LG Optimus GT540 vs Samsung Galaxy 3 vs HTC Wildfire

The hottest Android phones right now are not from the premium segment but the mid-range phones from Samsung, LG and HTC. With the new LG Optimus GT540 arrival, the competition becomes hotter and customers have more choice now. This time let's put it againts the Samsung Galaxy 3 and HTC Wildfire.

OS Version

LG Optimus GT540 even though the latest in the block comes with just the old Android 1.6 ( Donut) while both the Galaxy 3 and the HTC Wildfire came with Android 2.1 ( Eclair). Date for update availability for the Optimus is not known yet.

Screen

The LG Optimus has the smallest screen among the three by a small margin. Its 3-inch screen packs 320 x480 pixels, while the 3.2-inch screens on both the Galaxy 3 and HTC Wildfire pack 240 x400 pixels and 240 x320 pixels respectively. In terms of pixel count, the LG Optimus's screen is more-packed and definitely crispier than the HTC Wildfire and the Galaxy 3. However, we can't understand why LG uses resistive in stead of capacitive.

Processor

The Optimus GT540 though not official is reported to have 600MHz processor which is in par with the competition. In terms of speed, the Samsung Galaxy 3 leads the mid-range Android phone with its 667MHz processor while HTC Wildfire trails behind with a 528MHz processor.

Memory

The LG Optimus GT540 has 256MB of RAM which is similar to Galaxy 3 but the HTC Wildfire has 384MB RAM. All have microSD support for storage.

Camera

The LG Optimus GT540 has a 3.15MP camera with autofocus but no LED flash. The Galaxy 3's camera has the same mega-pixel count with autofocus and no LED flash either. HTC Wildfire packs a 5MP camera with autofocus with LED flash and in terms of features, it is the most attractive of the lot. However, we will soon conduct imaging test on these phones.

For videos, the Optimus records VGA video at 17fps while Galaxy 3 records a disappointing QVGA at 15fps and the HTC Wildfire also records only the ancient CIF video at 15fps.

Multimedia Playback

Both the Optimus GT540  and Galaxy 3 play DivX and XviD apart from the standard H.264/63 and WMV videos. The HTC Wildfire plays only those standard videos. For audio, MP3, WMA, and AAC are supported by all including WAV. However, there multiple number of apps from Android Marketplace to enable more format support. There is a 3.5mm headphones jack on all three phones which is a plus.

Connectivity

All tthree phones score well in terms of connectivity with Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE and Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP. Samsung Galaxy 3 still leads here with its new Bluetooth v3 connectivity feature.

All phones have GPS with A-GPS support.

Price

LG Optimus GT540 costs Rs. 12,999 while the Samsung Galaxy 3 costs Rs.12,200. The HTC Wildfire is the most expensive of the three at Rs. 15,199.