The LG Thrill 4G smartphone is the second glasses free phone to hit the USA mobile market, and though it sports these fab 3D features, LG and AT&T have promoted it primarily as a 4G robust device. Perhaps it is because they understand that the 3D technology is a work in progress and will not be considered perfect by industry experts, or maybe its because AT&T is currently rolling out their first 4G LTE services, either way, the LG Thrill is a savvy 3D 4G device. As reviews roll in on this new smartphone, they will likely prompt more consumers to go out and learn where to buy the LG Thrill 4G due to their overall positive and enthusiastic tone.
The Thrill has received a 4 out of 5 stars from Amazon shoppers, Cnet user respondents, and Cnet editors. AT&T customers have given the phone a whopping 4.6 out of 5 stars at the time this review was written. That’s a pretty nice round of applause indeed. It seems that consumers are not hung up on the fact that the glasses free 3D technology is not in its prime yet, and they are simply loving the features on the Thrill.
I have actually owned this phone for about 2 weeks now, and I have to say that I agree with the user reviews. The phone’s performance has been flawless for me. Multitasking has been easy and fast, call quality has been excellent, and the 3D features have turned me into a mobile phone gaming enthusiast. I’m coming to this Android phone from the iPhone, so there is a little bit of a learning curve involved. I actually enjoy learning new software, so it was not a burden for me, and I was still able to hit the ground running due to the intuitive nature of the Android OS platform.
The Thrill is fast and efficient due to its powerful 1 GHz dual core processor, which really gives the Thrill the juice it needs to never disappoint, regardless of what you’re requesting of the phone. The Thrill is the very first smartphone to utilize a dual core 1 GHz process combined with a dual memory and dual channel architecture, which is responsible for its impressive, showstopping performance. It also contributes to the Thrill’s speed, which is impressive. The Thrill has allowed me to access AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ service with advanced backhaul, and while I was skeptical, I do notice the increased speed over the previous 3G service I used with my iPhone. I am looking forward to being able to access AT&T’s 4G LTE service by next year.
While the picture quality has been criticized a little by experts, I find it to be superb. You can take pictures in 2D or 3D, and you do have to get the right lighting for the 3D pictures to really turn out nice, but when you do, the results are delightful. The Thrill comes with dual rear facing 5 mp cameras to pull off the 3D effects. 5 mp is not the industry best, but still renders a very nice picture. You can capture 2D videos in 1080p HD, or 3D videos in 720p HD. There is a front facing camera for video chats which I have not tried out yet as I do all video chatting on my computer, however the Thrill’s front facing camera is even with industry standards. The 3D camera features are indeed a great reason to find out where to buy the Thrill 4G if you’re interested in creating your own 3D content to enjoy and share.
The LG Thrill is not as slim and svelte as some of the other recently released smartphones, however the beautiful 4.3″ HD LCD 3D touchscreen makes the bulk worth it in my humble opinion. The 3D Space conveniently bundles your 3D options with one click access where you’ll find your camera functions, direct access to 3D YouTube videos, your 3D pre-loaded games and apps, your 3D gallery which will store your 3D photos and videos, as well as a handy 3D guide to help you get started. The phone comes with four 3D games to play as well as pre-loaded 3D Youtube videos and movie trailers to help you get used to the 3D functions on the phone.
The LG user interface overlay melds nicely with the Android platform, and offers an enjoyable and savvy experience. I love the voice command features that allow me to operate hands free when I need to, and I also enjoy having my Thrill read text messages to me or tell me who’s calling so that I don’t have to stop working or communicating as I drive. As someone who struggles with a hearing disability, I was pleasantly surprised with the nice loud, clear quality of the speaker phone on the Thrill. I can hear it perfectly, which will be the first speakerphone I’ve ever been able to use on a mobile phone.
The HDMI ports and DLNA capability allow me to connect to external HD monitors to share content easily and effectively. I find the memory to be adequate, with an 8 BG of internal memory storage, an included 8 GB microSD memory card, and expandable memory storage up to 32 GB via microSD memory card. Other nice features include the Bluetooth 3.0, 4G mobile hotspot connectivity and USB tethering support, integrated Google apps and services, and a superb selection of pre-loaded Android apps. I particularly enjoyed learning to send video mail using the pre-installed Qik app.
Now for the complaints. The battery life certainly leaves something to be desired and drains quickly when using the coolest phone features. I’ve found I have to charge it during the day if I’m using it often. Also, the phone ships with Android 2.2 Froyo even though most new phone releases are shipping with the Gingerbread version of the Android OS. An over the air, free upgrade is expected in the near future for Thrill owners which reportedly will even improve battery life, but its disappointing that the phone doesn’t include the newest Android OS platform. For me, these two complaints however are easily over shadowed by the more than reasonable price tag on the Thrill, which of course was a huge determining factor for me and my built-in practicality.
AT&T is offering the phone for a nice low $99, however you can score an LG Thrill 4G phone at authorized retailers as low as $9.99!! Since I’m on a family plan and was doing an upgrade, my price tag was a little higher at $19, but it was still a $80 savings over AT&T’s price tag, and was so much lower than many smartphones with a slimmer feature set and less functionality. If you’re wondering where to purchase the LG Thrill as the lowest possible price, then you’ve come to the right place!!