LG Optimus 4x HD Hands-on

Hands-on with the LG Optimus 4x HD

Thanks to Yugatech we were able to have a quick hands-on with the LG Optimus 4x HD. This handset is, by far, LG’s best smartphone offering. It has a checkmark on all the right boxes: design, specs, camera, and display. In fact the only thing I don’t like about it is that it’s still on Ice Cream Sandwich but it should be upgradeable to Jelly Bean soon. The LG Optimus 4x HD is also one of the most affordable quad-core handsets in the market today with a price tag of Php27,990 (official SRP). Awesome right?!

Here’s a rundown of what’s under the hood.

LG Optimus 4x HD Spec Sheet

Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9, Nvidia Tegra 3 Chipset
1GB RAM
16GB Internal Storage, Expandable via MicroSD Card
720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density)
True HD, IPS Display, Corning Gorilla Glass
8-megapixel rear-facing camera, 3264×2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Records 1080p@30fps video
HSPA+
Standard battery, Li-Ion 2150 mAh
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Operating System

Here’s LG’s official promotional video:

Solid and elegant body, gorgeous display

Out of all the LG products I’ve ever held, the Optimus 4x HD is the one that impressed me the most. Scrap that… it’s actually one of the best smartphones I’ve ever had in my hands. The 4.7-inch True HD IPS display is clearest, brightest, and natural screens I’ve seen. I daresay it’s better the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S3 (this is subjective though but I’ll try to get numbers for this). It’s also ridiculously thin, measuring 8.89mm.

The usual buttons are in place. Single-button volume control on the left, headphone jack and power button at the top, and the micro-USB port at the bottom.

LG didn’t go the usual glossy plastic for the back. They used some sort of material with diagonal ridges. It’s good for grip and it kinda looks awesome. At the back you’ll find the rear-facing camera, LED flash, speaker, and the LG logo.

Initial Impressions on Software

The LG Optimus 4x HD runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandiwch with LG’s latest UI skin. I wasn’t able to test the skin itself since the handset I played around with was already running without it, hehe. Based on my quick time with it though, I can say that it’s snappy, fast, and 95% lag-free (which ain’t bad since I tried it with a live wall paper, a bunch of widgets, and several apps running).

We weren’t able to put it through the paces like our usual tests but based on our initial experience with it the LG Optimus 4x HD has a lot of promise and potential. If ever we get a review unit we’ll gladly do a full review (Yoohooo LG Philippines).