LG Optimus V - 3G smartphone - microSD slot - LCD display - 3.2" - 320 x 480 pixels - rear camera 3.2 MP - Virgin Mobile

Bought this about 2 years ago.

I bought this item 2 years ago when my old sprint contract ended. At that time, this phone was selling for $199.99 [it was one of the best Virgin phones at the time]. I figured I would wait awhile to post a review towards the end of its life, when I was going to place it. At the beginning when I got this phone, it was great. 300 min + unlimited internet & texting was only $25 a month [down from my $140 plan with sprint], so BIG yay there! I love taking pictures with my phone, and I find the camera on this phone to be sub-par. The pictures are very grainy.. and there is no flash. How I want a flash! But it does take pictures none the less, and you can text and facebook them, so that's nice. It does hold many contacts, and you can sync in contacts from facebook, yahoo, or whichever apps you might be using [those are the apps I used]. In the beginning, the battery would last a week or so, if I didn't use it all the time [occasional texting, or just checking to see if anyone called]. After a year or so, I noticed the phone was slowing down, it doesn't have alot of memory [and even though I added a memory stick to it.. it still fills up just from surfing the internet]. I find myself clearing the phone content and cookies daily, just from getting on facebook. It was going dead in a day, down from a week before. Now, I write this review when I'm getting ready to replace the phone. While I feel it was worth the $199 i paid, and even more so at the current $99 price, this phone won't last forever, and there is certainly better quality to be had, especially now, years later. The phone did do the job, however, it is a phone. It calls, it texts, and it takes pictures. Maybe not the best pictures, but pictures all the same. So if you're not a tech savvy looking for the best type of phone for your money, this is a good phone. Otherwise, i'd say splurge a little more and get something that's really going to last. Oh, one last thing. I have dropped this phone many times, on hard flooring, on concrete, in the sink, and ever though the battery cover and battery did fall out, it has already kept on chuggin along. So that's a plus!

jenilynevette . Review provider: walmart.com

Great Phone!!!

This phone is great i just wish it had the wi-fi hotspot built in it and more storage space. The feature of the phone is great, its small easy to handle and easy to use. I have had this phone for 2 weeks and i havent had one problem with it. I have had Virgin Mobile before, this is my first android phone with this carrier. I am just getting off of having T-Mobile LG GX2, didnt like T-Mobile it froze up all the time. Never had a problem with Virgin Mobile before. Overall, I am happy with this phone.

Melanne83 . Review provider: walmart.com

Satisfied Customer

I am glad I purchased this phone. I like the service I get from Virgin Mobile and I like that WalMart has quality phones that accommodate the plans. I has the Android features which gives you access to everything! So very happy!

MaggieP2 . Review provider: walmart.com

excellent smart phone

I actually lost this phone and instead of buying another one I bought the htc wildfire. That phone is alright but after having the optimus V it just couldnt compare, so i bought the optimus V again and i am very satisfied with it.

. Review provider: walmart.com

Great product, great service for my money!

This is a great phone and I'm not disappointed with the phone plan either. Although the item is listed here, I ordered my Optimus direct from VM, since this particular item states it won't work for my zip code. Although the Optimus V can't perform as perfect as other Androids from contract providers, it's definitely a step up from my previous carrier. And... coupled with VM's (very) affordable phone plan, it's definitely worth every penny. The battery: Battery life is pretty marginal. There are apps that the user can download to help curb battery consumption, and help it to last longer. The standard battery that's supplied with this phone is 1500mAh, and with my normal usage, last about a day and a half. I opted to purchase a higher capacity battery on-line, which is 3900mAh, and lasts me 3 days, with my average usage. It's faster to charge the higher capacity battery thru the phone, then with an external charger. Receiving Calls: I've had no problems listening to my incoming calls. Reception is really good, and... using the speaker phone option allows me to do other things with my free hand. Making Calls: I'm fortunate that VM's service (via Sprint), works really well in my area. However, from my home location, service is spotty, and I have to find a 'hot' spot if I need to make calls or receive them. Data service works really good from my home location. I guess this minor inconvenience is due to the fact that I live 7 miles away from the city, and am just at the fringes of the cell site (I had the same issues with AT&T). Making calls with the on-screen keypad works well, even for guys with large fingers such as myself. This product also has the "voice to text" option. I tried it once, but it seems that the phone either couldn't understand the words I'm saying, or just doesn't understand me at all. So I hardly use this option. When composing messages with voice-to-text, the user has to say "Question Mark", "Period" (.) or "Paragraph", otherwise you'll be typing one long, complete sentence. Under my current VM plan, I'm allotted 300 AT minutes, but I'm not much of a talker with cell phones, am mostly a data user. Keyboard: Although the Optimus V has the Swype keyboard, for me, I find it easier to create messages and texts with the standard Android keyboard. In fact, for me... I find it faster to type with the Android keyboard than with Swype. One thing I wish either keyboard had was a cursor key that would allow me to place the cursor at a particular point in the message, or to better select a clickable link while surfing. Texting: Sending texts with the Optimus V is much faster as compared to my old phone. It did take me awhile to get acclimated with the on-screen keyboard, and have adapted to the "one-finger" typing method (sometimes 2, if I use it horizontally). Surfing the web: Surfing the internet with this phone is definitely an improvement, as compared to my old phone. Although this product doesn't support Flash, it does play YouTube videos flawlessly. There is a downloadable app that allows the user to view some Flash videos, but not all. With 3G speed, the phone loaded up the pages in no time. On Wi-Fi, it's seems faster to me. FYI... using Wi-Fi for surfing whenever possible saves you from reaching your allotted GB allowance each month. Although my VM plan allows me 2GB of data, I find that I don't even reach 1GB each month (I use my laptop for the majority of internet usage). My data usage is basically for checking emails, and text messages. Now... you may have heard horror stories from other owners, about the Optimus freezing up, or is slow at loading up web pages. The user must remember, that the Optimus is a mini computer, and like a computer, it's best to clean up the phone after surfing the net. Meaning, you should make it a habit to delete out your history, cache and cookies, to free up memory space in the phone, for your next jaunt on the internet. The Optimus doesn't have a large internal memory capacity (100MB?), so you have to be conservative and empty your waste, so to speak. It's best to move any downloaded apps onto the SD card, so that you'd free up space in the internal memory. Emails: The Optimus is great for checking emails on Yahoo or Hotmail. Although this product is Google based, you can download the apps for Yahoo or Hotmail. You can also program this phone to link up with your corporate email account. I like the notification alert when I receive new emails on my Yahoo account. Camera: The 3.2 megapixel camera takes good pictures. It would have been nice if the Optimus had a flash for the camera. But the camera does have auto-focus, which is good to take really, sharp pictures. Video Recorder: The video camera is okay. Playback is somewhat pixellated, but it does the job good enough. All in all... this is a great product for the money... my money, at least! I am not disappointed with the Optimus or VM's phone plan. This is not a 'high-end' Android like those offered by contract providers, but for a pre-paid service... it's a great deal.

midnytcruza96720 . Review provider: walmart.com

very good phone

This has been a great product for our recent move. The phone allowed us to stay in touch with family where ever we were and gave us access to the internet while we were still getting moved in.

dwillard . Review provider: walmart.com

Very durrable, not much storage

I bought this phone because my last phone got dropped in lemonade... long story.. so I went out and got it because it seemed to have good reviews and it wasn't too expensive. I've had it for over a year and it has been dropped on concrete, thrown on stone, it has basically hit the grown more times than a phone should, but it kept working. It had scratches on the screen and dents on the sides, but the screen never cracked and it kept on going. However, I have had problems with the size. I like alot of pictures and games, and I have about 1100 pictures in my gallery, but because of that, I only have 1 game loaded. Having about 5 apps all together that I use. Anytime that I try to download another, it tells me my storage is too low, then I have to go back and delete it. But for being a cheap and durable phone, it was good. I am searching for a new one today because my charging port finally died. So if you don't use many apps and you're clumsy, I recommend this phone.

Bayboo1 . Review provider: walmart.com

You Get What You Pay For..

I say that I would recommend this phone because it is inexpensive and has the basic functions that you want from a droid phone. I shopped around and found it for $20 less from Walmart than Virgin Mobile was selling it on sale (even with the two year warranty and shipping to home included). I was pleased with the phone for the first week, but after about a week, it did start freezing up. So far, only once I was unable to answer when it was ringing. I just restarted the phone by removing and replacing the battery. If this continues I may attempt to get a replacement. If you are looking for an inexpensive droid phone I think you will be pleased with this item, just keep in mind that you do get what you pay for!

Shell42880 . Review provider: walmart.com

good beginner smartphone. I had no trouble learning it. however, I hate the virtual keyboard. maybe i'll get used to it.

jrnjan . Review provider: walmart.com

Limited Service Area

I purchased this phone based on the Walmart website's confirmation that I would have service in my area but it did not and the service was spotty even when I wasn't home. Beware if they indicate it will work in your zip code area. Otherwise the phone itself was very nice when I was able to get service.

RGP3 . Review provider: walmart.com