LG Fusic / LX-550
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 7, 2006 by Eric Lin
Our In Depth review of LG's stylish and unique new 3G music phone for Sprint. NEW: Video Tour read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Fusic beats Chocolate hands down!
The Fusic is the ultimate MP3/phone! Even though it may not seem like it, it beats the Chocolate hands down! Here are my pros and cons:
Pros
- Digital sound quality, just like the Ipod
- Changeable faceplate
- Great battery power; lasts very long compared to the Blade
- Bright backlight
- Demo Apps don't feel like demos; they last long and the demo countdown ticker doesn't seem to work :)
- Lots of features
- Good reception
- Sprint's network is very reliable
Cons
- Not as thin as the RAZR V3
- Sensitive front MP3 d-pad
Why I Think It's Better Than The Chocolate
Better battery life, better sound quality, more reliable, and smaller!
The bottom line is that the Fusic is better than any other MP3 phone.
The Fusic: A fusion between the word fusion and music!
Got Fusic?
I don't typically write phone reviews but the Fusic left me no option. I just got this phone (9/18) and i think it rocks unlike any other i ever seen. I can't add any more positives than the ones listed above. I have had it for two days and I still can't get enough of this phone, im even thinking about selling back my video ipod. Ipod who? Fusic = phone, mp3 player, camera, camcorder, video player, radio, internet browser... whatelse? I had my girlfriend pic as a screensaver and honestly i never though she was that Hot! My only problem is i can't get the DUN modem connection to work! I'm pretty new to the DUN pc/phone thing and everytime i tried to the connect the phone kept dialing (#777) and then just cuts off. If any of you got it to work, please help me out here... overall the fusic worth every penny.
P.S. Fusic saved me from leaving Sprint, and it could save you too!!!
"Bang for the Buck" HOMERUN
I'd say I'm an average user. I don't own an Ipod but have been doing the PCS thing since 1998...this phone, especially as a Sprint offering, ROCKS. Previously (still, actually) I had an LG 325; got it specifically for the bluetooth connectivity - the FUSIC blows the 325 away...better/quicker(near instant) connection, supports voice dial at one push of a button on my bluetooth headset (Jabra BT500) and I can actually have my phone in a pocket and still get CLEAR bluetooth reception. EVDO high speed data means no more waiting and waiting for websites to load; it really is DSL fast. It's capabilities as a music player are just being tapped into for me...the streaming music sites offered by Sprint are a nice touch, and the mp3/etc playability is very cool. Currently I have the included 64 meg SDmicro card but am upgrading to a full one GIG card ($45ish to your door at Amazon.com) I'm not well versed in the whole music download scene, yet i was able to take Itunes and WalmartMusic downloads and convert them play on this phone...NEITHER site's songs will play w/o conversion...downloading your CD collection is easy.
I'm not a huge picture taker, though the benefits of a 1.3 meg camera (good 4X6 prints) and built in flash are obvious.
The video quality is not up to par for me, but again, this is a phone, not a larger screened PDA.
For me, the only downsides to this phone are in comparison to devices (PDA's) that it was not intended to compete with...so, for the market it was intended, no real downsides for me, especially at $179...
One annoying thing - the VIBRATE ringer function only has "Vibrate ALL" which seems to be attached to soo many alert functions...I kept turning off different alerts till the thing finally stopped vibrating every 2 min or so...think it was the "message alert" function.
BOTTOM LINE: for users who enjoy true music capabilities and want great bluetooth connectivity combined will high speed data, give this phone a SERIOUS look.
Sprints good choice!
I would have to say that Sprint has done a good job of releasing this phone. My previous phone i owned was the A920 by Samsung for only 4 months, after finding out about this phone i got it on the day it came out. This is a very good phone for the person who loves music and on the go.
PROS:
-1.3 Megapixel Camera
-Bluetooth
-MP3 Music
-FM Transmitter
-Clear Screen and nice graphics
-Good call clarity and signal, I havent had a problem, everywhere I go i get good signal. Better than my A920.
-Fast EV-DO net
-Extra memory storage slot
-Good battery life.
CONS:
-Pictures are dark and blurry if you have no light.
-Pictures glitch and shaky if not hold still while shooting.
-The MP3 click wheel is a little sensitive.
All in all, this is a very good phone and worth the money paid. I have only had this phone for 3 days now and I really like it. Have no problems with it and calls come in good. Have not had a drop call yet.
Review on great phone by Sprint employee
I've worked for Sprint/Cingular for a while now. I've used a LOT of phones so I believe I know what to look for in a phone.
Pro's:
-Reception: This phone has served me well through several states (as good as possible with Sprint). Can usually dial out no matter what. Switches networks quick if out of EVDO area so you have no "call lag".
-Size: It's not too big and it's not irritatingly small (see Pantech C3) nor irritatingly thin while being extremely wide and awkward to hold (see RAZR).
-Battery Life: My usual talk time on the phone is around 4-5 hours depending on availability of network and signal strength. Standby is great. Good power saving features. I've heard a lot of people complain about this phones battery. It's excellent compared to most new phones.
-Call Quality: Very high. I can hear people clearly and they can hear me just as good. Every LG I've owned has had good call quality/receivability. Keep it coming Lucky Goldstar.
-Screen Size/Resolution: Very nice main display. I've been very pleased. Good size font for me and it always looks sharp. Sub display leaves a little to be desired but still nice.
-Bluetooth: Never have pairing problems with any headsets/headphones. Strong connection. I love the A2DP profile (headphones). Since this was one of the first phones to carry the feature, I didn't expect much. But, after using I have to say I'm impressed. Good sound quality. Sometimes buggy, but that's to be expected on first time firmware.
Con's (not many and no big deal):
-Texting: Occasionally the phone likes to throw in words for no apparent reason when using T9 predictive text. I usually cure this by deleting all messages in the phone as it seems to pull them from older messages. It's like the phone is trying to learn how you text. Cool but mostly annoying.
-Display(s): They both get lint behind the protective plastic casing. Not a lot and I quit caring after a while. I'm not THAT anal. Most phones will do this over time.
Returning the Fusic
Awesome phone, only mp3s work. None of the other file formats that the Sprint website says it supports works. I will do what another reviewer is considering: I will go get a cheaper phone and buy a separate mp3 player. You cannot put songs to ring-tones, not too "custom." Very disappointing.
This phone is an un-f@^%ing believable phone!!!
WOOOOOOOOW, where the hell do I begin. This is the eighth phone I've had in the last four years. Over the last year I've had the Sprint PPC-6700, Samsung A-900, Verizon's Samsung SCH-i730 and Verizon's LG VX-8300. I've been with Sprint for approx 4 years now. Just like other reviewers have stated in the past, it is ridiculous just how much Verizon has instructed manufactures to drastically limit the ability to customize and interact with their phones. Sprint is in my opinion clearly the right choice between the two carriers regarding price, options etc. I am staying away from pocket pc's forever as I have had to many close call driving accidents while using one. The browser on this phone lets me go to web sites like Wells Fargo.com or Digg.com which you couldn't do over a year ago with a regular cell phone. now then, unless you have over 500 contacts and/or stuck in an airport where a pocket pc would come in handy for watching larger sized videos, etc.--then this phone should be the last phone for a long while for most people. I've had this phone for a few days now and I can't get over just how much technology is crammed in this freakin thing. The blue-tooth works flawlessly as I use mostly as my laptop modem. I get an average of a 110KB per second download and 20-40KBytes upload. The menu GUI is outstanding. The built-in FM transmitter works flawlessly as well, even when the unit was approx 5 feet away from my car antenna. Interestingly enough though, it wouldn't work on my Denon receiver but it would on my cheep alarm clock. You even have the ability to manually adjust the transmitted signal if you desired to. The unit comes with a 64MB micro SD card and a MicroSD card adapter. It also comes with a hands free mic with mini-plug to a standard headphone plug converter. Signal strength is great. Battery life is amazing considering how small the battery is. voice clarity to and from is amazing too and the 1.3MP camera takes pretty good pictures and movies as well.
Love it
I love this phone! I previously had the Samsung A900 and have never owned an LG phone but have been pleasantly surprised. It is very cute, but it's not just a nice looking phone. It holds way more memory than the A900 so I can keep a bunch of MP3's and pictures on it.(plus the 1.3 mega pixel camera). It also has the FM transmitter so I can play my MP3's over my car stereo, or any stereo for that matter. The first thing on the phone that caught my eye was the cute little bus that drives around all the famous landmarks in the world like the Eiffel tower and the wall of china etc. It's just great! 2 thumbs up.
One great phone some strange quirks
The LG FUSIC is a more than a phone it is a multimedia device. It is the reason I switched back to Sprint and left Cingular. The Fusic only comes in white (smooth pearl metallic white that's how I would describe the finish & feel). The front face plate is easily interchangeable and comes with blue (already on the phone), black, green & pink (in the box). The external and internal color screens are bright and easy on the eyes. The Fusic is small but not too small. In some ways it has a Nextel like appearance, with the personality of an ipod. Unlike Sprint's Nextel line the Fusic does not seem rugged. The Fusic probably couldn't sustain any kind of real abuse. I would be afraid of dropping this phone, which is why I purchased the Sprint Protection Plan.
Pros -
Unique appearance, flip phone, very user friendly, bluetooth (works with Macs), Adequate 1.3 Mega-pixel camera, Up to 1 gig sim card, Sprint power vision super high speed data & internet connection speeds. LIVE TV (I watch FOX NEWS & DISCOVERY CHANNEL all the time), Picture Mail Service, excellent form factor, decent battery life, great signal strength, reception where other sprint phones were having more difficulty.
Cons -
Only comes in white, not as rugged as a Motorola i580 or rugged at all for that matter, This phone can be scratched or damaged easily. Poor video cam.
Strange Quirks -
When the vibrate all mode is on the Fusic will vibrate once in a while for no apparent reason, no missed alerts are indicated after vib. Another strange quirk is that files (like mp3) files transfered via bluetooth can not be moved into other folders nor can the mp3 files placed by bluetooth play with the lid closed or broadcast via the FM transmitter. The phone froze once had to force a restart by removing and replacing the battery.
Conclusion:
The good outweighs the bad hands down! I give this phone a 4 out of 5 rating.
