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LG Optimus G review: a quad-core powerhouse with Nexus aspirations

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LG Optimus G review a quadcore powerhouse with Nexus aspirations

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You've heard it before: the more things change the more they stay the same. It wasn't that long ago that we reviewed LG's flagship Optimus 4X HD, the world's first quad-core HSPA+ handset. Despite representing the company's best engineering and design effort to date, it wasn't quite able to match the competition's global offerings -- Samsung's mighty Galaxy S III and HTC's lovely One X. Today, just a few months later, quad-core LTE superphones are the state of the art. Samsung's selling the global Galaxy Note II, HTC's just announced the One X+ and LG's betting everything on the Optimus G -- the first handset to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro together with an LTE radio.

The Optimus G is a pivotal device for the Korean manufacturer, especially in the US, where rival Samsung is massively popular and LG's success has been hampered by a series of forgettable products (hello, Intuition) and a lackluster track record for software updates. It's so critical that LG even invited us to spend some quality time with the Optimus G at the launch event in Seoul last month. In the US, LG's partnering with Sprint and AT&T and there's strong evidence that Google's upcoming Nexus will be based on the Optimus G. So, does the company's latest powerhouse measure up to the competition? How different are the US versions from the Korean model? Does LG finally have a winning formula with the Optimus G? Find out in our review after the break.

Gallery: LG Optimus G review (Korean model)

Gallery: LG Optimus G review (Sprint model)

Gallery: LG Optimus G review (AT&T model)

Gallery: LG Optimus G review (comparisons)

Continue reading LG Optimus G review: a quad-core powerhouse with Nexus aspirations

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LG Optimus G review: a quad-core powerhouse with Nexus aspirations originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus G and its quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro coming to US shores in Q4 (update: video)

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When it comes to LG's latest flagship, it appears there can be no shortage of official announcements. So, while the news from overseas may not be quite so fresh, there's certainly nothing stale about the Optimus G. Today the company held a second celebration in honor of its powerhouse -- the first to pack Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 Pro: a quad-core SoC clocked at 1.5GHz. Buffered by a heaping 2GB RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU this absolutely beastly device is officially coming to American shores in the fourth quarter of this year. The 4.7-inch phone may ship with some slightly different specs, depending on carrier, but they'll still find a home for the 1280 x 768 True HD, in-cell, IPS display. There's no specifics about carriers or pricing as yet, but we'll let you know when we do.

Update: Hit the break for LG's Optimus G PR video.

Continue reading LG Optimus G and its quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro coming to US shores in Q4 (update: video)

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LG Optimus G and its quad-core 1.5GHz S4 Pro coming to US shores in Q4 (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus G: hands-on with Korea’s latest powerhouse (video) (updated)

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LG Optimus G handson with Korea's latest powerhouse video

We're in Seoul for the launch of LG's latest flagship smartphone, the Optimus G, and we finally managed to spend a few minutes with a demo unit. This is a powerhouse -- the first handset built around Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro. It features LTE, a 4.7-inch 1280x768 True HD IPS PLUS display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a 13-megapixel autofocus camera, a sealed 2100mAh battery, and NFC.

We like the simple and elegant design, which is reminiscent of LG's Chocolate and Prada models -- it's thin (8.45mm / 0.33 inches) and reasonably light for its size (145g / 5.11oz). The front sports a glass surface with three capacitive buttons and the back showcases the company's Crystal Reflection process -- an attractive patterned glass-like finish that's a bit of a fingerprint magnet. Materials and build quality are excellent (better than the Galaxy S III) and the Optimus G feels pleasant in hand.

You'll find a volume rocker and micro-SIM slot on the left edge and the power / lock key on the right. There's a notification light next to the 1.3MP front-facing camera. A standard headphone jack sits on the top side, with the micro-USB / MHL connector on the bottom. The speaker and main camera are in the back, pretty much where you'd expect them. While the display is definitely high quality, it's not mind blowing (the One X screen still looks better) -- we expected better viewing angles from LG's True HD IPS PLUS and Zerogap Touch technologies.

Sadly, we didn't spend much time using the software, but the Optimus G runs Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with a skin similar to what we saw on the Optimus 4X HD and performance is definitely impressive. We'll get more seat time with LG's flagship over the next few days, so stay tuned for more impressions. In the meantime, enjoy our gallery below and our hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: LG Optimus G hands-on

Update: We've added pictures of the white model and screenshots to the gallery.

Continue reading LG Optimus G: hands-on with Korea's latest powerhouse (video) (updated)

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LG Optimus G: hands-on with Korea's latest powerhouse (video) (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG launches Optimus G flagship smartphone: quad-core S4 Pro, LTE, 2GB RAM, ICS, 13MP camera (updated)

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LG launches Optimus G flagship smartphone quadcore S4 Pro, LTE, 2GB RAM, ICS, 13MP camera

It's official! Today in Seoul LG is announcing its latest flagship smartphone, the Optimus G. The 8.45mm (0.33-inch) thin handset -- which has been rumored for weeks -- packs Qualcomm's Fusion 3 chipset which pairs a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC (APQ8064) with a 2G / 3G / LTE radio (MDM9615). It features 2GB of DDR RAM and a 4.7-inch 1280x768 (320ppi) True HD IPS PLUS display with Zerogap Touch (in-cell touch) technology. A sealed 2100mAh Li-polymer battery rated for 800 charge cycles powers this Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) device. The rear camera sports a 13-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor with 1.1µm pixels, an f/2.4 autofocus lens and a single LED flash -- along with a more pedestrian 1.3MP shooter in front. There's 32GB of built-in flash storage, but no microSD card slot. Other specs include WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, NFC and MHL.

Aesthetically, the Optimus G marries LG's Chocolate and Prada design-languages into a sleek 145g (5.11oz) unibody smartphone. The front is all glass with three capacitive buttons while the back indroduces the company's Crystal Reflection process which gives the handset "the ability to display different patterns depending on the viewing angle and lighting". LG's placing a lot of emphasis on how the user experience benefits from the Optimus G's quad-core Krait CPU and Adreno 320 GPU -- something it calls "cross-tasking". This includes capabilties like QSlide Function, Live Zooming, Dual Screen Dual Play, QuickMemo, Screen Zooming, Application Link and Icon Personalizer, plus camera funtionality such as Time Catch Shot, Cheese Shutter, Smart Shutter and Low Light Shot Noise Reduction -- all of which are detailed for your reading pleasure in the PR after the break.

Gallery: LG Optimus G PR

Stay tuned for hands-on pictures, video and first impressions later today...

Update: Unsubsidized pricing will be 999,900 KRW ($895 USD) when the Optimus G ships in Korea next week. That's pretty steep, even for an unlocked device.

Continue reading LG launches Optimus G flagship smartphone: quad-core S4 Pro, LTE, 2GB RAM, ICS, 13MP camera (updated)

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LG launches Optimus G flagship smartphone: quad-core S4 Pro, LTE, 2GB RAM, ICS, 13MP camera (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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