Customer Reviews

LG Optimus GT540 Unlocked GSM Quad-Band Phone with 3 MP Camera, Android OS, Touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth--No Warranty (Black)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Performance: fast & stable.
- It can run Raging Thunder II smoothly (need to download data to SD card separately in order to run the game. The data can be found easily on android forums).
- Web browsing: no lag when scrolling. No double-tap or one-touch zooming (as in Iphone and other capacitive phones) because this phone has resistive screen.
Wifi:
- Easy to config.
- Run smoothly.
Texting: not texting so no comment. However:
- Qwerty onscreen keyboard is not spacious (3" screen).
Music:
- Loudspeaker is good for pop, rap. Not good for metal + rock: I tried playing Tokyo (Resident Evil - Afterlife's OST)and it sounded awful.
Connectivity:
- Always has good signal.
- No problem with making calls (voice is clear).
Software:
- Running Android 1.6.
- Can be upgraded to 2.1 (not officially supported).
Battery:
- 1500mAh => long standby time.
- Run out quickly when running game + WiFi on (battery is drained 21% when running Raging Thunder II for 10 mins).

*Pros:
- One of the most cheapest WiFi & (A)GPS-ready android phone.
- Fast & stable performance.
- Long battery life (standby time).
- Good design (curves at the top & bottom, brushed-metal-like plastic case).
*Cons:
- Resistive screen => no double-tap zooming.
- Old version of Android (1.6). But upgradable to 2.1 (support Live Wallpaper).

Suggestion:
- Install APNdroid (must use 3.0, 2.1 won't work) + 3G Watchdog.
- Install ApkInstaller to install applications from SD card.

First off, let me start by saying that I do love this phone, and despite the flaws it has I'm STILL baffled over it, and I still haven't gotten over that it's a phone, and not just a toy. (I came from a Blackberry, and this just has so many advantages over it)

Pros:
-Quick! Much faster than my Blackberries -- I can send messages without any lag, there's generally very little delay between selecting programs and having it open.
-Sleek! I've gotten a few comments about it being a cool looking phone, and one person didn't want to stop playing with it!
-Surprisingly cheap! When I was looking at phones, I generally didn't want to spend over $150, but when I saw what this came with and the general reviews of it, I couldn't pass it up. This is cheaper than any Android upgrade T-Mobile would give me, and the cheapest Android phone I could find!
-Android OS -- This is huge! So many people develop apps for this system, it's awesome. There is literally an app for everything that I've wanted so far, and plenty more that I haven't wanted, haha.

Cons:
-Android 1.6 -- This is upgradable, but apparently LG had issues with the OS or something, so they took it down. You can potentially upgrade it by getting "root" access, which is essentially like jailbreaking an iPhone, or something like that. It gives you access to things that you normally wouldn't have, but not without its own issues. You can potentially "brick" your phone and have it be just that, a very expensive paperweight. I would do this but right now I'm just so happy with the upgrade I don't need it.

-Pain to set up -- When I first received it, I just popped in my SIM card and I could text/talk no problem. Picture messages were a different story. For some reason I could not receive picture messages despite normally being able to do so with my Blackberries. I was told I would need a data plan for it by a T-mobile representative. This did not fix the issue. I continued to talk to three total T-mobile reps and none of them could get me to receive picture messages (or web, after the data plan was added to test it). I only found out how to do this by browsing the T-mobile forums and finding the right Access Point Names (APNs) to use in order for it to work. I will post these settings at the end of the review.

-Steep learning curve -- I still haven't learned how to type on the virtual keyboard after 4-5 years of typing on the Blackberry keyboard! I make errors like crazy!


Other Thoughts:

-I don't have a case for this yet (thanks to slow shipments..) so I'm afraid it will scratch easily as I always carry my phone in the same pocket as my keys (I -WISH- I could change this habit, but it's too awkward after years of doing this). I'm simply avoiding carrying my phone in that pocket until then, but that's not really the phone's fault.

-Sometimes it takes a little while to switch to the home screen. Simple fix is shutting the screen off and turning it back on. Really it's only once in a while, and the home screen DOES return, I'm just too lazy to wait those 5 seconds after being spoiled by how quick it normally is :)



APN Settings for T-Mobile -- I only pulled these off of the T-Mobile forums. I don't know what effects these settings will have if you have a different carrier or whatever, but these work for T-mobile so far.

For this we'll need 2 APN entries.



=============



Create FIRST APN, set as below, leave as-is for all others not mentioned:

Name: t-mobile

APN: epc.tmobile.com (or you can try others like wap.voicestream.com etc.)

APN type: default



save apn.



Create SECOND APN, set as below, leave as-is for all others not mentioned:

Name: t-mobile MMS

[...]

MMS proxy: 216.155.165.050

MMS port: 8080

APN type: mms



save apn.

=============

Once it is done, you should have 2 APNs.

The APN "t-mobile MMS" does not have a clickable radio button on the right.



Best to restart phone.



Sending or Receiving MMS: Your 3G sign will first disappear for several seconds, then reappear.

Though not obvious, the 3G sign now is for "t-mobile MMS" APN.

Once it has finished doing all the sending and receiving, the 3G sign disappears again.

After several seconds, the 3G sign reappears again.

Though not obvious, the 3G sign now is for "t-mobile" APN.

You may resume your normal data connectivity/Internet.



-Huge thanks to CyFox on the T-mobile forums for writing this guide, I'm merely the messenger here.

The phone overall was very nice. Didn't weight much and the touch screen was responsive. The Android OS ran well. I liked it overall. It being unlocked and cheap along with the Android OS made it a good buy I thought at the time. The problem I had was that while the features were nice I could not get the phone to update via the official tools. Others had this problem all over the world with this particular phone. Some had to wait for their cell providers to push out the update but those that bought it unlocked from various places had issues at the time. The choice I was left with at the time was to install the update myself. A process if done wrong could turn the phone into a paperweight. With no US warranty I didn't feel safe in doing so. So in the end I returned it and thankfully because the device was fulfilled by Amazon.com I was able to get my money back. If I had the chance to buy the phone again but with the update already installed I would as I am a fan of the Android OS and did like the phone overall. However I would warn people that if they do want to update and don't feel like taking certain risk to perhaps look for a different phone or one with a US warranty.

Let me start by saying you will love this phone if you know what you are buying. And what are you buying? A/ Bang for your buck.

Externally, the phone looks great. I love the shape, the size, of both the phone and the screen, is perfect for my taste and the battery cap is both easy to remove and locks in securely.

As for the battery, it lasts 48 hours with moderate use (I don't keep wifi or APN on all the time).

As for the software, Android is great. The Android Market has LOTS of apps but it can be overwhelming at first. Also, most apps require access to a lot of personal data, which I feel is unnecessary at times.

The phone is fast, but as any computer it gets sluggish after a while and you need to restart it to clean your memory. Or get an app to do this, but I haven't decided on one yet.

At last, the screen. It won't win any awards, but it looks nice enough. You won't be able to make anything out in direct sunlight, but I don't usually use my phone outside during the day, I'm stuck in an office. The resistive screen is soft to the touch, but those used to capacitive screens will have a hard time getting used to pressing rather than brushing. (Light pressing, I mean, very light)...

Only con is It can't seem to get a 3G signal on my carrier, so I'm stuck with 2G for now.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase, you can't get any better for the price...

Well, I knew I would be well covered for 2G but I am going to miss out on 3G as this phone only supports 850, 900, and 2100 on 3G (HSDPA). Apparently AT&T uses 1900 for 3G. Oh well, don't need it because I don't have to pay for a data plan. Neener neener AT&T.

At any rate, for the price, this is a nifty phone. It's not a Ferrari like the Galaxy II or some higher end phones but it's got some great future potential if you're one for modding and rooting your phone.

Out of the box it DID come unlocked. Running Android 2.1-update1 (Eclair). I plugged in my SIM card (very easy, contrary to the one reviewer who had trouble 11 times. Really?), put in my old 4GB microSD card, popped in my battery, and fired it up. It did a little song and dance with setting up calibration stuff, language, and date/time settings but after that, my AT&T network popped up, voicemails, texts, etc. I was able to set up my e-mail to be Pushed from my Exchange server (via WiFi) but it does allow you to do a manual setup for other e-mail services. I rooted it using z4root (1.3.0.0) and added the Superuser app too. Now I can do whatever *I* want to *MY* property.

I bought this phone because I wanted WiFi / E-Mail capabilities and didn't want to be FORCED into a "Data" plan by AT&T's thuggery. I'm not one of these people who needs 24/7/365 access to e-mail / Internet via my provider. I just want to access it when I'm near a WiFi hotspot so I can browse the web and occasionally check e-mail.

I'm excited to mod the phone with the SwiftDroid 2.0 / CyanoGen 7.1 mods as it will give me Gingerbread 2.3.5 or newer. It's pretty pathetic how LG brought out this phone last year and barely supported it. Just like my LG Vu. Even Apple pushes iOS updates for phone that are a few years old! These phone makers have NO excuse to not keep giving us firmware / OS updates. Can you imagine Microsoft or Apple releasing an OS and then dropping support for it after a year?

UPDATE 9/27/2011: Well, I've modded this phone with SwiftDroid 2.0 RC4/ Cyanogen Mod 7.1 RC1 and MAN does this sucker FLY! Gingerbread is a WORLD of difference from Eclair. The price of this phone to be able to mod up to Gingerbread is worth it alone. So how did I do it? Below is a general step-by-step on how to update your GT540 but first, the usual disclaimer: Although I had zero experience rooting or modding an Android, I was able to do it successfully. However, if you break your GT540, I am not responsible. There are tons of forums that can help you.

UPDATE: 9/29/2011: Missed a couple steps. Should be complete now.

UPDATE: 10/7/2011: Android237GT540_06-OctoberENG.exe has been release and updates the GT540 to Android 2.3.7 (SwiftDroid 2.0 RC5). Just updated and all went well. Loving this phone more and more every day.

UPDATE: 10/26/2011: I paid $119 + shipping for this phone a month ago and now it's going for $199.95? Buy this phone elsewhere. That is an OUTRAGEOUS increase in price especially since after I posted it can run Gingerbread it has gone up in price. For nearly 200 you can buy a better and newer phone. Hey Amazon, this phone is an OLD model. What are you smoking?

UPDATE: 11/4/2011: Wow, a few days after posting the price gouging and it *magically* drops down to $139.

UPDATE: 11/9/2011: Now the price has dropped to $129.

UPDATE: 11/10/2011: Android237GT540_02-Nov-ENG.exe has been released and updates the GT540 to Android 2.3.7 (SwiftDroid 2.0 ASIS). This is likely the final update for this phone and is considered a stable Final release.

(For Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7)

I did this procedure to my unlocked GT540 with Android 2.1-update1. There is no undo button. Once you mod (update) up your phone, you can't go back. Trust me, you won't want to. It is best to do this on a new phone as you will lose *all* your stuff (pics, vids, numbers, texts, etc). Back up your phone numbers or installed apps if you have a backup program. Do not restore default apps from Android 2.1 to Android 2.3 or you'll screw up your apps / phone and have to redo the mod process. Just reinstall the apps you had from scratch.

Let's begin:

-Make sure USB DEBUGGING MODE is turned ON. Go to Settings > Applications > Development and turn on USB Debugging Mode.
-Make sure MASS STORAGE mode is turned OFF. Go to Settings > SD Card & Phone Storage and turn OFF Mass Storage Mode.

1. Do a search for "KDZ Updater Europe Open", you'll likely get a link to it on Mediafire. It's a 144.87MB file. Download it.

2. Do a search for the file: Android237GT540_02-Nov-ENG.exe (or Android237GT540_06-OctoberENG.exe if you can't find Android237GT540_02-Nov-ENG.exe). You'll likely get a link to it on FileServe. It's a 107.69MB file. Download it.

3. Do a search for FastbootDrivers_LG_GT540.zip, you'll likely get a link to it on Mediafire. It's a 1.33MB file. You may or may not need these but download it all the same.

4. After getting the above three files, unzip KDZ Updater Europe Open.zip and FastbootDrivers_LG_GT540.zip to a folder.

5. In the KDZ Updater Europe Open folder, make sure there are 4 files: 1) Europe Open+Fastboot.kdz, 2) LGAndroidDriver_WHQL_ML_Ver_1.0_All_Win7.exe, 3) msxml.msi, 4) z4root.1.3.0.apk.

6. Install the phone drivers: LGAndroidDriver_WHQL_ML_Ver_1.0_All_Win7.exe. If it asks you to reboot, reboot.

7. If you don't have the Microsoft XML 4.0 SP3 Parser (check your Add / Remove Programs for MSXML 4.0 SP3 Parser), install msxml.msi.

8. Install and use the z4root tool to your phone to *permanently* root your phone. It will run, do a song and dance, and reboot your phone if successful.

9. Although the update did not mess with my microSD card, you can unmount (Settings > Phone and SD Storage > Unmount SD) and take out your microSD card if you want.

10. Power off your phone, take out the battery, put the battery back in.

11. With the phone powered OFF, hold down the Volume Down button and press and hold down the Power button.

12. You should see Download Mode appear on the screen. If not, repeat step 11.

13. Plug in the USB cable to the side of the phone and plug the other end of the USB cable to your computer. Windows will find the phone and install the drivers and it should *not* complain about "unable to install drivers." It may ask you to reboot. If so, reboot. Leave the phone in Download Mode.

14. In the KDZ Updater Europe Open folder, find KDZ_FW_UPD.exe and run it.

15. Set Type to "3GQCT" and Phone Mode to "DIAG."

16. For KDZ file, choose Europe Open+Fastboot.kdz from the KDZ Updater Europe Open folder.

17. Click Launch Software Update. It should take roughly 5 minutes to complete if you are using USB 2.0 speed. It will reboot your phone automatically (the Download Mode screen will disappear).

18. Be ready to do the following step quickly: When you phone reboots, hold down the Camera button until the LG logo disappears and the screen is black and nothing further continues to happen. You are now in what is called Fastboot Mode. If you were too slow and the phone is booting up, pull the battery out, unplug the USB cable from your computer, put the battery back in and try again by holding down the Camera button and pressing the Power button until the LG logo disappears. Plug the USB cable back into your computer.

19. Windows may now say it found a new ADB Device (or some similar thing) and needs the driver. If so, point it to the folder where you unzipped the FastbootDrivers_LG_GT540 files. If not, proceed to the next step.

20. Find Android237GT540_02-Nov-ENG.exe (or Android237GT540_06-OctoberENG.exe if you can't find Android237GT540_02-Nov-ENG.exe) and run it. Read the directions and info (slightly broken English). It will unzip all the Gingerbread update files to a folder called C:\GT540. Since you have Android 2.1, you will be choosing to do an INSTALL, *NOT* an Update.

21. Once you click INSTALL, you will see a DOS command window open (the instructions tell you this) and this is where the magic is happening. After about 5 minutes, it will complete and close and your phone should reboot. Do not stop the INSTALL process or you might brick your phone in which case you start all over again.

22. After reboot, it will take around 5 minutes for Gingerbread to rebuild itself on the phone and load up. Unplug the USB cable from the phone. You'll see LG GT540 SwiftDroid appear and then a blue Android on a skateboard zoom by and then a blue Android screen with a spinning arrow with the words Cyanogen Mod 7. If you see that, you are good to go. Just wait patiently until it finishes loading everything. Have fun! Also, please sign the petition to get the Cyanogen team to work on the GT540. Google the phrase "LG GT540 Official Cyanogenmod Support Petition" and also donate to the CyanogenMod / SwiftDroid team as they make this all possible. Make sure you let them know it was a GT540!

Note: One of the nice benefits of the SwiftDroid / Cyanogen mod is the ability to overclock your CPU. However, many forums out there warn to NOT go past 800MHz as you are almost guaranteed to have issues. Mine is running happily at 672MHz. By default, it underclocks your CPU to 245Mhz when idle to save battery power. Drop down to 122Mhz to save even more battery! Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > Performance > CPU Settings > Min CPU Frequency.

The primary function of a smartphone still is to be a phone.
Well, this LG GT 540 keeps it simple and functional. Dialer is intuitive, call quality is great, and reception (depending on zone and provider) is perfect. You can expect a great smartphone. It comes with android 1.6 donut but it can be easily upgreaded to 2.1 eclaire which packs some neat features: a more simple and clean user interface along with: html 5 support, redesigned icons, live wallpapers, etc.

I am going to keep this review simple as well, by not writing about the great free apps from the android market that you can download or the cool features you can get by rooting this phone. But the first thing I recommend you to do even before inserting a sim or an sd card is this:
- Head to the UK LG site, download LG Mobile update and the usb drivers. There is actually a page dedicated with instructions on upgrading from 1.6 to Android 2.1 in there so look around.
- Flash your phone with this. Follow the instructions and you will have no trouble... If you insert your sim card before doing this the phone will recognize you are not in "supported zone" for upgrading it, so it will not let you (basically it will tell you you have the latest firmware which is not true).
- In any case just be advised that depending on software, hardware, luck, etc... sometimes this fails and you might get your phone bricked (still can be unbricked if you browse forums) so just proceed with caution.

Overall, great phone for the price, very good features, camera takes ok pictures on good lighting situations, responsive browser, email, gps, and most of all calling and texting.

WiFi, BlueTooth, GPS, 3MP camera (no flash), FM Radio, Compass, Accelerometers, resistive touchscreen AND Android.

It is unlocked all right.

Upgradable so far up to Android 2.1 (that's what I am running right now) I find myself with a phone capable of doing everything other really expensive phones do. Small enough and yet big enough. And thanks to Android, there is a huge selection of FREE apps to the point I haven't bought anything yet.

I lost grip on it once, went to the floor, back cover and battery flew away. I just put it back together and many weeks after that it's like it never happened. Sturdy enough.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I am happy about this product.

Used a GSM sim in India and it worked without any issue. Haven't tried any data features.

But has good voice quality, user interface, and sleak phone design. Would recommend to others if they would like to use it with GSM/GPRS service.

This is a good option if you are just trying to get an inexpensive Android phone: It works well and it can be upgraded from Android 1.6 to 2.1.

*** However you should be aware that:

1) This is an EUROPEAN MODEL. Until now (three weeks of use) I have not been able to get a 3G signal on T-Mobile. I have tried several APN settings and spent a lot of time talking to T-Mobile's support, but still nothing.I would have given it 3 or 4 stars if it wasn't for this major issue.

- You can still get high-speed data through Wi-Fi, but only about 50kbps when connected though 2G.

(UPDATE: As I understand now, the problem is that T-Mobile's 3G uses the 1700 and 2100 MHz frequencies, and this phone does not receive in the 1700 range. It supports WCDMA 1900, and 2100. So definitely NO 3G ON T-MOBILE).

2) Upgrading Android turned out to be a major PAIN, even though it was supposed to have been easy. The initial firmware upgrade failed at 6% and "bricked" the phone. I was eventually able to bring it back to life, but it took hours since windows would no longer recognize the brain-dead device. If that happens to you, check MODACO.com and browse through the GT540 FAQs.

3) The display is very small and not nearly as responsive as Apple's. You get what you pay for. (This phone has a a resistive screen, not capacitative).

4) The virtual keyboard is nearly impossible to use. Way too small and half of the time I end up pressing the wrong keys. I now use a stylus pen from an old Treo and store it in the silicon case when not using.

5) My phone came without an SD card, with a Portuguese Manual and an European AC charger, which in turn was accompanied by an "adapter for the adapter" in order to fit American outlets. Very convoluted and amateurish setup.
- The Good news is that you can use any other USB charger - if you have a spare from an old phone - and discard the whole contraption that came in the box. (Or perhaps just mail it to that distant cousin who lives in Romania).

I would highly recommend both a silicone case and a protective clear screen (You can buy them here at Amazon).

In summary: it is a decent starter phone, but no way near the high-end competition.

I like this phone. I live in America, and it's cool owning a phone that was never officially sold here. Unfortunately, it seems that my location in the world, coupled with the fact that my carrier is AT&T, has created something of a handicap on the full potential of the GT540. My biggest gripes: I can't get 3G at all and multi-media messaging (MMS) seems to be completely unavailable. I've read into some solutions for these issues (most of which apply only to international owners, obviously), and while I was able to adjust the APN so I could gain access to mobile data (only Edge network), MMS still doesn't work. I've also looked into a solution for my lack of 3G access, but it appears the phone's specs simply don't align with my carrier's. As a side note, I've only had the phone for a couple weeks and am still looking into possible remedies.
Other than these two larger issues, the only other problems I've run into have been minor quirks. It's true that the touch-pad QWERTY buttons are a bit too small. I have pretty small hands and fingers and I still find it a bit frustrating to text. The internal memory (under 200MBs) is a bit of a problem, especially if you plan to take advantage of the Android OS. It was easy enough to upgrade to 2.1, but I wouldn't advise to even bother with it unless you plan to 'root' the phone (which voids any warranty) and download a program that allows you to install apps to your MicroSD card...
Which brings me to my last (small) complaint: While the GT540 is supposedly compatible with MicroSD cards up to 32GB in memory, I've had some difficulty with compatibility between the phone and my 16GB card. Apparently it's recommended that prospective MicroSD buyers get no less than a Class 6 card for anything 4GB and up. I was only able to find a Class 4 16GB card, and after using it for a day and downloading a few songs, it suddenly told me the card was corrupt and I had to re-format it. Since then it hasn't corrupted again, but every once in awhile an error pops up because the phone is having difficulty "preparing" it. After a few seconds all is well again. Hopefully I don't experience any other major problems with this in the coming weeks.
In any case, I still give the phone 4 stars because it works well, looks awesome, and is a great value for the price. I'm also hopeful that I'll be able to find a workaround or two for the problems I've run into, and remain optimistic.