LG Optimus L9 Smartphone: Complete Review & Specs

Smartphone LG Optimus L9 was announced on September 29, the same day as the flagship of the LG Optimus G. Unlike Optimus G, rumors of which go back to early 2012, the appearance of Optimus L9 was not known. The letter L in the model name indicates membership smartphone to its line of L-Style – Stylish design with the characteristics of the design. Now, when the L-Style has seven devices, it becomes clear that this is not a set of separately collected devices as just another marketing ploy, because apart from LG Optimus 4x HD and LG Optimus 3D Max, all new smartphones have in their name the letter L. But those two, which were not included in the list of “stylish” possess inherent L-Style elements. So, who is the LG Optimus L9 – the flagship, but only within the above range of devices/ It has a large IPS-display with a diagonal of 4.7″, 5 MP camera capable of recording Full HD-video and dual core processor. At first glance, nothing special, given that the outside end of 2012, and such characteristics are at the middle-price segment of Android-smartphones. But is simple LG Optimus L9, as it might seem at first glance? And today we have brought you the review of this smartphone which will guide you through it specifications, features, pros and cons.

LG Optimus L9
Design and Ergonomics

 

Through visual tricks – LG Optimus L9 is having a black frame between the display and the white front panel off seems like frame around the display is virtually nonexistent. A similar technique is used in the Optimus 4x HD, just there, for some reason, it is not so clearly evident in the eye.

 

When compared with a single LG smartphone, equipped with a display diagonal of 4.7″, it is noticeable that in L9 display is a few millimeters above. This is probably due to a hardware key “Home.” Whatever but it was all combine to create the impression that the LG Optimus L9 is less the same Optimus 4x HD, that is not really the case.

Comparison of the dimensions of several models of LG and closest opponents:

• LG Optimus L9 ——131.9 x 68.2 x 9.1mm, 125g, 2150 mAh
• LG Optimus 4x HD——-132.4 x 68.1 x 8.9mm, 133g, 2150
• LG Optimus True HD LTE——-132.9 x 67.9 x 10.4, 135mm, 1830
• LG Nexus 4——133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1, 139g, 2100
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus———135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9, 135g, 1750
• Samsung Galaxy Premier——-134.2 x 68 xx 8,99, 130, 2100
• Samsung Galaxy S III———– 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6, 133, 2100
• HTC One X———-134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9, 130g, 1800
• HTC One X +——–134.4 x 69.9 x 8.9mm, 135g, 2000
• Sony Xperia T——– 129.4 x 67.3 x 9.4mm, 139g, 1850
• Nokia Lumia 920——- 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7mm, 185g, 2000
• Huawei Ascend D1——-129 x 64 x 8.9mm, 132g, 1800
The LG Optimus L9 smartphone does have some of the lows of the length and width of the device, diagonal is 4.65-4.7″. In this case, it is equipped with highest-capacity battery. Such a comparison of dimensions also revealed the worst smartphone, it was Nokia Lumia 920.
On the front of the LG Optimus L9 smartphone is a speaker, a front VGA-camera, proximity sensor, 4.7″ display, the mechanical key “Home” and two touch -“Back” and “Context menu” on the left and right, respectively. The light sensor is missing. Grid Dynamics is located near the upper end, while the LG Optimus 4x HD, it is slightly lower. Touch keys are illuminated white diode backlight time set through the menu.

 

The LG Optimus L9 display is protected by plastic. From a practical point of view it is not the best solution, it’s easy to scratch or damage the monitor by pushing the plastic.
Strip of matte gray plastic, bordering the front of the smartphone looks less visually challenging than silver paste in all the same LG Optimus 4x HD.
At the bottom end there are Micro-USB-connector and the microphone. At the top there is 3.5 mm audio jack and a second microphone. On the left side – the volume rocker, the center of which is a small ledge, which facilitates its tactile detection. On the right side – at a distance of ¼ of the upper end is the on / lock. Using it is not very convenient because of too soft and small stroke.

 

The back side of the smartphone has two fractures on the sides, which adds certain elegance to it. As is common in LG, removable cover is made of matte plastic and has a peculiar texture. In the upper left corner of LG Optimus L9, surrounded by the plastic of the same color and texture as around the front and rear panels, the facility is located 5 MP camera. Under it installed LED flash, which, in contrast to the LG Optimus 4x HD, there is the right of the lens, not illuminates objects at close range. At the bottom are two horizontal slots under the speaker.

 

Despite the fact that nowhere is no information to support the smartphone LG Optimus L9 technology NFC, the removable panel has special contacts and the actual antenna. Under the cover is the battery capacity of 2150 mA / h, the SIM-card slot supporting format mini (can be removed without shutting down the smartphone) and memory cards. To install the memory card will need to remove the battery, because the slot is located under the SIM. The flexibility of the back panel is not like in the Samsung smartphone, but much more than in the LG-P880. Cover is not loose, but the body still creaks.

 

So, as we have already mentioned, the design of the smartphone LG Optimus L9 we liked, but for ergonomics and materials having some claim. In particular the use of plastic, instead of glass and protective housing crunch. If these features are unique this case LG-P765 deserves high marks for assembling materials and ergonomics.
Interface and Software

 

Smartphone LG Optimus L9 is running the operating system Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.4) with a proprietary interface LG – Optimus UI 3.0. Seemingly low-end model can not have more than the LG-P880 with Android 4.0.3, features. But LG do not think so, and gave the smartphone, can often touted in the LG Optimus G.

 

In particular this applies to the lock screen, where the Quick Launch icons look out of round holes, while the LG Optimus 4x HD are located directly on the Lock screen. This seemingly minor change is a much more intuitive. To run you have to pull the label of the edge of the circle from which they look out for. Regardless of whether the SIM-card or not, the notification bar is available when your screen is locked. In the settings as an opportunity to set the period after which the backlight will be turned off after locking the screen, from “Immediately” to “30 minutes.” There is a field with the configuration steps when you press the power – namely off lights and lock the screen, or just turn off the backlight.
Number of shortcuts in the notification bar is down by one due to lack of NFC (recall that the antenna is physically present), but there was an arrow that points to the fact that the left or right, depending on the current situation, there are icons. Recall that the list is configured via the menu “Edit” next to it. It gives the user a list of icons and their location.
Disappeared cross purpose, which was limited to clearing notifications. Now, its place was taken by the appropriate key. It has become more, therefore, no longer need to aim at a small cross, but still have to aim at the gear that is responsible for the entrance to the “Settings”.
On the main desktop screen of LG Optimus L9, to the left of the search bar Google, microphone icon appears, the caller voice search on the Internet. Unfortunately, none of that S Voice or Siri in LG, not yet been invented, so to run applications or simply search for a smartphone voice cannot be content.

 

The bottom line contains four tag, but the number can vary from one to six. Supports the creation of folders by simply dragging one label to another. In the application list for this, first click on the “gear” in the upper right corner.

Button of context menu on the desktop, you can go to the choice by editing the number and position of the windows desktop, home screen and lock screen, settings, applications, and general settings menu. In the “Home screen” there is the choice of topics, enabling / disabling animation effects (Users do not need to go to the desktop to see what it’s like this or that effect, they are displayed directly in choosing them), wallpaper (a large number of new wallpapers, enabling circular scrolling screens (windows) and backup user settings. settings on the lock screen. Application settings in LG Optimus L9 will take the user to the corresponding menu, from which you can delete the application, view the amount of used and available memory and, if desired, to stop any of running programs.

 

By holding down “Home” you can go toe task manager, and you can stop all running applications en masse. In Task Manager, also has the ability to stop the application by one or all at once, View installed and delete them, illustration of busy / free flash memory cards, as well as change the default application. The latter allows establishing an association between the action and the application, which must match it.
Widgets to the Optimus UI 3.0 provides reverse pinching gesture, that is, the moving apart of two fingers on the screen, which leads to the disappearance of all the above these objects except for the status bar. To return simply press the “Back” or “Home”, or else move the fingers. Key “context menu” is not available. The only thing you can do in this mode – flipping the desktop window, looking at the screen saver.
The numeric keypad in LG Optimus L9 is able to search the contacts. There is a “black list”, saving an unknown number in the contacts and the ability to send a quick message for an incoming call. That is, all the same, as in most smartphones on Android 4.0. Using gesture “tweak” you can minimize all contact, leaving only capital letters. They point to the right of the figure corresponding to the number of contacts. It is possible to send a message or an e-mail to selected subscribers, sending contacts – one file, or all contacts at a time.
Interface of text messaging in LG Optimus L9 has not changed, but the letters have become large, the distance between the letters decreased. As in the LG-P880 present handwriting in any language and mode Shape writer – Swipe with analog fast enough and correct OCR. The user can disable the notification of messages in the status bar.
Smartphone LG Optimus L9 has a somewhat more advanced than any other model of this manufacturer keyboard. For example, those who believe unnecessarily large size of the keyboard, you can use the mode shift to the left or right. Something similar is in the Samsung Galaxy Note, Note II. In landscape mode, the keyboard can be divided into two parts all for the greater convenience of typing.

 

Preinstalled applications in LG Optimus L9:

Besides the standard set of necessary and applications, LG Optimus L9 has few new programs. In them we will dwell, the more they are all tied to the camera.

DioDict 3 – dictionary created by Abbyy Lingvo, with a wide selection of languages. Can be downloaded free of charge, only one of them and any subsequent cost 33.51 USD. Words can introduce it-self or identify with the camera. To do this, the smartphone has a second application.

 

Quick Translator – application scanner, able to recognize and translate a word individually, or several words at once, and the list of supported languages is composed of more than 40 pieces.

 

The hardware platform of LG Optimus L9:

The LG Optimus L9 smartphone is built on the same platform as the LG Optimus 3D and LG Optimus 3D Max. From the first Optimus L9 inherited SoC TI OMAP 4430 – 1 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9, a graphics accelerator PowerVR SGX540. This chip is manufactured on 45 nm process technology. The amount of RAM is 1 GB, and 4 GB of flash memory. This enabled Optimus L9 achieved good results in the synthetic benchmarks. More precisely, the results surpassed Optimus L9 ov34 Optimus 3D Max, which uses exactly the same system-on-a-chip, the processor overclocked to 1.2 GHz and a lower resolution screen.
Deserve appreciation for smartphone and speed of satellite and reception quality. Without the use of the location of the mobile networks, including Wi-Fi, and start searching for satellites in less than five seconds, but what a system for GLONASS, only adds L9 plus.

 

Display of LG Optimus L9:

Many potential buyers to know that 4.7″display in LG Optimus L9 has resolution 960 x 540 points not as in the flagship 1280×720 pixels in LG Optimus L9. Indeed, the use of such a large matrix with a relatively low resolution does not look quite reasonable, but here it is worth remembering that the model is positioned as a tool of the middle class. If we compare the pixel density, LG Optimus L9 has 234 ppi, in LG Optimus 4x HD – 312 ppi, LG Optimus Vu – 256 ppi, and LG Optimus 2x – 233 ppi, Samsung Galaxy S II – 221 ppi, HTC Titan – 199 ppi.

 

Consequently, the display is not so bad, as part of the segment. Minimum brightness of 3 cd / m ², a maximum 290 cd / m ². Indicators of brightness could be called comfortable for reading in the dark, and work in bright sun, but with the latter similar to the smartphone LG Optimus 4x HD problem – the sun is not always possible to consider something in the display. Availability affects the air gap and the lack of a reflective surface, such as the Nokia 808 Pureview. For an example, the image on which to evaluate the behavior of Optimus 4x HD. With Optimus L9 situation is similar.
Camera

LG smartphones have always grazed the back of quality cameras. No exception, this model, although in some situations, the camera is still able to produce good results. In the setting mode removed HDR, but added a number of voice commands to shoot.

Results for LG Optimus L9:

Given the possibilities LG Optimus L9 against LG Optimus L7, its main disadvantage – the processor, the new flagship looks more attractive, it is promoted as the technical parameters, and an improved interface. LG Optimus L9 didn’t choose the best time to enter the market, and even the price tag does not help the fact that the model has become popular, although in terms of hardware and software for good. The fate of the flagship L-Style depends on how flexible the company LG will respond to price changes in the market.

Pros:
+ Appearance and ergonomics
+ Keyboard settings
+ Applications to convert text: DioDict 3 and Quick Translator
+ interface Optimus UI 3.0
+ Quick Memo
+ Performance
+ Dimensions
+ Battery
+ Oleophobic coating
+ Front camera
+ Volume and quality sound when using headphones
+ Loud and clear sound of the loudspeaker

Cons:
– Price
– Plastic instead of protective glass on the front panel
– No light sensor
– Camera quality – better than the LG Optimus 4x HD, but worse than the competition

This was all about the review of LG Optimus L9 hope we have guided you about all the pros and cons of this phone now you can choose the desired device for you.

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