LG Spectrum vs Samsung Galaxy Nexus : Compared

LG SPECTRUM

GALAXY NEXUS

Introduction:


Being the new kid on the block, the LG Spectrum has a lot to prove if it stands any chance in trying to stay afloat amidst a sea crowded top-notch 4G LTE smartphones from Verizon.  Without hesitation, we’re pitting it against the most memorable smartphone of them all in recent memory, the Samsung Galaxy Nexusfor Verizon, for the simple reason that it’s seemingly at the top of the list amongst all Android smartphones. Of course, they both come to the table packing some serious firepower under the hood to blow most devices out of the water, yet, there can only be a single device to rise from the ashes once the dust has settled.


Design:

Mainly due to its overall clean appearance, better build quality, and surprisingly smaller footprint, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is by far the preferred choice when we look at their designs. Moreover, its plastic exterior seems substantially tougher than the frail feeling plastic shell of the LG Spectrum – plus, its textured hyper-skin backing provides for a much better feel and grip in the hand. In contrast, the glossy back plastic casing of the LG Spectrum is notorious for attracting nasty fingerprints, and it’s even more prone to scratching. Overall, the curvier Samsung Galaxy Nexus essentially outshines the boring design approach of the LG Spectrum.




Sporting 1.3-megapixel front cameras, they’re there for all our video chatting needs and inexplicable self-portrait shots, but it’s the Galaxy Nexus that relies on it for its face unlock feature.Even though we’re able to easily feel them out on both smartphones, the volume rocker and dedicated power button on the Galaxy Nexus has the more prominent feel and response. Meanwhile, theirmicroUSB ports also allow us to gain video-out functionality with the aid of an optional MHL adapter.

Displays:

So what’s nice about these two devices is that they both feature snazzy looking 720p displays. With the LG Spectrum, it’s a 4.5” True HD IPS TFT display that packs the higher pixel density of 329 ppi, whereas the Galaxy Nexus features a larger 4.65” Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 316 ppi. Obviously, we can argue which of the two has the superior detail, but honestly, it doesn’t matter much because it’s nearly impossible to tell distinctively from a good distance away. However, when it comes to color production, the Spectrum boasts the more realistic looking colors, as opposed to the overly saturated,  but eye-catching  tones of the Galaxy Nexus. Overall, it’s a hard call because they’re both gorgeous in their own way.

Interface and Functionality:

Seriously, do we really need to get into the specifics regarding this category, even more when the Samsung Galaxy Nexus features the most up-to-date Android experience with Ice Cream Sandwich? Beyond the reasoning that it’s the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, we like it mainly because it sports a very clean looking appearance with a ton of neat features – such as face unlock. Well, we prefer it more over the clunky and cluttered look of the LG Optimus UI 2.0 running on top of Android 2.3 Gingerbread on the LG Spectrum.

Graced with plentiful real estates, there’s no kidding that both handsets are ideal for dishing out long passages of text with their respective keyboards. Although we find their layouts to be spacious, the LG keyboard on the Spectrum offers the larger buttons to minimizes mistakes, but still, we do like the responsiveness of both devices in keeping up with our rate of input.

Processor and Memory:

When you’re at the top of the ladder, you’re expected to pack some kind of dual-core processor to run the show. Rightfully so, that’s what we find with these top-shelf smartphones as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor, and the Spectrum by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 CPU. Coupled with 1GB of RAM, they exhibit the same level of performance – thus, executing most basic tasks without much fluff, but there’s not one that’s visually faster. However, we also experience some levels of choppiness with more processor intensive tasks, but it’s never to the point agonizing.

Internally, the Galaxy Nexus presents us with a generous 32GB of internal storage – though, there’s no way to increase its capacity. Conversely, the Spectrum is preloaded with a 16GB microSD card, which can be replaced with higher capacity cards if needed.


Internet and Connectivity:

Alright, we’ve been spoiled very heavily by Verizon’s 4G LTE network, but despite that, we’re pleased with the peppy data speeds exhibited on both handset – allowing complex pages like ours to load in a jiffy. Perhaps it can be related to the optimizations found with ICS, but the Galaxy Nexus is undoubtedly the better performer in the web browsing department thanks to its buttery smooth navigational controls. Well, the Spectrum’s performance is tolerable, but its operation is on the choppy side – though, it’s still acceptable without degrading the overall experience.

Unquestionably, they share a lot of commonalities since they’re CDMA devices with support for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Furthermore, they come packing the usual suspect of other connectivity items – such as aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspot functionality.

Camera:

First, there’s no question about it, but the Galaxy Nexus is light years faster in snapping photos – whereas the Spectrum requires a couples of seconds between shots. Although neither offers stunning quality with their respective cameras, we give the slight advantage to the Galaxy Nexus seeing that its details are a tiny bit sharper (although it has lower resolution – 5 vs 8 megapixels) and it produces the more neutral looking colors. Indoors, the LG Spectrum’s results are simply marred by its inaccurate color reproduction colors, and at times, tends to cast a prominent bluish/greenish hue.

Multimedia:

Another area that both devices perform similarly in is the music department, as they offer some spiffy looking interfaces while playing songs. Specifically, they have that alluring looking 3D carousel when browsing through songs in landscape, however, they’re very much similar in portrait. As for their audio quality, we actually find their volumes to be on par with one another, which is actually on the weak side to tell you the truth. Thankfully, there’s no evidence of crackling or distortion when they’re positioned at the highest volume setting.

Performance:

Calling quality absolutely goes to the LG Spectrum because it presents us with clear and noise-free voices on both ends of the line – though, its speakerphone tends to muffle voices. Oppositely, the only issue we find on the Galaxy Nexus is the robotic tones that our callers hear on their end of the line.

Although it’s still a prevailing issue on the LG Spectrum, the loss of 4G LTE connectivity isn’t as constant when compared to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. However, it’s worth noting that both devices didn’t drop any phone calls during our time using them.

Simultaneously using the two power packed smartphones, their internal batteries are actual similar to one another. In fact, it’s an 1,830 mAh battery on the Spectrum and an 1,850 mAh on the Galaxy Nexus. Indeed they still pale in comparison to the performance of other smartphones, seeing that they’re blood suckers like no other, but the Galaxy Nexus appears to have a slight advantage – albeit, it’s not by much.


Conclusion:

Needless to say, some will think long and hard between the two smartphones after looking over their on-contract prices. At $200, the LG Spectrum seems mightily tempting for a 4G LTE smartphone, but in all honesty, we’d recommend forking over the extra $100 to pick up the $300 Samsung Galaxy Nexus. First and foremost, the undeniable most important thing is that it’s running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich right at this moment – do we need to say more about it? Well, it also boasts the better looking design of the two, as the Spectrum basically looks way too bland for a handset destined to be on the highest of pedestals. Overlooking all of the fancy things that the Galaxy Nexus offers over the Spectrum, we also know that it’s also going to be treated to all of the latest updates right away – and it clearly shows as the Spectrum is on tap to receive its ICS upgrade sometime in June. So there you have it folks, you’re better off sticking with the Galaxy Nexus if you want to impress your friends.






Also See


LG Spectrum
Galaxy Nexus Reviews

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LG Spectrum : Review

Introduction:

Now that the busy holiday season is behind us, there’s no arguing that Verizon had plenty of juicy second-generation 4G LTE smartphones for its customers – with each offering its own unique aspects to lure in people. One might’ve easily noticed LG’s absence, which is rather surprising considering that the Korean based company is a force to be reckoned with. Well, it’s better late than never, right? Just like its rivals before it, the LG Spectrum is stuffed with all of the lovable qualities of a contemporary high-end Android smartphone. However, will it have enough allure to rise over some of the benchmarking devices we’ve seen already? Or will it simply left out to dry for its late arrival onto the scene?

Design:

Hardly attempting to differentiate itself from its previous offerings in the LG Optimus LTE (Korean model) and LG Nitro HD (AT&T), the LG Spectrum follows forth with a very familiar, yet bland looking design. In fact, the only major thing new is its glossy and smooth plastic back cover, which so happens to be notorious for accumulating fingerprints – and worse yet, it’s much more prone to scratching versus the textured cover on the Nitro HD. Still, it’s pretty skinny (0.42” thick) and lightweight (4.99 oz) by today’s standards, but more importantly, it doesn’t feel as overbearing to hold in the hand. As a whole, we adore that its size has been reduced considerably versus the Revolution, but it doesn’t offer anything tantalizing in design.






The LG Spectrum places all of its ports on the top edge of the phone – such as its microUSB (MHL port) and 3.5mm headset jack. Meanwhile, its noise-cancelling microphone and easy to feel dedicated power button are also lined all on the same edge. On the left, there’s a very tactile volume rocker, while the right edge is devoid of anything.


In the rear, its 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash protrudes from the surrounding surface, while two inconspicuous slits towards the bottom edge are merely there for its internal speaker. Prying off the back cover, we’re given access to its 4G LTE SIM card slot, 1,830 mAh battery, and microSD card slot, which is occupied by a 16GB card out of the box.


Display:

Indeed It’s a first for an LG made device for Verizon, but the 4.5” True HD IPS display of the LG Spectrum isn’t new per se, especially when AT&T customers have been treated to it on the Nitro HD for some time now. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most attractive things about the entire handset because its sports a resolution of 720 x 1280, while relying on the more favorable RGB arrangement for superior detail. On top of that, since it’s an IPS panel, its color production is remarkably realistic looking and boasts wide viewing angles to ensure clarity in almost any conditions. Needless to say, we’re humbled by all of it, but it doesn’t get as much notoriety over other things for the simple reason it isn’t particularly new to the game.


Interface:

Expectedly so, the LG Spectrum features the same-old Optimus 2.0 skin that’s been synonymous with LG’s line of smartphones for the last year. Beneath it, however, the handset runs Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, not ICS. The custom UI adds some LG flavor to the interface graphics, as well as some additional tweaks here and there, and it also comes with a number of new widgets to enhance your homescreen.

While this is all good, it's still a bit underwhelming to see new Android smartphones shipping with Gingerbread, instead of the latest OS version. Currently, an update to Android 4 ICS is expected to arrive sometime in June, according to Verizon.

Functionality:

Another feature that the Optimus UI 2.0 delivers is the implementation of motion gestures. Since the LG Optimus 2X, tapping on the sides of the device can move the cursor when typing or browsing through the image gallery. Moreover, you can use motion gestures to turn off your alarm clock or to mute an incoming call by flipping the phone over. We can argue how useful these motion gestures can be in real life because the idea of physically hitting a pricy device, no matter how lightly you do it, can always cause an accidental drop if you are not being careful enough. Luckily, some or all of the motion gestures can be turned off through the Settings menu.

Thankfully, the combination of having a large display and speedy processor enables us to easily type messages with the handset’s available keyboards with minimal mistakes. Using either the LG or Swype keyboards, their layouts are ample enough to accommodate even the largest of fingers, while the responsiveness they offer enable us to input text at a consistent rate.

Being the Android powered device it is, the LG Spectrum delivers the good old fashion Gmail experience we’re so used to seeing at this point, but equally as usable, the LG Email app is also quite useful on its own. too As for setting up accounts, it’s your typical process of providing an email address and password for automatic set up. However, you might be asked to input additional pieces of information before it’s able to correctly complete.

Processor and Memory:

Of course, this wouldn’t be deemed as a second-generation 4G LTE smartphone if it doesn’t include a dual-core processor of some sort. Specifically, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processorwith 1GB of RAM helps power this beastly phone, which is undoubtedly warranted since it packs a pixel pushing 720p display. Honestly, it gets the job done by executing most basic tasks with minimal effort, though, some levels of choppiness are evident with more processor intensive tasks. Certainly, this isn’t the peppiest thing we’ve seen, especially after checking out the Asus Transformer Prime, but its performance is pretty much indicative of any other dual-core packing smartphone out there.

Preloaded with a 16GB microSD card, it actually supplements the handset’s internal 1.69GB of storage that’s reserved for strictly apps. Then again, if that’s not enough, you can always replace the microSD card with a 32GB one instead.


Internet and Connectivity:

Data speeds are undoubtedly fast with this one, as we’re able to obtain maximum download and upload speeds of 33Mbps and 9Mbps in a relatively good 4G LTE location. As for its actual web browsingperformance, it’s very much tolerable with its accurate rendering and decent response, however, it tends to be on the choppy side with its navigational control. Regardless of that, it’s equipped in dealing with heavy Flash content without many problems – so we’re accepting of its overall prowess.

Much like other 4G LTE smartphones in Big Red’s stable, it’s a CDMA device that will only work domestically on the carrier’s network – so this won’t help you abroad. Nevertheless, it’s a great candidate if you happen to live in a good 4G LTE area, even more when it posts some awesome data speeds in our testing. Obviously, it features all of the usual set of connectivity items you’d expect on a modern smartphone – such as aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, and mobile hotspot functionality.

Camera:

The LG Spectrum’s camera interface is no different from other devices running the LG Optimus 2.0 UI skin, seeing that it’s functional and easy to operate, although the settings menu feels a bit cluttered, due to the sheer number of options available.

At 8-megapixels, it’s abundantly ample for this kind of device, but as we all know, it’s not the size that necessarily counts. Unfortunately, we can’t come to terms with the poor quality of images produced by the LG Spectrum, even more when it doesn’t handle dynamic range that well and fails to deliver accurate colors in nearly all lighting conditions. Actually, it tends to cast a very prominent greenish hue! Besides that, its details indoors under artificial lighting and low lighting conditions are very hazy looking.


Software:

Not shocking in the very bit, especially when it follows like any other Verizon handset before it, but the LG Spectrum is stuffed to the roof with bloatware. Naturally, we find all of the usual Verizon branded apps on board with the handset – such as My Verizon Mobile, V CAST Apps, V CAST Media Manager, V CAST Tones, Verizon Video, and VZ Navigator. Beyond that, the handset is supplemented by other preloaded third party apps like Amazon Kindle, Netflix, Bitbop, Blockbuster, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Let’s Golf 2, NFL Mobile, Rhapsody, TuneWiki, VideoSurf, Smart Movie HD, and ESPN Scorecenter.




Performance:

Calling quality is nearly superb on the LG Spectrum as clear, distinctive, and noise-free voices are heard very audibly on both ends of the line. However, when switching over to using the speakerphone, its volume output is rather weak in tone, while some muffled tones tend to degrade its quality, but despite those qualms, we find it still to be usable for most occasions.

One of the prevalent issues we’ve experiencing with nearly all of Verizon’s 4G LTE smartphones is the constant loss of 4G LTE connection. Well, we’re happy to report that it isn’t much of an issue with this one – still, we do experience some drops in connection, but it’s not as constant as other devices. During our time testing the handset, it maintains a solid connection to the network – with no evidence of fluctuation.

By now, we’ve grown accustomed to the notion of poor battery life with devices connected to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, and right on cue, we can say the same thing with this one. After charging its 1,830 mAh battery, we’re only presented with approximately 10 hours of juice with our normal usage – consisting of web browsing, email, texting, and the occasional phone call. Simply, it’s nothing new and basically establishes the marks we’ve found on other high-end 4G LTE devices. All in all, you’ll probably want to charge this whenever the opportunity arises. 


Conclusion:

Rather than setting this at the usual price point of $299.99 that we’ve grown to see with Verizon’s top-shelf Android smartphones, it’s blessed with an even better $199.99 on-contract pricing, which is perhaps one of its most appreciated offerings. Even though LG has made some great strides on the Spectrum over its previous work with the Revolution, it simply pales in comparison to some of the other devices it’s competing against. Yeah, we adore the 4.5” True HD IPS display it’s packing along, but there’s simply nothing new or unique that the LG Spectrum can call its own. And now that the Galaxy Nexus is out and available packing the latest Android experience, it’s rather revolting to see this one launching with Gingerbread. Honestly, you’re better off spending another $100 on benchmarking devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX.

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LG Prada 3.0 : Review

Introduction:

The year is 1913. Italian enterprenours Mario and Martino Prada start a new leathergoods shop, called Fratelli Prada (meaning Prada Brothers), in Milan. Initially, their operations centered around selling of various leather goods, as well as imported English steamer trunks and handbags. Little did the Prada brothers know that their undertaking was going to become what's one of the leading fashion houses of today, with a total revenue of €2.15 billion for 2010, and 2,841 employees around the world as of 2011. Today, Prada's business model focuses on selling luxury goods, such as various leather accessories, shues, hats and luggage.

Being the adventurous type, Prada would sometimes venture out of its traditional fields to deliver something fresh and different to its loyal customers. 2007 was the perfect time for a foray in the booming cell phone market. However, since the company could't tell a transistor from a chip, it needed to partner with a veteran phone maker, in order to produce its new offering – the Prada phone. Eventually, it would end up having LG on board for the project. In early 2007, the duo unveiled the original LG Prada phone, which quickly gained popularity, due to it being one of the very first handsets equipped with a capacitive touchscreen. For its time, the handsed was very cool, so we rated it a well-deserved 9! Its sequel came in late 2008, and sadly, even though it appeared almost two years later, the Prada II brought very few new features, most notably – a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard. Being spoiled by the iPhone and many other touch devices that were beginning to flood the market, we found the Prada II to be somewhat lacking in comparison to the competition, eventually giving it a modest 6.

It is now 99 years after Mario Prada flipped the door sign of his new store to "Open for business", went back to his counter and sat down, impatiently waiting for the first clients to come in. The year is 2012, and these are times of great economic stagnation and hardship. With everyone constantly tightening up their belts, one would wonder if there's still place on Earth, where the words "luxury goods" would be welcomed with a smile on the face and a wallet that's eager to be opened. Luckily, the latest product coming from the collaboration between LG and Prada, the LG Prada 3.0 phone, doesn't fall into that specific category of overpriced products, but is rather keeping things simple and accessible for all of us. 

Having almost nothing in common with its predecessors, and tailored to the needs of contemporary smartphone users, we're taking our chance to see if the new LG Prada 3.0 sports that characteristic Prada style that will have the numerous fans of the brand flock to it hastily!


Design:

Actually, the LG Prada 3.0 isn't much of a luxury device. It is a high-end Android smartphone any way you look at it, but it doesn't feature any fancy materials to make it feel classy. As a whole, the Prada 3.0 is one very Galaxy S II-esque phone in terms of design, being very slim and having a cheapo plastic casing. If you read the official press-release, you'd be left with the impression that the Prada 3.0 is going to sport a Saffiano leather material (that's the characteristic leather texture used by Prada), but in reality, it's just plastic with the said Saffiano pattern. The result, in terms of appearance and feel is so-so, but make no mistake, it's much closer to being cheap, than classy. To tell you the truth, we're a bit frustrated to find such kind of approach in a product which has the branding of a major fashion label all over it. Speaking of brandings, it's worth mentioning that the only easily visible logo on the body of the device is that of Prada. There's an LG logo on the back, but you'll have to look closely in order to see it.


In terms of looks, the Prada 3.0 does qualify in the category of the better-looking Android handsets. It comes with a visually-pleasing perfectly rectangular shape, which we do appreciate. The rectangular shape does create the impression of a very large phone, but it's actually possible to operate it with one hand only. Judging by its minimalist, predominantly black and white looks, the Prada 3.0 seems like a solid candidate to join the company's product line for businesspersons.


The top side of the handset is where you'll find the 3.5mm jack, microUSB port, hidden under a very well-made sliding cover, as well as the power/lock key, which isn't situated in a way that would make it comfortable to press when working with one hand only. There's another button on the top, sitting right above the front facing cam. What it does is to launch the camera app, with the front-facing cam active. Press it again and it takes a picture of... you, most likely. It kind of makes us wonder if this phone is targeted to serious businesspersons, or rather – teens.


LG and Prada have decided to stick with touch-sensitive navigation keys below the screen, which we're fine with. We actually didn't happen to press any of them by accident, however, the bad thing is those keys turn completely invisible when used under bright sunlight, which makes them hard to use.


All in all, if we overlook the cheap plastic on the back (and we won't), the design of the LG Prada 3.0 pretty nice, though it could have been better. Anyways, it's still one of the better-looking Android phones, so we hope to see more steps being taken in this direction by manufacturers working with the OS. Style is the name of the game for the Prada 3.0, and style it delivers, be it a somewhat unpolished one.


Display:

Even though specs aren't the main focus of the LG Prada 3.0, it is one very well-equipped phone. Not lacking compared to the competition in the form of other premium Android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S II, Motorola DROID RAZR and Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S, the Prada 3.0 comes with a large 4.3" screen, which, unfortunately, is of the old-school TFT type, and this is visible, as we observe lower contrast compared to AMOLED or IPS-LCD screens. Other than that, colors are on the natural side, while viewing angles are pretty tolerable. The Prada 3.0 doesn't make a statement with its WVGA (480x800) resolution, especially in the HD age we're living in. Its pixel density of ~217 ppi is still adequate though, so you won't have trouble reading the display on most occasions. Plus this takes some load off the processor, resulting in some buttery smooth movements, so there's a bright side to it after all. Speaking of bright sides, LG has used the so-called NOVA PLUS screen tech, delivering the impressive 830 nits of luminance. Indeed, the handset's display is very visible when looked under bright sunlight. We'd say that it's about equal to an iPhone 4S.

We would have preferred it much more if the LG Prada 3.0 had an AMOLED display. This way, its entire front would have been completely black, making for an even more stylish and simpler appearance. Who knows, maybe we'll see that in Prada 4.0.


Interface:

In contrast to previous Prada handsets, this time the manufacturer has crafted a smartphone, using the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. However, just like with the previous Prada phones, LG has made sure to tweak the interface so that it fits the minimalist design of the exterior. The default theme features very simple white icons, which stand particularly well when placed on top of a dark background. Many of the widgets in use by the LG Prada 3.0 are also drawn in that same style. This overly-simplistic appearance comes to deliver a characteristic Prada look, that will supposedly appeal to the fans of the brand. In addition, there are a few "Scenes" that the user can chose from, which are basically different homescreen setups, designed to suit different activities better like "Travel", "Play" and "Work".


LG has customized the icons of all Android applications, except for those of Google's services, which are the original ones. It's a nice touch that in the main menu, all the Google services are placed in a separate section, which makes the menu appear uniform in its various parts, as well as well-organized. That's very important for a style-conscious device.


Overall, most elements of the UI have been enhanced in order to achieve that specific look and personality of the phone. The font, wallpapers, apps – all of those have been customized in order to utilize that black/grey/white theme.

As we said, almost all the apps have been customized, and that includes the core ones such as the phonebook, calendar and messaging. However, their functionality has not been altered one bit from the typical Android experience that you’ll find on any phone with the OS.


Well, the LG Prada 3.0 might be a fashionable phone, but this doesn't mean that it skimps on hardware. The processor inside the LG Prada 3.0 is the dual-core TI OMAP 4430, clocked at 1GHz, and complemented by a gig of RAM. We're delighted to find that the interface moves very fluidly, with almost no stuttering at all.


Internet and Connectivity:

LG's UI customizations often extend to the Android browser, and the one in the Prada 3.0 isn't an exception. Thanks to the strong specs sheet, the browser delivers a very good experience, though it isn't as smooth as what you'll find in iPhone's Safari, or Galaxy Nexus's ICS browser. Of course, Flash Player is supported. Still, if you'd really like to increase that FPS count within the browser, we'd recommend that you install Opera Mobile (free on Android Market), as it manages to deliver a superior browsing performance and a more convenient implementation of tabs.
Since the LG Prada 3.0 is unlikely to end up offered by a U.S. carrier, here's the frequency breakdown. The phone supports the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz bands for 2G, and 900, 1900 and 2100 MHz for 3G. This means that you should be able to use it on AT&T's HSPA+ network, but 4G and 3G will be out of your reach with T-Mobile. And the handset does support HSPA+ speeds, seeing that its radio can go up to 21.1 Mbit/s on the downlink and 14.4 Mbit/s on the uplink.

The built-in GPS of the LG Prada 3.0 works as advertised – our location was pinpoined in about 3 minutes on a clear day when not using the assistance of Wi-Fi networks.


Camera:

There's an 8MP camera coming with the Prada 3.0, and you're probably dying to know how it fares? Hold on, we're almost there. First of all, the camera interface is very intuitive and easy to work with. We're a bit hesitant about the animated transition that's displayed before the Flash settings show up, but overall, we didn't run into any troubles while working with the layout that LG has come up with. In terms of speed, it takes a couple of seconds for the cam to focus, so it's neither the fastest one out there, nor is it the slowest.


Performance:

The Prada 3.0 is fine as a phone, incoming voicesare loud and clear, and you can even tell who's calling with ease. The handset is equipped with a noise-cancellation microphone, so if you happen to be in a busy place with lots of ambient sounds, your callers will be able to clearly hear your voice, with decent loudness, although a bit on the unnatural side.

The 1540mAh battery is said to deliver the modest 5 hours of talk-time and 13.8 days of stand-by on 3G. In our usage we didn't experience inferior battery life compared to most of the Android competition.


Conclusion:

It's a good thing that LG has relied on Android for the third Prada phone. This way, the collaboration has yielded a phone which is both stylish and functional. Although a bit bigger than normal, the LG Prada 3.0 looks cool and manages to stand out from the Android pack.

However, this doesn't mean that it's the finest design of the year. Although it scores well in the appearance department, we can't go over the fact that it's made of such low-quality materials, such as the cheap-feeling plastic on the back, which is absolutely inappropriate for such a fashion-centric handset.

As a smartphone, the Prada 3.0 is on par with most of the other high-end Androids out there, so it's more than just an expensive phone. Actually, when it comes to price, you shouldn't be afraid of the LG Prada 3.0, as it costs just as much as any other high-end Android. Still, its specific looks and overly-simplistic interface won't be for anyone.

For us, "normal" users, suitable alternatives to the Prada 3.0 can be many other premium Android phones, like the Galaxy S II, Sensation XE, Xperia arc S or the DROID RAZR. But of course, these alternatives are suitable for only one part of the audience. For the other part, there's only one Prada.

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