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Yet another member of the LG Optimus family has begun making it into the hands of eager customers as the LG Optimus V for Virgin Mobile has started to hit shelves across the nation. It looks like the phone isn’t 100 percent released yet, but many Virgin Mobile stores have already begun selling what basically amounts to the LG Optimus S with some Virgin bloatware. Makes sense considering Sprint, the curators of the Optimus S, own Virgin.
The phone only costs a paltry $150 off-contract making it a bargain for anyone looking for a half-decent Android 2.2 phone at a dirt cheap price.
[via Engadget]
Can’t wait to get this phone! It’s the closest anyone will get to an android without a contract =D
If i leave my job at verizon i will be scooping one of these up. Could be in the near future, im debating between this and the intercept. the intercept has an 800mhz proc. but i think it has 2.1. Also apparently theres an lg coming out on virgin too.
@Your Mom, kind of confused on your last sentence??? This is an LG coming out on Virgin. I believe the Samy Intercept on Virgin has 1.6 but they say they will update that this spring. I’m thinking of paying the ETF to VZW and getting this phone. Even if I only used it for 8 or 9 months I would save money on the Virgin $25 plan.
Why do all manufacturers make the same boring design.
Sony is the only one at least trying to be a bit different but they fail in other places. Darn..
Whoops..youre right i was thinking of the regular optimus that i was looking at. Because i wasnt sure if it was going to be the Optimus S style or the regular optimus…my bad. But yeah this plan would be the same price as what i pay now with verizon because i work there.
Paltry
This is a great deal “if” you have good Sprint coverage in your area.
@Your Mom, and @su2lly,the intercept has an 800mhz processor and 2.1/eclari but its sposed to get 2.2/froyo sometime this spring according to virgin’s facebook. i’ve heard nothin but bad reviews mostly but i think those reviews are just coming from people who think the intercept is gonna be like an epic 4g or a G2. idk, i think i’d get the optimus v if i went with virgin thogh
This is interesting. I was literally just about to head out the door to buy a Sammy Intercept for my aupair. I was worried about the 800 mhz, not sure how this will be with a 600 mhz. No point in it if it will just lock and lag.
@Your Mom, How can you even consider the Inturdcept, with 240×400 and pathetic RAM? The Optimus has 320×480 and 512MB. The LG is newer, better, cheaper. Open and shut case.
just finding out that sprint ownes virgin makes me have to ask…any way i can flash my optimus s over to virgin?
@thatguy, thanks for the info. I too have read bad things about the Intercept. Not sure if it’s that everybody is downing Samsung or if it’s legit reviews. The reviews on the Optimus seem to be nothing but good. Also there seems to be an option of turning it into a wifi hotspot without adding any monthly cost, which is hard to believe.
@IIIYo, Sprint owns both Virgin USA and Boost Mobile. I have done many internet searches on using a Sprint phone under the Virgin or Boost plans. It seems that my research always comes up with a big fat NO to that question. Now if you’re talking about using a rom for the virgin Optimus on a Sprint Optimus, on paper that would seem to work.
wifes new phone her palm pre contract is up in feb she could care less about 4g and gaming so this is perfect and only 25 a month ill be saving 40 a month from what i pay now on the family plan ill move to sprints 69.99 plus 10.00 for data plus 7 for insurance so about 93.00 for me after taxes and her just 25.00 so 118.00 a month not bad im paying 161.00 now a month
Does anyone know of any locations selling it around Grand Rapids, Michigan?(:
The Radio Shack near me had the Samsung Intercept for $199.99 after an instant rebate. Too good to pass up as a second phone. I have a Nexus One on T-mobile and the coverage is spotty. I will be forwarding my google voice to both phones so I do not miss calls.
I have both the Intercept and Optimus S. Optimus is faster, hands down. Even if there is a 200 MHZ difference advantage for the intercept, it doesn’t matter – the Optimus is smooth as butter. It has to be the android 2.2, but even after the intercept was upgraded to 2.2, the Optimus is still significantly faster.
The fact that the Optimus V is being sold for only $150 unsubsidized is beyond me, but grab them while they’re hot! This is a fantastic deal. And at $25 a month for unlimited data, text and 300 talk minutes – nothing beats that.
I know that Best Buy often discounts the Intercept ($199 instead of $249). Wonder if they’ll do the same for the Optimus?
Also, even if the Intercept is slower, you do get a physical keyboard.
This really sucks. Sprint gives all the ok or decent android phones to virgin mobile and all boost mobile get is a walkie-talkie android phone…it sucks because it is an iden based phone and if you want anything good apps…you got to be within wifi range because of the slow 2g network iden prevides
I own the Samsung intercept. I bought it when it first came out for Virgin Mobile in October and I’ve had a very good experience with it and I think it will be much nicer when the official 2.2 update from Virgin is released. Having a physical keyboard is definitely a big plus. My friend who I convinced to switch to Virgin will be getting the Optimus V and i’m sure it will be faster and smoother because it is a newer phone and cause it has Froyo. If I love his phone I will probably end up getting one soon to. For $150 w/out a contract!? Why not! :-)
The android 2.2 operating system is great, but the 2.2 version will be history soon. I will rather wait for the android 3.0 version. As about the device, all of you make sure you have a warranty on it (minimum 60 days) backed by a serious company (Google does not manufacture the phones, it just builds and manages the operating system software), a store location to return it (most of the online sellers for android are on china, hard to deal with international return of an item) and finally, a cellphone repair store wanting to deal with the new android devices. My tablet pc, android 2.2 worked great for 13 days: then it died, either by draining the battery, or the subsequent attempt to charge it. Something shorted and fried the entire device.
ok this is the deal the intercept will never be faster then the optimus the optimus has a gpu (graphics processing unit) the intercept has none the faster cpu on the intercept dont mean squat when the gpu makes the optimus that much faster unless you really need a keyboard get the optimus you will not be disappointed
sorry forgot to add the optimus has 512 meg of ram vs the transforms 256 meg and also a slightly higher resolution optimus will kick transforms a@@ in speed even with a 2.2 upgrade on the transform
lol no more drunk posting’s i ment intercept in my last post sorry about that but its basicly the same with the transform as well
The VM USA site usually has sales. Walmart has them cheap, but I returned it and ordered from the VM site as I got free, faster shipping as well! I got the Intercept for $175 and the BB for $139.
on sale today at radioshack available online and in store get em why you can going to get mine first thing when they open:)
I just purchased my phone from Radio Shack…. So far, so good! It seems as if it’s going to take a while to figure out how to operate the phone and use all of the apps. Coming from using the Rumor Touch, I am excited about this phone because I hated the Rumor Touch phone!
so where exactly can i get this virgin mobile optimus?
r u ppl sure that this optimus is going 2 b way better then the samsung intercept. if so why, and does the optimus have a btr processor then 800 mghs, thats b.s. 4 a 150 bucks really u cant beat that but i guess it is wut it is
oh n i 4got 2 ak when does that phone come out im trying 2 find out the details about the phone dont kno much about it jus heard bout it 2day so if u all find out let me kno thnx
is this phone better than the samsung intercept
Kevin…. Dude buy a vowel…
I have to admit that if I didn’t already have the Intercept I would probably buy the Optimus. However, as I currently have the Intercept, the Optimus isnt the “leap” forward to make me replace the Intercept. I love the Virgin Mobile service – 25 bucks a month for unlimited text and data 300 minutes- best service plan in the USA. I have been very happy with my Intercept (had it for about 4 months now) and a friend of mine “flashed” his intercept to 2.2 (didn’t want to screw up my phone or loose texting so I didn’t)- his phone is much faster now. I’ve never used the Optimus, however with the speed increase of 2.2 I think I will just wait until spring and have a faster Intercept. Everything that I have read reads “somewhat faster” “somewhat better”, ect. For someone who doesn’t have a phone yet, it is the somewhat better phone and it is cheaper so go for it, for someone who already has the Intercept it isn’t a leap forward. As far as more ram and a GPU- there aren’t any really good games out on Android yet anyway- the only time I would play a game on my phone is when I’m out of the house, not driving, not working, when do you play a game on the phone?? You want to talk about GPUs and games for a cell phone wait for the quad core phones in a couple of years (heck they already have dual core phones) until then get a Xbox 360 or PS3 and play some good games. I figure I’ll hold onto my Intercept for a couple of years and then buy a the newest best phone offered by Virgin Mobile- then it will be a leap forward and I won’t be wasting money for a marginal improvment. I love the full keyboard, and I have not found any apps on the Android market that my Intercept won’t run and once it gets 2.2 it will run everything much better.
After many reviews on the web and Youtube, the LG Optimus V for Virgin Mobile is the one to get. People who get this phone will really fall in love with the cool specs. I have T-Mobile at this moment, but after seeing the Optimus V; “GOOD BYE – 2YR CONTRACT”.
Kevin, check out the youtube videos for the comparison between Samsung Intercept and the LG Optimus V. Its a great video for those who wants to see the difference.
look ppl, the optimus v has a slower processor…fact. The intercept is getting 2.2 this spring which will make the lag and non-responsive issue go away…fact. Will the optimus v get 2.3 in the future…undetermined. Cowboy44 made some very good points in his comments. It will come down to what appeals to YOU the most. One phone is not going to be better than the other. They both have their flaws and strengths. BTW the optimus v has no FLASH for video so playing back videos other than youtube will be a crappy experience.
Spring does NOT own sprint, they just use their network
AHHH sprint does’nt own virgin :P
im looking for a new phone, and i keep coming back to virgin mobile. Will gettting the optimus v over all be the best pick? and 25 dollars is all it takes to run the phone? that sounds to good to be true.
Uh, Sprint does own Virgin Mobile USA. That’s what further sweetens the deal since it’s not some fly by night airwave reseller that will go belly up in a few months.
One word…Target. If your unsure or want the best warrenty possible on any VM phone buy it at target. Its the only retail chain I know of that provides a 90day return policy even on cell phones. I bought an intercept back in nov and had some problems with it, ended up exchanging it out twice in the last couple months the last one being first part of Jan. Now that the optimus has come out Ill be returning it and getting an upgraded/faster phone and $150 back! Buy at target, keep your receipt and you get 3 months of piece of mind =)
I’ve purchased this phone no longer than a few hours and am quite satisfied so far. Unfortunately, I do feel dissapointment upon discovering that the Optimus does not support flash. Does anyone believe an upgrade will be available in the future that can enable it to play flash videos?
Had Virgin Mobile for 4 years now… if they ever belly up i’m no longer going to have cell phone service through anyone. No one can beat the price