LG Optimus GT540 vs. Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 - Battle of Most Affordable Android Phones

Lai T. from Katipunan QC (another dear friend from Ateneo) emailed TP this request this afternoon:

"[TP, can you do a comparison table between LG Optimus GT540 and Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 - just like the one that you did for Samsung Wave and Samsung Galaxy S? I like Optimus' design but I'm not sure if it's better than Galaxy Spica specs-wise. Thanks!"

Hi Lai!

Here you go: TechPinas' LG Optimus vs. Samsung Galaxy Spica Definitive Comparison Table:

Detail/Feature	LG Optimus GT540	Samsung Galaxy Spica
Photo
Dimensions/ Weight	109 x 54.5 x 12.7 mm 115.5 g	115 x 57 x 13.2 mm 124 g
Screen/ Features	3" TFT resistive touchscreen, 256K colors (65K effective) 320 x 480 pixels - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate	3.2" TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors 320 x 480 pixels - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate
Operating System	Android OS, v1.6 (Donut) upgradeable to v2.1 (Eclair)	Android OS, v1.5 (Cupcake) upgradeable to v2.1 (Eclair)
CPU	Proprietary	800MHz processor
Internal storage	130 MB storage	180 MB storage
Wifi	Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g	Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
3G	Yes, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps	Yes, HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
MicroSD	Yes, supports up to 32GB	Yes, supports up to 32GB
Camera	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus Geo-tagging, face detection Video Capture: VGA@17fps No Secondary Camera	3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus Geo-tagging Video Capture: CIF@15fps No Secondary Camera
GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0, MicroUSB	Yes to all	Yes to all
Stereo FM Radio	Yes	No
Games and Apps	Yes, via Android Market	Yes, via Android Market
Java	Yes, via MIDP 2.0	Yes, via third party apps
Flash support	No	No
Google Mobile Internet Suite	Yes, Gmail, Youtube, etc.	Yes, Gmail, Youtube, etc.
Speakerphone	Yes, 3.5 mm audio jack	Yes, - 3.5 mm audio jack - DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
Messaging System	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM
microSIM card requirement	No, uses standard SIM	No, uses standard SIM
Battery life	Stand-by time of up to 500 hours on 2G and up to 500 hours on 3G Talk time of up to 5 hours and 30 minutes on 2G and up to 7 hours and 20 minutes on 3G	Stand-by time of up to 650 hours on 2G and up to 580 hours on 3G Talk time of up to 11 hours and 30 minutes on 2G and up to 6 hours and 50 minutes on 3G
Availability and Price in Philippines	Coming to the Philippines by 2nd week of August Only Php 12,900	Now out in the Philippines Php 14,495 with Globe Prepaid FREE with Globe Postpaid Plan 1800. Goes as low as Php 13,500 at some authorized Samsung retailers.

Lai, if you're a having a dilemma on which of the two to get, I suggest you go to a shop and compare them side by side. Turn them on and play with each device. While specs say a lot about the capabilities of a gadget, the overall experience of using a phone also involves getting a feel of the actual hardware and appreciating the design identity -- phone features that can't easily be captured with words.

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