Home › Reviews ›

Review: LG Vortex

Form Basics Extras Wrap-Up Comments 15

Menus Calls / Contacts Messaging Social Networking

The LG Vortex uses almost the exact same interface design as the LG Optimus T on T-Mobile (Sprint's Optimus S is slightly different with Sprint ID). For the most part, you're looking at a standard Android 2.2 design with some welcome improvements. On the homescreen, you get five icons at the bottom that stick around as you swipe side to side. Those are buttons for the phone, contacts, messaging and the browser.

Pulling down the notification shade reveals a row of settings shortcuts up top, always a welcome addition. With a quick tap you can turn off the sound, or toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and background sync features. Again, it would be nice if you could customize these, to swap out the background sync for a brightness control toggle, for instance.

The LG Vortex keeps the great Optimus application menu design. You can create subcategories for the app menu, and rearrange the menu to your liking. So, instead of an alphabetized list of all your apps, you could group apps by "social networking" or "multimedia." Whatever you like. You can also uninstall apps directly from the application drawer, which is a very nice and intuitive shortcut that saves some time digging through the settings menus.

There is one significant difference on the LG Vortex. The phone uses Bing for search and maps, and VZ Navigator for turn-by-turn navigation. This seems to be Verizon Wireless' way of punishing phones that are not exclusives to their network, and the experience isn't quite as good as the standard Google Maps and Google Search kit. It isn't bad. Search results were still useful, and the features are nicely integrated into the system, so you can tap on a contact to start navigating, just as you can with Google Maps. But Google search results are still better, with a more refined interface, and voice search features seemed to work better with a regular old Google phone. Both Google Search and Google Maps are available for free from the App Market if you like, but when you hit that Search button, you'll always get Bing.

Next page: Calls / Contacts

Related

Compact Google Pixel 6a Starts at $449

May 11, 2022
Google has taken the wraps off its newest more-affordable Pixel, the Pixel 6a. In contrast to the growing size of other recent Pixel models, the 6a has a relatively compact 6.1-inch display.

Samsung Refines its Foldable Phones

Aug 10, 2022
Samsung has announced its newest generation of foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4. Both have similar designs and features compared to their predecessors, with a slew of small updates and refinements across the board.

iPhone 15 Series Goes All-In on USB-C and Dynamic Island

Sep 12, 2023
Apple has revealed the iPhone 15 series, which moves to a USB-C connector and brings several key features from last year's Pro models to the more-affordable standard models. These include the pill-shaped sensor cutout in the display that Apple calls Dynamic Island, a brighter display that can reach 2000 nits, a 48 megapixel main camera, and the A16 Bionic processor chip.

Google Overhauls Android's Parental Controls

Oct 18, 2022
Google is revamping Family Link, the system-wide parental controls for a child's Android device. The biggest new feature is the ability to create temporary "Today Only" screen-time settings that override the usual daily settings.

Motorola Updates its Most Affordable Phones

May 2, 2023
Motorola has introduced two new models in its "moto g" series of affordable phones. The moto g 5G (2023) is very similar to last year's moto g 5G, offering 5G for a low price.

LG Vortex

3.2" display 320 x 480 pixels
S1 MSM7627 processor
1,500 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)

more news about: