LG has become well known in the mobile arena thanks to its mid-range phones. Tellingly, the low-priced Cookie and its mid-range siblings have sold millions while the high-end Chocolate BL40 was less popular.

Now LG is taking its first foray into smartphones with the Android-powered LG InTouch Max GW620 – and putting that mid-range expertise to use. Sure, it may not have the technological polish of its more expensive rivals, but it delivers most of the same features for a price that will suit the millions of people who clearly aren’t bothered about touch-screen technology or processor speeds.

Style and handling on the LG InTouch Max GW620

The LG GW620 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a three-inch touch-screen. The screen is resistive rather than the superior capacitive model found on the likes of the iPhone. This means it’s pressure-sensitive, and while we found it to be accurate, there were delays of up to half a second between command and action, and more when scrolling through lists like contacts. But these delays were also present using the keyboard, so it’s less the fault of the screen and more to do with the processor speed.

Underneath the display sit one hard menu button and two touch areas – one to take you to the home screen and one to go back. The placing of the touch areas could be better – we kept inadvertently hitting the Home button so mucking up what we were doing.

QWERTY keyboard on the LG InTouch Max GW620

The slide-out keyboard is a good size for typing, especially for the small-fingered, and includes a dedicated number row. Well-placed symbol keys and character keys on the number line that correspond to a US PC keyboard mean typing is instinctive and smooth, and the arrow keys are a welcome addition on a mobile keyboard. The tablet keys are well-spaced if a little bouncy.

Connectivity-wise, the LG GW620 has GPS, Wi-Fi and fast HSDPA internet speeds. There’s a welcome 3.5mm headphones jack, radio and an accelerometer that automatically reformats the display to landscape when you turn the phone. A five-megapixel camera with auto-focus, video recording and flash is one of the best we’ve seen on an Android device. All in all, an impressive package for a phone that’s free on a £20 contract.

Android integration on the LG InTouch Max GW620

Some Android phones are left fairly simple, with the OS simply inserted into a new phone. But Android was made to support manufacturer customisation, and LG has really made the most of this, creating its own LG-style icons and menu, so you can chose between the Android and the LG interfaces.

Android being a Google product, you will find that you need Google for mail, contacts, calendar or the App Marketplace. As soon as you access any of these, you will be prompted to sign in. You will then be automatically synced up to all your Google accounts with push notifications – a very useful feature provided you do lots on Google.

If you aren’t a Google fan, though, Moxier ActiveSync was created for LG to allow syncing to Microsoft Exchange, and My Email lets you load up to eight accounts with push support, including Yahoo!, Hotmail and other Gmail accounts.

Social networking on the LG InTouch Max GW620

Linkbook is a social networking manager that supports Facebook, Twitter and Bebo (so far). We’re a little long in the tooth for Bebo, but added our Facebook and Twitter accounts with no problem whatsoever. Twitter gives you a desktop-like experience with tweets, mentions and messages listed. Facebook, however, is rather simple, with no profile pictures next to updates, no ability to like a post, see other people’s comments or view a poster’s profile. You can comment, though. Inbox messages are not registered as read unless you have read them on the phone, which can be confusing and time-consuming.

But Linkbook has the disadvantage on other social networking programs in that ir doesn’t sho you feeds from both accounts at once. What it does do is send push notifications of anything that happens though, so you get every status update and tweet – it’s all or nothing. In fact, unless you are brand new to mobile apps and social networking, you’ll be better to download the appropriate apps from Android Marketplace (but be warned: the official Facebook app is no better that the embedded one here).

Camera on the LG InTouch Max GW620

Android phones aren’t generally known for having decent cameras, so we’re pleased to see that the five-megapixel snapper on the LG GW620 has some smarts if not the best quality. The LG’s scroll wheel is present and correct, making adjusting settings easy, and daylight shots are clear. Lowlight photos, though are fuzzy and grainy when zoomed in, and there are no modes for night or lowlight. The flash makes for slightly soft, blue-tinted results. But we don’t really expect more from an Android phone, and the quality is good enough to upload to the internet.

The camera does feature Face Recognition: take a photo of a friend and tag them once, and the phone will suggest their name in any future pictures of them. You do need to turn the feature on, then press on the face to choose from your contacts book (the photo will automatically become your friend’s profile picture) or a nicknames list.
The Face to Action feature works better. Press down on a tagged friend in a photo and you will be able to call or text them directly or look at their social networking pages. It’s hardly a must-have feature, but it’s a fun one that should appeal.

Google on the LG InTouch Max GW620

Running in the background behind all this is Android, giving you the smooth contacts, calendar and Gmail integration you would expect. If you write an email, it will suggest recipients you have emailed from a PC; all you need to do is sign in once and your calendar is synced for good. Contacts are as fully featured as on a PC – you can choose to view all contacts, which includes everyone you’ve ever emailed or just the contacts in your phone or SIM (duplications are automatically synced).

We do like the that for any contact you can chose a ‘call reject’ option that will always put that user through to voicemail. It’s passive-aggressive, sure – but we like it nevertheless.

Internet on the LG InTouch Max GW620

The browser on the LG GW620 can handle full HTML websites rather than just mobile-optimised ones, so you get the full internet experience. Pictures are clear and sharp and rendered quickly, and text is smooth. You can make the most of your screen with a hidden toolbar that lets you go back or forward, refresh, view favourites, open a new window and access your settings. The URL bar doubles up as a search bar, and to zoom between full-page and 100% view you just double-tap. We only have one complaint, and that’s the lack of a home button, despite the fact you can set your homepage.

The verdict on the LG InTouch Max GW620

There is definite room for improvement on the LG GW620 – the touch-screen could be improved in line with the sort of respectable resistive screens you find on Android phones like the HTC Tattoo; and the Linkbook social networking tool is lifeless. But the user interface works well, and is easy to customise thanks to the Android Marketplace apps store. It’s easy to sync up your email and contacts accounts too. In fact, for the first-time smartphone user on a budget, the GW620 is a great all-round package.