The first Android-running smartphone launched for MetroPCS was the LG Optimus M which came out about more than a year ago. The phone you see in these pictures is the M+, the successor of the model that came out in 2011. Even though it still is being marketed as an affordable device, the M+ brings better hardware specifications and a larger screen, while the design is now thinner and with a lower curb weight as well.
The phone measures 4.48 inches long, 2.47 inches wide, 0.39 inches thick and it weighs 4.23 ounces, which makes it feel a little bit wide when you hold it in your hand so it should be more comfortable than its predecessor. Sitting on the left side you will notice that there is a volume rocker, while on top of the smartphone you have access to the sleep/power button and the 3.5mm jack. Between these sits the microUSB port that remains protected under a sliding door.
LG Optimus M+ (Source: cdn.slashphone.com)
Looking at the back of the LG Optimus M+ and we find a five megapixel camera which packs an LED flash, while on the right hand lower corner is the output speaker. After removing the back cover you will expose the 1,300 mAh battery as well as the microSD card slot which can take cards up to a maximum capacity of 32GB.
The smartphone has been equipped with a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that boasts a 320 x 480-pixel resolution and can deliver up to 262,000 colors. Despite the low resolution, video graphics and photos look rich and vivid on this screen, while the menu icons are quite crisp. However, those more complex images look streaky and grainy, but on the other hand we do like that the display is very responsive when you touch it. Sitting below it are the four usual buttons for: menu, home, back and initiating a search.
LG Optimus M+ (Source: st2.gsmarena.com)
The LG Optimus M+ is powered by a single-core 800 MHz processor which does a very good job, even though it’s not one of the more recent dual core or quad core CPUs. As for the aforementioned five megapixel camera, it packs a good number of settings, such as digital zoom ,flash, six scene modes, exposure meter, four ISO choices, five image options, five color effects, five white balance modes and a timer.
As for the video recorder, it has just about the same settings, including continuous flash, digital zoom, exposure, color and white balance options. In addition, there are two shooting modes, three video sizes, audio muting and three quality options.
The quality of the shots is very good when the photos are taken under bright and natural lightning conditions, with accurate colors and an overall clear look. When there isn’t a lot of light, the photos look a bit grainier, while the colors are duller.
