LG Pop GD510 Review

Introduction and Design:

LG does have a flair for coming up with proper names that perfectly fit the true character of their cell phones. For an instance, the Crystal GD900 is shiny and unique, the New Chocolate BL40 looks like super-luxurious bar of chocolate, while the LG Pop GD510 reminds us of Madonna... or Maradona, depending on your particular point of view. Well, that´s not exactly what we mean. “Pop” suits the handset perfectly, because it´s designed to appeal to the largest consumer segment, the mass market. The device is neatly packed in a box made from recycled materials plus its charger is highly energy efficient and it´s a good thing LG is willing to put efforts to preserve the environment that we all share.

Frankly with an overall look like this, the handset does stand a sporting chance of conquering the hearts of quite many people. As of now, the LG Pop GD510 is the smallest device equipped with 3-inch touch-sensitive screen with WQVGA native resolution. The display utilizes resistive technology to register your touch.


You can compare the LG Pop GD510 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

We quite like the button on the front side. It changes its color depending on the action being performed – red when you quit menus and green if you open the call log or answer incoming calls. All hardware buttons are relatively compact, but have pronounced travel that makes them pretty handy to use.



One of the cool extra features the handset offers is that its design allows for installation of a solar panel. Unlike the Samsung Blue Earth, these are available as additional accessories, meaning everyone who cares about environment will have to show their concern by buying separately. 

As a whole, everything about the phone design deserves praise. Aside from being super compact, the handset shows exemplary craftsmanship and doesn’t feel cheap at the very least. It´s predominantly made of aluminium that probably provides a nice degree of physical resistance. We have to say that we do prefer its simple, yet dainty, unisex design to the plastic Samsung Star S5230 or the somewhat childish Samsung Corby S3650.

Interface and Functionality:

The LG Pop GD510 is a feature phone, meaning the options that you have to personalize its interface are not exactly impressive, but still, you´ve got some.  For an instance, there is a theme that is exceptionally well suited for kids, similar to the one found on the Samsung Corby S3650 and it changes all home screen and main menu icons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t alter sub menu elements. The default font that comes with this particular theme is designed to appeal to children and actually looks really nice. The thing is it applies to all software elements, so web surfing and reading messages might feel slightly uncomfortable, because letters are not always easily legible.

The home screen consists of three pages:

-    Widgets – most of them are fairly standard plus there is one that gives quick access to all applications dedicated to social networks;
-    Livesquare – something like a call and message log, but with quite an interesting functionality (you can read more about it in our review of the LG GW520);
-    Your favourite contacts with pictures.



The main menu can look just like the one that devices with S-CLASS 3D interface have or alternatively, set to show larger icons grouped in separate categories like on LG´s previous generation of cell phones equipped with touch-sensitive screens. The portrait keyboard comes with relatively large keys and typing away feels fast and easy thanks to the proper sensitivity and handy T9 entry. The QWERTY keyboard design is well conceived, but the buttons are tiny, meaning you will have to use your fingernails to type in. The LG Pop GD510 allows for automatic setup of email accounts registered with popular service providers plus you are permitted to enter specific IMAP and POP server details. Finally, the email client allows for setting up of several different accounts and handles them relatively easy.





The handset doesn’t offer high-speed internet connectivity, because it lacks 3G and Wi-Fi functionality, so it´s better suited for browsing of web pages for mobile devices. It´s not that you can´t open heavier sites really, but you will have to arm yourself with patience. It´s downhill from there on though, because navigation is smooth and proper once the browser has fully processed the content. We would advise you to get Opera Mini, because it loads websites faster and provides zooming via screen taps. Not last, it´s also equipped with tons of extra features, say it saves passwords, comes with tabs etc. At the time of this review, the LG Pop GD510 is not on the list of handsets supported by the beta version of Opera Mini 5, although we didn’t encounter any issues using the edition compatible with the LG Cookie KP500.



In step with today´s trend, the LG Pop GD510 comes with social networking programs (JAVA based) and you have applications for the three most popular – Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. As a whole they are useable and you will be able to find what´s going on with your online buddies, leave comments and upload images, but the low connectivity speed will probably dissuade you from using the social functions of the handset on regular.



Unfortunately, the interface of the LG GD510 is plagued by one major issue that´s pretty common with handsets of the manufacturer – stuttering animations and transition effects. We have to point out that albeit not extremely annoying, the lagging spoils the pleasure of using the handset to an extent.
 

Camera and Multimedia:

The 3-megapixel camera of the LG Pop GD510 is not particularly well suited for spectacular pictures, because it lacks autofocus and flash, plus the number of available options is limited – you´ve got white balance, exposure, various effects and sequence of up to 9 consecutive pictures. Images lack enough details and their colors are relatively thin and surreal.





The video capture capabilities of the handset are not exactly impressive either – the maximum video capture resolution is QVGA and the clips tend to stutter, due to the fact the average frame rate count is around 10.  Still, it´s a cool thing you can edit content the minute you´ve stopped shooting and saved it as a file. You can, for an instance, replace the audio track of your video, cut frames you don’t like and fiddle with playback speed. The application Muvee studio permits the creation of sideshow videos from whatever images you like. All told, they are only passable if you watch them on your phone, but creative people will be happy with the extra features.



Video playback is limited to MPEG-4 content with resolution of up to 320х240 and the image quality is not breath-taking, but is acceptable on the overall.

Audio playback through the built-in loudspeaker will certainly fail to knock you off your feet and music sounds annoyingly sharp when going at full blast. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to test the boxed headset of the LG Pop GD510. Still, keep in mind that since the phone lacks 3.5mm jack, you will have to rely on the box set or pair the device with wireless earphones via stereo Bluetooth. Both the audio player and FM radio feature pleasing, intuitive interface. 

Performance and Conclusion:

The LG Pop GD510 provides satisfying in-call quality. During our tests, the sound was loud on our end and the voices our callers were realistic even if a tad sharp. People on the other end of the line admitted they were pleased as well, but asked us to speak louder (but not to shout) - the problem is probably to do with the fact that the phone is really small and the microphone doesn’t get close enough to your mouth when you talk.

The battery provides 3.5hrs of continuous talk time and keeps the handset operational for up to 350hrs in stand-by. During our tests we used the LG Pop GD510 for almost two days before having to recharge it and frankly, we find the battery performance unsatisfactory, given this is a feature phone.

Is there anything else that´s important? Well, the handset comes with an affordable price tag, but still, it´s slightly more expensive than other popular models in the same price category, say, the LG Cookie KP500 or Samsung Star S5230. Of course, this is not unexpected - the phone has just been released on the market after all.

All told, the LG Pop GD510 is a really good and affordable feature phone equipped with touch-sensitive screen that relies on appealing design to win over people. Naturally, we would have liked it better if it came with more capable browser and richer multimedia functionality, but its major rivals, the Samsung Corby S3650, Star S5230 and LG Cookie KP500 don’t offer such features either.

If you happen to be on the lookout for an affordable handset with touch-sensitive screen, we do recommend that you consider the LG Pop GD510. We just love its design and the phone delivers decent functionality. Ultimately, we believe it´s among the best in its class.

LG Pop GD510 Video Review: