LG Optimus 7 E900 Review - Specifications, Design and User Interface

LG Optimus 7 E900 Review - Specifications, Design and User Interface
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LG Optimus 7 Review

LG has been trying to crack the smartphone market for some time but hasn’t had much success with it. It started out by making Android phones but was quickly overshadowed by Samsung, HTC and Motorola.

Now it seems, that LG is planning to delve deeper, into Windows Phone 7 territory. Of the new Windows Phone 7 devices unveiled by Microsoft at the Windows Phone 7 launch, two were LG devices. While the LG Quantum (Optimus 7Q) is a QWERTY slider, the LG Optimus 7 E900 is a standard candybar touchscreen phone with a 3.8 inch display, a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM and a 5 MP camera.

The hardware specifications of the LG E900 Optimus 7 are pretty impressive. They are the same as the high end Android phones like the Samsung Galaxy S or the Motorola Droid X. In this review, we will check out the LG Optimus 7 and see if it is a good buy, compared to its Android counterparts.

LG-Optimus7

LG Optimus 7 E900 Specifications

  • Dimensions: 125 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm
  • Weight: 157 gms
  • Display: 3.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display, 480 x 800 pixels
  • OS: Windows Phone 7
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD 8650 1 GHz processor
  • RAM: 512 MB RAM
  • Memory: 16 GB internal storage
  • Camera: 5 MP camera, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 720p video recording
  • Connectivity: GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0
  • GPS: GPS transceiver with A-GPS support
  • Battery: Standard Li-ion battery, 1500 mAh

Design (4 out of 5)

The LG Optimus 7 E900 is a stylish phone with a standard candybar form factor. It is quite compact with dimensions of 125 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm but it weighs a bit much at 157 gms. The build quality is quite good and the body is composed of metal. The phone feels sturdy and elegant in your hands.

The Optimus 7 comes with a 3.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels - the Windows Phone 7 standard. It offers decent brightness and contrast levels but the viewing angles aren’t that good. The sunlight legibility is average but the touchscreen is quite responsive.

Below the display are the three keys you will find in every Windows Phone 7 device - Back, Windows and Search. On the left is the volume rocker and on the right is the microUSB port and the camera key. The top houses the audio jack and the Power key while the back of the phone has the 5 MP camera, LED flash and the battery compartment.

User Interface (4 out of 5)

The LG Optimus 7 sports some really good hardware and the new Windows Phone 7 OS. It doesn’t sport a custom UI, as Microsoft has restricted OEMs from plastering their own enhancements on the Windows Phone 7 OS. On the hardware front, the LG Optimus 7 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1 GHz processor and 512 MB RAM. It comes with 16 GB internal storage and doesn’t support external microSD cards.

The Windows Phone 7 UI is refreshingly new and very different from the iPhone or the Android UIs. It is a tile based UI which supports widgets and hubs. The Windows Marketplace now offers almost 2000 apps and games with more to come in the near future. While the numbers aren’t as impressive as the iPhone App Store or the Android Market, you should find basic apps and games easily.

Multimedia (4 out of 5)

The LG Optimus 7 comes with a nice gallery application (Pictures Hub) which allows you to view all your images, even those on your Facebook and Live accounts. There is also a Music and Videos hub which enables you to access all your music using a simple interface. You can play all the most common audio formats and MP4 videos. The Optimus 7 also comes with an FM radio with RDS.

The audio quality of the Optimus 7 is quite good. It should easily suffice for most users. If you pair it up with a good set of headphones, it could replace your PMP.

The LG Optimus 7 comes with a 5 MP camera with an image capture resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels. The camera interface is pretty basic and gives you access to all the standard customization options and effects. The image capture quality is quite good, it is one of the better 5 MP cameras I’ve encountered.

The camera can also capture HD video - 720p resolution videos at 25 FPS. The video quality is good, but nothing to write home about.

lg-optimus-7-photo

Connectivity (4 out of 5)

The LG Optimus 7 comes with all the standard connectivity options you would expect in any phone in this price range. It has GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, microUSB 2.0 etc and comes with a GPS transceiver with A-GPS support. It also comes with Bing Maps for mobile but there is no voice navigation feature.

It has the new version of Internet Explorer Mobile which is much better than its predecessors. However, I would still prefer mobile Safari or Android’s Webkit based browser over this one.

It also comes with Office Mobile with One Note, Documents and Sharepoint. You can easily view and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files.

The Verdict (4 out of 5)

The LG Optimus 7 E900 is a very capable smartphone which offers a very promising OS - Windows Phone 7 with some really powerful hardware. I would definitely recommend it.

Also check out our list of the <strong>Top 5 Best Windows Phone 7 Smartphones</strong> if you need more options. Also check out the <strong>best Android smartphones</strong> while you are at it.