LG Optimus G Initial Review: LTE and Quad-core at a Good Price?

LG Optimus G Initial Review: LTE and Quad-core at a Good Price?

LG Optimus G on display at the exhibition floor of the Mobile World Congress
LG Optimus G on display at the exhibition floor of the Mobile World Congress

Initial Review: LG Optimus G

We got our first hands-on with the LG Optimus G at the exhibition floor of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. A few days after we got back to Manila, LG Mobile Philippines launched the device for the local market! Sweet. We were able to attend the packed dealer/media event which gave us another chance to play around with LG’s newest flagship smartphone. Read on for our initial impressions as well as some photos from the launch event.

LG Optimus G Spec Sheet

  • 1.5GHz Quad-core Krait CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Chipset
  • Adreno 320 GPU
  • 2GB RAM
  • 32GB Internal Storage (25GB available for user)
  • 4.7-inches True HD-IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen
  • 768×1280 pixels, 318 pixels per inch
  • 13.0-megapixels rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash
  • 1.3-megapixels front-facing camera
  • Can record video 1080p@30fps
  • 3G, HSPA+, LTE, NFC
  • WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, WiFi Hotpost, Bluetooth 4.0
  • Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
  • 2,100mAh battery
  • Lowest price: Php23,980 from Widget City

Hardware: Solid and a bit “Blocky”

The LG Optimus G’s shape is the same with most LG phones which is straightforward rectangular. The shape goes pretty well with the dimensions of the phone as well as it measures 131.9 x 68.9 x 8.5 mm. That makes it one of the more thinner smartphones in the high-end category.

There’s a silver chrome band around the sides which gives it a modern and elegant look. The band hosts the usual buttons and ports: volume rocker, power lock, headphone jack, and microUSB port.

lg optimus g philippines review

The phone is a bit of a fingerprint magnet though as the plastic body is glossy. If you’re the type that likes to keep their phones pristine then be prepared to have a wiping cloth near with you all the time, hehe. The screen, for some reason, also gets fingerprints quickly. Suggest you guys get a matte screen protector or something similar.

What the back looks like
What the back looks like

Over-all the form factor and build is worth the Php23,980 price tag! Not bad LG.

Software Check: Jelly Bean with LG Optimus UI v3.0

The LG Optimus G runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with the LG Optimus UI V3.0 customized skin. Basic transitions and animations were all buttery smooth thanks to software optimization and the powerful processor and generous serving of RAM. The demo unit on the exhibition floor had a few games on it and they all ran without any problems at all. Boot up time was even faster than what we anticipated. You could really feel the quad-core and RAM kicking in!

LG Optimus UI V3.0
LG Optimus UI V3.0

The differentiation with Android phones happens these days on the software side and that’s what LG tried to do with the Optimus G. They threw in a couple of funky features including QSlide which lets you keep an app running in the background of another app (you can control the transparency). There’s also QTranslate which is a huge help when travelling in countries where you’re not familiar with the local language.

All the bells and whistles present!

What makes the LG Optimus G worth the Ph23,980 price tag though is that it literally has all the bells and whistles that you’d want in a high-end smartphone. It has Near Field Communications (NFC), LTE connectivity (it works, we tested), and a kick-ass 13-megapixel shooter with smart camera features. The battery also ain’t half bad seeing as it’s 2,100mAh. LG also is offering a several accessories for it including a nice flip cover. LG made it a point to emphasize these features during their local launch. Speaking of that, here are a few pics from the launch:

Slick Rick, Heart Evangelista, KC Monetro, and LG executives at the launch
Slick Rick, Heart Evangelista, KC Monetro, and LG executives at the launch
Di ko gets suot ni Heart. Hehe
Di ko gets suot ni Heart. Hehe

Initial Verdict: Sulit!

The phone can do whatever you want to do with high-end smartphones. As far as initial impressions are concerned we’re very satisfied and impressed with what LG is offering. It’s a solid proposition especially when you consider the price! We’d love to spend more time with this though so we can actually do a full and comprehensive review. *paging LG Philippines* 😛

PS: We saw that the LG store in SM Megamall Cyberzone had a 1-day sale and they brought down the price to just Php22,000! Sweet deal. Congratulations to the people who were able to buy one.

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