC Sensation comes out which should be in June. I highly suggest not buying this phone but you've been warned if you decide to try it.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Review is incorrect, G2x supports up to 42Mbps speeds
by mpinsk on April 17, 2011
Pros: The video and text reviews incorrectly state the G2x supports up to 14Mbps theoretical maximum download speeds, but in actuality it supports T-Mobile's latest HSPA+ upgrade to 42Mbps theoretical maximum download speeds. This upgrade is only in 3 cities r
Cons: I wish it had 1GB of RAM rather than 512MB, and 16GB of internal memory instead of just 8. Also I hope some accessories like a desktop dock come out soon.
Summary: This is the best Android phone on the market right now. Of course it wil be out-spec-ed in no-time, but the fact that it's not locked down, has AT&#...
Summary: This is the best Android phone on the market right now. Of course it wil be out-spec-ed in no-time, but the fact that it's not locked down, has AT&T bands, and it runs plain Android without all of the manufacturer skins to slow it down, means this will be a good future-proof phone for the tech savvy.
I stand corrected. There were conflicting reports, but indeed the G2x only supports 14.4Mbps.
Updated on Apr 20, 20113 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best High End Smartphone on T-mobile
by mole96 on May 5, 2011
Pros: The phone is incredibly fast and responsive. Having upgraded from T-Mobile's Mytouch 3G the G2X blows it out of the water. Plus, with stock android the chances of the G2X constantly being updated with official releases is that much greater. The ability to
Cons: I have to agree with other reviewers that the lack of an led indicator is a major drawback. Not having such a small, helpful indicator makes no sense to me. Especially in a device that is supposed to be T-mobile's flagship high-end device (at least until
Summary: Overall this is the best phone on T-Mobile, at least until the HTC Sensation is launched in June. However, if you are looking for stock android on an extremely fast ...
Summary: Overall this is the best phone on T-Mobile, at least until the HTC Sensation is launched in June. However, if you are looking for stock android on an extremely fast device look no further!
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This phone is a GODSEND!! lol
by tyegibbs333 on April 21, 2011
Pros: Battery Life, Speed, Touchscreen Responsiveness, Performance, Features, Graphics, Dual Core Processor, HDMI Port, Two Stereo Speakers, 8M Camera w/flash.
Cons: No LED Notification.
Summary: Simply amazing phone, came just in time for my upgrade. I actually learned about this phone two days after it went on sale only on the tmobile website. I saw ...
Summary: Simply amazing phone, came just in time for my upgrade. I actually learned about this phone two days after it went on sale only on the tmobile website. I saw this phones online and was greatly excited about the listed features it comes with. The display is great, and it has a lot of great features going for it. The only thing I wish it had was LED notification - really isn't a deal breaker when you have a phone with all these nice features. LED notifications have made phone buyers kind of lazy to say the least. I've seen in other reviews on other websites (*cough* engadget) about this phone not having a good responsive touchscreen. THEY ARE COMPLETELY WRONG! The touchscreen is very responsive to me. I've heard complaints about the brightness too (*cough* x2 engadget)..also wrong. I highly recommend getting this phone. It's really fast and responsive, no hesistations on closing and opening apps...they're always ready when I need/don't need them.
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Will not recommend to anyone.
by Energy12100 on March 30, 2012
Pros: Great processor, HD functions (when they work) and camera.
Cons: I ordered 2 phones in a family plan & have several of the same issues of freezing and shutting off on its own w/both cells. We received replacement phones and the new ones continued to do the same thing. I read on line and it seems several people are
Summary: Stay away from this cell. The cons outweigh the pros... there are too many cells out there that can be a better buy.
Summary: Stay away from this cell. The cons outweigh the pros... there are too many cells out there that can be a better buy.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: LG
- Part number: 2001834
- Bottom Line: The T-Mobile G2x's simple Android interface, blazingly fast speeds, and polished look make it the phone to beat in T-Mobile's lineup.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Phone Design PDA
- Width 2.5 in
- Depth 0.4 in
- Height 4.9 in
- Weight 4.8 oz
Cellular
- Technology GSM / UMTS
- Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) / UMTS 850/1900/2100 (Tri-band)
- Service Provider T-Mobile
- Operating System Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Messaging & Internet
- Messaging & Data Features Text messages,
Picture messages,
E-Mail
Communications
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories USB cable,
Battery,
desktop charger
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse LG products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:LG
- Address:
1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
