LG Optimus 2X review

LG Optimus 2X review: Contacts and calling

As is usual with Android, you can expect to pull through your Google account contacts into the LG Optimus 2X if you've got them set up. LG has also included social networking apps covering Twitter, Facebook and MySpace that can add in your contacts from each of the networks (though other apps, including the official Twitter app, can also import contacts).

The contact import options for these two apps are intelligent, enabling you to import everyone automatically, import manually or (our favourite) only import information from contacts you already have a contact entry for.

The thing is, while you would think that this last option would guarantee you no duplicate entries, we still ended up with some. If the phone was confident enough in a match to bring the details down from Facebook, why wasn't it confident enough to link them?

Merging contacts is performed by going into one of the duplicate entries and choosing to edit the contact. Facebook and Twitter entries will say you can't edit the information, but the 'Join' option is still available if you press the Menu button.

The actual contact list isn't too unusual for modern socially-minded smartphones. You can see all of the contacts in a big list with the alphabet at the side. Beneath each person's name will be an update from Twitter or Facebook if linked in.

At the top of this list is a search box and a button to add a new contact. Overlaid at the top of the screen are tabs to enable quick switching from your contacts list to the dialler, your call log and any contact groups your have, including your favourites.

When you tap on a contact, you're given a list of all the information you have for them, as well as contextual options for each entry if it can have more than one use (such as choosing between calling or texting a mobile phone number).

All the information is big and clear on the Optimus 2X's four-inch screen. There are also tabs at the top for looking at other information related to the contact, including their Facebook photos, if their account is linked.

You can also access many options for a contact just by long-pressing on their name in the main contact list.

The Optimus 2X is quite strong at picking up signal, which translates into strong 3G broadband speeds. We had no problems placing calls, even in known difficult spots.

However, this didn't translate into a great calling experience. The ear speaker sits flush to the join between the glass screen and the surround. You can't really feel it when you're holding the phone to your head, which means it can stray off slightly and you'll lose the sound quickly.

The same earspeaker also doesn't carry very well. It's drowned out by traffic noise far easier than a lot of other phones.

The sound quality on calls was acceptable, but this isn't the phone's strongest point, despite the decent signal.

The loudspeaker also doesn't get super loud. If you're on a clear line, it'll serve you well for conference calls, but throw in even a little distortion and things get murky.