I did recently get the Motorola Triumph, and after a solid days worth of use I am impressed, but definitely wanting in some respects of the phone.
This is not meant to be a review, but just to give my perspective on owning the Triumph after owning a LG Optimus V.
Hardware
The phone overall compared to the Optimus is much larger. The Triumph not too uncomfortable to hold, but for some the larger size may put you off. The higher resolution is much nicer compared to the Optimus V. Some people report that their phone has white spots or flickering; my particular phone does not. I do notice the screen lacks some contrast compared to a V, but overall I much prefer the colors and size of the Triumph.
The LED status light when charging/missed message etc is helpful. The Optimus V lacks a LED status light.
The finish on the phone is a rubbery black matte type finish that feels cheap. I get the impression that over time the finish may rub or scratch off. The Optimus is just a plain black plastic finish that seems more durable, but equally cheap compared to the Triumph.
Buttons on the Triumph are VERY flush. Power/Volume Up/Down are so flush against the phone that they are hard to press. The main culprit here is the power button on the side that you HAVE to use to wake the phone. Even with a few days worth of usage it's hard to get used to. The regular 4 application keys are touch screen type and the usual caveats apply there. The lack of the camera and voice buttons on the Triumph are noted, as I did enjoy the camera button on the Optimus V.
The Optimus has a power button located on the top and the buttons on the bottom can also wake the phone. I prefer the Optimus V's "hard" buttons compared to the touchscreen buttons of the Triumph.
I find the side mounted speakers of the Motorola Triumph to be annoying. The Triumph has the speaker vents located directly to the left and right of the phone at the bottom where my palm usually rests. This muffles the sound and I have to re-grip the phone to make it not sound terrible. I found my Optimus V louder and the placement of the speaker in the rear much superior.
The camera sensor on the Triumph is a small rectangular plastic window that seems to be prone to scratches. However, the Triumph does have a very bright LED flash. The Optimus has a metal encasing for the camera that seems much more durable.
The final issue I notice is the battery cover. The Triumph has a flimsy and tiny battery cover that requires constant contact pushing downwards as you slide it up. If you do not apply enough downward pressure (and it's hard to see if the cover is flush or not), you can often end up installing the cover wrong as you put it back on. The Optimus V has a solid plastic back door cover that at least snaps on in a more convincing manner.
Software
The stock Froyo loaded onto the Triumph is reasonably plain with minimal modifications. There are the usual stock Virgin applications loaded (airG chat/Download/My Account/Scvngr/Where/Twindroyd/Virgin Mobile Live). This is no different from the Optimus V.
There is a distinct random lack of responsiveness sometimes, but it's hard to objectively describe it. Sometimes when exiting an application like the web browser pressing the home button gives the haptic feedback (vibration), but the program refuses to exit. Occasionally, pressing an application icon gives feedback when pressed (it fades out briefly from the press), but no application gets launched. I had little to no such issues that I can remember on my Optimus V, but that phone was rooted and running the lean Bumblebee ROM.
Update: I did try removing the "second" screen protector, and it did help a little with the presses not registering. The random UI lag and program lag still exists, and it's completely impossible to predict.
The GPS ability on the Triumph is hugely lacking. The Triumph often requires 30 seconds or more to lock onto my position while driving/moving, while the Optimus V has no issues locating me in the same scenario. Additionally, the Optimus V can lock onto my location indoors with no issue even with the Wireless assisted GPS turned off, while the Triumph often gives up with no location. This is the biggest issue and downfall for me on this phone.
Battery life is nothing to write home about, and I averaged about 8 hours with about 2-3 hours of solid continuous use on my first full charge. I used it more normally the next few days after and averaged about 12-15 hours. The Optimus V can last much longer with the battery, but this is most likely because of the custom ROM I was using. I suspect custom ROM work on the Triumph may help this.
Picture quality on the Triumph is OK. The camera requires a lot of light to take a decent non grainy picture and the LED flash just tends to wash everything out. This is my experience with most camera phones. I found that with enough light and adjustment of the settings the Triumph takes decent pictures with the main camera. The front camera needs a good amount of light to avoid grainyness.
Random bug: The main camera resets to VGA after taking a picture with the front camera with the Triumph.
The Optimus V camera has the same defects with low light, but lacks a LED flash.
Overall
I do enjoy the larger screen and the much stronger hardware of the Triumph over the Optimus V. However, if you are not a power user and the bigger screen doesn't attract you - the Triumph may not be for you. The Triumph uses the same Snapdragon chip as the Thunderbolt, and in practice games and other applications that need more power that run sluggishly on the Optimus V work great on the Triumph. I have absolutely no complaints with the speed of the phone. The random lag of the phone does not detract from it much, but I feel this just underlines a more serious overall issue.
In the end, the Triumph feels like a phone that is not 100% complete. It feels like the phone needed more testing and development. The GPS fails to find your location, or is very slow at finding your location in most circumstances. Signal levels for my Triumph are easily 5-6 dBm off or more compared to my Optimus V. This results in the Triumph losing signal or reverting to 1X much more than my Optimus V(same 61007 PRL). Random lag and button presses that don't register have me second guessing my typing. Hopefully devs will be able to sort out these issues.
I would say the 300 dollar price about right, but if you're on the fence and don't need the extra hardware power consider sticking with the Optimus V for now.
This is not meant to be a review, but just to give my perspective on owning the Triumph after owning a LG Optimus V.
Hardware
The phone overall compared to the Optimus is much larger. The Triumph not too uncomfortable to hold, but for some the larger size may put you off. The higher resolution is much nicer compared to the Optimus V. Some people report that their phone has white spots or flickering; my particular phone does not. I do notice the screen lacks some contrast compared to a V, but overall I much prefer the colors and size of the Triumph.
The LED status light when charging/missed message etc is helpful. The Optimus V lacks a LED status light.
The finish on the phone is a rubbery black matte type finish that feels cheap. I get the impression that over time the finish may rub or scratch off. The Optimus is just a plain black plastic finish that seems more durable, but equally cheap compared to the Triumph.
Buttons on the Triumph are VERY flush. Power/Volume Up/Down are so flush against the phone that they are hard to press. The main culprit here is the power button on the side that you HAVE to use to wake the phone. Even with a few days worth of usage it's hard to get used to. The regular 4 application keys are touch screen type and the usual caveats apply there. The lack of the camera and voice buttons on the Triumph are noted, as I did enjoy the camera button on the Optimus V.
The Optimus has a power button located on the top and the buttons on the bottom can also wake the phone. I prefer the Optimus V's "hard" buttons compared to the touchscreen buttons of the Triumph.
I find the side mounted speakers of the Motorola Triumph to be annoying. The Triumph has the speaker vents located directly to the left and right of the phone at the bottom where my palm usually rests. This muffles the sound and I have to re-grip the phone to make it not sound terrible. I found my Optimus V louder and the placement of the speaker in the rear much superior.
The camera sensor on the Triumph is a small rectangular plastic window that seems to be prone to scratches. However, the Triumph does have a very bright LED flash. The Optimus has a metal encasing for the camera that seems much more durable.
The final issue I notice is the battery cover. The Triumph has a flimsy and tiny battery cover that requires constant contact pushing downwards as you slide it up. If you do not apply enough downward pressure (and it's hard to see if the cover is flush or not), you can often end up installing the cover wrong as you put it back on. The Optimus V has a solid plastic back door cover that at least snaps on in a more convincing manner.
Software
The stock Froyo loaded onto the Triumph is reasonably plain with minimal modifications. There are the usual stock Virgin applications loaded (airG chat/Download/My Account/Scvngr/Where/Twindroyd/Virgin Mobile Live). This is no different from the Optimus V.
There is a distinct random lack of responsiveness sometimes, but it's hard to objectively describe it. Sometimes when exiting an application like the web browser pressing the home button gives the haptic feedback (vibration), but the program refuses to exit. Occasionally, pressing an application icon gives feedback when pressed (it fades out briefly from the press), but no application gets launched. I had little to no such issues that I can remember on my Optimus V, but that phone was rooted and running the lean Bumblebee ROM.
Update: I did try removing the "second" screen protector, and it did help a little with the presses not registering. The random UI lag and program lag still exists, and it's completely impossible to predict.
The GPS ability on the Triumph is hugely lacking. The Triumph often requires 30 seconds or more to lock onto my position while driving/moving, while the Optimus V has no issues locating me in the same scenario. Additionally, the Optimus V can lock onto my location indoors with no issue even with the Wireless assisted GPS turned off, while the Triumph often gives up with no location. This is the biggest issue and downfall for me on this phone.
Battery life is nothing to write home about, and I averaged about 8 hours with about 2-3 hours of solid continuous use on my first full charge. I used it more normally the next few days after and averaged about 12-15 hours. The Optimus V can last much longer with the battery, but this is most likely because of the custom ROM I was using. I suspect custom ROM work on the Triumph may help this.
Picture quality on the Triumph is OK. The camera requires a lot of light to take a decent non grainy picture and the LED flash just tends to wash everything out. This is my experience with most camera phones. I found that with enough light and adjustment of the settings the Triumph takes decent pictures with the main camera. The front camera needs a good amount of light to avoid grainyness.
Random bug: The main camera resets to VGA after taking a picture with the front camera with the Triumph.
The Optimus V camera has the same defects with low light, but lacks a LED flash.
Overall
I do enjoy the larger screen and the much stronger hardware of the Triumph over the Optimus V. However, if you are not a power user and the bigger screen doesn't attract you - the Triumph may not be for you. The Triumph uses the same Snapdragon chip as the Thunderbolt, and in practice games and other applications that need more power that run sluggishly on the Optimus V work great on the Triumph. I have absolutely no complaints with the speed of the phone. The random lag of the phone does not detract from it much, but I feel this just underlines a more serious overall issue.
In the end, the Triumph feels like a phone that is not 100% complete. It feels like the phone needed more testing and development. The GPS fails to find your location, or is very slow at finding your location in most circumstances. Signal levels for my Triumph are easily 5-6 dBm off or more compared to my Optimus V. This results in the Triumph losing signal or reverting to 1X much more than my Optimus V(same 61007 PRL). Random lag and button presses that don't register have me second guessing my typing. Hopefully devs will be able to sort out these issues.
I would say the 300 dollar price about right, but if you're on the fence and don't need the extra hardware power consider sticking with the Optimus V for now.
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