Worlds First 4x HD Display From LG
The LG Optimus 4X HD is the first phone to feature Nvidia's Tegra 3 chip offering significant mobile gaming performance at release. LG Optimus 4X HD was also the first phone announced with a quad core processor. The chip has four physical cores clocked at 1.5 GHz in addition to a lower-clocked fifth core. The fifth core is clocked up to 500 MHz and runs when the handset is idle or doing only simple tasks, less-demanding tasks such as active standby and music playback.LG Optimus 4X HD is equipped with a True HD IPS display with Ultra high resolution 313PPI, packaged in an 8.9 mm-thick, prism-edged design. The device comes in black and white The LG Optimus 4X HD also includes a 12-core graphics processing unit.[3] There is an 8-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor camera on the rear with LED flash, HDR, continuous shot, support 1080p Full HD video recorder and 1.3MP camera on the front for video, conferencing or self-portrait. The phone also includes a Li-Ion 2150 mAh battery, stand-by up to 730 h (2G) / up to 686 h (3G), talk time up to 9 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 10 hours & 50 minutes (3G). MicroSD card slot up to 64 GB, internal memory 16 GB (12 GB user available), and 1 GB RAM. It has a highly capable face unlock feature which works with the front-facing camera.[4]
Worlds First 4x HD Display from LG
By now you're probably wondering how that 4.7-inch True HD IPS PLUS panel stacks up to the competition. LG's Zerogap Touch technology puts the capacitive layer right inside the non-PenTile, 1,280 x 768-pixel screen for an ultra-thin design. It's definitely a top-notch display -- bright and crisp, with deep blacks and rich colors. Still, it falls short of HTC's gorgeous Super LCD 2 panel on the One X, which offers better viewing angles and remains the best screen on any phone we've ever used. Our Korean unit also suffers from a yellow discoloration at the bottom of the display -- it's mostly noticeable with a white background and we've alerted LG to the issue, which is likely the result of an early batch of defective panels. The Sprint and AT&T devices are flawless.
We've detailed UI 3.0 in other reviews before (Optimus L7, Optimus 4X HD and Intuition) but some of the existing features stand out. We're rather fond of the quick settings menu, a scrollable (and customizable) bar of icons at the top of the notification tray which provides shortcuts for various settings. Strangely, the hotspot quick settings icon is missing on AT&T's version (like on the LG Escape, it turns out). Perhaps it's an attempt by the carrier to discourage tethering? The app tray includes some welcome additions like folders and the ability to sort icons alphabetically or by installation date. "Icon Personalizer" lets you swap icons for any home screen app. "Quiet time" works like Apple's "Do Not Disturb" by defining times when notifications are muted. You'll also find a few Optimus G-specific tricks. "Wise Screen" is similar to Samsung's "Smart Stay" and prevents the phone from going to sleep when you're looking at the display. "Dual Screen Dual Play" lets you play back content on an external monitor connected via MHL or LG's Miracast dongle while you're performing other tasks on the device. "Live Zooming" enables pinch-to-zoom during video playback (up to 5x). Last but not least, "QSlide" overlays videos in a transparent window that floats over whatever app you're currently running -- it's really quite slick.
LG has an ongoing smartphone problem: despite a few valiant efforts (the G2x comes to mind) the company continues to live in the shadow of rival Samsung. Most of this malaise can be attributed to hit-and-miss hardware combined with lackluster software (we're looking at you, Spectrum). Last February, at Mobile World Congress, LG spiced things up with an attractive collection of devices including the Optimus L7, Optimus Vu and Optimus 4X HD -- the latter being one of the first quad-core handsets announced. Now, six months later, we live in a world where the global versions of HTC's One X and Samsung's Galaxy S III dominate the superphone market and share the quad-core crown. With me-too features like a Tegra 3 processor, 4.7-inch HD display, 8-megapixel camera and Ice Cream Sandwich on board, the Optimus 4X HD appears ready to play in the big leagues. Does it succeed or is it just a flash in the pan? Is it all style over substance or does it bring something unique and meaningful to the table? Hit the break for our full review.%Gallery-159951%
In front, the Optimus 4X HD is all Gorilla glass. A white bezel surrounds the 4.7-inch display, interrupted only by three backlit, capacitive buttons at the bottom and the proximity sensor, earpiece, LG brand and 1.2-megapixel front-facing shooter up top. That silver LG logo looks like an afterthought right below the earpiece's tastefully recessed white mesh grille. It's worth noting that those capacitive keys are invisible until backlit and difficult to see in bright sunlight so you'll have to memorize the order: back, home and menu (from left to right). Yes, like Samsung with the Galaxy S III, LG's clinging on to some vestigial menu button instead of rightfully providing a recent apps key. While a long press of the home button brings up the recent apps list, the 4X HD's key layout is the exact reverse of the Galaxy S III's. Why is it that, two Android versions beyond Gingerbread, manufacturers still can't agree on button placement? Here's a hint Samsung and LG: Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean already provide a standard key layout -- use it.
Sadly, the Optimus 4X HD's "True HD IPS" capacitive touchscreen falls short of the One X's phenomenal Super LCD 2 and the Galaxy S III's brilliant Super AMOLED displays. It's certainly a fine 4.7-inch, 1,280x720-pi