reviews · sprint · cell phones · lg · todd haselton
Review of LG's Lotus Elite QWERTY messaging phone for Sprint
Review by Todd Haselton on Wednesday March 10, 2010.
 LG Lotus Elite |
 LG Lotus Elite |
 LG Lotus Elite |
The LG Lotus Elite is a refresh of the original LG Lotus that launched two years ago. While a few design tweaks can be found, the LG Lotus Elite still leaves a lot to be desired. While it still serves as a top-notch messaging device for SMS addicts, it's not a phone I'd recommend if you're planning to surf the web.
Physical Aspects
The 87.1mm x 61.9mm x 18.5mm (3.43in x 2.44in x 0.73in) and 136g (4.8oz) LG LX610 Lotus Elite is a bit larger than the original Lotus, but sports the same compact flip-QWERTY form factor. This time around, LG added a 2.4-inch, 320 x 240
When flipped open, the phone presents the user with a second 2.4 inch, 320 x 240 LCD display. The screen has 4 brightness settings, and the highest setting was adequate for viewing under direct sunlight, though I found that the external display was more difficult to view under direct light. Below the internal screen there are two soft buttons, a speakerphone key, a back button, and talk/end keys. In the middle of these sits a five way navigational pad. The talk/end and soft button keys could have offered more travel, but overall they functioned well during my testing. The end key also doubles as a power button. There are three shortcut keys below the aforementioned navigational pad: social, email, and text. These are rather unique on a feature phone, and I liked being able to launch my email or Twitter account at the touch of a button.
The keyboard's plastic keys feel a bit cheap, but they offer good bounce-back and spacing, so it was easy to type quickly on the LG Lotus Elite almost immediately.
 LG Lotus Elite |
 LG Lotus Elite |
About the author
Todd Haselton
Todd is a contributing editor at MobileBurn and works out of his home in New York City. He covers news for us and also writes reviews. You can follow him on Twitter at @RoboTodd
ol diva @ 6:10:16PM EDT on Wednesday May 12, 2010
i just bought the phone on 5-1-10, i am satisfied, except web browser very slow, touch screen kinda slow to move sometimes, phone has short battery life, so far it's OK. I like the design,the screen is very clear outer and inner. I had with touch outer screen though it's slow to move sometimes, but I work through it, overall I think it's a nice device. I
fredflintstone @ 12:18:13AM EDT on Monday June 21, 2010
I'm getting the Elite because I had the first Lotus and loved it. I loved everything about it...especially the style. It didn't feel slippery in my hand or so small I couldn't keep a grip on it. I loved that it was a flip phone with a querty keyboard. I had to give up my original when Sprint forced me to change carriers because of roaming charges, but my new carrier now has access to it, so I'm hoping I'll be happy once again. I'm a little concerned about the mention of the new keyboard layout because the old one was so great, but I'm willing to take a chance. The shape of the phone is my favorite feature because it fits comfortably in the palm of my hand, and I don't think I've dropped it once...unlike my current Motorola Crush. I'm looking forward to having the best of both worlds in the touchscreen and the regular inside screen and keyboard. The side slider keyboards were too wide and my fingers hurt after texting for any length of time, but the Lotus keyboard is perfect for me (wider, but not too wide). Maybe that's why the square shape was necessary. I'm just glad someone came up with the clamshell idea for people like me. Hope this helps someone. PS Also, when the original Lotus came out, there were similar concerns about the shape, camera, battery, etc., and I found none of those things to be a problem with my phone. In fact, I'd even recommend this phone to people who aren't big into messaging. It's that great.