The LG Motion is designed explicitly to meet MetroPCS's goal of offering 4G LTE Android phones for $149 this year. As MetroPCS doesn't do contracts, that's the full, true price of the phone. Considering that MetroPCS sells some phones for well over $400, the Motion's price is easily its most attractive feature.
Design
The Motion's hardware is about what you'd expect for a phone of this class. It's a smallish plastic slab. The plastic back has a light texture to it, although unfortunately it doesn't help make the phone easier to grip. The side keys are small and not easy to find by touch alone, but work well enough. The screen is bright, but otherwise average. The build quality seems decent overall.
The three touch keys below the screen look like Android 3.x keys, even though this is an Android 4.0 phone. LG has joined a growing number of manufacturers in rejecting Google's guidelines for a recent-apps key. Instead, on the Motion, you'll find an old-school menu key. Pressing that for a second brings up the (even older) search function. Pressing the home key for a second is how you access Android 4.0's recent app switcher.
The lock screen has four shortcuts, for things like messaging and camera. The Motion offers extensive customization. Special LG tweaks let you easily customize the home screens, app menu, and even notification shade shortcuts. The main app menu includes a tab for downloaded apps. Things likes the home screen editor are a little redundant, but the ability to customize lock screen shortcuts and notification shade tools are a major boon. There are a relatively huge amount of Android customizations made by LG, especially for Android 4.0, and for a relatively low-end phone.
Interface
The camera software is where the real magic is. I've never seen such advanced camera software on a phone so affordable. I would have been pleased to see a fully-automatic sweep panorama mode and touch-to-focus. Those are there, and work well.
But I was floored to see HDR mode, and a "Time catch shot" mode that works a little like a time machine; in this mode, when you touch the shutter button, you get a choice of shots, including several from before you touched the shutter button. Both features work as advertised, if a little slow; there's no special chip to speed up the camera on a phone at this price. But the features are there, they work, and they're unprecedented in this class.
There's also a useful twist on the self-timer function: instead of counting down, it simply waits until you say "cheese!", then snaps that awesome photo of you and your cat. Your cat couldn't care less, but the web will be better for it. Maybe.
Camera
The surprises continue in video mode, where you'll find 1080p HD video and included video editing software. The editing software lets you mix in video, stills, and music, together with "themes" that apply effects. The themes are a bit over the top and don't give you much control. Nonetheless, any kind of video editing is interesting on a phone like this.
Apps
Then there's "QuickMemo", which is accessed by holding down the up and down volume keys at the same time. This takes a screen shot, essentially, and then lets you draw on it, then share it, via MMS, email, or any other sharing option Android gives you. It's an easy way to share a web page or a photo, and draw a quick arrow or circle or smiley face, for example. Good luck writing text with your finger any longer than "LOL", though.
You'll also find DLNA, and a bunch of extra apps for social sharing and messaging. If you still use AIM or Yahoo! Messenger, you're in luck.
In all, the Motion looks promising, for what it tries to be. We look forward to doing our full review.
Specs
Manufacturer LG
Part Number MOTION4GMETRO
General
Packaged Quantity 1
Product Type Smartphone
Form Factor Touch
Resistance Gorilla Glass (scratch resistant glass)
Integrated Components Voice recorder,
2nd camera,
Digital camera,
Digital player
Width 2.39 in
Depth 0.45 in
Height 4.37 in
Weight 4.7 oz
Image Color Disclaimer The image of the product displayed may be of a different color
SAR Value 1.24 W/kg (body) / 1.03 W/kg (head)
Packaged Quantity 1
Product Type Smartphone
Form Factor Touch
Resistance Gorilla Glass (scratch resistant glass)
Integrated Components Voice recorder,
2nd camera,
Digital camera,
Digital player
Width 2.39 in
Depth 0.45 in
Height 4.37 in
Weight 4.7 oz
Image Color Disclaimer The image of the product displayed may be of a different color
SAR Value 1.24 W/kg (body) / 1.03 W/kg (head)
Cellular
Technology CDMA
Band CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 / AWS 1700/2100
Mobile Broadband Generation 4G
Service Provider Metro PCS
Operating System Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Input Device(s) Touch sensitive screen (multi-touch)
Messaging & Internet
Cellular Messaging Services SMS,MMS
Instant Messaging Services Yes
Supported Social Networks and Blogs Yes
Mobile Services Google Play
Communications
Data Transmission EV-DO
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11,
Bluetooth,
LTE
Communication Features Internet browser,Mobile Email client
Phone Features
Phone Functions Call timer,Conference call,Flight mode,Speakerphone,Vibrating alert
Sensors Proximity sensor
Additional Features TTY compatible, Widgets support, Speech-to-Text (speech recognition),
QuickMemo function, DLNA Certified, Face Unlock
Organizer
Personal Information Management Synchronization with PC,
Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder,
Alarm clock
Cellular Messaging Services SMS,MMS
Instant Messaging Services Yes
Supported Social Networks and Blogs Yes
Mobile Services Google Play
Communications
Data Transmission EV-DO
Wireless Interface IEEE 802.11,
Bluetooth,
LTE
Communication Features Internet browser,Mobile Email client
Phone Features
Phone Functions Call timer,Conference call,Flight mode,Speakerphone,Vibrating alert
Sensors Proximity sensor
Additional Features TTY compatible, Widgets support, Speech-to-Text (speech recognition),
QuickMemo function, DLNA Certified, Face Unlock
Organizer
Personal Information Management Synchronization with PC,
Calendar,
Calculator,
Reminder,
Alarm clock
Media Player
Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
Processor
Clock Speed 1.2 GHz
Processor Core Qty Dual-core
Memory
RAM 1 GB
Bult-in Memory 5 GB
Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC - up to 32 GB
Digital Camera
Sensor Resolution 5 megapixels
Still Image Resolutions 2560 x 1920
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Special Effects Normal,HDR
Camera Light Source LED light
Video Recorder Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
Features Video recording,Multi-shots
Navigation System
Navigation Software & Services Google Maps
Display
Type LCD display - Color
Technology TFT
Diagonal Size 3.5 in
Display Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
Color Depth 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Connections
Connector Type HDMI,Micro-USB,Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Battery
Capacity 1700 mAh
Run Time Details Talk ( CDMA ) - up to 324 min,
Standby ( CDMA ) - up to 290 hour(s)
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Power adapter
Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
Processor
Clock Speed 1.2 GHz
Processor Core Qty Dual-core
Memory
RAM 1 GB
Bult-in Memory 5 GB
Supported Flash Memory Cards microSDHC - up to 32 GB
Digital Camera
Sensor Resolution 5 megapixels
Still Image Resolutions 2560 x 1920
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Special Effects Normal,HDR
Camera Light Source LED light
Video Recorder Resolutions 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
Features Video recording,Multi-shots
Navigation System
Navigation Software & Services Google Maps
Display
Type LCD display - Color
Technology TFT
Diagonal Size 3.5 in
Display Resolution 320 x 480 pixels
Color Depth 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
Connections
Connector Type HDMI,Micro-USB,Headset jack - Mini-phone 3.5 mm
Battery
Capacity 1700 mAh
Run Time Details Talk ( CDMA ) - up to 324 min,
Standby ( CDMA ) - up to 290 hour(s)
Miscellaneous
Included Accessories Power adapter
I tested the tri-band (850, 1900, 2100) LG Motion 4G in San Francisco. There were no problems with signal quality -- I didn't get any dropped calls, extraneous buzzing, or audio clipping in and out. Sound quality, however, was disappointing. Voices were audible, but muffled, as if my friends were speaking underneath a thin sheet. Though turning up the volume helped a bit, the maximum volume wasn't very loud. Likewise, my friends told me that I sounded muffled, too.
The output speakerphone quality was also disappointing. Calls, as well as music, were muffled and low, though I didn't hear any harsh tinniness. Turning the volume down helped somewhat; you can still hear what's being said, but it sounded stifled regardless.
MetroPCS' 4G LTE network isn't the most robust, but data speeds were impressive. Loading the CNET mobile site, for example, took an average of 8 seconds, while loading our full site took 19 seconds. The New York Times' full site took slightly shorter on average, clocking in at 14 seconds, and its mobile site took 5 seconds to load. ESPN's mobile site took 8 seconds on average, and its full site loaded in 16 seconds. The 22MB game Temple Run downloaded and installed in an average of 4 minutes, and Ookla showed me an average of 1.10Mbps down and 1.62Mbps up.
Although we haven't finished our battery drain test yet, its reported talk time is 5.4 hours. And according to FCC radiation tests, the phone has a digital SAR rating of 1.03W/kg.
Conclusion
Though it comes with a lot of bloatware and doesn't take the highest-quality pictures, the LG Motion 4G is still a solid handset to consider. With its 4G LTE connection, zippy dual-core processor, and affordable price, the phone packs a lot of punch into a tiny frame. In addition, it's perfect for anyone who wants one of the latest Android OS phones without a contract.