T-Mobile myTouch, myTouch Q for LG: Which One’s Right For You

Photo from T-Mobile’s myTouch Q by Lucky Goldstar, an affordable smartphone with a really decent camera.

myTouch Q & myTouch.

There are some amazing and affordable smartphones out there that don’t make all the headlines. Two you should seriously consider are T-Mobile’s myTouch and myTouch Q by LG smartphones. Despite their similar names, they’ve got a lot of differences.

The most obvious difference is the pull-out QWERTY keyboard on the myTouch Q — and the larger screen on the myTouch. The screens compare at a 3.5-inch vs. 3.8-inch display (see table below). And the myTouchQ excels in photography, with its camera flash, improved color saturation and exposure controls.

Check out the difference in the two photos I shot, below.

Photo  by T-Mobile’s myTouch Q: Courtesy Todd Ogasawara
Photo by T-Mobile’s myTouch: Courtesy Todd Ogasawara

Here are some other differences between the two similiarly-named phones:

myTouch Q myTouch
Slideout keyboard Yes No
Thickness 0.51 inches 0.385 inches
Weight 5.64 ounces 3.77 ounces
LED Camera Flash Yes No
Front-facing camera No Yes
Display resolution 320-by-480-pixels 480-by-800-pixels
AMOLED, 16M colors No Yes
Talk time up to 3.3 hrs up to 4.02 hrs
Standby time up to 280 hrs up to 312.5 hrs
microUSB cover No Yes

Comparing the Apple iPhone 4 (top), with T-Mobile's myTouch Q (middle), myTouch (bottom): Photo by Todd Ogasawara

Both smartphones have the following in common:

  • 5-mp still camera
  • 720p video recording (30 frames per second)
  • Qualcomm MSM8255 Scorpion 1GHz CPU
  • 2GB  internal storage
  • 32GB expandable storage with microSD card slot
  • 512MB of RAM
  • Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 4G (LTE) capable
  • Band/frequency: quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), dual-band UMTS (1700/2100 MHz bands 1 & 4)
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR + A2DP stereo
  • Removable rechargeable lithium-ion battery (1500 mAh Li-ion)

The myTouch (it’s the unit with no keyboard) is the better choice if you want to have video chats — it has a front-facing camera. The myTouch Q is better if you want its keyboard, of course. Clearly, the myTouch is better if you want the higher resolution AMOLED display for previewing photos, watching videos, or playing games. It also provides greater battery life for both talk and standby times.

Both devices are reasonably capable, especially for the price of $79.99 plus contract. No information yet as to whether either will be upgradable to Google Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich, but the required specs are there.