Outside its upcoming lineup of high-end phones such as the Nexus 4 and the Optimus G, LG has had a long history of creating decent and reliable, if somewhat unremarkable, midrange handsets. The LG Venice is no exception. It's a variant of the unlocked LG Optimus L7 and the LG Splendor on U.S. Cellular, but it delivers the same specs (such as the 4.3-inch screen, the 1GHz CPU, and the 5-megapixel camera) on the prepaid Boost Mobile network. At $219.99, the device is the priciest 3G phone in Boost's lineup. But you do get a lot of bang for your buck due to its svelte design, swift and smooth processor, and bright display. In addition, for a limited time, users who purchase the Venice will also receive 50GB of free cloud storage from Box. Given all this, it's easy to see why it has a slight edge over others like the Samsung Galaxy Rush and the LG Marquee. Design In comparison with the LG Splendor and the Optimus L7, I like the LG Venice's slightly altered look the best simply due to its bright silver back plate, which sets it apart. Other than that, however, its design is nothing to write home about. With its sharp corners, plastic backing, and tapered edges, the device looks similar to all the other minimalist Optimus handsets that came out last summer. It measures 4.92 inches tall, 2.64 inches wide, and 0.34 inch thick, and its slim body weighs 4.41 ounces. It's one of LG's smaller phones, and can snugly fit in a front or back jean pocket. It's easy to pack into a small purse and handling it with one hand is a cinch. On the Venice's left side is a volume rocker, up top are a 3.5mm headphone jack and a sleep/power button, and at the bottom is a Micro-USB port. LG Venice (back) The LG Venice's shiny silver back plate. At the back center is a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. Below that to the left are two small slits for the output speaker. Unlike most devices, this handset doesn't have an indentation to make it easy to pry off the back of the handset. Instead, you'll have to just insert your fingernails anywhere within the seams of the back plate. Once you remove it, you can access the microSD slot and 1,700mAh battery. Though generally I don't mind plastic battery covers since they keep a phone light and durable, the Venice is an exception. There are ways to give plastic a more luxurious feel, by giving it a matte coating or unique texture. But this device just has lined grooves like a 3D baseball card, which makes it feel cheap and almost like a toy. The handset sports a 4.3-inch IPS display with an 800x480-pixel resolution and 450 nits of brightness. Though these specs aren't as impressive as those of other phones, like the LG Nexus 4, the screen is still decent in its own right. App icons were crisp, text was sharp, and colors were vivid at maximum brightness. Although gradient patterns looked somewhat streaky, on the whole, images were rich and highly saturated. Above the display in the right corner is a proximity sensor and to the left is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Below is a physical home button, with a back and menu front key on either side of it that light up when in use. Sinking into the LG Venice (pictures) 1-2 of 4 Scroll Left Scroll Right
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