LG Fusic-LX550 Cell Phone

Details

W/new plan

W/family plan

Prepaid

Phone only

Used

Specs   Images   Expert reviews   User reviews   Manual   Compare   Accessories   Mobile Content

User rating 3.3   Read reviews - Add review LG's LX-550 is the first phone on the U.S. market with an FM transmitter. Also known as the Fusic, the LX-550 houses music features that include a song download via EVDO high-speed data and stereo Bluetooth.  Other key features include a 1 megapixel camera, custom ringtones with built-in composer, voice dialing, and dual color displays. View full phone specs View image gallery View reviews Compare against other phones Compatible accessories

Introduction

While the Fusic isn't perfect, it definitely has a lot going for it as a mobile phone and mobile media device.  Between its music player functionality, integration with Sprint's Power Vision Network, and thin, compact form factor, the Fusic represents one of the best phones currently offered by Sprint save their business class smartphones.  Will the Fusic replace your iPod?  Probably not.  But with a few tweaks, its successor just might.

Design
The Fusic feels smaller than its 96 x 48 x 20mm measurements would indicate.  Something about the white plastic body, rounded corners, and narrow breadth makes the handset look and feel like a thin handset, even though it's on the average to slightly thick end of the scale for new models.  Pick the device up, though, and it doesn't matter - the Fusic feels remarkably good in hand.  The narrow body is easy to grip and hold during one-handed operation, the flip is accessible but secure, and the buttons easy to reach. LG did a great job of making the Fusic a device you want to play with.
 
A flip-style clamshell, the Fusic has displays and controls on its exterior and interior alike.  The exterior is dominated by a 1.25" color display and an iPod-esque "wheel" of music player controls.  This is actually a central play/pause key encircled by four touch-sensitive buttons.  The layout is attractive and the controls logical, but unfortunately the "wheel" buttons are a little wonky - their touch-sensitive functionality was fine, but I couldn't really get used to the lack of tactile feedback.

A fun design feature of the Fusic is its interchangeable faceplate.  The phone shipped with a blue faceplate installed, and green, black, and pink plates are also included in the retail box.  A host of faceplates with other colors and designs are available via eBay and third-party retailers.

Flipping the Fusic open reveals a chic white and silver interior with a nice blend of matte and mirrored accents.  The top half of the flip is almost entirely taken up by a 2" screen, while the bottom features an array of controls including a circular five-way directional pad, four soft keys, and a standard 12-key dialing layout.  The dialing keys are flush-mounted, but still provide good tactile feedback.  All of the keys feature rounded corners to match the handset's rounded edges.  The overall design effect of the Fusic is a blend of high-tech chic and soft, feel-good edges and buttons that make for one of the more attractive mobiles on the market today - so long as you're into fun, and not business conservative.

The back of the phone is a clean slate of pearly white plastic save for the silvery circle of the camera housing (which also bulges out somewhat from the Fusic's body) and yellowish tint of the camera's flash light.  An LG logo is discreetly etched into the lower portion of the rear panel, just above the battery eject button.  Releasing the battery reveals that the phone's "battery panel" is actually the back of the battery itself - it's all one unit as opposed to a panel that covers a separate battery.   

A rocker switch for volume and a voice command key are located on the left side of the Fusic, along with a slot for removable microSD memory cards.  The right panel houses a covered headphone jack (2.5mm) and a dedicated camera key.  Side-panel buttons are finished in mirrored silver while the covered ports are capped with white rubber plugs that match the body of the phone.

The only bad thing I have to say about the Fusic's design is that I'm not so keen on the stub antenna that sticks out of the handset's back panel.  Most mobile phones being released nowadays have a "clean" look resulting from the use of internal antennae, and as such the Fusic's little stub looks a bit dated.  However, the phone taken on the whole is a design gem that's generally a joy to use.

 CommentsArticlesReviewsDiscussions

Add a comment

Your comments:

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 2 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

LG Fusic-LX550 in-depth review - Introduction & Design

IntroductionLG's LX550 "Fusic" music phone for Sprint is one of the most fun, appealing cell phones I've tried in some time.  Usually when I get a new phone I take an "impress me" mindset, giving the handset little benefit of the doubt and instead wondering if it'll do anything to set itself apart from the rest of the mobile pack.  The Fusic charmed me as soon as I took it out of the box, however, and I instead made myself search for...

Nov 22, 06, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: LG,  LG Fusic-LX550

LG Fusic-LX550 in-depth review - Features

FeaturesThe Fusic's main draw lies in its music and media player capabilities.  The phone is made to integrate with the Sprint Music Store and multimedia content available on the Sprint Power Network, but also plays nicely with unprotected music files loaded onto a memory card from your computer.  LG also built an FM transmitter into the handset to allow for stereo broadcasting of music over your car, home, or portable radio. Using...

Nov 22, 06, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: LG,  LG Fusic-LX550

LG Fusic-LX550 in-depth review - Display & Audio

DisplayThe internal 2" TFT screen on the Fusic performed very well.  Rated at 262,000 colors over 176x220 pixels, the screen isn't as high resolution as those on higher-end handsets from Nokia, SE, and Samsung, but it still does quite well at displaying menus, photos, and video content alike.  Having used some phones with stellar displays recently, I couldn't help but wonder how much better the Fusic would be with a QVGA display,...

Nov 22, 06, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: LG,  LG Fusic-LX550

LG Fusic-LX550 in-depth review - Messaging, Internet & Connectivity

MessagingThe Fusic has support for SMS, MMS, and Email messaging.  My review sample came with a full Sprint Power Vision plan, and it was easy to send any type of message from the handset. I really liked some things about messaging on the Fusic, and disliked others.  On the plus side, the keypad is easy to use and responsive, so actual message composition was fairly easy.  The messaging software on the phone also allows you to...

Nov 22, 06, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: LG,  LG Fusic-LX550

LG Fusic-LX550 in-depth review - Conclusion

ConclusionSprint has a winner on its hands with the LG Fusic music phone.  While the device isn't perfect, it's easily one of the best music and multimedia phones available today.  I'd love to see an unlocked GSM version of the Fusic, actually, as some of its strongest music features - including A2DP stereo over Bluetooth - don't work with protected content downloaded from Sprint's wireless music store. That being said, Sprint's...

Nov 22, 06, by Noah Kravitz - Add a comment - all about: LG,  LG Fusic-LX550

LX550 music phone coming to Sprint

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., and SAN DIEGO — 05/24/2006  Sprint (NYSE: S) and LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) introduce FUSIC, a trendsetting mobile phone with a progressive design and music and entertainment services delivered at broadband-like speeds via the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Network. This phone looks, feels, and plays like a portable music player with the convenience of instant access to the Sprint Music Store(SM)...

May 24, 06, by phonedog - Add a comment - all about: Sprint PCS,  LG Fusic-LX550

More LG Fusic-LX550 articles

Write your own LG Fusic-LX550 review

ok phone

Overall Rating:
2.7 out of 5

By: Russ Maynard on Friday, March 27, 2009
From: Lynnwood, WA (United States)
Experience: 2 Years

Pros: Decent call quality, overall good "phone"

Cons: FM transmitter is horrible. When I first got it I had to hold it up to the radio for it to work and now it won't work at all. Phone kept resetting itself, I took it into sprint and they said that this phone does this sometimes and there is nothing I could do about it. T9 remembers incorrect spelling of words and there is no way to reset.

Summary: I would not get this phone, there are alot of phones that are better.

Do not waste time and money

Overall Rating:
1.7 out of 5

By: John Lee on Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From: Amherst, NY (United States)
Experience: 4 Months

Cons: unhonest company

Summary: I got a brand new LG phone at the last August month end, after 4 months usage, half of the color LCD screen disappeared. The phone was never damaged, never dropped to floor, still looked like brand new. Sent it to LG for warantee repair, LG claimed the phone has internal damages (internal cable broken) and asked $75 for repairing. I argued I used the phone in careful way, no any damages happened to the phone, LG said "maybe you used your finger to touch the LCD screen, although no damages to LCD screen, you damaged internal cable"? Ahh? What a f**k.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

Run...Run FARRRR away!!!!!!

Overall Rating:
2.5 out of 5

By: Whit J. on Tuesday, November 13, 2007
From: Omaha, NE (United States)
Experience: 1 Months

Pros: It looks nice and you can apply voice memos as ringers and that's about it.

Cons: Where do I start....ok, well, where I start is where I will end: DO NOT GET THIS PHONE! I went against the reviews on here and got it anyway thinking that there were just naturally going to be people that weren't pleased with this phone but no, it truly is horrible. Mine wouldn't stay on and no, before you say, "change the battery" think again! It would shut off in the middle of calls, when I would click to answer calls, when I would go to read text messages, when I would go to reply to a text..

Summary: Whatever you do DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

16 out of 30 people found this review helpful

LG Fusic Review

Overall Rating:
2.2 out of 5

By: Phil Silva on Saturday, August 11, 2007
From: Quilcene, WA (United States)
Experience: 2 Weeks

Pros: The Phone has great features and is user friendly

Cons: Phone has some minor setbacks- FM Transmitter, Power Failure

Summary: Since I have had my phone I have had a lot of problems- me personally I wouldn't recommend this phone at any given time- Phone is OK but lots of problems

41 out of 59 people found this review helpful

brutal

Overall Rating:
4.7 out of 5

By: Nathan DeVuono on Tuesday, August 07, 2007
From: Thunder Bay, ontario (Canada)
Experience: 3 Days

Pros: was good on the first day

Cons: had to send back in on the 3rd day for a brand new phone.......jumped into the shower and when came out the phone was turned off, after many tries to turn it back on the phone would try and boot itself back up and nothing would happpen..........not to pleased by this at alll:(

Summary: RETURNED AND NEVER BOUGHT AGAIN ...i don't know about u but after 3 days and a problem this big, i change products

20 out of 40 people found this review helpful

All LG Fusic-LX550 user reviews

Receiving Text Messages

Hi, I left a message on one of your videos for anyone to answer, but I thought I'd leave it here as well. With the LG Voyager, when you receive a text message, does the whole message appear on the external display, or do you have to prompt the phone in order to see it? I still have a few months before I make a decision. Just gathering information. Waiting to see if anything else comes out. I currently have the LG Fusic. I love it, unfortunately,...

Jan 12, by Bo_Red -

Reply  -  Read full thread

- all about: Verizon Wireless,  LG Fusic-LX550,  LG Voyager-Titanium

More discussions

Buying choices

With new service
This item is not being sold with a service plan by any online merchant.

With pre-paid service
This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant.

Purchase phone only

Compare prices from various merchants

Shop

or try ebay

price varies

Accessories

Shop

Purchase compatible accessories for this phone

Ringtones & Media

Shop

Shop for compatible mobile content for this phone

Publish these prices on your site