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T-Mobile added three new Long Term Evolution-enabled LG smartphones to its portfolio Aug. 7, the G2—a new flagship phone for the electronics maker—the Optimus F6 and the F3.
T-Mobile called the trio a “triple threat,” each with its own “uniqueness.”
The G2, certainly, will be impossible to overlook, given its 5.2-inch full-high-definition in-plane switching (IPS) edge-to-edge display.
LG says it also features an “ergonomic and intuitive rear key design” that lets users power on and off the phone, adjust the volume and access a QuickMemo feature designed for “on-the-go note-taking.”
Also unique is Slide Aside, a feature that lets users multitask by switching—or sliding—between apps.
There’s a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and backside illumination (BSI) technology for helping out in low-light conditions; a 2.4-megapixel front-facing camera; a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor; and the Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system.
The battery is an impressive 3,000mAh and “extremely efficient,” per T-Mobile, which further promises very-unspecific “long-lasting power.”
The more value-geared Optimus F6 runs Android 4.1.2 and features a more pocketable (though less brilliant) 4.5-inch IPS display with Gorilla Glass 2.
There’s a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a 1.3-megapixel camera up front, Smart Shutter technology that helps avoid a blurry image and a Voice Shutter that does just what its name suggests.
The F6 also has hotspot functionality, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and the QuickMemo, QSlide and VuTalk features shared by its big brother. (VuTalk lets users “enjoy emotional communication” through real-time handwritten notes.)
While the G2 and F6 will be available in the coming weeks, available today is the Optimus F3, T-Mobile’s most-affordable LTE device to date.
The F3 features a 4-inch IPS display, Android 4.1.2, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, mobile hotspot functionality and also QuickMemo, QSlide and VuTalk.
It has a 5-megapixel back camera, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera and a good handful of camera features, including Voice Shutter; Smart Shutter; Time Catch Shot (in the which the camera takes five pictures before the photo is taken, giving you some wiggle room to adjust the image); Live Shot, which lets you take a photo while recording video; and more.
All three devices can be paired with T-Mobile’s Simple Choice Plan. The Optimus F3 is being offered, for a limited time, for no money down and 24 equal payments of $10 a month for 24 months.
“Coupled with T-Mobile’s unlimited data, low-up-front costs and speedy nationwide network, any one of these smartphones is going to be a great option for our customers,” Jason Young, T-Mobile’s vice president of product marketing, said in statement.
T-Mobile, following a multi-part “un-carrier” strategy, on July 10 introduced Jump, a program that lets customers upgrade their phones twice a year, instead of every two years.
Jump is CEO John Legere’s latest attempt to “redefine a stupid, broken and arrogant industry,” as he told press and analysts at a New York event introducing the program. Jump, he added, addresses the “single most offensive wireless practice”—tying customers to devices that are no longer fully functional, up-to-date or desirable.
“We say two years is just too long to wait. Today, we’re changing all that with the launch of Jump,” said Legere.
T-Mobile will announce the results of its most recent quarter—its first as a publicly traded company, merged with MetroPCS—on Aug. 8.