LG Optimus Black on Virgin Mobile Plans

"The standout feature of the LG Optimus Black is its 4in capacitive "NOVA" display, which uses the same IPS technology seen in the iPhone 4. Though it can't boast the same superb viewing angles and colour reproduction as the iPhone, the Optimus Black screen has an outdoor brightness of 700 nits, which is almost twice the brightness of most other smartphone screens. To put it simply, the LG Optimus Black's sunlight legibility is superb, and among the best that we've ever tested. " 4/5 stars

"Connectivity-wise, the LG Optimus Black is decked with Wi-Fi, 3G (7.2Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA) and Bluetooth. Attached to Wi-Fi, the browser speed is excellent, and while the 3G speeds aren't by any means instantaneous, they're not painful either. " 4/5 stars

"An interesting extra to note is the inclusion of a "Gesture" button on the left-hand side of the phone. Holding down this key activates gesture-based navigation in certain parts of the phone. For example, tilting the handset to the sides while holding the key will scroll from one home screen to the next, or flick between images in the gallery. This is a pretty neat party trick, but it is terrible for accurately navigating your phone. The Gesture has a "G" written on it, which we assume stands for gimmick as much as it stands for gesture control. " 7.5/10

"The LG Optimus Black offers only 1 gigabyte of internal storage, but the phone's capacity can be expanded with a microSD card of up to 32 gigabytes in size. Although LG has included a basic 2 gigabyte one in the set, you might want to consider upgrading it because it gets pretty crammed once you start shooting HD video and taking photos, not to mention the MP3s that you might want to carry around with you. "

"The styling of the LG Optimus Black is not exactly breathtaking but the execution is flawless. The minimalist look is in no way a disadvantage – LG have ended up with a recognizable design out of nothing much really. "

"...the Optimus Black's longevity disappointed us. And rather gravely at that...From our experience, we feel confident in saying the Optimus Black will last you a full day at the office, but you'll have to charge it right up until you leave in the morning and plug it straight back in as soon as you get home in the evening. " 6/10

"...and then there’s the lock screen. Oh how we hate this. You slide it up to unlock the phone, which is fine, but this procedure isn’t replaced by the PIN unlock screen. That follows it. In other words, if you secure your phone with a security code (and considering it’s tied into your Google account, you really, really should), you have to unlock your phone twice, each and every single time. It’s easily the worst thing about this phone, and very nearly a dealbreaker. " 3/5 stars

"The 5-megapixel camera takes reasonably good snaps, while footage we recorded using the camcorder mode played back very smoothly. It won't be troubling proper compact digital cameras, but this is a decent mobile snapper. There's a 2-megapixel version on the front as well, for stylish self-portraits, or for video calling if and when the Optimus Black eventually gets this feature. " 3/5 stars