LG P970 Optimus Black

Overview

TechSpot Metascore

Based on 40 expert reviews

Excellent:

8
Good:

20
Average:

4
Bad:

8

Pros:

Sleek design.
Good smartphone experience; nice tweaks in LG Android UI; great battery life.
Superior Audio Playback, Very Good Telephony Features, Good Browsing Experience

Cons:

Sluggish UI; Lacklutre multimedia performance; 720p recording not up to the mark; No Gingerbread update; No TV Out.
A Bit Sluggish, Touchscreen Response Could Have Been Better.

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Last revision on February 11, 2013

Reviewers Liked

Sleek design
Good smartphone experience; nice tweaks in LG Android UI; great battery life
Superior Audio Playback, Very Good Telephony Features, Good Browsing Experience
Touchscreen response, Audio output, Comfortable headphones, FM, Looks, Price
The NOVA display is impressively vibrant and delivers on its promise to provide an excellent visual experience, even when outdoors
Thin and light, Great outdoor visibility, Good camera performance
Unlocked GSM phone, Elegant

Reviewers Didn't Like

Sluggish UI; Lacklutre multimedia performance; 720p recording not up to the mark; No Gingerbread update; No TV Out
A Bit Sluggish, Touchscreen Response Could Have Been Better
Lack of interesting applications
Wi-Fi connection kept dropping
Consistently sluggish performance, Underwhelming battery life
Camera slow to save photos, video aspect ratio issues
No Gingerbread yet, Download speed limit of 7.2 mbps

Expert reviews and ratings

Expert Review MRP: Rs 22,500Street Price: 19,600 () Here it is: the latest addition to 's popular series, dubbed the . It is the very first phone to sport what LG calls the display. According to the manufacturer, it delivers twice the brightness...

By TechTree on August 23, 2011

A gorgeous, bright screen, innovative gesture control and light weight make the Optimus Black very tempting, especially if you can get it on a £20-per-month contract...

By Expert Reviews on July 30, 2011

The LG Optimus Black claims to have the brightness screen on a mobile scene to date, which should be a good selling point for this otherwise slightly-above-average Android smartphone that’s trying to fit itself into the upper-midrange segment.The...

By ZOMGitsCj on July 30, 2011

Dressed in a sleek black shell LG’s Optimus Black exudes poise and quite a bit of sex appeal. Taking its cue from big brother, the Optimus 2X, this lower end variant just could do better. After putting it to the test, here’s what I have to...

By Tech2 on July 26, 2011

The Optimus Black is a solid smartphone, but one that might get lost amongst the competition. The NOVA display is great outdoors, but many will find that it's a feature they will not often need....

By CNET Asia on July 25, 2011

The Optimus Black has a terrific looking (if slightly laggardly acting) screen and a strong range of Android-supported features, making it a decent lower-cost alternative to the range-topping Optimus 2X.SpecificationsSoftware : Android 2.2 Froyo...

By Wired UK on July 19, 2011

The LG Optimus Black P970 is a sub-20K Android 2.2.2 (Froyo) smartphone with a 4-inch IPS display....

By PCWorld India on July 13, 2011

The LG Optimus Black is a difficult handset to evaluate. Its poor battery life is a real let-down, the high quality screen a big plus point. We're non-plussed by the gesture control, but the general specifications are pleasing. In the end, it's...

By itreviews.com on June 30, 2011

The Optimus Black’s single-core processor may not be in the top rank but it’s still plenty fast, all the better to power that terrifically bright and clear screen. But while the screen’s great to look at, it still suffers from the lack...

By RegHardware on June 29, 2011

The LG Optimus Black possesses a great design and a good quality camera, along with a screen that offers superb sunlight legibility. The Optimus Black isn’t as fast as the latest dual-core smartphones, but if you’re after an Android phone...

By Good Gear Guide on June 24, 2011

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