LG Spectrum 2 Review

By Rob Boggan

Last year’s  LG Spectrum made quite the splash on Verizon’s smartphone lineup. Essentially a US port of the uuber popular LG Optimus phone, the Spectrum brought forth some interesting feature not before seen on a mid range handset. There was of course the amazing screen, the dual core processor, and it had the distinct honor of being one of the first available Android 4.0 devices to hit Verizon. Behind all the glitz though, the Spectrum still got lost in the shuffle behind the emergence of the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy S III, and of course the iPhone 5. Does the Spectrum 2 have enough push to finally be able to stand out on it’s own? Or will it too, get lost in the shuffle? Check out our review of the LG Spectrum 2…

The LG Spectrum 2 received a generous bump in regards to screen size, as it rolls from 4.5 to 4.7 inches. Instead of going with the wider method, the Spectrum 2 is actually taller, and lends way to an awkward form factor in the process. The phone almost feels too tall even though it’s way smaller than the Galaxy Note 2. The back of the device has been changed from the glossy plastic to a grooved, textured back that ironically feels cheaper. One thing that LG has done exceptionally well with the last couple devices is the screen quality. The Spectrum 2 rocks an amazing 4.7 True HD IPS (1280 x 720) display that rocks an awesome 312 ppi (pixels per inch). In short the display is amazing. The phone design leaves a little to be desired, but that seems to be the direction that LG has went in more often than not. There’s not a whole lot of business going on around the exterior of the device, save for the micro USB charging port, and the camera on the rear. One really interesting feature of the device, was the blue LED accents that lit up the touch navigation keys on the front of the phone.

The Spectrum 2 runs Android 4.0 with LG’s skinned interface on top. There’s not a lot of excitement here either, with the exception of the phone running remarkably smooth with little to no lag. The camera system sports an 8MP main camera on the rear and a 1.3MP camera up front. Cameras were decent, but definitely nothing to ride home about. For the most part, I had really bad issues with the camera actually maintaining focus enough to take an OK photo, let alone a good one.

Huge bright spot in using this device was the actual performance of it. Phone calls were super clear and crisp, and battery life was a bit above average even with being connected to LTE the entire time. The speaker on the Spectrum 2 also worked near flawlessly, and didn’t suffer from the tinny sound that my Nexus 4 makes when the volume is cranked pretty high. As mentioned earlier, the display on the Spectrum 2 is quite possibly the best feature, and I was instantly impressed by the quality of streaming videos. HD YouTube videos, and movies from the Google Play Store were gorgeous and simply put, is better than most other smartphone screens by far.

The Spectrum 2 may be a bit of an older device at this point (It was released in October), but I believe it is one of the better deals on a smartphone through Verizon. If you’re looking for an incredible smartphone, with high end features with a mid range price, the LG Spectrum 2 should gather heavy consideration.