The LG Optimus One is an entry-level series of touch-screen smartphones manufactured by LG Electronics, Inc. It was released running the Android 2.2 Froyo, and later LG released software to upgrade it to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Cyanogenmod 7.2 supports the phone. Although the basic physical form factor of each variant is the same, the variants have differences in hard button shape and layout, the form of the metal side bezel and the user interfaces added by LG or various carriers. Versions of the Optimus One exist that operate on various frequency bands and either GSM or CDMA-based network protocols. They may also feature one or more variations in hardware, such as a faster processor, the addition of a physical keyboard, a modem with higher theoretical speeds, or a better digital camera.
Since sales first began in mid-November 2010, LG has released ten variants, though some differ very little from others. The Optimus One line is the first LG smartphone line to sell more than 1 million units. As of December 10, 2010 more than 2 million units have been sold worldwide, with 1.3 million units sold in North America, 450,000 units sold in South Korea, 200,000 units sold in Europe and 50,000 units sold in Asia and the CIS.
The internal name of the Optimus One during product development was "Thunder".
Video LG Optimus One
Variants
Because of the different technologies used by wireless operators in the United States, many variants of the LG Optimus One exist, usually replacing the word "One" with a single letter representing the carrier. For example, the LG Optimus M is offered exclusively by MetroPCS, while the LG Optimus T is only available at T-Mobile USA.
Primary configuration
The Optimus One P500 was the first version offered for sale, with sales beginning in South Korea in mid-November 2010. This GSM version of the phone is sold by wireless communications service providers in Asia, Europe and Canada.
In Canada, the LG Optimus One (P500h) is sold by Telus Mobility since December 2010 and its brand Koodo Mobile since February 2011, with UMTS frequency at 850, 1900, and 2100 MHz.
In Turkey, a matte black variant is sold as the LG Optimus One (P503).
Walmart Family Mobile released the LG Optimus One (P504) in charcoal in September 2011.
Carrier variants
- LG Optimus S: The LG Optimus S was initially released by Sprint in charcoal gray and purple on October 31, 2010. It includes the Sprint ID graphical user interface (GUI) and CDMA network connectivity. While it is similar to the Optimus One, the Optimus S features minor hardware differences. This device has four distinct hard keys and a metal accent that covers the top of the device and one-third of each side. The 3.5mm TRS connector, the power button and the volume buttons are all incorporated into the metal band. There are also two hard keys on the right side of the phone. One button activates the voice dialer and another activates the camera. The "Menu" and "Home" buttons on the S are transposed as compared to all other variants of the Optimus One.
- LG Optimus 3G: Telus Mobility released this phone for the Manitoba and Northern Ontario regions, where only Telus' CDMA network can be used. It is a variant of the LG Optimus S. The Optimus 3G was unavailable at Koodo Mobile, a Telus brand. Sales of this phone in Canada have now been discontinued.
- LG Optimus C: Cricket Wireless launched this phone on March 17, 2011.
- LG Optimus M: MetroPCS launched this phone in silver on November 24, 2010. Unlike other CDMA variants of the Optimus One, which support the EV-DO Rev. A standard, the Optimus M supports only the slower EV-DO Rel. 0 standard. In addition to supporting 800 MHz cellular and 1900 MHz PCS radio frequency bands, the Optimus M also supports the 1700/2011 MHz AWS frequency bands.
- LG Phoenix: available from AT&T Mobility in the United States, and from Rogers Wireless and Chatr in Canada. It was released on May 10, 2011 for Rogers and since August 2011 for Chatr. Canadian mobile virtual network operators which resell Rogers Wireless services, such as SearsConnect, also offer the LG Phoenix. The phone's colour is blue.
- LG Thrive: released in silver, it is similar to the LG Phoenix, but designed for AT&T's prepaid GoPhone customers.
- LG Optimus T: released by T-Mobile USA in black, titanium and burgundy on November 3, 2010.
- LG Optimus U: released by US Cellular in black on December 13, 2010.
- LG Optimus V: released by Virgin Mobile USA in black on February 1, 2011. The Optimus V has few applications beyond a "stock" version of Android 2.2.
- LG Vortex: Verizon Wireless released this phone in black and violet on November 18, 2010.
Maps LG Optimus One
Successors
LG Optimus Chat
The LG Optimus Chat features a physical keyboard and a smaller, 2.8-inch touchscreen.
LG Optimus Chic
The LG Optimus Chic features a camera with a higher 5 megapixel (MP) resolution and a modem with faster upload speeds of 2 Mbit/s instead of 0.35 Mbit/s.
LG Optimus Net
After clearing out and discontinuing the LG Optimus Chic due to poor sales, Bell Mobility released the LG Optimus Net on October 27, 2011. The Net is equipped with a faster 800 MHz processor, but features a slower HSPA+ modem with 3.6 Mbit/s download speeds, compared to the Optimus One and Chic's 600 MHz processor and 7.2 Mbit/s HSPA+ download speeds. It also features the same 3.15 megapixel (MP) camera as the Optimus One, but this resolution is lower than the Optimus Chic's 5 MP camera.
LG Optimus Pro
The LG Optimus Pro is a variant of the Optimus Net, featuring a physical QWERTY keyboard, a 3 MP camera, a 2.8" screen, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
LG Optimus Elite
Released exclusively for the Australian network Optus, the LG Optimus Elite features a 3.5 inch screen, 5 MP camera with flash, and a dual-core processor.
Update history
Android 2.3 Gingerbread
On December 8, 2010 LG announced that it would need to study the Gingerbread Compatibility Definition Document and the public branch open source code before it could determine if the Optimus One series could be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. However, on December 9, 2010, LG stated that it will update Optimus One devices to Android 2.3, but a date for the upgrade was not specified. Responding to a question posted on LG India's Facebook page on March 16, 2011, an LG representative initially stated that the 2.3 update will be available in late May via the Android Market, but hours later added that the upgrade is not confirmed and the information was subject to change.
The following details the history of the Gingerbread update rollout:
- The first country to receive the update was Romania.
- This was followed by Russia, Brazil and the rest of the world soon after, according to LG's Facebook page.
- On August 28, 2011, the update for LG Optimus One has started rolling out on various parts of the world.
- On September 14, 2011, the update for American provider Sprint's LG Optimus S was issued.
- On September 27, 2011, this update was halted because it caused multiple issues for users.
- On November 8, 2011, the update was released for the Canadian provider Telus Mobility and its brand Koodo Mobile to all customers with the LG Optimus One P500h.
- On February 9, 2012, LG released the update for LG Phoenix users on AT&T Mobility
- Metro PCS prepare to release LG Optimus M+ with new processor, bigger screen, better bluetooth connectivity and higher camera resolutions than the old one.
- On April 4, 2012, the update for American provider Sprint's LG Optimus S was issued (Android 2.3 ZVJ).
- Sprint and Virgin Mobile are releasing successors, the LG Optimus Elite, on April 22, 2012.
- Netflix does not work properly on the Optimus One with Gingerbread - video stutters, freezes, and gets out of sync with audio. Netflix users must run Froyo (Android 2.2.x) on the Optimus One in order for Netflix to be able to access the GPU to play video correctly. See post #20 here:
Root access and custom ROM Installation
A variety of custom ROM images exist for the P500, notably Cyanogenmod 7.2 . First Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) Images are available at xda-developers, yet these still have video playback performance issues due to missing libraries for hardware assisted decoding. It is also possible to run Android 4.4.1 (KitKat) on this phone. LG has released two different Baseband driver versions, the one commonly referred to as "old baseband" was shipped with the official Android 2.2 ROM images, while the "new baseband" is shipped with the official Android 2.3 ROMs. Depending on the custom ROM one wants to use, the matching baseband has to be installed on the device (for instance the official Cyanogenmod 7.2 ROM-Image uses the new baseband, the unofficial Cyanogenmod 7.1 Image requires the old one). The easiest way to change between baseband versions is to install the corresponding official firmware. To be able to install custom ROM images one has to get root access to the phone, voiding warranty in the process. The Android 2.2 firmware shipped by LG suffers a severe security vulnerability that can be exploited for this purpose by an app named Gingerbreak. On the official Android 2.3 ROM images rooting by an Android App does not seem to work, yet with a PC connected by USB, SuperOneClick and the Android Debug Bridge one can get root access as well. The easiest way to install a custom ROM from the SD-Card is to flash it through ClockworkMod recovery.
As of 2012 the official CyanogenMod 7.2 ROM has been reported as fully functional.
See also
- Comparison of smartphones
- Nexus One
Notes
References
External links
- LG Optimus One with Google P500 product page - Singapore (English)
- LG Optimus One with Google LGP500 product page - Canada (English)
- LG Optimus One on XDA-Developers
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