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LG Optimus GT540: Android for cheap

Abe Olandres July 14, 2010 · 1 min read

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LG Philippines will launch its very own Android phone this July. Called the LG Optimus GT540 (also known as LG Swift elsewhere), it will probably take the crown as the cheapest Android smartphone in town.

Announced back in January 2010, the LG Optimus will hit store shelves in the 4th week of July.

LG Optimus GT540 specs:
3.0″ screen @ 320×480 pixels
130MB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
3G/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1
3.15MP camera
FM Radio w/ RDS
GPS w/ aGPS support
Android 1.6
Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery

No word what type or speed of processor its got but I assume it’s nothing near the 1-gigahertz mark (could be somewhere in the 500-600MHz but we’ll know once I get a sample unit).

The Optimus will have a suggested retail price of under Php14k when it hits the stores by end of the month, effectively making it the cheapest (SRP-wise) among the entry-level Android smartphones (going head to head with the likes of Samsung Spica and HTC Tattoo).

Update: SRP has been put on hold but company sources puts it under Php14k.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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77 Comments

wahahaha · 14 years ago

may mas mura pa ata jan.. chery mobile na android is 6k lng.. but poor cguro sa games hahaha.. un lng

rox · 15 years ago

im selling my LG gt540 android 2.1 (2nd Hand)
feature:
LG Optimus GT540 specs:
3.0â€³ screen @ 320Ã—480 pixels
130MB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
3G/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1
3.15MP camera
FM Radio w/ RDS
GPS w/ aGPS support
Android 1.6
Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery

8K php txt 0949*******
manila area Only

axer · 15 years ago

Release n po 2.3.4 db??cnu po n ka try n mag update??

emy · 15 years ago

hi! selling mu LG GT540 for 8,000 only! :) contact me 0926*******

brentkskie · 15 years ago

From LG Philippines, may update na po ang GT540 from 1.6 to 2.1 but, unfortunately for testing pa daw d2 kase madami pa daw bugs…

as regards update from 2.1 to 2.2 froyo may update din daw sila by the first of second quarter of 2011 ang release maaari pa daw mapaaga ang release.

MEDS · 14 years ago

LG540 PO YUN CP KO HIRAP ME MAGDOWNLOAD KC DAW SA SETTTING TUTWING NAKA SET NAMAN AYAW MAG ACTIVE.SO CALL AKO SA SAMRT CUSTOMER PARA MAKAPAG DOWNLOAD,PERO SA PHONE DAW YUNG PROBLEM ANO PO BA TALAGA TAMANG SETTING .PLS HELP ME SALAMAT PO

julius · 16 years ago

i got my gt540 3days ago….
sabi upgradable daw ung OS from 1.6 to 2.1,,
unfortunately dito sa pilipinas hindi pa available and upgrade ng OS…. asar,, haist…
tumawag ako sa LG.. until this year wala pa!!! baka 3rdQuarter ng next year ang labas….

nag research ako kung paano iupdate…
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=802895

yan ang link basahin nyo…
hindi ko sya na try sa phone ko kasi baka masira lang,,,

good condition pa naman ung unit ko….

Cel · 16 years ago

kelan po lalabas ang updated version nito? =)

Adi · 16 years ago

I am having this phone and its 600mghz upgradable to version 2.1 eclair edition… very fast phone im very imprest. the cheapest android platform phone in the market. dont expect too much as it is the cheapest android phone in the market.. if you guys wants more morola droid is the best.

RocketLog · 16 years ago

GSMArena says X8 is expected to hit the stores at EUR200. So thats roughly PhP12K+taxes. AND it’s not even released yet. Maybe next month pa yun lalabas. Who knows where the price for that thing would end up at.

greengem · 16 years ago

@jam – according to my source, there will be upgrade on Eclair

nexusboy · 16 years ago

@manong i don’t get it. LOL

lawrence · 16 years ago

@manong

It’s really the thing that keeps me wondering.. since technically free ang android.. pero rare ang mga enrty level-to-midrange units na nakikita ko. and kung meron man, sobrang downgrade namn ang ginagawa sa hardware.

maybe because sa android ecosystem, ang magdedefine talaga ng high-end status e ang hardware advantages.. pareho lang ang basic features ng OS e.. next na lng ung ability to be updated sa next software release (2.2,3.0.. etc..)

manong · 16 years ago

@lawrence

kung kaya ng nokia, who can’t? remember.. android os is basically “free” (blame M$ and apple for the infringement kuno charges)

lawrence · 16 years ago

@manong

prang wala pa atang unit na swak sa mga specs mo with that price range.. hehe.. medyo considered as high end na yan, ala galaxy S..

kasi in order to keep the prices down, either a downgrade on the hardware (mostly camera or the screen) or software limitations.. nokia can match those specs kaso with symbian Os. hehe

lawrence · 16 years ago

@ dan

yeah estimate, computed sya from euro.. cguro kung plus tax, tataas ng kunti.. pero d nmn ganun kalaki..with that price range, its the most affordable xperia unit so far. google the price, I forgot the exact figures eh :)

manong · 16 years ago

@nexusboy

kung ang kausap mo eh alabang girl, cheap ka pag ganyan cp mo pero kung tondo girl nman kausap mo sasabihin nun GSM yang cp mo…

galing sa magnanakaw

saka pag ganyan handle mo.. bwahaha!

dan treacy · 16 years ago

@lawrence, dude is that 11k for x8 an estimate :) cause im really looking forward on the x8 too. the x10mini is already at 15k

greengem · 16 years ago

Check this out: http://www.lg-optimus.com/

linalyn · 16 years ago

I was able to touch one. It’s resistive LCD screen is very impressive. Very quick response, I must say.

lolipown · 16 years ago

@kritiker19
lol resistive? Wow, that’s a major deal breaker.

nexusboy · 16 years ago

maybe its just me but using the term CHEAP means baduy or anything that is of lower quality and standard. hehehehe… but i’m sure this is meant as “the most affordable” android phone since the cheap-ness of it refers to the price and not on the quality (so to speak) :)

Efren Sy · 16 years ago

Question: is the OS upgradeable to 2.1 or 2.2?

manong · 16 years ago

@lawrence

same banana though… actually my below 15k perfect android smartphone should be:

– w/ front facing camera
– at least 5mp af w/ flash
– vga 30fps video recording
– at least 3.5″ capacitive lcd screen
– at least 12mm thin
– upgradeable android os
– hsdpa/wi-fi/bluetooth/gps
– microsd slot
– fm radio

sna by december meron na yan.. wish ko lng!

KennyV · 16 years ago

Cool phone, but at the price range of 13-14k i think the BB curve would be a better buy. But that’s just me.

lawrence · 16 years ago

@ manong

u can check the upcoming x8 of sony ericsson which should come with a pricetag of 11k++.. basically same midrange specs kaso no AF for camera. same 1.6 version but should be upgradeable to 2.1 once SE starts rolling updates for all of its android xperia line-ups (q3 of this yr).

BTW, I think I’ve read somewhere in GSMarena that this phone will have a 2.1 update by the end of the year.

manong · 16 years ago

this will win in pogi or ganda points however…

though i dont understand y it doesnt have front facing camera, haven’t they seen apple boasting that “old” feature?

still waiting for the below 15k “perfect” android phone…

Coco Palm Sugar · 16 years ago

The rumor is that an upgrade to 2.1 will be out by August or September.

Specs wise, the Spica looks better.

kritiker19 · 16 years ago

Based on the specs, http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_gt540_optimus-3081.php , Spica still wins.

Why? spica has a capacitative screen, 16M color and eclair (2.1)

optimus has resistive, 65k effective color and donuct(1.6)

so, by rank for midrange android. Spica then optimus then last is tattoo.

Teknisyan · 16 years ago

Android 1.6 is an old ver of Android.. not even the 2.1. I don’t think this model can handle Froyo. But for 13K, this can be a good catch for people who wants to have an Android phone.