LG Revolution Review

LG Revolution makes it mark as the first Android smartphone which is pre-loaded with Netflix app which allows users to watch movies and TV shows on the handset’s big and vibrant 4.3 inch screen. Coupled with this, the built in 4G LTE allows you to enjoy videos and movies on Verizon’s network. But the phone has to compete with other Verizon 4G smartphones like HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Droid Charge. So is Revolution really capable of creating a revolution in the smartphone segment? Check out our exclusive LG Revolution review to know what the phone has in store for you.

Verizon LG Revolution Looks And Feel

The first thing which you will notice about this smartphone is its large size. With dimensions standing at 128×67x13.2 mm the phone is quite big and bulky as compared to Thunderbolt. At the same time it is very bulky weighing 176 grams. It is made entirely out of plastic with a soft matte back cover. It is a clean looking phone and the silver strip running down the middle of the device gives it an elegant look. If you happen to have small palm, then you can face some problems gripping the phone. But nevertheless, Revolution is a sturdy phone with a solid feel.

LG Revolution Verizon Display

Similar to other Verizon 4G handsets, Revolution features a 4.3 inches display which produces 16M colors of 480×800 pixels. Though the screen may not be AMOLED in nature, it is capable of producing sharp and stunning visual with high contrast and nice colors. We were also glad to find that in direct sunlight too, the legibility of the screen does not suffer and we were able to read the text quite well. Viewing angles were also quite good, though at extreme angles, colors got a bit washed away.

Below the display, you get touch sensitive Android buttons while on the right hand side, you get microUSB and HDMI port. Both the ports are covered by a flap which gives the phone a cleaner look. The power button and the headphone jack sits on the top of the phone.

LG Revolution 4G Apps

Apart from Facebook and Twitter applications, you will also find several news and finance apps in the phone which are powered by Yahoo. With Smartshare app, you can stream media content wirelessly to DLNA devices compatible with the phone. Verizon too has bundled the phone with its own applications such as:

• VZ Navigator
• V Cast Media Manager
• V Cast Apps Store

Some of the other apps which you will find in the phone are as follows

• Google Search
• Maps
• Gmail
• Google Talk
• Document Viewer
• Image Editor

With the help of Youtube app, you can stream Youtube videos in your phone. There are several entertainment and music apps in the phone such as Bitbop, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3 app, Google Music etc. At the same time, you can download several apps of your choice from the Android market.

LG Revolution Keyboard

The phone is equipped with a virtual QWERTY keyboard, the keys of which are large facilitating messaging and typing. The keys gave us good tactile feedback but somewhere we felt that keyboard lacked the class of HTC’s Sense keyboard. We failed to get quick access to certain numbers and punctuations. There is also an alternative Swype keyboard which has quite a spacious layout. One can also download other alternative keyboard from the Android market.

LG Revolution Phone Features

First let us talk about the OS of LG Revolution. The phone runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo) which can be upgraded to 2.3 (Gingerbread). One of the main features of LG Revolution is that it is the first phone in the USA which is equipped with pre-loaded Netflix app. With the help of this application, users can stream movies and TV shows for approximately $ 8. With LG Revolution HDMI port you can output Netflix to a TV, but the quality will not be that good. The phone comes in with seven customizable home-screens and we were quite impressed with the social networking widget which allows you to toggle between Twitter and Facebook updates. You also get a media widget with the help of which you can directly jump in photo gallery or music.

The 16GB included card slot allows you to store a large amount of data, photos, videos and contacts and the memory can be increased to 32GB. Though there is nothing too revolutionary about the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8655 processor, but it was very responsive and offered quick performance. We were able to scroll down the home-screen quite well and there were very few occasions where we experienced a delay. With Verizon’s Mobile IM, you get instant access to messaging services such as Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live Messenger etc.

LG Revolution Camera Quality

Revolution is accompanied by twin cameras. While the rear camera is of 5MP, LG Revolution’s front facing camera is of 1.3MP. The rear camera is capable of taking sharp and colorful pictures but the autofocus was a bit slow to work. The camera is equipped with LED flash which helped to click photos in the dark and the camera interface is quite nice to touch.

While we browsed through the camera menu we found that it supports both manual and automatic focus. The lack of dedicated shutter key however disappointed us. Though the images captured were quite vibrant, in some cases we found that it lacked enough details. Macros shots were quite effectively handled and overall the camera perfromance is quite decent. With the help of the image editor integrated with photo application, you can crop, rotate and add filters to the image.

LG Revolution Video Quality

The camera is capable of recording 720p videos which looked pretty smooth. While we played those videos on our TV, we found that there are enough fine details. Most of the Android handsets fail to capture good 720p videos, but thankfully Revolution did a fine job in capturing some nice videos.

LG Revolution Connectivity

One of the best things which we liked about Revolution is its ability to load quick web pages, because of its 4G LTE connectivity. The phone is support for both 2G, 3G and 4G network alongside with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot. You also have Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and EDR profile for local connectivity and you also get 4G mobile hotspot functionality. The inclusion of 3.5mm audio jack completes the overall connectivity tally of Revolution.

LG Revolution Multimedia

The music player in Revolution is same as that of LG Optimus 2X and Black. When you flip the phone in the landscape mode you get 3D like display of the media library. We were disappointed to find that there is no FM radio in the phone. The video player did a very good job and most of the videos played were quite smooth and offered smooth frame rates.

LG Revolution Battery Life

In our battery test, the battery of Revolution lasted for above 5 hours over 4G. But battery life of any device depends upon various factors and under different circumstances users might get different battery life.

LG Revolution Accessories

During unboxing we found LG Revolution to be packed with the following accessories

• LG Revolution
• 16GB microSD card
• MicroUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• User Guide
• Product Safety & Warranty Brochure

Download LG Revolution manual.

Verizon LG Revolution Release Date

LG Revolution release has taken place sometimes in May 2011. The device is not a GSM device and hence it will not work on GSM network worldwide.

LG Revolution Vs HTC Thunderbolt

One of the greatest competitors for LG Revolution is HTC Thunderbolt. Both these 4G LTE devices boasts of candy-bar form factor, though Thunderbolt is slightly lighter than Revolution. While Revolution weighs 172 grams, Thunderbolt weighs 164 grams. Both the phones have similar number of ports, but presence of HDMI output port gives Revolution a bit of edge over HTC Thunderbolt. When it comes to interface then it is Thunderbolt which steals the show. While Revolution runs on Optimus 2.0 UI, Thunderbolt runs on HTC Sense UI which offers a larger selection of widgets. There are marginal speed differences between both the devices when it comes to 4G data speeds.

While we got 6.96Mbps download speed on Revolution, we got 8.90Mbps download speed on Thunderbolt. Upload speed were between 4-5Mbps. The major area of difference between Revolution and Thunderbolt is camera. While Revolution is equipped with a 5MP single Flash camera, Thunderbolt is equipped with an 8MP dual LED flash camera which makes picture quality of Thunderbolt better than that of Revolution. So all in all, Thunderbolt offers superior features than Revolution. However, Revolution too scores in some areas and hence choosing between them, is a difficult task.

LG Revolution Price

At a two year contract, Revolution is available for approximately $ 250.

Undoubtedly, LG Revolution is a solid 4G LTE smartphone, but to establish itself in the big league, it will face some uphill tasks. The challenge will particularly come from HTC Thunderbolt. So if you are planning to purchase it, decide carefully, check the pros and cons with Thunderbolt and then make a choice.