LG Revolution Review
By Rob Webber on November 1st, 2011
The phone is partnered with Verizon’s Wireless network, and thus comes with all the trimmings that now comprise the Verizon application line-up. It is however an Android supported phone, though surprisingly (and for us annoyingly) with its search and map functions powered by Bing instead of the usual Google. Unsurprisingly the phone is amongst Android’s category of ‘whoppers’, with its 4.3 inch screen demanding a significantly sized phone. It points to the same question that has recently faced Apple and other manufacturers; how big of a screen is too big? Opinions might change, but for now it seems the trend is to revert against the ‘small is better’ mentality of the past 10 years and make the screen as big as possible.
Whether a manufacturer can produce a phone that retains an eloquent, stylish physique is yet to be seen, and this certainly isn’t the phone to try. The phone itself measures 5.1 inches in height, 2.6 inches in width and 0.5 inch in depth and weighs a total of 6.06 ounces. The phone is bulky and its hefty weight can certainly by felt, especially when attempting to use it with one hand. Once you look at the screen, however, you begin to be immersed with the phone and start to forget its size. Questions of whether the 4.3 inch screen is too big aside, it does offer a formidably detailed and beautiful display. It runs at a resolution of 800x480 and is colorful and vibrant.
The phone ships with Android 2.2, though with a few adjustments made to the interface. Whilst change isn’t always great, the negligible differences with the interface seem only to give the LG phone a unique character rather than adopting the standard Android interface used by many others.
Aside all the usual options for connection (Wi-FI, USB, Bluetooth etc.) the phone also features a HDMI output to connect it to a TV. Under the hood of the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1HGz processor. Though not the latest CPU on the market, it is powerful enough to keep the phone’s performance consistent throughout. With the interface and the screen, it provides a responsible touch-screen experience overall.
The phone’s camera is split has both a good and a bad side. The good is that its 720p capable, whilst the bad is that the camera’s 5-megapixel pictures are not of the best quality. The colors are not as vibrant as they are on other camera phones on the market, nor are the images as sharp.
