A close look at LG Optimus G

MANILA, Philippines - It’s a phone that Ubergizmo claims “handily beats the iPhones” and Engadget describes as “a performance beast on par with Galaxy Note II.”

Phone Arena chimed in that it’s the “first device to beat the iPad in terms of graphics.”

It’s the Optimus G and it is LG’s latest high-end LTE (Long-Term Evolution) smartphone, offering advanced and innovative hardware, upscale design, and an unprecedented creative user interface.

High-end hardware includes a Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz quad-core processor which boasts up to six percent longer battery life (in conjunction with a powerful 2,100mAh Li-Polymer battery), bright and sharp 4.7-inch 330ppi (768x1280) 15:9-aspect ratio True HD IPS Plus Display and Zerogap Touch — the latter offering an immersive and true touch-sensitive experience.

The Optimus G boasts a 13MP Genius camera, which is optimized for the device’s True HD IPS display. (It has a 1.3-MP front camera.) The device runs on a 2GB RAM, works on 2G/3G/4G LTE networks, and runs on Google’s Android 4.1 Jellybean operating system. 

Battery life is claimed to be 15 hours of talk time and a whopping 335 hours on standby. That’s almost 14 days! The device measures 131.9 x 68.9 x 45 mm and weighs 145 grams.

Novel interface features include Q-slide, which lets play a game while sending a message; Dual Play, which allows mirroring between the handset and TV while displaying different content in each screen wirelessly (i.e. a slide presentation can be displayed on TV while the Optimus G shows the accompanying notes); Live Zooming, which lets you zoom in on videos; and Quick Memo, which lets you jot a quick note while making a call.

Other nifty features are Screen Zooming, Cheese Shutter, Icon Personalizer, Quick Translator, Live Shot, Time Catch Shot, Low Light Shot Noise Reduction, Notebook, Polaris Office, Safety Care, and Application Link.

Even the bundled earbuds won raves, with Digital Trends declaring that the Optimus G’s in-ear-type “QuadBeat earphone is better than the Apple EarPod that comes with the new iPhone5.”

The minimalist-styled QuadBeat earphones, which come in black or white, are included as an accessory item with the Optimus G. The sound quality was validated by Golden Ears, an independent Korean audio testing company.

Despite being still a new smartphone, the Optimus G has already garnered its share of impressive awards: Innovative Awards at the Korea Electronics Show (KES) for its Zerogap Touch technology; CES Innovations 2013 Design and Engineering Award in the Wireless Handsets Category; ranked No. 1 smartphone by Consumer Reports in the US; iF Product Design Award 2013 in Europe; and a CarbonFree product certification from the Carbonfund.org Foundation in the US.