We get some quality time with the LG G Pro 2!

A few days ago LG officially launched their newest phablet, the G Pro 2 here in the Philippines. While we’ve managed to get a review unit of the G2 Mini early, the G Pro 2 eluded us for quite a bit until we finally tracked one down yesterday. We’ve spent a few hours with the G Pro 2 and today we’ll be sharing what we think of LG’s latest phablet.

LG G Pro 2

• 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
• 3GB RAM
• Adreno 330 GPU
• 5.9-inch IPS display, 1920 x 1080 pixels, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• 32GB storage, expandable via microSD
• 13-megapixel camera with OIS, autofocus, 4K recording, 1080p @ 120 fps
• 2.1-megapixel camera
• 3,200mAh battery
• Android KitKat 4.4
• Php 32,990

Initial Impressions: Very quick, looks like an upsized G2 Mini

It’s obvious that LG wanted to keep the design language for the G2 Mini and the G Pro 2 the same when they built and designed them. Except for a few relatively minor details (like LED flash placement, for example) the G Pro 2 and the G2 Mini looks exactly the same. If you take photos of the back of both the G2 Mini and the G Pro 2 and laid them side by side without anything to show for scale, then you’d probably (incorrectly) guess that they were the same device. Of course, that’s not the case – the G Pro 2 is wider and taller obviously, because of its huge 5.9-inch IPS display.

Even though the G Pro 2 has a expansive, 5.9-inch display, it does not have a stylus unlike Samsung’s definitive phablet, the Galaxy Note 3. And while the device has a nice textured plastic back, it feels decidedly more plastic than their Korean rival’s offering.

Much like the G2 and the G2 Mini, the G Pro 2 has LG’s proprietary rear key setup on the back. Because of the sheer size of the device, people with smaller hands may have a bit of trouble reaching for the keys, as you’d have to reposition your hand if you don’t grab the device just right.

As far as the display goes, the 5.9-inch IPS full HD display looks great, and has a decent pixel density, coming in at 373 ppi. The display is reasonably sharp (as sharp as you’d expect from a device that carries this pricep at least) and has generous viewing angles.

The performance of the G Pro 2 is good, and even though it uses a relatively older Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor it still performs well. Transitions and animations are buttery smooth, especially with LG’s proprietary Optimus UI. We’ve seen the UI perform well on less capable hardware, and we’re confident that the lag-free experience will continue as we further evaluate the G Pro 2.

As far as performance is concerned, the G Pro 2 is certainly capable, although synthetic benchmarks don’t yield amazing results with the device. We’re a bit underwhelmed with its AnTuTu score, though only a full test will really reveal if the G Pro 2 is capable of running most apps smoothly.

That’s it for this hands-on, expect a full review of the G Pro 2 sometime next week.