The LG Leon LTE has 4.5-inch display that's easy to see in bright light. The power and volume controls are on the back of the phone in a cluster below the rear-facing camera lens, instead of on the top or side. LG put them there to be closer to where it says people are likely to rest their index fingers while holding the phone. But you don't need to hunt for the power button to wake up or turn off the screen. You can do that by simply double-tapping the display. When playing your own music or videos you can just use the convenient on-screen volume slider bar, though it doesn't work with all apps, such as YouTube. We did find that it took some time to get used to, for instance, when adjusting the volume while on a call. Several convenient features found on other LG phones are absent on the Leon. One is Smart screen mode; the front-facing camera would monitor your eyes while you're reading a Web page or other document to prevent the screen from timing out. Another missing feature is QSlide which would let you bring up to two apps, such as a video, Web browser, a memo, calendar, or calculator as a resizable, transparent, adjustable, window on your screen so that you can perform other tasks. The Leon also lacks an IR blaster for using your phone like a universal TV remote control, and other wireless beaming capabilities, such as Near Field Communication (NFC). Another omitted feature, Guest mode, would have let others use your phone with only pre-selected apps shown on separate home screens from your own.
The Leon includes Quick Memo, an app that lets you use your finger to scribble notes on anything you see on the phone's screen, from photos, e-mails, and calendar appointments to the home screen itself. The finished "memo" actually becomes a picture that you can easily e-mail or text to others, as well as share on social networks. The Leon provides easy access to all main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports up to five home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. You can even change the order or add up to five keys including a notifications and QuickMemo key. The recent apps key launches a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. Pressing and holding the recent apps key launches an easy way to access settings, as well as manage home screens. Pressing and holding the home key launches search. The Leon provides a straightforward way to add apps, widgets, or change wallpaper. You simply press and hold a blank spot on the screen to summon a Lazy Susan-style buffet of home screens, apps, widgets and other customization options. You can also launch the phone, messaging, browser, camera, and more directly from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping upward on any one of app icons that are visible on the locked screen. The plus and minus volume buttons can also be used as shortcuts to the camera and quick menu apps from a locked screen.
The Leon lets you perform Google searches by voice command, and lets you download applications, services, and games, and more from the Google Play Store. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). It also has a handy on-screen drop-down status bar that alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The Leon supports both types of T-Mobile's "4G" network (LTE and HSPA+), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboard was very easy to use. The height and layout can easily be adjusted to the user's liking. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger--literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. A useful feature is the trackpad-like cursor control on the virtual keyboard which makes it easier to change text. You can move the cursor by just sliding your finger across the spacebar. This phone comes with common preset text messages, and also allows you to create custom preset text messages for your individual special situations or frequent use. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. If you tilt the phone on its side while viewing e-mail (wide-screen mode), you see a split-view mode. The window on the left shows the e-mail list, and the window on the right shows the selected e-mail. You can adjust the size of the windows, and you can turn off the split-view mode to see the e-mail full-screen. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Leon also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found very good voice quality when talking , though only fair when listening. Talk time, overall, was an adequate 10 hours. This phone has an excellent mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Very good keypad readability under most lighting conditions. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Can be used internationally. This model can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network.
MULTIMEDIA: The 4.9-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced good-quality pictures when photos were taken under well-lighted conditions. Camera has a flash, and can record HD video. You can take a picture by just saying "cheese." The camera's flash also helps improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. You can also snap a still picture at any moment while shooting a video. You can also pause a video in record mode and then restart the recording to make one continuous video file. The front-facing VGA camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. The Gesture shot feature when using the front camera allows you to take a picture with a hand gesture, helpful when taking selfies. But the camera took only fair 1080p video, OK only for the most casual uses.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, music shuffle and repeat controls and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Leon can act as a mobile hotspot for up to eight WiFi-enabled devices. It also supports WiFi calling. It has 8GB of built-in memory and supports memory cards of up to 32GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access.
