The LG Doubleplay has excellent features for a midrange Android smartphone, but its bizarre design is not for everyone.
Nicole Lee
I started my career with CNET all the way back in 2005, when the (original) Motorola Razrs were all the rage. Since then, I've written about everything from consumer electronics to internet culture for outlets like CNET, Engadget and Yahoo. Outside of work, I'm a big fan of baseball, board games, tabletop RPGs and improv comedy.
The LG Doubleplay is a unique midrange Android smartphone for T-Mobile customers. It has a disappointing bulky form factor, but what's even weirder is its unusual dual screen and split keyboard.
2 of 6Josh Miller/CNET
Display
The 3.5-inch HVGA display on the Doubleplay is enough to make us forget its heft. It's really sharp and vibrant, with rich graphics and crisp text. It ships with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread along with LG's own user interface. Even though it's not vanilla Android, we don't mind it--it's simple and uncomplicated.
3 of 6Josh Miller/CNET
Luxe materials
T-Mobile says that the rich, dark brown color of the LG Doubleplay is called "Truffle," as if to imply luxury, and we have to say it feels that way. We also like the silver edges and the oval strip of brushed metal on the back.
4 of 6Josh Miller/CNET
Surprise: Sub display plus split keyboard
The biggest surprise to the Doubleplay is its unusual slide-out keyboard. It's split in two to accommodate a 2-inch subdisplay. It's used for multitasking and toggling between different actions, but we can't help but feel it's a little too weird for most people. The keyboard takes some getting used to as well.
5 of 6Josh Miller/CNET
Side
The LG Doubleplay is undeniably bulky at around 0.63 inch thick.
6 of 6Josh Miller/CNET
Large in the hand
Despite its average-size screen, the addition of the keyboard and subdisplay results in the LG Doubleplay weighing in at a whopping 6.7 ounces.
