Review: LG GC900 8MP smartphone classy and functional

Other features incorporated in the smart phone are: 3G, Audio Recording, Bluetooth with A2DP, GPRS, accelerometer, FM with RDS, video capture (it has the intrinsic competence to record 720p HD video at 30 frames per second) and loudspeaker.

The phone, however, has a few drawbacks. For instance, it lacks a 3.5 mm audio jack and despite having a 8MP camera, it can never be a substitute for a digital camera though it can come close to being one. The video quality is also okay, but there is ample room for improvement. Also if you want a handset for texting a lot, then the LG Viewty Smart is not for you. The onscreen keyboard is a bit of a pain and sometimes notable lag from pressing the keys to the letter coming up on screen was felt, producing a number of errors when texting.

The phone's 1000mAh battery is also average, offering a standby time of 350 hours and talktime of 6 hours. Frequent use of Wi-Fi or GPS can also drain out the battery fast requiring it to be charged more often.

The smart phone is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor (it weighs just 102 grams and is quite thin at 12.4mm) but heavy on the wallet. Priced at Rs.27,500, LG Viewty Smart GC900, which comes in a brushed metal finish and silver or black color, retails in all major outlets across India and is pitted against the likes of Sony Ericsson W995, the Nokia N86 (8 MP) and Samsung Pixon.