Stylish Smartphone with bright display and dark sides

Stylish Smartphone with bright display and dark sides

LG P970 Optimus Black Smartphone (10.2cm (4 inches) NOVA touchscreen, 5 MP camera, 9.2mm thin, Android 2.2, 3.5mm jack, Wifi, GPS) (Electronics)

Customer Review

The P970 is the first LG smartphone with the new NOVA display technology. LG promises the brightest ever seen before display with brilliant colors and contrasts, which is to be very energy efficient at the same time. Combined with the 1 GHz single-core CPU, 512MB of RAM and the 1500 mAh battery so can be suspect at still very good performance good battery life. With 9.2mm thickness and 109g weight it is also one of the thinnest and lightest smartphones in the world and has a very chic and simple look.

The key data so listen to advance extremely well received, but my first impressions / experiences with the device are not only positive. Below I would like my first impressions with the device, especially in direct comparison to only 270 expensive Motorola Defy (which I also own), describe:

POSITIVE:
========

- Large 4 ". Display with enormous brightness It's really very easy to read even in bright sunlight and crisp sharp Colors are as." To describe gaudy "Overall, the screen is extremely clear and vivid..

- The menu navigation is very fluid, felt a little smoother than on my Motorola Defy. I did however, as installed directly to GO Launcher also the Defy. This is my opinion (and the opinion of many others) is by far the best desktop for Android. The standard surface of P970 is too colorful, but the need to use non-yes.

- Design of the device is absolutely first class. It is very flat, chic and easy. In your pocket you will notice it almost not at all, because it is so thin and light. Sometimes I'd have to sympathize, if it really is in your pocket. Overall, a real eye-catcher. Most people who see it, think first it was an iPhone.

- Micro-USB port has a side sliding door, no rubber plug

- The camera is really very good in spite of 5MP. The images are even in low light pretty good and sharp. The flash is very bright, as well as party pictures succeed in dimming light. The photos are really much better than my Defy.

- Sufficient hardware performance. Complex 3D games such as Need For Speed ​​Shift run smoothly and also the internet browser is very fast. Rein to complain about nothing. Its limits, the device comes only in extremely expensive high-end 3D games such. B. Dungeon Hunters from Gameloft. Here and there a little choppy but still playable.

- Android 2.2 (Froyo) installed, update to 2.3 has been announced. About the advantages of Android I have to write much. Those who had once, comes from no longer happening. Countless apps in Android Market and complete freedom with the device. Both in terms of the design of the desktop as well as all programs used, file formats, SD card, etc. etc. Just complete freedom.

- The mechanical buttons on the unit (power button, volume rocker and G-button) are not rickety.

The perfect smartphone might think AAAAB Unfortunately there's also a few downsides:

NEGATIVE:
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- The housing is made entirely of plastic and creaks. The back of the case (battery cover) is similar no proper closure as the Defy, but simply snapped only one. By pressing on the sides of the case, it creaks easily and you can feel how the material yield minimal. It just does not so stable impression, as I would expect from a more than 400 expensive device. If you drop the unit, the back flap with safety flying off easily.
Hint: Easy one or more pieces of toilet paper / paper towel under the battery cover set (different places to try), so that the creaking can almost completely eliminate.

- The reception is comparatively poor. At work, I've been using the P970 only a maximum of two, but usually only one of 4 bar reception. The Defy I always 4 of 5 bar. Krasser difference. Edit: It is because the reception of the P970 deteriorated, when you hold it in a certain way in his hand. If one is down or holding it for calls to your ear, the receiver increases somewhat. This has been confirmed in several forums people. This becomes thus not so much noticeable when you make or if you eh very good reception has (at home I have for. B. generally full reception). So overall to get over, I think.

- The display is very bright and it has crisp colors, but the colors are unfortunately somewhat unnatural. So as if you take a picture and artificial colors attracts upwards, it also seems like a very slight sepia tinge (falls on selected images on). LG has in my opinion, an exaggeration to keep up with the blaze of color of Samsung's AMOLED displays to here. Particularly for photos with people on it's skin color sometimes looks unnatural reddish. The display of the Motorola Defy has not quite as crisp colors, however, do these visible natural and comfortable. Do not misunderstand, the display of the P970 is still very good, but with color fastness that has not much to do.

- Viewing-angle dependence and ANSI contrast of the display does not really knock my socks off. For images with dark / black image content can be seen even at slightly different angles, that the contrast of the dark image content (the bright remain unchanged) deteriorated. The contrasts go then flutes and filigree details / color gradations are swallowed. Strikes me especially when starting image of the game "Kingdoms Live". Here the display of the Defy shows visibly more details that simply swallowed the P970 display.

- The speaker is on the back, which is not exactly ideal, he sounds pretty tinny and is also not particularly loud. When Defy much better.

NEUTRAL:
========

- The hardware performance of the device, although perfectly adequate and the menu even felt minimal liquid than the Defy, however, the measured 3D performance is (with Quadrant Benchmark) "only" at the level of DEFYS, although the P970 200 MHz and more the faster Android 2.2 has. The reason is that the Defy has the better graphics unit. No real negative point but again remains the P970 a bit below my expectations.

- The voice quality is fine but not outstanding.

- The device is in my opinion not very good in the hand. Since it is relatively broad and to the sides is very thin and smooth, you constantly fear that one slip your hand when you hold it in only one hand, while it with your thumb. Edit: By the time you get used to some extent but it is a real flatterer and not remain there.

Battery life:
=============

The test conditions:
Use the "normal" range, so do not spend hours at a time playing around with it. In between times the Internet, few apps installed and so on, the daytime maximum of 2-3 short calls. Screen brightness to 35% and no more CPU-guzzling applications (games) used. Wi-Fi and GPS, and 3G are always enabled with me (at home, the device goes automatically into the wireless and go and work on the UMTS network). I'll do the very same Defy and the battery lasts in section 1.5 to 2 days. I would find it totally annoying when WiFi, GPS, 3G, etc. constantly switched on and off manually when you need it, or would no longer bulges. I believe that the software will automatically do this for a must.

The sobering result was that the machine stops with a fully charged battery just 18-20 hours. Overnight the mobile phone has taken me a whopping 25% battery (I use the mobile phone as an alarm clock).

Reason is that the P970 innately not so ingenious energy-saving features such as the Motorola Defy on board or has activated. Because the Defy is available in the options a smart battery mode in a defined rest period (vorzugwsweise at night) at z. B. 15 minutes of inactivity the unit turns off all traffic and background data. Also Wi-Fi is turned off automatically when the device is not used during the day for some time. Taking the Keylock out again, the Wi-Fi connects quickly new.

When P970 WiFi is however constantly connected, as long as the function is activated and you are in range of the wireless network. So even if the device lying around unused and in the night. And Wi-Fi draws (next to the display) by far the most power.

In order to improve this sobering battery power, I have now carried out the following activities, which I highly (not only owners of the P970) recommend:

- I have the app installed Timeriffic. Here you can create automatic time profiles and so the app automatically turns on me at night the airplane mode (ie UMTS, mobile network, GPS and Wi-Fi turned off completely), and in the morning before I automatically wake up again. While I'm at work, wireless is automatically completely disabled, etc.

- In the Wi-Fi options of P970 can be found hidden away when there presses the menu button and "extended" to click, select "Wi-Fi sleep policy". Here you can choose that Wi-Fi is turned off automatically when the screen is off. Also highly recommended! Taking out the key lock, Wi-Fi is connected again in a few seconds.

These new settings I finally retested with the same test conditions, results:
Much better than at the beginning. Although I constantly play around sometimes in between 30 minutes and device always am on the mobile internet or Wi-Fi, easy 1.5 days are on a single charge it. Battery life is average, depending on usage, at 1-3 days, with the most well so in the middle at 1.5 days.

CONCLUSION:
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The P970 Optimus Black is a very stylish, slim, lightweight smartphone with all the advantages that a modern Android 2.2 system offers. The speed is in (almost) every respect absolutely sufficient, the screen is nice and big, crystal clear and has excellent brightness, which makes it looks extremely vividly. However, the image quality can I not entirely convincing (esp. Non-genuine color and black level) and the battery life, the LG in advertising nunmal so much emphasizes in this device is to locate more in the normal mediocrity note (power saving features from the top, otherwise it looks from evil). Here we must unfortunately expect miracles from the new NOVA display. Processing is ok, but could be even better because the only clipped the battery cover slightly creaks. The under certain circumstances (see above) poor reception performance can also be a negative point for some.

If battery life, image quality and processing were as outstanding as I had hoped it to me from the device, I would forgive without thinking 5 star. So I can, however, be awarded a maximum of 4 stars. For the price you get of course no panacea. But the price-performance ratio is just right at the device (after the price has dropped significantly).

As the P970 is now priced just over the Galaxy S, it is my opinion currently the 4 "machine when you do not need high-end performance and emphasis on sleek, stylish design. Compared to the Galaxy S is faster , has an LED flash and is simply stylish. Who can forfeit the disadvantages of the P970, so can strike without hesitation. If high-end will have power and is ready for it, clearly spend more money, for we recommend the Samsung Galaxy S2 (4.3 ") or Motorola Atrix (4").

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