LG Optimus Pro Review

By Rob Boggan

Make no bones about it, the LG Optimus G was one of last year’s breakout smartphones. With a winning design, brilliant form factor, and the perfect combination of style and function, the Optimus G promptly brought LG back into the top tier smartphone conversation. After a fleet of mid to low range smartphone releases, LG had to do somthing to bring attention and more importantly profit, back into the then ailing smartphone division. With the Optimus G selling over 1 million handsets globally, LG had a sure fire hit on their hands, and it was only a matter of time before we started to see more phones from the Korean manufacturer to compete with its other high end rivals. The LG Optimus Pro is next in line from LG, and one thing is immediately clear, LG wants to take Samsung’s spot. With a form factor that directly mimics the Galaxy Note, and features that have carried over from the Optimus G, does LG have what it takes for lightning to strike twice? Or does The Optimus Pro fall flat as a phablet knockoff? Check out my review of the LG Optimus Pro.

What really struck me as odd about this device, is how eerily similar it looked to the Galaxy Note. I’m not talking about similar in the sense that it has rounded edges and a home button so it looks like an iPhone similar either. We’re talking real deal, this could pass as a Galaxy Note similar. Front to back, this phone emulates the Note, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I am a huge fan of that design. One of the biggest differences in the Optimus Pro is the home button also doubles as a notification center of sorts, as there’s an LED ring built around it. Whenever you have a missed call, text, e-mail, etc.. the home button lights up to let you know, which is a really solid design trick, and a welcome change from the LED dot found on mostly every other smartphone. Around the front of the phone, you’ll notice the massive screen that the Optimus Pro runs, but size isn’t the only thing that makes this screen great. Rocking a full 1080p resolution, with an outrageously awesome 400ppi (1920×1080), this is easily one of the best screens I have ever seen. Watching HD videos was sharp and crisp, while viewing photos providing unparalleled color and clarity. On the left side of the phone lies LG’s new Quick button, and the volume rocker. I struggled with the layout of the buttons because the Quick button is near the top of the device, while the volume rocker is bumped down towards the middle of the phone. It took me a while to stop hitting the Quick button while attempting to adjust the volume, and while that can be frustrating, it’s certainly not a deal breaker. The Quick button by default launches LG’s Quick Memo app (essentially a screen shot service), but can be programmable to launch just about any app on the phone. Around the top of the device, lies the headphone jack and an IR blaster, and the right of the device houses the power key. Interestingly enough, LG opted to go with a uni body design on the Optimus G, with the battery being sealed in the device. I’m happy to report that this is not the case with the Optimus Pro, and it sports BOTH a removable back and battery.

Speaking of the battery, LG crammed a monstrous 3,140 mAh battery into the Optimus Pro, and initially I had extremely high hopes for it. After using the device and putting it through the ringer, sadly enough, the battery just doesn’t keep up with the high end specs of the device. With an average days use, I was able to squeeze about 5 to 6 hours out of the device. That’s video, text, email, and social networking. Completely murderous to the battery. I did a little further experimenting and did notice a tremendous uptick in battery life while NOT connected to the LTE network. Giant bummer. Battery qualms aside, this thing runs like a dream. Powered by a Quad-Core 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, the Optimus Pro performs as well as, if not better than most flagships on the market. 2GB of RAM ensure that there’s no sluggishness from the device when running multiple apps, but there’s still that pesky battery. Rounding out the hardware on the Optimus Pro, is a solid 13MP main camera, along with a 2MP front cam. Shooting photos with this camera was a relatively pleasant experience, and there’s quite a bit of add-ons that allow for a unique experience. One of my favorite add ons is something LG calls “Intelligent Auto” mode which utilizes the camera sensors to detect the lighting environment and automatically adjust your camera settings to ensure the best possible picture. From my experience, this mode works best in dark or low light areas, and results in a much better photo. Using the LED flash tends to wash out majority of the color from your pics, but the Intelligent Auto mode provides a small fix for that. To offset the bigger file size that a 13MP camera demands, LG also went with 32GB of internal storage, and an SD card slot that’s expandable up to 32GB.

A few of LG’s proprietary apps have also made their way back onto the Optimus Pro, along with a few bumps in performance. I was glad to see that Q-Slide (my favorite feature from the Optimus G), made its way back, and added a few tweaks as well. For starters, not only can you adjust the transparency levels of the video window now, but it also allows you to resize it and “snap” it into place to allow for greater multitasking. One of the other features that made its way over is the memo mode, and although there isn’t a ton of add-ons, I noticed that the accuracy had improved drastically.

Like it’s little brother the Optimus G, the Optimus Pro has the ability to become the sleeper hit of this year. Even though the battery life while connected to LTE is a bit of a drag, there’s much more hits than misses, and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up this device. Add in the fact that it’s a full $100 cheaper than it’s closest competitor, and you have an instant attraction factor. If a larger screen doesn’t turn you off, and you want something that will give you a solid experience and the best bang for the buck type of smartphone, the Optimus Pro is the way to go.