LG Intuition Review

Introduction:

There’s nothing like a big slab of phone to really capture the attention of people, right? Seriously, from the looks of it all, the more a smartphone goes outside the norm to appear hulkier, the greater the curiosity is amongst people in knowing what it’s all about. As we’ve seen already with the Samsung Galaxy Note, people are simply mesmerized by this hybrid smartphone category – you know, the one where devices are referred to as phablets, tabphones, or ginormous smartphone slabs.

Even though our first encounter with these colossal smartphones came in the form of the Dell Streak, it wasn’t until the Samsung Galaxy Note that it became popularized. Well, Korean based manufacturer LG wants to get into the exclusive club as well, and with that, they’ve brought to market the LG Intuition for Verizon Wireless – also known abroad as the LG Optimus Vu. Sure, it boasts the “Rubberdium” stylus for the convenience of drawing or writing something, but what separates it from most of the competition, is the unique 4:3 aspect ratio of its 5” IPS LCD display. Is it peculiar? Absolutely! We’re hoping it can at least exceed the standards set by its rival.

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Wall Charger
• Quick Start Guide
• Product Safety and Warranty Information

Design:

“Whoa, is that a smartphone?” That’s one of the many expected phrases you’re going to hear quite often when the LG Intuition is in public view, mainly because its sheer size is an instant attention grabber. To tell you the truth, the handset sparks conversation amongst random strangers, simply because they’re so curious about it. However, beyond its gargantuan size, there’s nothing particularly too compelling with its overall design – as it shares nearly the same design DNA of other devices we’ve seen from LG.

With its all-plastic body, it maintains a mostly clean appearance thanks to the pattern design of its rear, which is further complemented by its decent build construction. Although its size gives it notoriety, it’s also its Achilles’ heel at the same time – mainly because it’s one of the widest (3.56”) smartphones around. Essentially, it’s impossible to use it with one hand, as our fingers are unable to fully encompass the entire real-estate of its display. So yeah, two handed operation seems to be most optimal with this one.



You can compare the LG Intuition with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Thankfully , the 4capacitive buttons below its display are spaced far away from one another to reduce accidental presses. Meanwhile, above the display, we’re presented with its narrow earpiece and front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera – the latter of which can shoot video in 720p.

From the look of it, the majority of the handset’s buttons and ports are situated on the top edge of the smartphone. In fact, we’re presented with its 3.5mm headset jack, noise cancellation microphone, microUSB port, QuickClip button, and dedicated power button.

With the microUSB port, which offers video-out via an MHL adapter, we love how it’s hidden behind a sliding cover to prevent dirt and debris from messing around with it. Despite having a flat appearance, we like the subtle white glow surrounding the power button when it’s pressed down. And lastly, when pressing on the QuickClip, it takes a screenshot of whatever you’re doing and launches the QuickMemo app, where we can then proceed to make some quick doodles on the screenshot and share it.



Checking out the left side of the handset, it appears to be bare, but the microSIM slot is discretely hidden behind a plastic flap. Conversely, the right edge of the smartphone is home to only the separated volume controls, which are difficult to make out with our finger due to its flat feel, but at least its response is springy.

Finally, the LG Intuition’s 8-megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash is tucked away in the upper left corner of the rear, while two notches towards the bottom left corner make up its speaker grill. Interestingly, there’s no access to its battery, which means it’ll require servicing if it needs to be replaced.



Display:

So what’s the culprit behind its beefy size? Well, it’s all because of the 5-inch 768 x 1024 IPS-LCD display it’s packing along for the ride, which so happens to employ a 4:3 aspect ratio. Although some might be disappointed by the lower resolution, it’s still detailed enough at a pixel density of 256 ppi – thus, making fine text more than visible to make out from a distance away. In addition, thanks to the accurate colors produced by its IPS-LCD display and its brightness output of 650 nits, the display is legible even under direct sunlight. However, we do notice some distortion going on at extreme viewing angles, but for the most part, it maintains its clarity head on.



Naturally, the 4:3 aspect ratio proves its worth with things like web surfing, as it’s able to perfectly fit an entire page. However, it isn’t quite as practical for watching videos – mainly because there are still black bars found above and below videos. Fortunately, LG offers “aspect ratio correction” with third party apps, so they’re scaled properly to fit the extra real-estate of the display.



Rubberdium:

Who knows why LG decided to name its stylus as the “Rubberdium,” but alas, that’s what it’s called. First and foremost, we’re baffled as to why LG couldn’t somehow put in a slot somewhere on the smartphone to accommodate the Rubberdium when it’s not in use – meaning, it’s going to get misplaced or lost very quickly. Heck, we would’ve been happy with an lanyard attachment or something else just to keep the Rubberdium nearby.

Well, it’s nice to see that the Rubberdium stylus is comfortable enough to hold and use, but unlike the S-Pen of the Samsung Galaxy Note, it doesn’t recognize various degrees of pressure sensitivity – so it’s basically like any other capacitive stylus out there. Furthermore, you’ll have to bear in mind that you can’t write or jot something down with the Rubberdium if you rest your palm on the display. No doubt, it’s a nice addition to have on the LG Intuition, but it simply pales in comparison to the depth of functionality and precision found with its rival in the S-Pen.

Interface:

Out of the box, the LG Intuition is running the most up-to-date LG Optimus skin running on top of Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, which brings along some added visual flare, new widgets, and useful lock screen functions. Specifically, it entails a slick 3D like animation when moving about its homescreen panels and the ability to quickly launch specific apps directly from the lock screen. As a whole though, the experience isn’t as comprehensive when compared to other custom Android experiences such as Samsung’s TouchWiz Nature UX and HTC Sense.

Nevertheless, all the rich personalization aspects of Android are all intact – plus, the 4:3 aspect ratio of the display makes for some interesting personalization. To be more specific, you can now fit up to six icons in the launcher bar of the homescreen, while the app panel itself can be set to “show small icons” as opposed to the normal sized ones. Rounding things out, we appreciate the quick access to the handset’s connectivity features from the notifications panel. No doubt, the interface looks and feels slick over previous versions of the Optimus skin, but it simply lacks the depth and completeness of its rivals.



Functionality:

For a device that touts its super large display, we’re a bit disappointed that only a single core organizer app has been optimized to take advantage of the added real-estate. For the majority of things, there are no changes found whatsoever with the Alarm/Clock, Calculator, Contacts, and Email apps – so you can fathom our disdain over this. With the Calendar app, it’s been minutely modified to offer a two-panel view when looking at the monthly calendar, but it still doesn’t appear to take much of an advantage.



With two handed operation, we’re able to effortlessly compose messages with no issues at all thanks to the on-screen keyboard’s spacious layout and responsiveness. Interestingly, you can still type very easily with one hand because LG offers the “one hand keyboard,” which is accessed by swiping on either the left or right sides of the keyboard to show the appropriate one.



Processor and Memory:

Sometimes, we get lost in the hype surrounding raw processing power, so it might sadden people to know that the LG Intuition is packing the previous-generation 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM – instead of the S4 chip that most high-end devices use nowadays. However, we’re not particularly upset by this at all, especially when it performs handsomely with various operations. Actually, the handset rarely lags or slows down with processor intensive operations. And despite having some weak benchmark scores, we’re still more convinced by its admirable real-world performance.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
LG Intuition	3482	6854	36,5
HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE	4383	5974	58,8
Samsung Galaxy S III	4520	6111	59,4
Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX	2895	6178	36,7

With no expandable storage, we’re extremely glad to know that the LG Intuition is packing a sizable 32GB of internal storage, which is more than enough to please multimedia conscious users.

Internet and Connectivity:

As we’ve mentioned earlier, the 4:3 aspect ratio of the display on the LG Intuition shows its usefulness in the web browsing department. Honestly, we like how there’s minimal zooming required to view pages, whether it’s in portrait or landscape, since the display is wide enough to accommodate nearly everything. Of course, the experience is further gratifying thanks to Intuition’s lightning fast 4G LTE speeds and silky smooth navigational controls.



Well, if you’re planning on picking up the Intuition, just know that it’s only compatible to run off Verizon’s network – meaning, it’s a no-go for international travel. With its 4G LTE connectivity, we’re able to get data speeds as fast as 26 Mbit/s down and 9 Mbit/s up. Rounding things out, its connectivity feature set consists of aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, DLNA, NFC, and mobile hotspot functionality.

Camera:

Checking out the Intuition’s camera interface, the layout is obviously practical in the sense that buttons are located on both the left and right sides of the interface. For the photo enthusiasts out there, they’ll surely appreciate the modest set of shooting modes and manual controls available to them. Even better, though, is it the neat function of being able to snap a shot by doing nothing more than saying “cheese.”

Ouch! There’s nothing worse to expect on a pretty stacked smartphone than finding some terrible shots produced by its camera, but sadly, that’s the reality with the 8-megapixel snapper of the Intuition. Not only are details very soft looking in situations where photos are taken with sufficient lighting, but it also suffers from poor handling of dynamic range and noticeably cooler color production. Obviously, things don’t get better with low lighting shots, as they tend to be extremely grainy in appearance. And lastly, seeing that the LED flash doesn’t kick on prior to snapping a shot, images tend to appear out of focus.


Well folks, there isn’t anything better with the Intuition’s 1080p video recording as well, since it’s far from being regarded as high-definition. Above all, the over-sharpening appearance of its results combined with its poor details don’t make for any impressive visuals – nor does the heavy amount of artifacting going on when panning. Making matters worse, its jumpy exposure and distorted audio quality secures its recording as being forgettable in every way imaginable. Run people! Run!

LG Intuition Sample Video:



Multimedia:

You’d think an updated Android experience would result in also an updated music player, right? Well, that’s not the case with the LG Intuition, as it sports one boring and static presentation – there’s no cool 3D carousel effect or anything! Listening to the tunes being pumped out through its internal speaker, there’s some screechiness at the loudest setting. Despite lacking any sort of equalizer settings, it’s worth nothing that it features Dolby Mobile support via its 3.5mm headset jack.



Indeed, the Intuition has one sharp looking display that makes videos pop when watching them, but with the 4:3 aspect ratio of its display, the drawback includes black bars on the top and bottom of videos. However, there is an option for “full screen” mode that stretches it and removes the bars, but it then appears unnatural. In addition, the sheer size of the smartphone simply makes it too uncomfortable to hold while watching videos. Luckily, it has support for a wide array of codecs, like the DivX 1920 x 1080 resolution video we have, which played flawlessly with few issues.



In order to gain video-out functionality, you’ll need to purchase an optional MHL adapter. Once connected, it launches the Media Home interface, which grants us access to photos, videos, and music that are stored on the handset. Otherwise, we can exit the Media Home UI and simply have a mirrored experience.

Software:

Looking through the preloaded set of apps on the Intuition, it’s undeniably obvious that it’s packed to the roof with bloatware. Specifically, the listing includes the following apps – Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon MP3, Audible, IMdB, NFL Mobile, Polaris Office, Real Racing 2, Shark Dash, Slacker Radio, Shark Dash, SmartShare, Viewdini, and Zappos. Of course, Big Red’s presence is painstakingly noticeable as well with apps like Verizon Apps, My Verizon Mobile, Mobile Hotspot, Verizon Tones, and VZ Navigator.



Considering that the Rubberdium stylus is packaged along with the Intuition, the LG Notebook app is there to complement it, naturally. For jotting down notes or drawing something, the app itself has all the features required to get the job done. However, since there’s no precise measure of pressure sensitivity with the Intuition and its Rubberdium stylus, you’ll need to rely on manually modifying the opacity and thickness of its pen type. Furthermore, there’s no handwriting recognition service available with the smartphone, which goes to show that it’s nowhere close to providing the extensive set of features found on the Galaxy Note.

Call Quality:

Phone calls on the LG intuition are for the most part tolerable, though, there’s a hint of crackling with the earpiece at the loudest setting, which is rather average in overall volume output. Regardless, our callers fared better on their end thanks to the clear and distinct voices they’re presented with. Using the speakerphone, there’s some muffling heard with it.

During our time testing out the handset, it didn’t drop a single call in the greater Philadelphia area. Moreover, we’re happy to report that it’s also able to maintain a solid 4G LTE connection indoors.

Battery:

Large 5-inch screen, 4G LTE connectivity, and a 2,080 mAh battery don’t quite sound as though they’ll all play nicely together. Hardly a shocker, it all results into one poor battery life for the LG Intuition. In fact, we’re only able to get close to the 9 hour mark before it’s completely tapped out – so yeah, it’s going to need constant charging to last you throughout the day.

Conclusion:

Well, after checking out the LG Intuition extensively from head-to-toe, our gut instinct is nudging to move on ahead – from this one, that is. Sure, its massive size is sure to amaze some random strangers as you whip it out from your pockets, but beyond that, there isn’t anything compelling to make it a worthwhile competitor to the first-generation Samsung Galaxy Note’s throne. Throw in the fact that its Rubberdium pen isn’t anything different from any other capacitive stylus there, it merely reinforces in our head that Samsung’s take on the whole pen and paper thing is vastly superior in all aspects – even more when there’s no slot to tuck away the Rubberdium stylus!

For $199.99, it’s sure to be in consideration for those Verizon customers yearning for a Note-like smartphone, but if you’re not tethered to the carrier, we’d suggest checking out the Galaxy Note for AT&T or T-Mobile, or waiting for the second generation Note II. On the other hand, Verizon offers the Samsung Galaxy S III which is an excellent smartphone and its 4.8” HD screen is almost as big. All in all, our intuition is telling us to pass on this one – as it is rather last generation hardware coming late to Verizon.

Software version of the review unit:
Android Version: 4.0.4
Build Number: IMM76D
Kernel Version: 3.0.8

LG Intuition Video Review: