This has been an impressive year for smartphones. Indeed, with units like the RAZR MAXX, Galaxy Nexus, and HTC’s One line, I think we’re seeing a real transition to superphones. Then there’s the LG Viper, a far more mild-mannered option.
Despite being the first LTE phone released on Sprint (by a whole day), the Viper has gotten little to no fanfare. There may be a reason for that: where some manufacturers are putting their energy in high-end materials and svelteness, the Viper feels like a throwback to 2011. At 5 ounces, it only weighs a little more than an iPhone 4S (4.9 oz) and a little less than a Galaxy Nexus (5.13). The Viper feels fine in the hand, albeit a tad cheap thanks to the plastic body. However, said body is well-built, with little creaking or give. As for looks, it’s a basic 4″ screen slab. Nothing at all to write home about.
Sprint and LG have chosen to load the Viper with Android version 3.3.7, a.k.a. Gingerbread. Normally, I would ding a phone for having what is now an outdated OS. However, it’s also “vanilla” Android — there is no skin whatsoever on the device. The Viper is bundled with Sprint’s SprintID solution and some other built-in apps, but that (and a curious custom camera app) are as much tinkering as is done here. LG has said Android 4.0 is coming at some point. Without a skin to adjust for, that should be sooner rather than later.
I mentioned the tweaked camera app. I’m baffled as to why LG did this, as I honestly could barely tell. The actual camera itself is nothing amazing — 5 MP rear and a VGA front camera — and doesn’t seem to get anything out of the software change. This phone is fine for casual snapshots and every day pictures. it’s a bit slow to focus though, so don’t be surprised if action shots have blur.
Phonecalls are nice and clear, although I did have a bit of a problem with the proximity sensor. Normally, a phone blanking the screen when it’s up on my face is a good thing. Except with the Viper, it sometimes takes a bit for the screen to come back. Not awesome when using a phone tree. As for music, I strongly suggest headphones. The speaker on the phone was muffled and unclear.
What wasn’t unclear was the screen. I’ve seen some people deriding the Viper for having a NOVA screen instead of AMOLED. Honestly though, the screen was just fine for day-to-day use. Indeed, I found it usable in direct sunlight.
What of data connectivity? As Sprint’s LTE network has yet to go live, I honestly can’t tell you. As an everyday 3G phone, the Viper did work fine though. Interestingly, my phone can to get emails while on a call, which is something that CDMA phones aren’t supposed to be able to do. I’m puzzled as to how that happened, but I’m not complaining.
With what I will kindly call plain looks, basic features, and a feature-set that’s not even fully rolled out, would I suggest the Viper at all? Oddly, yes. Superphones are great and all, but there needs to be a phone for the budget user. The phones shouldn’t be frozen out of high-speed networks. It took a while for Sprint and Samsung to release a budget-minded handset with their last attempt at 4G. Having one out of the gate is a huge win. Indeed, third party vendors like Wirefly and Amazon are already offering the barely two month old Viper for free.
If you want the latest and greatest, then you do not want this phone. However, if you want to save a little green while waiting to jump on the LTE bandwagon, then this phone is not a terrible idea.
Basically, its a 4G Marquee.