LG Optimus G review

An awesome phone, but a little too late?

LG Optimus G review
Our definitive preview of the LG Optimus G

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Even though the applications have been given a coat of paint by LG, the calling functions on the phone, and the address book, are pretty standard for a modern smartphone.

LG Optimus G - dialer

Your contacts list can be compiled from a number of sources: Gmail, Facebook, a Microsoft Exchange account, Twitter and others. When you sync a new account you can choose whether to include phone numbers from this source in your Address Book, or hide them. Hidden contacts are still searchable, but not shown in the list.

To find a number to call, you can either search for the contact and select them from the Address Book, or alternatively, you can can start to type the person's name using the T9 alphabet on the keypad in the Phone app. Typing 323 will bring up Dad if you have him in your Contacts.

One of the hidden features of the Optimus G is that it includes HD Voice calling, a relatively new network feature that transmits a higher bitrate voice signal on compatible networks. Three and Orange supporting HD Voice in the UK, T-Mobile in the US and Telstra in Australia.

You also need to be speaking with someone with an HD Voice compatible phone, which is a bummer, but if you manage to satisfy all of these requirements, the result is pretty impressive.