LG Optimus Elite Prepaid Android Phone (Virgin Mobile): Cell Phones & Accessories
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Product Description
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![Motorola TRIUMPH](https://i0.wp.com/g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/B0082DP778mainSM.jpg)
The LG Optimus Elite is a great-looking device is loaded with powerful features. Experience Android on a large 3.5″ screen, tap to pay with Google Wallet, and choose from hundreds of thousands of apps in Google Play. All that, combined with Unlimited Data & Messaging, puts the Optimus Elite a cut above the common smartphone.
With the 3.5 inch touch screen, you can glide though menus and websites and pinch and zoom while your looking at photos or surfing the web. The 5 MP camera with LED flash allows you to snap and share pictures from your phone. Through Polaris Viewer you can view lots of different file types on your phone such as Microsoft Office and PDFs.
Key Features
- 3.5” Capacitive Touchscreen
- Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
- 5MP Camera, LED Flash and Video Capture
- Android Market for all the latest applications
- Bluetooth Firmware Version 4.69
- 800 MHz Processor
- EVDO Rev A and WiFi
- Google Android browser
- 3.5 mm Headset Jack
- NFC Capable (Google Wallet)
- External Memory: up to 32 GB
Vital Statistics
The LG Optimus Elite weighs 4.25 ounces and measures 4.5 x 2.47 x 0.39 inches. Its 1520 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 7.2 hours of talk time, and up to 10.5 days of standby time.
What’s in the Box
LG Optimus Elite handset, 1520 mAh li-ion battery, USB cable, and cordless AC adapter.
Android Gingerbread Operating System
![Android Gingerbread](https://i0.wp.com/g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/wireless-feat-android-logo-gingerbread-sm.jpg)
The LG Optimus Elite runs the Android 2.3 operating system (dubbed Gingerbread)–the fastest version of Android available for smartphones yet. It features a cleaner, more refined interface with new icons, improved top notification bar, and more intuitive navigation.
Multitasking in Gingerbread allows you the ability to run more than one app at a time. If you’re playing a game, you can easily switch to an incoming e-mail and then switch back to the game without losing your place. And like the previous version of Android (“Froyo”), Gingerbread provides support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for access to the full Web.
The onscreen keyboard makes it easier to type thanks to additional spacing between the keys and larger font sizes. And the more you use the keyboard, the easier typing will be as the enhanced suggest feature records previous input history to make better suggestions.
The Optimus Elite also brings one-touch access to the popular Google mobile services you use every day. It also provides easy access to both personal and corporate e-mail, calendars, and contacts supported by Exchange Server and Gmail. And through Android Market, you’ll get access to thousands of useful applications, widgets, and fun games to download and install on your phone, with many more apps being added every day.
Google Integration
- Android Market for browsing and downloading thousands of free and paid apps
- Pre-loaded Android apps: Browser, Calculator, Calendar (Google or Corporate), Camera, Clock, Contacts, Email, Gallery, Messaging, Music, News & Weather, Phone, Settings, Video Player, Voice Dialer, Voice Search, YouTube
- Google applications: Gmail, Google Search, Google Voice Search, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Google Places, Google Talk
- Google Maps Navigation with spoken turn-by-turn directions showing real-time traffic and 360° views of the destination
Virgin Mobile Prepaid Pricing
With Virgin Mobile, you can pay only for the calling time you use. You can choose a monthly Beyond Talk plan with unlimited data and messaging and just the right amount of talk minutes for your needs.
![Beyond Talk](https://i0.wp.com/g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/virginmobile-prepaid-chart-beyondtalk-q311.gif)
Beyond Talk Unlimited Plans
Virgin Mobile customers have access to the Sprint Nationwide Network, reaching more than 278 million people across the United States (see a map of Virgin Mobile’s coverage area).
Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), also known as CMAS, is a part of a national alerting system called IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) that enables emergency management officials to rapidly disseminate the warnings and safety information via text alerts to wireless phones based on the phones’ geographic location. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is responsible for receiving the alerting information and forwarding the alerts to participating wireless carriers such as Sprint. Such alerts may come from the President of the United States; the National Weather Service, state or county public safety officials. This system is integrated into the same national alerting services that serve television and radio today.
By J. W.
1.Bigger screen-More noticeable than I expected, since it’s only .3 inch larger on paper. Typing is slightly better, but still difficult in portrait mode. Feels more colorful and vibrant, but that could be just me(maybe I’m under “my phone’s new wohoo” hallucination mode). Resolution is same as V.
2.Better processor/OS-200Mhz higher and gingerbread 2.3(OV is 2.2). Lot less lags in apps. Can handle desktop websites better(with some lags) with flash(Wifi recommended). Autoswitching between landscape and portrait is lot faster than V, so I actually turned it on unlike V. Big improvement in video playback. I didn’t need to download additional codecs to play unconverted videos.
3.Flash support-Phone’s not powerful enough to handle big sites like dailyshow/colbert/etc in high resolutions(frozen video with audios only), but it managed to handle South Park, videogame sites, etc. Recommended on Wifi connection only.
4.Slimmer design-Expected it to be no big deal for me, but once I held it I can definitely feel the slimness of it compare to V.
5.Better camera-5 megapixel vs 3, with LED flash support. Flash is bright enough to take good pictures in dark settings(in-doors anyway), and camera autofocuses during the camera mode(or you can focus manually by touching the screen). V autofocused after pressing the shutter button, so Elite takes pictures 3~ times faster. It’s almost instantaneous. Also has micro mirror for self-portrait.
6.Bigger storage for apps- 900mb~ solely for apps. Even more space if you move your apps(apps that support app2SD).
7.Better/louder sound-Sound is coming out of the speaker where you listen in phone conversation(I don’t know what it’s called. Earspeaker?). It’s louder, and more importantly(for me anyway), you can listen to music while the phone is facing up. OV’s sound output was on the rear side, so often times, I either put V facedown or leaned it somewhere to hear it in full volume. No more with Elite.
8.GPS-Locates me faster than V. Google Map is way smoother than V.
9.Supports more 3D games-They’re on PlayStore. Haven’t tested them since I don’t care for them, but they’re there unlike V.
10.Faster MicroSD speed-Loads up pictures and videos way faster than V.
11.NFC support-Paypass creditcard. It might come in handy if I forget my wallet at home, but not many stores actually have Paypass. I’ve seen some at Mcdonald and gas stations.
Cons
1.Shorter battery life-This may be YMMV, possibly depending on what apps you downloaded. I’m using mostly the same apps I used on V, and battery life seems 1.5/2 times worse on Elite. Without JuiceDefender, Elite sucks up 3-6% per hour during standby. V usually used up 10~% per hour with 3g/wifi, while Elite is using 15-20% per hour. Now I’m using Elite with JD, and everything turned off(even location data and background data).
2.No tethering. Don’t download any tethering apps/widgets. There have been reports that phone will give permanent data error, forcing users to reset the phone via Virgin Mobile customer service. V supported apps like Foxfi(which I will miss since I comboed it with my tablet).
3.Volume buttons-Twice smaller than V, and they’re on opposite side. Hard to get used to.
4.3G doesn’t reconnect as fast as V, making JuiceDefender little annoying to use. Maybe I wasn’t getting good reception. YMMV.
Neutrals
1.Speedtest-No noticeable difference. Typical Sprint speed. YMMV.
2.Physical design-Rear battery cover is plastic(V was rubberish), making it bit slippery to hold onto from time to time. This combined with front touch buttons(V was physical buttons), occasionally I end up touching the front buttons by accident. YMMV. Also, no dedicated camera button. Tiny mirror next to camera lense makes it easier for selfportrait picture, but no dedicated camera button found on V kind of cancels the mirror benefit.
3.Haven’t found a way to turn off shutter sound while taking pictures. Silent mode/media volume won’t do anything, so this is bad for those who want to take pictures without alerting others.
Final thoughts
Feels and performs like higher-end phone compare to V, right down to worse battery life. I honestly can’t recommend it to all Virgin Mobile users though because everyone’s in different situation. There are those who want to keep $25 grandfathered plan(which this phone doesn’t qualify anymore). There will be HTC Evo V/3D shortly, which has twice better specs at twice the cost. Sprint 4G/Wimax doesn’t have good coverage for those who are interested in upgrading to HTC Evo/$35 a month plan.
PS-English is my second language so go easy on the grammar please. This review was coming from nonrooter.
By Mogelijk
In terms of memory, the phone comes with roughly 900 MB of main memory that is free (compared to about 150 MB on the Optimus V). Additionally, about 2 GB of memory is in a separate “partition” that can be treated as if it is an SD card, including moving apps to it. While the phone does not come with a microSD card, there is a microSD card slot inside the back cover that can be used for even more storage.
While the specs for the phone report it is an 800 MHz processor, reports on the Internet (which I confirmed with my phone using Quadrant) is that currently the phone is shipping with a processor speed of 1 GHz, a nice upgrade.
In terms of connectivity, the phone seems to compare well with the Optimus V, receiving strong cell and data signals, as well as the GPS finding satellites quickly.
For the price, this phone is tough to beat; though those wanting a high end phone from Virgin Mobile will want the Evo 4G.
By StaticReign
Comparing to my previous phone, a Motorola Droid (original) –
The good –
– This phone is MUCH faster, you can tell when it’s responding to opening programs, obtaining GPS navigation directions, really in every aspect
– The phone’s speaker (speaker phone) offers amazing clarity for what it is.
– Since the speaker/speakerphone is so loud when it’s turned all the way up, it makes for a better alarm than the Droid
– The web (at least for me) is really quick to open, load – show search results, overall very pleased with browsing on this
– Voice dictation/recognition works AWESOME – I’d say even a bit better than the Moto Droid, which was really great with this
– The Battery seems to last longer, at least right now. Even after messing with the phone, apps, downloads, etc. for about an hour the battery was still near full.
– The phone’s VERY light – would could actually be a bad thing (I could picture myself dropping it a little easier)
Not so good –
– The texting portion is a bit harder on this than on the Moto Droid – there are some minor things, but – it’s also noted that most of these inconveniences will be overcome by using the phone more and getting more accustomed to it. (For example on the Droid, exclamation mark, question mark, period, comma, etc – would be offered after every ‘space’ in case you wanted to end a sentence.. This phone requires me to press and hold on one of the letters to get the same result). Not a huge deal, just slows me down a bit.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE – When I was activating this phone w/Virgin Mobile, I was offered insurance on the phone for $5 a month. They also mentioned the deductible would be 25 dollars, and I could redeem this twice a year. I am noting this because it’s CHEAPER than listed some places regarding Virgin mobile’s insurance.
For the price of the phone, and the plan – $50.00 a month for 1200 talk minutes, unlimited data and unlimited text – it’s hard to feel ‘taken’ – it’s a great feeling stepping away from the huge corporate “V”.
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