LG GT540 Preview (LG Optimus GT540)

Discontinued
10th January 2010, updated 11th July 2010

LG's second Android handset to be announced is the LG GT540, representing a welcome attempt to come up with something that looks a little different from the usual black slabby devices that we see.

Not all the GT540's specifications have been released by LG, but what we do know for certain is that there's a 3" 320 x 480 pixel display in 262,000 colours, a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus, support for HSDPA downloads (maximum speed 7.2 Mbps), HSUPA uploads (maximum speed 2 Mbps), microSD expandable memory (maximum 32GB), there is an FM radio and 3.5mm audio socket and it appears that the GT540 runs Android 2.0 [update: at launch the GT540 runs Android 1.6, but we assume there will be an upgrade] .

We don't have any written confirmation that it has WiFi or GPS, but some sources who have handled demonstration models claim that it does. LG were similarly vague about the specification of the closely related GW620 when it was announced last year. [Update: we can confirm that the Optimus GT540 does have WiFi and GPS]

One key selling point with the LG GT540 is social networking - it supports access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo through the "SNS Manager" which handles social networking services. This emphasis, combined with the youthful and quite feminine design probably gives a good clue as to the target market.

The media player can cope with most formats, including DivX and WMV movies, and the user interface has been tweaked slightly with some LG S-Class icons to give some consistency with the rest of the range, but otherwise the LG GT540 seems like a pretty straightforward Android smartphone when it comes to overall specifications.

Where the GT540 does stand out is in terms of looks - the slight concave curve on the top and bottom of the phone makes it look like it has shoulder pads, and the side of the handset has a pleasingly curved shape too. The finish has an unusual ruffled effect, and there are four colours to choose from of white, pink, gray and black.

LG say that the GT540 should be available globally from April 2010, although there is no guidance on price. Our best estimate is that the GT540 should retail SIM-free for somewhere in the range of €300 to €350 [update: retail price is closer to €250, phone was release in June 2010].

Update 11/7/10: now available and branded in some markets as the "Optimus", the GT540 costs around €250 SIM-free, runs Android 1.6 and like almost all other Android phones packs WiFi and GPS.