The LG Esteem is a great 4G LTE smartphone for MetroPCS, or would be if not for the elephant in its feature set.
Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica is a passionate content strategist and team leader across the CNET family of brands. She leads a number of teams, including commerce, performance optimization and the copy desk. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on the iPhone and Samsung devices. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds.
Jessica began her leadership role managing CNET's How To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones to home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick in the UK.
MetroPCS gets another 4G LTE phone for its network in the LG Esteem. This is the third 4G-capable phone since the carrier inaugurated its network almost a year ago.
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Whoa, nelly
This is no shrinking violet of a phone. The Esteem weighs a whopping 6 ounces and feels thick and solid. Though bulky it may be, it's also sturdy. (Read the full LG Esteem review.)
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Typing
The large, 4.3-inch screen means that you won't have to squint when typing with Swype or with good, old fashioned hunting and pecking. (Read the full LG Esteem review.)
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Racing stripes
The slim silvery accents running down the Esteem's sides conceal a Micro-USB charging port on one side and an HDMI-out port on the other. (Read the full LG Esteem review.)
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Cameras
LG did a nice job with both the front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera and the rear-facing 5-megapixel camera. In fact, they're our favorite parts of the phone. (Read the full LG Esteem review.)
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Photo quality
Camera quality was very nice overall on the Esteem. This photo in the CNET Studio is untouched, but we love that the phone immediately lets you edit a photo immediately after taking it. (Read the full LG Esteem review.)
