As a long time user of Windows Phone, I’ve been asked to do a review of the LG Quantum 7Q Windows Phone 7 device. There are lots of reviews on the Windows Phone 7 and the operating system and I have even written about the Metro Design Language. So of course the LG Quantum will have the Live Tiles, all Hubs like the People Hub, Picture Hub, XBox Live Hub and various other features that are standard with Windows Phone 7 operating system. This review I’ll be focusing on the features specific to the LG Quantum 7Q device.
With Windows Phone 7, OEMS (ie LG, Samsung, HTC etc.) cannot modify the user experience so they have to innovate in different areas such as hardware and software available on the devices. For the software, OEMS can deliver apps in ROM or OEMs can deliver apps via a dedicated Marketplace (ie app store) where OEMs can distribute exclusive software for users of the hardware. This is a great way to differentiate from competitors because lucky for us developers, users want apps!
I’m going to split this review into two parts. In this part I’m going to focus on the hardware and in the second part I’ll focus on the LG Marketplace and what software is available.
The Hardware
As of this writing, LG has two Windows Phone 7 devices available in market. The first is the LG Quantum 7 and the second is the LG Quantum 7Q. The primary difference between these two devices are the 7Q has a slide out keyboard where the 7 has no keyboard. With users who require a physical keyboard or who are used to physical keyboard, currently this is going to be the only Windows Phone 7 device with a physical keyboard. Personally, I think this is more a personal preference, and my preference is to use the on screen software keyboard but there are some people who prefer the tactile feedback of a physical keyboard.
On the plus side, even though it has a physical keyboard, the device is not as thick as I expected it to be.
As for the hardware specs, they are all pretty standard on Windows Phone 7 devices. The LG Quantum comes with the following
- 1Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
- 3.8” 480x800 Touch Screen
- 512MB RAM
- 512MB ROM
- 16GB of Internal Storage
The specs are pretty standard but currently is the only device with 16GB of storage and is the most storage available on any Windows Phone 7 device to date.
Hardware Design
I actually own the Samsung Focus, the HTC 7 Surround and the LG Quantum 7Q so I can compare the design of all the phones. What I like most about the LG Quantum is the sturdiness of the hardware. Although I haven’t done a ‘drop test’ it seems that if you accidently drop it, it won’t be a destroyed device. It doesn’t seem quite as fragile as the Samsung Focus.
The case is a combination of rubber and metal with the battery plate being metal and the surroundings being encased by a ‘rubber’ material finish. I find the rubber provides a good grip when playing games on the phone and could possibly provide the extra cushion if accidently dropped. What I like most about it is it does not have the plastic feeling as the Samsung Focus. For complete comparison the HTC 7 Surround is all brushed metal finish.
All Windows Phone 7 devices have standard buttons at the front which are a back button, start button and a search button. One of my pet peeves about most devices out there are these buttons are capacitive touch meaning it’s not a physical hardware button that you have to push. My pet peeve is whenever I’m playing a game or doing something on the device I sometimes accidently hit the start, back or search button because the slightest touch will activate the button. The LG Quantum 7Q uses a combination of capacitive buttons as well as physical hardware buttons with the back and search buttons being capacitive and the start button being a physical hardware button. Hoping an OEM will come out with a device where all buttons are physical buttons but at least the Quantum 7Q has one.
In terms of weight the LQ Quantum 7Q is slightly heavier than the HTC 7 Surround weighing at 185g compared to 162g and this is primarily due to the keyboard. Holding them both in my hands this difference is hardly noticeable. Comparing to the Samsung Focus you will notice a huge difference as the focus weighs only 119g. I prefer my devices to be a little heavier as it gives me some sort of confidence that if I accidently drop it the device will survive.
Screen
The screen on the LG Quantum is a standard screen measuring 3.8” and the standard resolution of 480x800. It’s not the biggest screen on the market but not the smallest. I believe the HTC 7 Mozart is 3.7” and the biggest is the HTC HD7 at 4.3” with all the same resolutions of 480x800. Now compared to the Super AMOLED screen on the Samsung Focus the screen doesn’t compare but there are some draw backs Super AMOLED that I describe in the battery life section.
Overall the screen is clear, crisp, responsive and bright colours. I have red as my accent colour with a light theme, and the red looks like red where as on the HTC 7 Surround it’s a different tint of red almost looks orange to me.
Battery Life
One of the biggest drawbacks to any smartphone is battery life. If a device does not last all day then it is useless. Luckily, the Quantum 7Q lasts pretty much the whole day for me. By whole day I mean 8am to about 4pm when I’m outside the office. Typical use is usually email, apps, gaming when waiting for meetings and GPS with Bing Maps when trying to find my way to a meeting.
The Quantum 7 devices come with a 1500mAh battery where as the HTC 7 Surround come with a 1230mAh battery and the Samsung Focus also comes with a 1500mAh battery. In my unscientific testing, the Quantum 7 seems to last longer than the Focus and that is due primarily (in my opinion) to the Super AMOLED screen on the Focus. Now because I use the Light theme, this creates a white background and Super AMOLED screens consume more power when displaying white. So although you get a really good looking screen on the Focus, it’s not all that great if the phone dies in the middle of the day.
Overall the battery life on the LG Quantum is great for my use.
Summary
Overall I like the the LG Quantum 7 phone although I would prefer it with out the keyboard but for those who like to have a physical keyboard, currently the Quantum 7Q is the only option for Windows Phone 7. The battery life on the phone suites my needs but I’m not on the phone talking all day or using it all day either. The overall design of the phone is acceptable as it provides a sturdy feel and doesn’t feel fragile like some of the other phones.
In my next post I’ll talk about some of the features in the LG Marketplace and some of the apps that are available and the availability of some augmented reality apps in the LG Marketplace.
Pros:
- Hardware Start button
- Sturdy Feel
- Good Weight not like Samsung Focus
- Good selection of apps in store
- Augmented Reality Apps
- Battery Life
Cons
- Physical Keyboard
- Screen – not as nice as Samsung Focus