LG Optimus G Review

LG is one of those companies that either scores with a product and it does tremendously well, or it hits and is forgotten within weeks. For the most part, it’s last few smartphones have done relatively well, but they have all lacked the “it” factor that would make them a certified standout. Even the Optimus brand, which is by far the most popular to date, has struggled against the monstrous sales of Samsung and Apple. After facing months and months of adversity, LG went back to the drawing board and released quite possibly one of their best smartphones ever. After releasing the Optimus G, LG was instantly catapulted back into the limelight and back in the race as one of the best Android manufacturers. Being one of the best Android phones to date is no huge accomplishment, but does the Optimus G have what it takes to be considered one of the best  smartphones available? Read on for my review of the LG Optimus G…

For starters, when you look at and hold an Optimus G in your hands, you hold a device that is unlike any other LG device before it. Two panes of Gorilla glass, A 4.7 inch True IPS LCD display, with 768 x 1280 pixels, and a glossy finish, all make up for the Optimus G being one of the most high end looking and feeling devices to date. For the Nexus 4 design to be based off this model says a lot about the build quality of the Optimus G. Rounding out the exterior, the Optimus G has 32 GB of on board storage (16 GB internal, 16 GB Micro SD card included), and either an 8MP (AT&T) or 13MP (Sprint) camera. Inside this beast lies a Quad core 1.5 GHz processor, 2 GB of RAM, and an Adreno 320 GPU, which essentially guarantees the Optimus G will run as smooth as or smoother than any Android device you’ve ever used. One drawback to the design aspect of the Optimus G, is the fact that the battery itself is not removable. Now normally, I would go on a tangent about how devices with changeable batteries are so much better, and blah blah blah blah blah…. I now accept that design as something that is slowly becoming the norm. Be that as it may, LG stuffed a pretty standard 2100 mAh battery into this unit that actually does an OK job.

Powered by Android 4.0 (with a  planned upgrade to Jellybean 4.1), the Optimus G provides one of the most pleasurable experiences I’ve had with a smartphone as of late. The highlight of this device in particular isn’t necessarily just the Android experience, but rather what LG does with their skinned version of Android. One of the most interesting features LG dropped into the Optimus G is something the have deemed ‘Q-Slide’.  Q-Slide allows users to select a transparency level while watching videos, and in turn giving users greater control over their multitasking prowess. QuickMemo is also a pretty useful tool for capturing screen shots, and those who like to make notes on said screen shots will get a ton of use from the app. I personally liked the QuickMemo app, but I still think the S Memo app on the Galaxy Note allows for greater usability thanks to Samsung’s ingenious S Pen. Input and accuracy are two things I’m a stickler for, and not to say they don’t exist in QuickMemo, but they are surely lacking.

On the performance side of things, this device can absolutely keep up with it’s competitors, and that includes the iPhone 5, and Galaxy S III. Phone calls are crisp and clear and surprisingly the loud speaker was near perfect. Reception on both models was pretty solid, with AT&T’s model holding a slight advantage solely due to the fact that in my area, LTE worked, whereas Sprint has yet to roll it out. The cameras worked pretty well, and even though there’s a 5MP difference between the two models, I visually couldn’t tell a difference in the photos and videos that I had taken. That 2100 mAh battery by the way, will get you through an entire day, but if you’re a heavy user you may want to keep a charger handy.

All in all, the LG Optimus G is one beast of a phone, and will absolutely be one of LG’s greatest successes looking back. As of press time, the Optimus G has sold more than a million devices worldwide, and had cemented itself among the current smartphone greats. No matter who your carrier is, AT&T or Sprint, if you chose to go with the Optimus G, you will not be disappointed.

*See the original post at nerd-news.com