Sprint Optimus G First Impressions

[Toadie]

Hi all,

Brand new to the forums but have been browsing the past few weeks following the Nexus 4 launch. Being on Sprint, and not wanting to take the plunge to TMO or ATT because of my excellent plan/deal on Sprint, I decided to get the Optimus G (OG). My heart really wanted the Nexus 4, and I was going back and forth for awhile about it.

First impressions coming from the original Evo 4g:
The screen is extremely impressive. I was not sure about the size of it at first hating how all these new phones are so large. But now after using it for a day, I think the size is perfect. I wouldn't consider the GS3 because of how large the damn screen is.

Next, the phone is really light and thin, surprisingly so. I can see how people think the phone isn't well made because it doesn't have the brick feel of an iphone 4s and whatnot. But it's quite the opposite, the glass on both sides is excellent and well made, maybe a thinner quality glass? An insanely beautiful phone. Colors, like reds are really rich and deep.

ICS runs snappy of course. Hopefully we get JB, 4.2 that is, soon. The LG UI overlay is actually fairly nice. I prefer it to the HTC overlay. I have never rooted a phone before, but hopefully soon I will if that means I can run stock JB on this phone?

I have had no issues with the screen turning off/on or anything like some have complained about. The phone downloaded a software update immediately, which apparently addressed these issues.

Overall, I am absolutely impressed with the device, and am proud to be rocking the new LG phone. I haven't had it long enough to note the battery life, but I put it into eco mode for today to see how it lasts.

My initial plan was to test it out for the 14 day trial period, and maybe bail for the N4 on TMO, but that plan was abandoned within minutes of using the OG. Sure I will always want a N4 and be jealous of those that do, but for those in my kind of situation, hopefully this thread will make you really consider the OG.

 

[privet]

I also just recently got the Optimus G. I think it's a great phone hardware wise, and there's no lag whatsoever, but on the software side it's a bit lacking for me. I am coming from a One V, and I personally prefer Sense 4.0 to LG's UI. The Optimus UI feels much less cohesive than Sense, and it in general seems more like a work in progress. I've also run into a number of minor issues, such as an intermittent delayed response with touch feedback on the screen. And, on a very nit-picky note, I wish the auto-brightness was smarter. I'm constantly going in and out of buildings during the day and it's been getting very frustrating that the screen doesn't keep up with the changing environments as well as the One V's did. Also, the email app is mediocre compared to HTC's, which is a problem for me since I use four different Exchange emails, and there is a surprising dearth of good email apps in the Play Store.

For these reasons, I'm considering exchanging it for an EVO 4G LTE. It's definitely LG's best phone yet, but I'm disappointed in the software (and I have no desire to root).

 

[andyacecandy]

Thanks for this write-up!

I'm actually considering trading in my Samsung GS3 for the Optimus G... I know, call me crazy

I am just kind of turned off with the hardware/build quality of the GS3. I played with the Optimus G and it look and feels A LOT more premium.

As far as UI goes, I'd just be using Nova Prime Launcher anyway... so no big deal. Auto brightness isn't a concern with me.

I wish it came in white! I bet it will come out later though.. kinda like how they did in Korea with multiple colors.

My real concerns are its lack of exposure... especially when compared to the GS3. No phone cases, accessories, and possible a lack of software support. Also, I think the GS3 will have better resell value in 2013 than the Optimus G, which says a lot about its prominence in the market. I say that because I'll probably be trading in sometime in 2013 for the next newest and brightest phone.
I'm really on the fence with this because I do love the GS3, it does everything I'd want in a phone... but I did play with the Optimus G and loved how it felt and it was VERY quick/snappy/impressive. I have time though, so no real rush.

 

[mouettte641]

Since you own the device, could you test the notification light for me?

Can you get the light in the front like in this video or is the notification LED only around the Power button like I see in the reviews?

Notification LEDs on LG Optimus G - YouTube


If you can get it to work, could you test if the LightFlow app works with it? Thanks.

 

[Toadie]

Since you own the device, could you test the notification light for me?

Can you get the light in the front like in this video or is the notification LED only around the Power button like I see in the reviews?

Notification LEDs on LG Optimus G - YouTube


If you can get it to work, could you test if the LightFlow app works with it? Thanks.

The notification light is on the front of the phone, like in the video, right beside the front facing camera.

I downloaded the lite version of that app to try it out, and the only color I could get to show was green. Keep in mind I have never used this app before and did not play with the app for more than a few mins.

Hope that helps!?

 

[Toadie]

I also just recently got the Optimus G. I think it's a great phone hardware wise, and there's no lag whatsoever, but on the software side it's a bit lacking for me. I am coming from a One V, and I personally prefer Sense 4.0 to LG's UI. The Optimus UI feels much less cohesive than Sense, and it in general seems more like a work in progress. I've also run into a number of minor issues, such as an intermittent delayed response with touch feedback on the screen. And, on a very nit-picky note, I wish the auto-brightness was smarter. I'm constantly going in and out of buildings during the day and it's been getting very frustrating that the screen doesn't keep up with the changing environments as well as the One V's did. Also, the email app is mediocre compared to HTC's, which is a problem for me since I use four different Exchange emails, and there is a surprising dearth of good email apps in the Play Store.

For these reasons, I'm considering exchanging it for an EVO 4G LTE. It's definitely LG's best phone yet, but I'm disappointed in the software (and I have no desire to root).

I agree, the auto-brightness is a bit off, but it takes some messing around with and I'm getting it down. I like how you can set auto-brightness, but then set a base brightness percentage. Maybe play around with the base % more?

I've tried setting base % to 50, and also 60, with much luck. But I use the phone mostly indoors and I find it to be very bright.

Update on the battery - Mine died yesterday after being on for 13 hours. It was it's first full day out, so I expect the battery to be a bit weak at first. But I did play with the phone a lot, at least a few hours of direct use, also messing with 3g and even some 4g lte here in Los Angeles that creeps up every now and then.

 

[Toadie]

General Update

After my first day of use, I am definitely sticking with this phone on Sprint.

My one minor complaint so far is there is no option to use the swype keyboard. The stock keyboard is an LG keyboard, that uses swype functions (tracing through words). However, it doesn't work as well as regular swype on my old Evo, but maybe it will get better as it learns my dictionary/typing style?

I tried downloading swiftkey, but quickly realized it doesn't have the tracing function (or couldn't find it).

The phone is great to hold. I will be rocking it naked (the phone that is) for sure. I'm not a big case guy, it's like putting plastic on your couch, the phone was meant to be touched!

 

[andyacecandy]

General Update

After my first day of use, I am definitely sticking with this phone on Sprint.

My one minor complaint so far is there is no option to use the swype keyboard. The stock keyboard is an LG keyboard, that uses swype functions (tracing through words). However, it doesn't work as well as regular swype on my old Evo, but maybe it will get better as it learns my dictionary/typing style?

I tried downloading swiftkey, but quickly realized it doesn't have the tracing function (or couldn't find it).

The phone is great to hold. I will be rocking it naked (the phone that is) for sure. I'm not a big case guy, it's like putting plastic on your couch, the phone was meant to be touched!

On a related note, I'm assuming you can install Nove Prime Launcher? I wouldn't be able to get rid of all my gestures I've come to love

 

[privet]

I agree, the auto-brightness is a bit off, but it takes some messing around with and I'm getting it down. I like how you can set auto-brightness, but then set a base brightness percentage. Maybe play around with the base % more?

I've tried setting base % to 50, and also 60, with much luck. But I use the phone mostly indoors and I find it to be very bright.

Update on the battery - Mine died yesterday after being on for 13 hours. It was it's first full day out, so I expect the battery to be a bit weak at first. But I did play with the phone a lot, at least a few hours of direct use, also messing with 3g and even some 4g lte here in Los Angeles that creeps up every now and then.

I keep the base brightness at 65%, since that's fine indoors, but it usually adjusts it too low when I'm outside.

My battery life has been alright thus far. Standby or activity on 3G drains it quicker than I expected, but it's nothing unreasonable.

I tried Light Flow as well and had a similar issue, where the notification light just remained in its default green.

I was able to install Apex and Nova without any issues to speak of, though I didn't mess around with them long before uninstalling.

 

[privet]

I have noticed a pretty big issue; this phone gets really hot. I haven't done anything more processor intensive than 3G browsing, but that alone makes the phone quite warm. This would be nothing more than a minor niggle except for the fact that the phone will stop you from adjusting the screen brightness above a certain level. I've attached two screenshots to show this.

In the twenty minutes between the first and second screenshots, the phone was accessing the network only intermittently. I wasn't actively running any apps in the background. Also, aside from when I tried adjusting up the brightness, the screen was only at 65%. Closing all recent apps from the multitasking menu seems to solve the issue temporarily, at least until the phone is used in a mildly intensive way once again.

PC Mag had this same issue when reviewing the phone, but since no other reviewers noted it I assumed it was just an issue with their device.

 

[Colonel Travis]

My one minor complaint so far is there is no option to use the swype keyboard. The stock keyboard is an LG keyboard, that uses swype functions (tracing through words). However, it doesn't work as well as regular swype on my old Evo, but maybe it will get better as it learns my dictionary/typing style?

Why don't you just download Swype?

 

[Colonel Travis]

I have noticed a pretty big issue; this phone gets really hot.

I've also read this but haven't experienced it. Are you using Eco Mode?

 

[BigCiX]

Best Buy has this phone for $99. I think that's a great deal for a superphone like this one.

 

[Toadie]

Why don't you just download Swype?

Thanks, didn't know I could download it outside the Play Store. Couldn't find the swype app there.

Although the lg keyboard is getting better over time, which is nice.

 

[Toadie]

I've also read this but haven't experienced it. Are you using Eco Mode?

Interesting, I haven't run into this issue yet. The screen does get a bit warm with extended use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am in ECO mode only. I see no reason to not be in ECO mode unless you are running an intense game or something. The phone feels just as fast in ECO as it does out of ECO.

I would like to know the difference between the two modes, because the explanation given isn't very good.

 

[andyacecandy]

Have had the phone for a full day now (switched from my GS3) and I absolutely love the speed and quickness. Everything is INSTANT. I never really thought the GS3 had lag or anything until I used this phone.

The camera and battery life are on par if not a little better IMO. I'm no photographer though, so all those little details and stuff don't bother me. Will need a little longer to get a final conclusion on battery life but so far so good.

I'm really impressed. Too bad it's not a very popular phone. I hope it gets the software support it deserves. The build quality is great and trumps the GS3 IMO. It feels and looks more premium.

No SD slot is not an issue for me. I'm wondering though about the battery. I see 2 screws at the bottom. If I really wanted to replace it or take it out, would I just need to unscrew these to take off the back?

 

[Colonel Travis]

Thanks, didn't know I could download it outside the Play Store. Couldn't find the swype app there.

Yeah, unfortunately Swype is an OEM exclusive right now, which means if it's not already installed on your phone you can't download it from GP. Wonder if that kind of agreement will ever change, or why Swype agreed to that. Either they know that guaranteed $ up front from a manufacturer is better than hopeful $ from a user, or they think they know. Who knows.

 

[privet]

I've also read this but haven't experienced it. Are you using Eco Mode?

Interesting, I haven't run into this issue yet. The screen does get a bit warm with extended use, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am in ECO mode only. I see no reason to not be in ECO mode unless you are running an intense game or something. The phone feels just as fast in ECO as it does out of ECO.

I would like to know the difference between the two modes, because the explanation given isn't very good.

I have not used Eco Mode for more than a few hours, but I'm assuming it would help the issue. That being said, handicapping the phone is a pretty inelegant solution to this. The brightness issue isn't too big of a deal, I'm more concerned with what it says for the long-term durability of the phone.

I assumed Eco Mode just cut off two of the processor cores, but looking at the definition in the manual I'm also not clear exactly what it does, at it seems to imply that the phone will reactivate the extra two cores if necessary.

 

[Colonel Travis]

privet - I watched a LG guy demo the phone for a while and he said that Eco Mode makes the phone just use 2 cores. If you've got something intensive like a game, movie, controlling a TV with SmartShare, turn off Eco Mode and use all 4. But if you're gonna be away from a charger for a while, and all you're doing is talking, texting, looking up some stuff online it's not gonna handicap you. There is a benchmark difference between 2 and 4 cores, but a human being cannot notice any difference for the small tasks - except that it saves your battery life. Actually, I haven't tried GPS with 2 and 4 cores to see if there's a difference, will do that this Thanksgiving weekend in the car.

 

[privet]

andyacecandy, I'm curious to know more on what your thoughts are on the SIII vs the OG. I'm considering pulling the trigger on the SIII on Friday, when Sprint will be offering it for $50 (as I'll still be within the 14 day window). I think the OG is a great phone, but I keep running into more and more software niggles that I'm sure won't bother the vast majority of people, but are ticking at my OCD the more I use the phone. I've used the SIII before and like TouchWiz, but I'm put off by the dimmer AMOLED display. Of course, having an extra $115 sweetens the deal a bit.

 

[Colonel Travis]

I'm put off by the dimmer AMOLED display.

Not to speak for andyacecandy, but I wanted to say that my wife was gonna get the SG3 instead of the OG, but when we went to the Sprint store the display had really bad screen burn. Staus bar at the top and also a big brown-grayish ghost rectangle in the middle. You could only see it when the screen was white but man it was annoying. That's what really turns me off with amoled displays. I don't like that they're a bit on the blue side and not as bright as, say, True HD IPS on the OG, but I could live with that. Those two things combined, even though the burn-in does not appear to happen with every amoled display, was enough of a No for that phone.

Some SG3 reviewer on YouTube had the status bar burned in after a ridiculously short time - like a week or two weeks. That was obviously from a bad batch, but now that it's been out for half a year, I'm reading more people seeing it. Not a ton but enough, like I said, to not want to bother.

 

[andyacecandy]

Edit: started a new thread on my impressions after owning the phone for a week and switching from the GS3