Camera Phone Reviews

The LG LX550 is a clamshell phone which features a 1.3-megapixel camera. Other features include an MP3 player, FM transmitter, EVDO, Bluetooth with Z2DP and a changeable faceplate.

Expected release date: May 28.

Get a price on the LG LX550

Via EngadgetMobile.

Mobiledia reviews the LG Fusic and notes, about the phone's camera: "The placement of the lens on the back requires users to hold the Fusic in an uncomfortably upright manner, but fortunately the external screen doubles as a compact alterative viewfinder when closed. It also works for self-portraits and group shots when open and turned around."

CNET reviews the LG LX550 and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The 1.3-megapixel camera takes pictures in just three resolutions--1,280x960, 640x480, and 320x240--which was a bit disappointing for such a mediacentric phone. Still, there's a fair number of editing options ... Image quality was about what you'd expect from a 1.3-megapixel camera. Colors were distinct, but object outlines were fuzzier than we would have liked. Overall, they're fine for use on a computer, but we wouldn't want to print them. Video clips were serviceable but grainy in places; they aren't meant for home movies." PhoneScoop has a review of the LG Fusic, and writes about the phone's camera: "The camera has very few menu options- just enough to take a decent picture in most situations. Unfortunately taking pictures in dark rooms is not quite so easy. The flash is very weak; it barely works beyond about 3 feet. There is no simple low light mode to alleviate this situation, but brightness and white balance can be manually adjusted to compensate with some fiddling in the menus. The Fusic actually offers a primitive manual white balance, which allows you to scroll through a rainbow of preset color tints to compensate for most lighting conditions. In decent light, pictures come out well without any need for going to the settings menu." IGN reviews the LG FUSIC and writes, "The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera that took photos on par with any comparable camera phone with resolutions ranging from 320x240 up to 1280x960. An excellent feature is that the camera uses the external screen as an extra display to show anyone taking pictures of him or herself to see what the image will look like beforehand. The quality of the images is nothing to write home about, but if someone wanted to take a photo in a pinch, this camera would do." DigitalTrends reviews the LG Fusic and writes, "On the phone side, Fusic is a broadband EV-DO dual-band CDMA phone for the Sprint network, equipped with text, voice and multimedia messaging, voice memo recording, and speaker-independent voice control. On the digital camera side, the 1.3 megapixel imager can snap stills at up to 1280 x 960 resolution and 15 frame-per-second 3G2-format videos, matched with a 15-step digital zoom and PictBridge for PC-less picture printing via the included USB cable. There's a microSD flash memory slot, and LG included a 64 MB card to get you started." MobileBurn reviews the LG Fusic and writes, "The LG Fusic comes with a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera with flash. The camera is your standard fare and boasts no real special attributes. Startup for the camera takes a second or two but once launched seems to have no drawbacks. Saving picture files was extremely simple. The Fusic gives the options to send, upload, delete, print, or assign the image as a screen saver or picture ID. The interface for the camera app is user friendly and pretty easy to navigate. Image controls allow users the option to adjust the brightness and white balance settings, if needed. Within the white balance menu there are the typical settings (auto, tungsten, fluorescent, sunny, cloudy), as well as 5 manual modes that can be set by the user. Images taken are of average quality and a bit soft, but are adequate for a cameraphone. Videos can be recorded in QCIF (176x144 pixel) resolution and can be up to 30 seconds in length for video mail or up to 30 minutes long otherwise." Update: Sprint and LG have launched the FUSIC phone (LG LX550), which sports a 1.3 megapixel camera. From the news release: Sprint and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) introduce FUSIC, a trendsetting mobile phone with a progressive design and music and entertainment services delivered at broadband-like speeds via the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Network. This phone looks, feels, and plays like a portable music player with the convenience of instant access to the Sprint Music Store(SM) for downloading full songs over-the-air, an FM transmitter for playing music through a radio or car stereo, Bluetooth(R) Stereo support, and four changeable faceplates in blue, green, pink and black for personalization of the phone. FUSIC is exclusive to Sprint and will be available May 28th in Sprint Stores and online at www.sprint.com. FUSIC also features a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder, and with Sprint PCS Picture Mail(SM)(www.sprint.com/picturemail), customers can capture, share, print, preserve, create and display their camera phone pictures - such as using them to create unique gifts like mugs, postage stamps, and greeting cards. The phone also supports Themes, a way for customers to personalize menus, shortcuts and screen savers on the phone. With the FUSIC by LG and Sprint Power Vision services customers have fast access to information with On Demand, Sprint TV(SM) boasting a combination of more than 50 live and on-demand channels with full-motion video and vivid sound, Sprint PCS Picture Mail, and the Web, in addition to the Sprint Music Store. With special Phone-as-Modem plans utilizing the included USB cable as well as Bluetooth Dial Up Networking (DUN) capability, customers can use FUSIC as a modem to quickly and easily access email and the Internet. The Sprint Power Vision Network currently reaches over 150 million people and is expected to reach an estimated 190 million people nationwide and in Puerto Rico by the end of the year, making it the largest mobility network of its kind. Customers currently access various audio, video and data applications at average download speeds equivalent to DSL (400-700 kbps and peak speeds up to 2 Mbps). FUSIC by LG is $329.99 or $179.99 after rebate with a two-year service agreement. Get a price on the LG LX550