LG Spectrum LTE Smartphone Review
Like many of today's phones, the majority of the front of the LG Spectrum is consumed by the large, 4.5-inch display. Above the display to the right of the Verizon Wireless logo, you'll find the 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. In comparison to some other phones which have ridges or a bump where the rear-facing camera or battery resides, the Spectrum has a mostly uniform body.
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Unlike many of today's Android phones, the Spectrum has just three touch-sensitive buttons (Menu, Home, Back) beneath the display. The Search button that is typically found beneath the display on other phones is missing, but you can access this functionality through the phone's interface. The Home button is the most noticeable of the three touch-sensitive buttons because it is surrounded by chrome.
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When you turn the Spectrum over, you'll see a glossy checkerboard finish that tends to attract fingerprints. Although the phone is comfortable to hold, we miss the easy-gripping feature of the rubberized back found on some smartphones today; the glossy back is pretty slick to the touch. On the back of the phone, you'll also see the 8 megapixel rear-facing camera along with LG and 4G LTE logos. You can see the rear speaker to the right of the 4G LTE logo.
On the left side of the phone, you'll find a volume rocker. The bottom edge of the phone and the right edge are null of any controls. On the top edge of the Spectrum, you'll find the 3.5mm headphone jack, microUSB port, and power button. The microUSB port is hidden behind a door that lifts up and rotates out.
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The LG Spectrum has an average weight in comparison to many of today's hot smartphones. The phone weighs 4.99 ounces which is very similar to Apple's iPhone 4S (4.9 ounces). Here's a closer look at how the Spectrum compares to some of today's popular phones.
| Samsung Galaxy S 4G | 4.2 ounces |
| Motorola Droid Razr | 4.48 ounces |
| Nexus S |
4.55 ounces |
| Samsung GSII Epic 4G Touch | 4.6 ounces |
| HTC Droid Incredible |
4.6 ounces |
| Apple iPhone 4 |
4.8 ounces |
| Apple iPhone 4S |
4.9 ounces |
| LG Spectrum |
4.99 ounces |
| Samsung Droid Charge |
5.04 ounces |
| Motorola Droid Razr Maxx |
5.1 ounces |
| Motorola Droid Bionic | 5.57 ounces |
| Motorola Photon 4G |
5.6 ounces |
| HTC EVO 3D |
6 ounces |
| HTC Thunderbolt |
6.23 ounces |
When you remove the back battery cover, you'll see the Spectrum's microSD card slot as well as a Verizon Wireless 4G LTE SIM card. We appreciate that LG designed the phone so you can access the microSD slot without having to remove the battery. Should you need to swap SIM card, however, you'll need to remove the battery to have full access to the SIM slot.
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