T-Mobile myTouch First Impressions

The new myTouch by LG may be the best-looking mid-range phone on the market. Not only is it attractive, but it's also packing some pretty cool features under the hood. Things like 4G, Genius Button, an AMOLED display, mobile hotspot support, and HD video capture should be enough to catch anyone's attention. The low price is only going to intensify that interest. T-Mobile's myTouch phones have historically offered great performance in an easy-to-use package. Now T-Mobile is switching hardware partners and dumping HTC for LG. Is this a wise move? If the myTouch by LG is any indication, the answer is Yes.

Now, I've only been able to spend a limited amount of time with the phone so I can't say for sure if this is the device you should go for. Keep in mind that you also have to consider the myTouch Q, the myTouch's brother with a physical keyboard. However, I have very few complaints about the phone thus far. Check out my first impressions below and see if you're impressed at all.

• As I stated in the outset, the myTouch may be the most beautiful mid-range device out there, or at least in the top two or three. For one thing, it feels like a feather in your hand. At 3.7 ounces, I can't believe how lightweight this phone is. The clear, bright 3.7-inch AMOLED display is also amazing. Now, I know, I know - there are plenty of other displays that will look three times as good with hardware that will blow you away. But for a device in this category, the myTouch looks pretty sexy. Add to that the glossy front panel and perfect balance of angles, rounded and sharp edges, and I'm sold on the hardware.

• The question about that 3.7-inch display is, Is it large enough to type on? Well, I think Apple's steadfastness in keeping a similar-sized display on the iPhone has taught us that yes, it is large enough. Granted, the nice thing about Android is that you have options, so if it is too small for you, then you can choose to go with something with a larger display. For my fingers, it's large enough to have a comfortable typing experience. However, you may want to try it out in the store to see if the same is true for you. Of course, you can always use the keyboard in landscape mode where it will be much wider and more spacious.
• The myTouch ships with Android 2.3 and, interestingly, a version of LG's UI that is one month newer than the version that ships with the myTouch's brother, the myTouch Q. This may not seem like a big deal, but it brings a few improvements like resizable widgets and a darker interface that takes advantage of the myTouch's AMOLED display. Also, despite both phones shipping with the same processor and the same amount of RAM, performance seems to be more smooth with the myTouch. Other than that, it's the same LG UI that you get with the manufacturer's other phones, save for a few changes they've made to fit in with the myTouch line (the clear background behind each app shortcut is back).
• As I mentioned, both the myTouch and myTouch Q ship with the same processor, Qualcomm's 1 GHz Snapdragon S2 CPU. So far, I've experienced good performance with only minor lag here and there. Pinching and zooming in the web browser was choppy and laggy with Flash turned on, but it smoothed out when I turned this content off. Web browsing is where I've had the most problems in terms of overall performance. Other than that, I've been pleased with the phone's speed. The myTouch scored a 1,214 on the Quadrant Standard test.

• The myTouch is an HSPA+ device that uses T-Mobile's 14.4 Mbps HSPA+ network. Speeds while testing the device in the Dallas area have been great. I'm averaging about 5 Mbps for downloads. Interestingly, data speeds have been faster on the myTouch than on the myTouch Q though I can't think why.
• Though the myTouch has Genius Button functionality, it doesn't actually have a Genius Button. Rather, a shortcut to the app is located on the dock at the bottom of the homescreen. You can use the Genius Button to call someone, send a text, search the web, or get directions. For example, I can say "Find Starbucks" and it will find a nearby Starbucks for me. I even tested it a little bit and said "Search for PhoneDog.com" and it actually typed in the correct term. (Most voice functions I've tested don't recognize the term "PhoneDog".) It may not be as advanced as Apple's Siri voice assistant, but it can come in very handy while driving.
• The myTouch is equipped with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera and a camcorder that captures 720p HD video, though it lacks the LED flash that the myTouch Q has. The few still pictures I've taken have come out fairly clear though they do have a distinct amount of noise in them. Aaron has uploaded an HD video sample using the myTouch so you can take a look at that to see how the camcorder performs. As a note, the gallery has been giving me problems in terms of loading pictures and videos. Hopefully, this will straighten out over the course of the review period.
• Call quality using the myTouch has been good. I noticed that the top of the phone got warm after a long call or extended use. It wasn't so warm that it burned my ear, but it was slightly uncomfortable.

So, those are my first impressions of the myTouch by LG. It's packed with great features in a very attractive body, but the question is, How well does it perform? That question can only be answered by more testing so be sure to watch out for the full review or check out the unboxing video in the meantime.