LG Revolution
Phone Scoop Review
May 27, 2011 by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop takes a look at Verizon's latest LTE handset, the LG Revolution. This whopper of an Android smartphone offers a massive screen, fast data speeds, and a lot of other tastefully-managed features. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Not a Revolution--But a Solid Device
The LG Revolution is a classic example of a device that does not stand out in any one capacity, but performs all tasks equally well and comes with no major flaws. If your looking for a reliable 4G smartphone with Verizon at a reasonable price, the Revolution should be on your short list.
Few minor and no major characteristics of the phone stand out positively or negatively. In lieu of a pros and cons list, I'll highlight several of the phone's features and its general performance.
-Network Performance: the Revolution gets excellent signal and does not suffer from any "signal death grip" issues. Data speeds have been satisfactory on 3G. I have not tested the phone on 4G in my area, and Verizon's 4G performance varies wildly from locale to locale anyway.
- Calling: call quality on the Revolution is satisfactory, neither terrific nor poor. It's better than average, though i've used a couple of Verizon phones with better call quality (and many with worse call quality).
- Usage: Battery life is average with 3G usage and wifi; again I have not used 4G.
- Hardware: the Revolution is a solidly constructed device, and despite the heavy usage of plastic, feels and looks premium. The battery cover is easy to remove, and the volume rocker is tactile without being too easy or difficult to press. However, the charger port is difficult to open; thankfully the headphone jack is located at the top of the device.
- Screen: very tactile and responsive, and visible in direct sunlight on brightest setting. Colors do look washed out on virtual keyboard, but are excellent otherwise. Overall the screen is bright and pleasant to use.
- General Performance: processor runs very smoothly and rarely stalls. Opens tasks quickly. Little to no lag in any application. Runs faster than many other single core processor phones I have used.
- Minor Quibbles: excessive bloatware, and stock keyboard auto-correct is schizophrenic.
not too bad
I have had this phone for about 3 days. It's definitely not terrible. I haven't decided ifi love it yet or not.
Pros:
HUGE screen
text message threads are big
loud ringer
pretty neat ringtones came on the phone
Cons:
battery life is TERRIBLE!
takes a looonnnggg time to charge
really wish it had an 8 mp camera :(
I live in MT and we are always the last to get all the really cool stuff so still waiting to see how it does in 4G. Speed is faster than a 3G phone though, which is good. I don't really like Facebook for LG either. I wasn't able to find the chat with it so I just use the Android version. Can't wait to get 2.3 Gingerbread on it though :)
Fundamenal Issue
I would love to give this phone a high review. I have had it now for a little over 48 hours. The phone itself is very good but 4G is quite useless here in western NJ. I work in Allentown, PA where 4G is actually available and yes, the data rate is fabulous.
The touch screen is above average and the Android OS is quite good.
BUT, the phone can't hold a charge and takes quite long to charge.. Even with bluetooth and wifi turned off, the phone required 2 charges today with minimal use. It simply unacceptable.
I do not recommend this phone and will be returning it to Verizon tomorrow (Memorial Day) if they are open. I am going to request that they waive the $35 restocking fee because the phone as is, cannot be used.
I am in the semiconductor business (designer/architect) and we have had many problems with power management with 40 nm chips - I wonder if this is the problem.
I will select either a Apple I-phone or stay 3G only with an HTC Incredible 2.
Good phone
Pros: Good 4G
Nice screen
Good touch
Decent battery
Cons: Bing is annoying but can work around
This phone is great! The interface is snappy as is, though I'll try LP on it later. The touch is very sensitive like an iPhone (who LG makes the screens for). If you're having trouble with the touch, be precise-drag at all while touching and it won't think it's a tap. The battery life is in between the Charge and the Tbolt. You can set the search mode to google and download the google apps to get around the bing issue. Screen quality is good and clear. Also, the VoLTE chip it has (which neither Tbolt or Charge do) is a nice bit of future proofing. Give this one a try!
Not so great
I've had this phone for a little over a year now and I hate to say this but I've had a lot of issues. With my insurance, I was able to send it back but the same problems come back with the new phone. The phone freezes often and is slow to change screens. I've also had problems receiving text messages in that some texts just never come. Friends and family and texted me and I seem to just never get it. I also have trouble getting picture messages. The email and facebook are a little bit slow but seem to work fine. I'm not a huge fan of the slow speed and the problems with receiving texts.
Really bad phone
Issues with LG Revolution phone ordered 01/22/12. (Ordered the Thunderbolt but was sent the Revolution instead).
1. Sent wrong phone but was talked into keeping the Revolution
2. Phone reboots itself. This is not task specific (during phone calls, playing games, texting, phone just in standby mode)
3. While browsing the web, the back key will (most of the time) exits the browser. Must start over with your search.
4. Left edge of phone will not allow you to use the screen. While playing games, touching the left side will not register. In landscape mode, the bottom row of buttons will work about half the time
5. Phone freezes often and is not task specific.
6. Have not received several text messages, verified with my wifeâs phone sending text message and never shows up on my phone. This was also verified using 5 other phones, 2 of which are with another carrier.
7. To launch apps, you have to try more than once for app to launch. Apps will sometimes start to launch and exit right away.
8. Phone does not get a steady 4G connection; phone is slower than my wifeâs Incredible when we connect to the internet.
9. Gets a Visual Voice Mail log in error and need to log in a few times to correct the error. This happens on a daily basis.
10. It takes several attempts to few text messages because they do not show the first time going into the messages. This happens at random and not every time.
11. While typing with the keyboard, it will sometimes jump to a new field or I will lose the keyboard and have to click a fields to bring it back up.
I would stay away from this phone.
Best choice for LTE
For me, it was all about getting an Unlimited 4G LTE Mobile HotSpot for $30 on the Verizon network. With that in mind, I had to make a choice by July 7; before the Unlimited Data/HotSpot plans were terminated.
I would have rather gone with a Windows phone, but at the time, Verizon didn't offer a Windows phone that utilized their 4G LTE network.
I went to the store thinking, "anything but the LG" as it got such bad reviews from everyone. That left me witht he HTC Thunderbolt or the Samsung Droid Charge.
I didn't like all the curvature of the Samsung, so that was out.
The agent told me that the HTC had lots of issues (software, freezing, reboots, etc), and recommended the LG Revoluion. I was skeptical, but later read so many online complaints that I was glad I listened to him.
I'm glad I listened to him. This does not have the best specs of the three devices, but it just works. The specs are not just 'good enough', they are 'very good enough'. Who needs more than a 5 Megapixel camera which will mostly end up on Facebook.
I know this review will not do much to sway anyone because if you're thinking about getting a 4G LTE phone on Verizon, you're probably waiting for the Motorola Bionic or even a future iPhone or Sony device.
The most useful feature for me, that I believe is specific to this LG, is the "What's New" screen.
Much like the "live tiles" on a Windows phone, it tells you what items to check.
I do not believe that any of the 4G LTE phones are ready for the masses, yet, as the battery life is not very good when you compare it to what people are used to.
Sure, they tell you that you can turn off features, if you're not using them, but who wants to keep track of what to turn on/off throughout the day. You just want it to work.
You need to charge this all night, in your car, and while you're at your desk. Then, and only then, will you not have to worry about the battery dying in the most inconvenient time/place.
Surprisingly good
One of the best phones I've ever had, and I've had plenty. Surprisingly beautiful screen and able to see good in sunlight. Very responsive, connects to computer with hot spot flawlessly and stays connected. Calls are clear on both ends. Got it when it came out a few days ago and intend to keep it for a long time. Charges in about 3 hours from empty. There are a few things which I would change or add, but they are personal preferences and not affecting the overall quality of this instrument. I was actually surprised at how well this works. Once again, it all depends on how you use your phone and what you want from it.
Beautiful but has issues...
I use the phone mostly for email, Facebook and text... The things I Love about this phone, the size, the weight, the screen bright, plays movies amazingly, I do love the picture quality from the back camera, keyboard is easy to use and usually types the correct thing, talk to text is pretty good too... As for the bad things... sometimes it doesn't respond to touch very well, 4G goes in and out so bad and instead of an easy transition it interrupts service (ex: not sending a text or sending response to Facebook) I am in Mesa, Arizona in a partial 4G area. The battery is horrible, takes forever to charge too, but what did I expect from a 4G smart phone, I tried to talk to a friend of mine on my new phone, she said I sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher... (Waah waaah waaah) So even though I could hear her crisp and clear, she couldn't me :o/ ringer at the highest isn't very loud... LG removed the option to add an email manually... So I couldn't add my Cox email account, I had to download an app and hope they fix that issue someday! I have only had the phone since the morning of May 26th when it was released so I need to give it time, but I sure am hoping I didn't make a costly 2 year mistake!
