LG Optimus G hands-on

This hands-on is based on the Korean version of the Optimus G. Tune in tomorrow, when LG's expected to introduce the U.S. version of the Optimus G!

For all of you who waited long enough to see 4G LTE connectivity with quad-cores, the wait is over. LG just officially unveiled the world’s first device based on the new Qualcomm S4 Pro system on a chip, which, as you can guess, combines the goodness of a quad-core CPU with that of LTE. The processor itself is clocked at 1.5 GHz, and is complemented by the Adreno 320 graphics processor. Needless to say, the device here on the floor was extremely snappy. The expectation for it is to be one of the fastest phones available on the market today.

The back of the phone features LG’s patented Crystal Reflection finish, which uses glass material. It is supposed to display different patterns depending on the viewing angle and lighting. During our short time with the device on the floor, we did not see anything spectacular. Some people might like it more, though.

The in-hand feel is good despite the large display. LG has managed to keep the bezel to a minimum, which makes the device sit somewhat comfortably in the hand, without being too unwieldy.



The large 4.7” display is exceptional - very crisp and bright. The colors are so saturated, that it almost looks like an AMOLED one, even though it is IPS LCD – same tech used in the iPhone 5. The display's resolution is 768x1280, which makes for a neat pixel density of 318ppi. Indeed, everything on the screen appears to be very nice and smooth.

As impressive as the Snapdragon S4 Pro and LTE are, the Optimus G is just packed with all kinds of other cool features. How about the 13MP camera on the back, for example? As you can imagine, the camera is pretty snappy, as every self-respecting camera nowadays should be. 

As we mentioned in the beginning, the Optimus G is one very, very fast smartphone. Not only does it rely on a powerful processor to achieve that, but it also features 2GB of RAM to ensure seamless performance even when you're multitasking with a lot of apps.

But we know what you're thinking - with such powerful hardware stuffed into the Optimus G, battery life is one probable compromise that LG had to make. Well, we can tell you one thing for sure - the battery is 2100mAh, which we hope will be enough to provide the necessary juice for a full day, but, once again, we'll be able to confirm that after we've had the chance to play with the device some more.



Software-wise, LG's latest and greatest will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, which might be a bit disappointing seeing that Jelly Bean is the current OS, but hey, look it on the bright side - at least it's not Gingerbread! On top of ICS, though, there will be a new version of LG's custom UI, which will customize the experience by changing the looks of the interface, and by adding a host of new features, including QSlide Function (divides the screen in to two, and lets you execute two tasks simultaneously), Live Zooming (lets you zoom in up to 5 times while watching video), QuickMemo (allows you to do hand-written memos over a screenshot), Icon Personalizer, and so on and so forth. Some pretty cool stuff, by the looks of it, but time will tell exactly which features will end up being widely used.

The promising LG Optimus G will first be released in LG's home market of South Korea as soon as this month. This will be followed by a launch in Japan next month, and from then on, LG will be working to bring the handset internationally. There is no official word on U.S. availability yet, but seeing that LG will be holding an official introduction for the handset in the U.S. tomorrow, it might as well announce more details about this. Stay tuned for our coverage!