LG Optimus V - Black (Virgin Mobile) Smartphone

the battery on this thing is a marathon runner compare to other androids. i can easily go a full day without charging with moderate use (text, maybe a phone call, and internet with gps and auto refresh constantly running). the phone is all plastic with a metal frame so this thing although not as stylish as those glassy phones, can take quite a beating. it also doesnt come preinstalled with a bunch of bloatware like the htc wild fire. you can install a ton of apps before this things runs out of space and when it does, you can use the sd card. it doesnt come with apps that run in the background all the time either(though it does come with a few that you can't uninstall but they dont take up that much room and u can shut them off so they dont run)
cons:
-runs android 2.2, so its kinda outdated but it will serve ever function u need. most apps work on it.
-camera has no flash
-metal frame gives it a heavy feel
-vibrations is kinda weak, as with all virgin mobile phones. its not the worst like the rumor 2 but if you are walking, u probably wont feel it shake in your pocket.
-as expected from the low price, its not the best of phones. there are occasional glitches (phone will sometimes restart and lag or freeze) but that could be attributed to the software problem of the android system and not the phone. the screen isnt as responsive as say an ipod touch but at less than half the price, its worth it. simply speaking, all functions work but not as flawlessly as something higher end.
-with the virgin mobile network, internet sometimes gets shuts off without warning for no reason. its pretty reliable for the most part but these black outs do occur. text messages are also affected by this and will sometimes be sent hours later. picture messages sometimes have difficulty sending. its not to the point where its annoying but just something to be expected.

This Android 2.2 Froyo phone is a good starter Android phone for low intensity usage. The 3.2 inch touchscreen has a smaller touchscreen keypad which makes the actual letter keys a little smaller. The 3.2MP camera and camcorder is satisfactory for taking pictures and video. The internal memory is only 140 MB, which will limit the quantity of Android apps you can download on this phone. The included 2MB SD card is helpful for moving some apps onto the card, thus freeing up some of the storage space on the phone. I did find myself having to remove some apps to make room for others though, as you will see a Low Storage Space warning on the phone when there are too may apps installed. You can install up to a 32 GB SD card if you like, but this does not help the quantity of apps issue, because many apps cannot be moved to the SD Card. The battery life is satisfactory, and can be increased by turning off Wi-Fi, Navigation, Bluetooth, and any other services not in use. The price is a good value. At the time of this review on 11-08-2011, this phone is selling for about $70.00 - $90.00 on eBay for a used phone. I had paid $110.00 for a used one on eBay in August 2011. The phone brand new in August was $149.99 at virginmobile.com. Now the phone price has been lowered to $129.99 at Virgin Mobile. The Virgin Mobile service does offer higher minute plans. If you are thinking of buying this or any phone used, be careful of the ESN being able to be activated. Many phones will have a "bad ESN" and sellers may not tell you this, or even know there is a bad ESN. Sometimes the price of the phone used on eBay, is so close to the price of the phone new, it makes sense to just buy the phone new, and know you are getting a brand new, never touched phone.

This is a grat phone for a great price. I love it because it also has wifi and the real android market. the touch screen is as eazy to use as my ipod touch. I set my phone plan to the $35.00 each month and i get unlimited Data/Text and 300 Talk time. I can use Youtube whereever i go. I can update my Facebook where ever i go aswell. I enjoy all the functions this phone has to offer. However if you use your phone alot i also recomend a extended battry. My phone will last from 5:00am till about 3:30PM than i will charge it till about 4:00 and use it untill about 1:30AM and charge it untill 5:00AM again. Its a relly good phone to have if you like yo travel alot because you can keep in touch with family and friends aswell as use the GPS to find your destanation. I highly recomend this phone because of the great price for a great phone.

Moving on from the LG rumor touch I have to say my third smart phone (after the droid 1 & motorola triumph)is something I am enjoying very much.

I was in the market for a smart phone and being with virgin mobile I tried the motorola triumph which ended up being a big mistake (so i returned that phone).

LG Optimus V turned out to be better

The Good:
Has a nice camera for taking pictures during the day or with lots of light 3.2 mega pix. nothing special but handy.
captures video

responsive the screen & buttons

lots of apps on the android market or now Google market which this phone can handle
good amount of internal space on the phone for apps

works as a music player /mp3 player plays videos

now as for the phone I get a good signal in my area and i can hear the other person clean as i be told.

GPS works great

Has good battery life for a smart phone and bigger battery's can be bought for the phone extending use

Swipe keyboard makes texting easier and faster

Price. 55-80 $ used


The Bad
3G in some cases drops or goes to 1X must be the network.

Virgins 2.5 GB internet it good but why not a whole number like 3.

small but when typing without swipe you end up
pressing the wrong keys.

Some cases battery gets hot! maybe because of me running WiFi hot spot (thanks to quick settings app)

Over all it not the best smart phone but if you don't want to spend a lot of money but want an android phone it better than the motorola triumph & samsung intercept.

I like being able to check my Facebook & email when ever i need too And thanks to this phone i can.

I had the Lg neon with at&t go phone plan and I am really happy about finally getting a new provider and cell phone..This is my first smart phone and using the virgin mobile beyond talk plan and I am loving it! It has a lot of free apps you can download..I almost didn't get this phone because it only had a touch screen keyboard but it didn't take me long to master it lol :)..Now I can text and use the web as much as I want to for a low price..***GET 60 FREE BONUS MINUTES*** Input Kickback Code OD55OLP6 in the KICKBACKS box When you activate your phone online..Top-up or charge at least $20 to your Virgin Mobile account within 45 days..We both get 60 free bonus minutes for the month!..Thank you and I hope you enjoy this phone