LG Optimus One review

Android 2.3 may be the cutting edge, but it’s only available on a tiny number of phones. The One’s Android 2.2 operating system is acceptably up to date, and LG has added a few extras. There’s a full version of the ThinkFree office document editor, and the official Facebook and Twitter clients come pre-installed so you can import your contacts from those services straight away. You can merge contacts, although the process isn’t obvious; you have to edit a contact, press the Menu button and choose “Join”.

There are some nice touches, the most useful being the ability to create custom categories in the application tray, so you can organise your apps rather than have a massive, unsorted list. Apps can also be uninstalled directly from the app tray, which is handy. You can choose to have either five or seven home screens on which to place widgets and shortcuts.

Inevitably, there are also niggles. The screen seems too sensitive to movement and we found it flipped between portrait and landscape mode too readily, although frustratingly it wouldn’t switch to landscape in some text entry screens. It’s almost impossible to edit text in ThinkFree’s PowerPoint editor, as the keyboard takes up 90% of the screen’s space.

The One is available for only £20 per month on contract with an unlimited data plan, and you can also buy it SIM-free for just over £200, or on a prepay deal with Three for £180. While this makes it an attractive budget choice, it doesn’t compare well with the Motorola Defy, which has a far larger screen, a better camera and tough chassis, and is also available on a £20-per-month contract. You should also consider the Motorola Flipout if you’d prefer a physical keyboard.