Picking the LG Optimus One - Correct Decision?

[arjundg]

Hi Friends,

I am new to this forum, nut have been reading all your comments and reviews a lot. I am planning to buy my first Android, and have almost decided on LG Optums One...have some questions though...

1. O1 has been in the market for almost a year, and quiet a tried and tested phone. One issue I am hearing is about dust getting accumulated under the screen which is very annoying, but I heard that it has been fixed in post-January models. Is this correct? Also, I am planning to buy from Letsbuy, but since I wont be able to physically review the phone before it is delivered, my concern is if Letsbuy delivers the new models with this bug fixed?

2. The only other phone under my radar is the HTC Wildfire S. It has the scratch-proof Gorilla Glass display, which is attracting me(Can I live without it?). But the O1 has better battery backup... I will mainly use the phone for making calls, text message and occasional games/videos/browsing. Phone reliability, battery backup and performance are most important to me. So, do you think I am making the right decision?

3. I am not sure if I would root/over-clock the phone as it would void the warranty. Some issues with O1 of lagging while type, can this be fixed otherwise?

Will appreciate if you provide your inputs, as the reviews dont give the complete picture, only the users of the phones are the best judges.

Thanks,
Arjun

[Soumik]

Hello.. Welcome to TDF Arjun.
I will try to answer your doubt as best i can. But the decision is yours to make, i dont think i affect your choice much.

1. Its tried and test and a truely Value for Money handset. As far as letsbuy is concerned, I bought Moto defy from it. The firmware on it was the latest that was given by Moto. As there were no seals broken, i trust it wasnt old stock. Now if they can get the latest batch of Defy(which sells a lots lesser than Optimus One), i guess, u should get one from LG's latest batch. No need to worry there.

2. Wildfire S is a bit overpriced right now. Not a huge improvement over Optimus One, save the slick UI and latest Android out of the box. So, it doesnt quite justify the price premium over O1. Battery life is certainly better in O1, but bear in mind that these are Android smartphones, and all such devices are plagued with really poor battery life. If you are not going to use any feature of the platform, its better to stick with a good feature phone, or change the platform to buy say Wave 2 or C7.

3. Check out the O1 thread over here. You may get some answer to this. But i dont think there is anything that wont void your warranty. My Defy comes with a load of crapware which i cannot remove right now. They just dont show up in any program list to uninstall or remove. They keep running and eat up memory. Better to root the phone and just remove the crapware, even if dont go for custom ROMs.

[arjundg]

Thanks Soumik!
I will buy from Letsbuy then, with the ICICI promo code....

Since this will be my first Android, I am new to rooting...I will surely consider it once I am bit experienced with the phone. But I will settle only for an Android device...that is the way to go in the future I believe! If the phone battery lasts more than a day, I am okay with it.

[MatchBoxx]

what price are you paying exactly?

[Sam]

1. if you experience the dust problem take it to LG service center & they should fix it within a day. also Optimus One is a true DEV mobile. good community support. only -ve point is that the camera sucks.

2. use a good screen guard should offer same kind of protection as gorilla glass. as Soumik told. wildfire S is overpriced. if you find it for 12-12.5k then it makes sense to sell out the extra 3k as all you are getting is gorilla glass & gingerbread ready (& really compact design).

Optimus One (with the custom roms) will offer 35-38hours battery life. if you don't do a lot of browsing on wireless or GPRS/3G, even 48hours looks possible. wildfire S got a low capacity battery but still should hold for a day.

the lagging issue is fixed in latest updated ROM from LG. so maybe O1 will come preinstalled with it. but the real fun starts once you start playing the custom roms. mobile will be super smooth & snappy.

Originally Posted by Soumik

My Defy comes with a load of crapware which i cannot remove right now. They just dont show up in any program list to uninstall or remove. They keep running and eat up memory. Better to root the phone and just remove the crapware, even if dont go for custom ROMs.

take motorola or lg or samsung. the crapware problem is everywhere. Optimus One comes packed with a ton of useless things (lot of widgets & nonsense apps). but sometimes kicking out these apps can affect the mobile's performance. i experienced it.

[arjundg]

@sammy_cool Letsbuy quotes Rs 10k, with ICICI bank promo it should be 9k!
Here is the link - Buy LG OPTIMUS ONE P500 at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews
The local mobile store is asking for 10.5k-some scratch card discount.

@Sam
Thanks for your reply! I too think that gorilla glass is overpriced, but I heard that the screen protector hinders the overall touchscreen experience.
Once I get my O1, I will have to decide if I need the custom roms, based on the battery life and performance. But what I gather from all of you is that custom roms are fun, I might give it a try anyway!

[Sam]

Originally Posted by arjundg

@sammy_cool Letsbuy quotes Rs 10k, with ICICI bank promo it should be 9k!

check mobilestore. they may have it at same price (9k). stupid site isn't opening on my pc now.

Originally Posted by arjundg

@Sam
Thanks for your reply! I too think that gorilla glass is overpriced, but I heard that the screen protector hinders the overall touchscreen experience.

have not peeled away the one that came with the mobile. so no problem using the mobile.

Originally Posted by arjundg

Once I get my O1, I will have to decide if I need the custom roms, based on the battery life and performance. But what I gather from all of you is that custom roms are fun, I might give it a try anyway!

custom rom opens unlocks the full android experience as you can install & customize your mobile as you like.

[MatchBoxx]

I got a quote of 9k for O1 and 11k for Ace, from my local dealer

[Raccoon]

Please think again before going to a service center with the dust problem. They increased the amount of particulate matter under the screen more than then-fold. They just open it up and clean things with a glass cleaning cloth. In the process it seems more dust settled and fibers also got added under the screen. Screen looks far worse than before. Further, they do not bother about static or anything and there is always risk in opening it up. As far as disassembly and cleaning process goes, it takes about an hour. The guy was pretty careful, but still the problem only got much worse. Technicians can be really shabby. Be ready for other damage and scratches. Mine started to malfunction afterwards...

There is no point in buying a new phone if it has to undergo all this shabby repair and one has to see all this muck under the screen. Not to mention wasting hours at the service center plus the travelling.

Optimus One is perhaps the best phone its its price range, but the dust problem will kill the experience.

Another issue is that the headset is pathetic (got it replaced but even replacement was bad). Its even worse for calling. And don't automatically think that all 3.5 mm headsets with mic will work on it. Most/many dont.

[arjundg]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

I got a quote of 9k for O1 and 11k for Ace, from my local dealer

Hey man, pls give me the number/location of your local dealer, I too stay in Kolkata!

@Raccoon
I earlier thought they had fixed the dust problem, by keeping the SD card slot on the left hand side of the phone for phones manufactured after Jan 2011...I wanted to make sure of this before buying. When was your phone manufactured?

Does anyone have any model he SD card slot on the left hand side with the dust issue fixed?

[MatchBoxx]

Originally Posted by arjundg

Hey man, pls give me the number/location of your local dealer, I too stay in Kolkata!

the store is located at Garia, beside SBI (Garia) branch!
I will update the exact name and contact details in the evening

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by arjundg

Hey man, pls give me the number/location of your local dealer, I too stay in Kolkata!

@Raccoon
I earlier thought they had fixed the dust problem, by keeping the SD card slot on the left hand side of the phone for phones manufactured after Jan 2011...I wanted to make sure of this before buying. When was your phone manufactured?

Does anyone have any model he SD card slot on the left hand side with the dust issue fixed?

Mine is manufactured in November 2010. December manufactured ones almost definitely have the problem too. And now there are reports of February 2011 handsets with this problem too.

Does anybody know since which manufacturing date do the phones have the SD card slot on the left side? And are these handsets positively free of the problem?

Worst thing is that you will mostly know that you have the problem only weeks/months after purchase, as dust, lint, etc., gets time to build up.

[arjundg]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Mine is manufactured in November 2010. December manufactured ones almost definitely have the problem too. And now there are reports of February 2011 handsets with this problem too.

Does anybody know since which manufacturing date do the phones have the SD card slot on the left side? And are these handsets positively free of the problem?

Worst thing is that you will mostly know that you have the problem only weeks/months after purchase, as dust, lint, etc., gets time to build up.

I had send a mail to LG Customer Support and got a reply in 2 days!
Hi,

I want to purchase the LG Optimus One mobile phone in India. But I am hearing that it has a problem of dust getting acquired under the screen, and news that it might be fixed in new manufactured models. Please confirm if the problem has been fixed. If yes, let me know which serial number/manufacturing date model should I purchase.

Appreciate if you provide me help on this, this is the only thing between me and my phone.

Thanks,
Arjun
Reply from LGE:
Dear Customer,

We would like to confirm you that, this issue already sorted out from Dec 2010 production.

Rgds
Sunil Pandey

So, we need to look for handsets manufactured from Dec 2010!

[souravs]

I want to buy O-1.Can I scroll document file(mainly pdf) smoothly on it?And what is its browsing performance in 2g ?
please help me.
thanks

[Terabyte]

Originally Posted by arjundg

So, we need to look for handsets manufactured from Dec 2010!

Thats definitely great news!

[Sam]

Originally Posted by souravs

Can I scroll document file(mainly pdf) smoothly on it?

depends a bit on which pdf viewing app you are using. adobe reader is slow if the file is quite large (50Mb+)

Originally Posted by souravs

And what is its browsing performance in 2g ?

download speed is good enough. achieved 20kbps torrent & usually other download speed are also same.

[Terabyte]

Originally Posted by Sam

download speed is good enough. achieved 20kbps torrent & usually other download speed are also same.

You mean 20KBps

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by arjundg

I had send a mail to LG Customer Support and got a reply in 2 days!
Hi,

I want to purchase the LG Optimus One mobile phone in India. But I am hearing that it has a problem of dust getting acquired under the screen, and news that it might be fixed in new manufactured models. Please confirm if the problem has been fixed. If yes, let me know which serial number/manufacturing date model should I purchase.

Appreciate if you provide me help on this, this is the only thing between me and my phone.
Thanks,
Arjun
Reply from LGE:
Dear Customer,

We would like to confirm you that, this issue already sorted out from Dec 2010 production.

Rgds
Sunil Pandey

So, we need to look for handsets manufactured from Dec 2010!

Dude, even I had sent a similar mail and the reply was that I should contact the local service manager. He in turn got the info from the technicians of the service center. So back to square one. Whether you want to believe service center guys or not, is your call.

LG needs to issue an official declaration on this; but they have chosen not to do so. Until then, at least I have trouble believing, esp. when users are complaining of Feburary 2011 also exhibiting this problem.

Further, in my case I was told that it depends on the Serial Number and not just the date. In your mail they are silent about this.

Originally Posted by souravs

I want to buy O-1.Can I scroll document file(mainly pdf) smoothly on it?And what is its browsing performance in 2g ?
please help me.
thanks

I have found the pre-installed office app. to be a better option than Adobe's official reader. Not observed any issues while scrolling or otherwise, at least with the files (books) I'v used. But you will not appreciate all that when you will be looking thru a layer of dust & scratches, lol.

True to Adobe's desktop counterpart, their Android app sux too. Avoid.

[arjundg]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

LG needs to issue an official declaration on this; but they have chosen not to do so. Until then, at least I have trouble believing, esp. when users are complaining of Feburary 2011 also exhibiting this problem.

LG will never officially announce this, in that case they will have to recall/provide fixes for all defective units. If they fixed it for the future models or for the people complaining, well and good.
If the phones manufactured in Feb 2011 are having this problem, then thats bad.

[Raccoon]

^^^Yes, you have a point. But at least they should give consistent answers for the individual queries. And are they even true?

Aren't there any users here with phones manufactured from January 2011 onwards, who can comment on the dust issue & who have used the handset for sometime (please remember to mention S/N (serial no.) as mentioned on the box)?

[souravs]

Please anybody inform me that can I read regional language (mainly news papers) in O-1?

[gmg9]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

the store is located at Garia, beside SBI (Garia) branch!
I will update the exact name and contact details in the evening

so, hav u bought the phone. plz provide us with details shop address and location. thx in advance..

[MatchBoxx]

When i went to that shop after a few days, the man who quoted the price bluntly refused that he said the above prices. But, optimus one can be had at that price with a round of bargaining.
Shop name: Joyguru Telecom

[gmg9]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

When i went to that shop after a few days, the man who quoted the price bluntly refused that he said the above prices. But, optimus one can be had at that price with a round of bargaining.
Shop name: Joyguru Telecom

hmm. i thought so.. hw come he is selling ace @ 11k.. anyways. thx for the update. i may go there for the lgO1..

hav u bought from this shop or u go some where elso to bought it. plz keep updating as i also going to buy this ph. bt dont want to spend more than 9k. thx.

[MatchBoxx]

Originally Posted by gmg9

hmm. i thought so.. hw come he is selling ace @ 11k.. anyways. thx for the update. i may go there for the lgO1..

hav u bought from this shop or u go some where elso to bought it. plz keep updating as i also going to buy this ph. bt dont want to spend more than 9k. thx.

i haven't bought O1 yet, but i'll buy it next month...i'm a little disturbed and busy right now, regarding college admission,... so i think you can understand my position... :'(

[gmg9]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

i haven't bought O1 yet, but i'll buy it next month...i'm a little disturbed and busy right now, regarding college admission,... so i think you can understand my position... :'(

hey..yea sure. education first man. actually am also thinking of buying dis nxt month. looking for some 2nd hand lgO1 phones @ lowest price. thx.

[MatchBoxx]

Originally Posted by gmg9

hey..yea sure. education first man. actually am also thinking of buying dis nxt month. looking for some 2nd hand lgO1 phones @ lowest price. thx.

i don't really endorse the idea of buying used phones. They might develop "minor" glitches, so the users sell them off. You won't find the glitches unless you atleast use it for a day.

[gmg9]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

i don't really endorse the idea of buying used phones. They might develop "minor" glitches, so the users sell them off. You won't find the glitches unless you atleast use it for a day.

yea, u r right, bt am looking for phones within warranty. like minimum has 5 months warranty left. so if anything goes wrong i can replace it..

[MatchBoxx]

Originally Posted by gmg9

yea, u r right, bt am looking for phones within warranty. like minimum has 5 months warranty left. so if anything goes wrong i can replace it..

very few phones get completely replaced...companies usually repair them...and only replaces them, only if the unit is not repairable...why don't you start a thread in Baazar section of TDF?

[gmg9]

Originally Posted by sammy_cool

very few phones get completely replaced...companies usually repair them...and only replaces them, only if the unit is not repairable...why don't you start a thread in Baazar section of TDF?

repair is also ok for me. da ph. should be working as described by the comp. anyways thx for ur idea.