By December 30, 2009

LG GM750 Review

Having just reviewed the Samsung Omnia Lite, there seems little point in reviewing the LG GM750, as on the face of it they are pretty much the same device, the Omnia was overall capable and usable is there anything about the LG to set it apart and make it stand out in the crowd?

Exclusive to Vodaphone let’s see how the GM750 compares…..

The LG GM750

The LG GM750

What’s in the box?

  • The LG GM750
  • User manual.
  • 3.5mm connecting headset
  • MicroUSB connection adaptor for the headset
  • AC plug with a USB to microUSB connection lead

Take a look also at Matt’s LG GM750 unboxing video for more.

 

LG GM750 Specification:

  • Operating System – Windows Mobile 6.5
  • Processor – QCT MSM7200A 528MHz processor
  • Memory – 250MB Internal
  • Display – TFT resistive touchscreen, 262K colours, 240 x 400 pixels, 3.0 inches
  • S Class Touch User Interface
  • Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
  • Operating Frequency – GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900  3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100 
  • 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
  • WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
  • Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP 
  • microUSB
  • GPS Integrated with A-GPS
  • microSD (TransFlash), up to 32GB
  • Camera – 5 MP, 2560 x1920 pixels, autofocus
  • Battery – Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh
  • Dimensions – 109.8 x 56.5 x 11.9 mm
  • Weight – 103 grams with battery

General

On the top of the unit is the lock/ power button

LG GM750 Top View

LG GM750 Top View

 

Left hand side is home from top to bottom the loop for connecting the stylus or charms, followed by the covered microUSB sync/charge/headset slot, next the volume up/down rocker.

LG GM750 left side view

LG GM750 left side view

 

Nothing to see on the bottom

 

The right hand side, from top to bottom are a covered microSD card slot, next the ‘Multitasking’ key which is essentially a Task Manager launcher shown in the review, and finally the dedicated camera button.

LG GM750 right side view

LG GM750 right side view

 

On the rear of the LG there is the 5 Megapixel autofocus camera with a tiny mirror, but no flash.

LG GM750 back view

LG GM750 back view

 

Around the front of the phone is an earpiece (which on the review unit has a rough edge) a proximity sensor and a forward facing ‘inner’ camera, below which is the 3″, 240 x 400 pixels touchscreen, underneath this is the call/answer key and the end/home key, which flank the optical joystick button.

GM750-front

LG GM750 front view

 

 

Highlights

  • Simple to use
  • 5 megapixel camera
  • Fully customisable User Interface
  • Good spec including optical joystick

Lowlights

  • Build quality
  • Unresponsive screen

Review

Out of the box the LG GM750 looks good and feels solid the rounded edges of the device make it feel nice in hand. I was slightly disappointed by the rough edges of the earpiece, but that could just be the review unit.

The ‘Home’ screen on the revamped LG style UI is divided into 5 separate screens similar to the android devices and also Touchflo. The first screen is for Notifications such as missed calls, text, email and also appointments. This very much does away with the traditional Windows interface and does it well, although you can always use the traditional menus of you wish.

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The second screen is intended for widgets, the third for media, forth for favourite contacts and finally one for applications. Although there are a lot of choices they do appear to be easy to use and to customise, with large, clear icons.

The interface is speedy and rotations of the screens seem smooth and there is only a minimal lag in presenting the applications. After my comments about the screen on the oh so similar Omnia Lite, the LG doesn’t seem to suffer from the same screen resolution problems, I am not sure if it is the UI or the settings but this screen seems sharper and more focused, possibly due to the 262K colours?

Texting is fine when using the LG based keyboard

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The phone call side of life is just as easy and there were no issues here either as long as you keep your ear off the sharp edges of the earpiece! Clarity was fine and no surprises in this area I have included the LG version of the phone keypad for your delectation.

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It was good to see that LG have included the 1500 mAh battery to give that much more capacity, I had read reviews stating 1000 mAh which would have been a mistake.

This device has exactly the same annoyances as the Samsung Omnia Lite in that I found myself having to jab at the screen several times to get a response and the ‘x’ at the top of the screen more often than not brought up the appointment pop up instead of closing the screen which was the desired outcome, frustrating! The need here for a stylus is obvious but as with the Omnia it is a standalone unit that can be attached via the loop at the top of the device. Not good, for me.

I have to say that the upgraded camera appears to be better than that on the Samsung, coming in at 5 megapixels and with one of the smallest mirrors I have seen, still no flash unfortunately. The pictures are better but still no match for a dedicated camera. For some reason I did notice that there is a zoom facility on the camera but you cannot use it if the camera is set at 5 megapixels there is only a pop up that states ‘Zoom function cannot be applied at 5M pixels.’, not being a camera expert could not figure out why this would be, perhaps Matt the camera junkie could let us know?

Another demonstration of one-upmanship shown by LG is the inclusion of the optical joystick, for scrolling and entering this works well and is definitely preferable to the back button option found on the Omnia. It is also customisable with the option to have a virtual mouse if required, as well as speed options.

GPS worked well, I was unable to tell what the Vodaphone version of the Navigation was like as they did not provide a sim to be able test, no Google maps or bundled software included but N drive and Google both worked fine and where responsive and useable.

The multitasking button brings up a surprise that I haven’t seen before in a Task Manager there is either List or picture which is Windows aero stylee as seen in pictures 1 and 2. Also swiping the menu at the bottom of the Home screen brings up a new scrollable menu rows seen in picture 3 which looks confusing but proved to be really easy to use.

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Conclusion

Setting aside the build quality that could be the review unit, I feel that LG and Vodaphone have done a better job with the GM750, it is a very capable device with a great spec, it has extras over and about the Samsung Omnia in the camera and optical joystick, so for me appears to be a better option to buy on that basis. The downside is that it is exclusive to Vodaphone and will mean locking yourself in to an 18 month or 24 month deal to get your hands on one of these devices.

So if you are due an upgrade or you are looking of a new high spec device, take a look at the LG GM750, you will have to deal with its small annoyances though, these I am sure can be remedied in time.

What’s next? Oh, the X2, no rest the wicked….don’t seem to be being offered the more interesting stuff lately like the Droid, Glisten from USA, or Omnia Pro B7330…..Grrumph! J Was it something I said? Perhaps I’ll have to wait for the X10?

 

Review by: Steve

[ Post Tags: LG GM750, Windows Mobile 6.5, Vodafone, smartphone, tracyandmatt.co.uk ]

Posted in: Reviews

About the Author:

More than 20 years in the IT industry. Blogging with a passion and thirst for new technology since 2005.
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