That's not to say it's perfect,
however. The new Optimus user interface, version 3.0, leaves some things
to be desired (namely, I want that vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich skin
back, please), and I've heard better call and audio quality. Its pros,
however, vastly outweigh the cons, which makes this American one sad
shmuck.
Though you can't get it with a U.S. carrier, the 4X HD is available from third-party retailers. Currently, the unlocked device is going for roughly between 450 euros, or about $566. If you're interested, you may have to wait on LG with bated breath, buy from an online vendor, or simply purchase one the next time you drop by Europe.
Design
Though I love the LG Optimus 4X HD's simple, sleek design and lightweight build (considering its size -- it weighs only 5.12 ounces), it's a tall device. Measuring 5.19 inches long, 2.69 inches wide, and 0.38 inch thick, I had a hard time using it with just one hand. It's not impossibly large or bulky, but my petite paws did oftentimes have to scoot upward and downward while handling it. And you can forget about sticking it in your jean pocket. When I slipped it into either my back or front jean pockets, a good inch and a half would peek above the top seam.
On its left side is a volume rocker, up top are a 3.5mm headphone jack and a sleep/power button, and at the bottom lies a Micro-USB port.
I'm particularly fond of a couple of the phone's aesthetic traits. Along the left and right edges is a subtle but interesting diamond pattern you can feel. In addition, the plastic back is textured with a lined, almost woodlike design. Even though it feels a little flimsy, this plastic build keeps the handset light, and the craggy pattern is unique.
On the back's top left corner is an LED-flash-supported 8-megapixel camera. Below that are two small slits for the output speaker. Using a small indentation at the bottom, you can use your fingernail to pry the back off and gain access to the microSD slot, SIM card, and 2,150mAh battery. On the opposite side of the backing are two small gold antennas for the NFC capabilities.
The phone sports a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display that has a
1,280x720-pixel resolution. After spending time playing games and
watching videos, I can confirm that it's gorgeous. Images were crisp and
vibrant, and colors were richly saturated. Color variation was broad,
as blacks were truly black, and dark and light hues contrasted well. On
maximum brightness, the display was even more terrific. The viewing
angle is wide, even while outdoors in the sun.
Above the display in the left corner is a proximity sensor and to the right is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Below are three front keys (back, home, and menu) that light up when in use.
Features
As previously mentioned, the LG Optimus 4X HD runs on an unprecedented Nvidia Tegra 3, 1.5GHz quad-core processor. The CPU speeds are impressively fast. Elementary tasks like pinch zooming, scrolling through apps, swiping through its seven home screen pages, and switching from landscape to portrait mode were a piece of cake.
What amazed me the most, however, was how well it could handle large apps. The device comes preloaded with three games: ShadowGun, Samurai II: Vengeance, and Dark Kingdom. All are graphics-intense and I didn't experience any hiccups or stalling during gameplay. These games launched without any problems, and the moment I pressed the home button the apps would close and I'd transition back in a snap.
In addition, the handset runs on the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and comes with all the Google goodies you expect like Gmail, Search, Plus, Latitude, Play Store, Messenger, Maps with Navigation, Places, Talk, and YouTube.
Other preloaded content includes an app that backs up your content; a finance app for keeping track of your stocks; a news and weather app; the mobile office suite known as Polaris Office; RemoteCall, an app that lets LG support services remotely access your phone for troubleshooting; SmartShare, a content distribution app; LG SmartWorld, which lets you download LG apps and ringtones; an FM radio; and an app that enables you to receive cell broadcast messages.
Basic task-management features present are texting, e-mail, Bluetooth, a Web browser, a calendar, a clock with alarm settings, a memo pad, a calculator, and a voice recorder.
Though you can't get it with a U.S. carrier, the 4X HD is available from third-party retailers. Currently, the unlocked device is going for roughly between 450 euros, or about $566. If you're interested, you may have to wait on LG with bated breath, buy from an online vendor, or simply purchase one the next time you drop by Europe.
Design
Though I love the LG Optimus 4X HD's simple, sleek design and lightweight build (considering its size -- it weighs only 5.12 ounces), it's a tall device. Measuring 5.19 inches long, 2.69 inches wide, and 0.38 inch thick, I had a hard time using it with just one hand. It's not impossibly large or bulky, but my petite paws did oftentimes have to scoot upward and downward while handling it. And you can forget about sticking it in your jean pocket. When I slipped it into either my back or front jean pockets, a good inch and a half would peek above the top seam.
On its left side is a volume rocker, up top are a 3.5mm headphone jack and a sleep/power button, and at the bottom lies a Micro-USB port.
I'm particularly fond of a couple of the phone's aesthetic traits. Along the left and right edges is a subtle but interesting diamond pattern you can feel. In addition, the plastic back is textured with a lined, almost woodlike design. Even though it feels a little flimsy, this plastic build keeps the handset light, and the craggy pattern is unique.
On the back's top left corner is an LED-flash-supported 8-megapixel camera. Below that are two small slits for the output speaker. Using a small indentation at the bottom, you can use your fingernail to pry the back off and gain access to the microSD slot, SIM card, and 2,150mAh battery. On the opposite side of the backing are two small gold antennas for the NFC capabilities.
On the other side of the back plate are two antennas for the 4X HD's NFC feature.
Above the display in the left corner is a proximity sensor and to the right is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Below are three front keys (back, home, and menu) that light up when in use.
Features
As previously mentioned, the LG Optimus 4X HD runs on an unprecedented Nvidia Tegra 3, 1.5GHz quad-core processor. The CPU speeds are impressively fast. Elementary tasks like pinch zooming, scrolling through apps, swiping through its seven home screen pages, and switching from landscape to portrait mode were a piece of cake.
What amazed me the most, however, was how well it could handle large apps. The device comes preloaded with three games: ShadowGun, Samurai II: Vengeance, and Dark Kingdom. All are graphics-intense and I didn't experience any hiccups or stalling during gameplay. These games launched without any problems, and the moment I pressed the home button the apps would close and I'd transition back in a snap.
In addition, the handset runs on the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, and comes with all the Google goodies you expect like Gmail, Search, Plus, Latitude, Play Store, Messenger, Maps with Navigation, Places, Talk, and YouTube.
Other preloaded content includes an app that backs up your content; a finance app for keeping track of your stocks; a news and weather app; the mobile office suite known as Polaris Office; RemoteCall, an app that lets LG support services remotely access your phone for troubleshooting; SmartShare, a content distribution app; LG SmartWorld, which lets you download LG apps and ringtones; an FM radio; and an app that enables you to receive cell broadcast messages.
Basic task-management features present are texting, e-mail, Bluetooth, a Web browser, a calendar, a clock with alarm settings, a memo pad, a calculator, and a voice recorder.
Post a Comment