The LG Thrive does look exactly like the LG Phoenix. Thing is both are actually the same phone, except that the LG Phoenix is available postpaid from AT&T. The LG Thrive is also the first-ever smartphone available for AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid service. Thrive is strictly a prepaid handset. This means the Thrive is yet another addition to the LG Optimus line of entry-level Android phones, and looks and feels a lot like the rest of its affordable cousins.
Key Specifications: The LG Thrive is a slim and attractive Android 2.2 smartphone with Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G, quad-band support, and a 3.2-megapixel camera.
Disadvantage:The LG Thrive can’t play Flash video in the browser, preloaded AT&T apps are not removable, and it does not have mobile hot-spot or data tethering capabilities. AT&T coverage can be a little spotty, and the GoPhone data plan is a little limiting.
The bottom line: The LG Thrive is a decent entry-level Android smartphone for the prepaid crowd, but its limited data plan encourages us to look elsewhere.
Other prepaid Optimus phones include the LG Optimus M and the LG Optimus V, but the Thrive is the first GSM model to be offered prepaid. It does require a GoPhone smartphone data package–$25 for 500MB, $15 for 100MB, or $5 for 10MB–which doesn’t seem like a lot. You might want another prepaid phone like the LG Optimus V if you want to save money on data. Still, for an entry-level product, we think the Thrive’s a good start for those who want to try out an Android phone without spending a lot of money. The LG Thrive is available for $179.99 without a contract.
As the LG Thrive is the same exact phone as the LG Phoenix, we’ll point you to the LG Phoenix review for most of the design and feature details; for this review, we’ll focus mostly on performance. The only exception is that the LG Thrive does not have mobile hot-spot capabilities or data tethering support, while the Phoenix does.
News From Reviews.cnet.com
[ttjad keyword=”android-phone”]
