LG Puts 55" OLED TV Up For Pre-Order In South Korea For 11 Million KRW (Rs 5,43,000)

In the ever-crowded market of LCD and LED-backlit LCD televisions, LG has put up its new 55" WRGB OLED TV (Model 55EM9700): Its first in the market for the New Year. For perfecting the colour output, this television uses LG’s Four-Colour Pixel system that has a white sub-pixel. This works in collaboration with TV behemoth, which is claimed to maintain appropriate contrast levels irrespective of ambient brightness or viewing angle.

The question that now arises is how many takers will warm up to this new innovation It is known that OLED panels provide crisper images than conventional LCD panels, although this picture quality comes at a premium. Considering its high price, business analysts have predicted that these TVs won't be making their way to the masses any time soon, after they arrive globally in the next few months. Starting 3rd January, LG stores across South Korea will be accepting orders for 11 Million KRW (Rs 5,43,000 approx). While Samsung has been dominating the smaller screen market by using these kind of displays in mobile devices, LG has now taken a step further by commercialising OLED TVs. It would be interesting to watch the Korean electronics giants battle it out for the top spot in this segment.

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LG launches Optimus Vu in India for Rs 34,500

The LG Optimus Vu when first announced was targeted at the Korean market, and was designed to take on the likes of the Galaxy Note. However, a couple of months ago, LG had announced that it would launch another version for the handset for global markets. However, the brand had not provided any dates for the Optimus Vu reaching Indian shores. The LG India website has now listed this handset to its line up, and priced it in India at Rs 34,500.

The international version will have a range of features better than those in the original. The highlighted attribute found in the global version will be the inclusion of a NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor.

Officially launched in India

As per the official announcement, LG states that on the heels of its successful debut in Korea and Japan, the Optimus Vu will make its appearance global starting from select markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America this year. The brand claims that with the world’s first 5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio display, the Optimus Vu blurs the line between traditional tablets and smartphones and gives a unique smart device experience.

According to figures by LG, more than 500,000 units of the the Optimus Vu have been sold since the handset’s March debut in Korea, demonstrating public acceptance of its form-factor. The reception the device received in Korea prompted LG to launch the Optimus Vu in Japan earlier this month, where it has been received positively.
 
For the global roll-out, the Optimus Vu will be equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 mobile processor, and the fast 4-Plus-1 quad-core processor with the fifth battery-saver core, which offers a superb balance of performance and power requirements. Four cores are used for high performance tasks such as games and multitasking. For voice calls, email, music, and video playback, only the fifth core is enabled. The handset runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a customisable home screen.
 
When paired with the high-resolution 5-inch, 4:3 ratio IPS display, the Optimus Vu becomes a device that’s both pocketable and spacious. The Optimus Vu will come with an upgraded version of QuickMemo and Notebook, two features that make great use of the large display real estate. As for the handset’s camera optics, the LG Optimus Vu features an 8 megapixel rear camera with AF and LED flash and 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. Connectivity on this handset includes LTE, HDMI, DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct. The handset comes equipped with 32GB of internal memory and features 1GB of RAM. Other notable features of the handset include QuickMemo, Sound Profile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Accounts & Sync, Airplane mode, Auto-rotate screen, Brightness, Data enabled, GPS, NFC and a Portable Wi-Fi hotspot

“The different form factor makes Optimus Vu: unique even in the 5-inch smartphone category which we expect will catch on once they become more widely available,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

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Details of LG Nexus 4 E960 Mako leaked online

The Google Android event is a few days away, and the major talking point of the event is the upcoming smartphone from Google that will be co manufactured by LG. There have numerous leaks in the past pertaining to this device and even images of the handset have surfaced. The latest scoop comes via a tipster, @Evleaks who uses Twitter to dish out valuable information prior to the launch of a handset. As per a recent post, @Evleaks has exposed the specifications of the upcoming Google phone, and has provided an image of the handset.

In the tweet, @Evleaks has listed out the specifications of the smartphon, “LG Nexus 4 (E960): Quad-core APQ8064 @1.5GHz, 4.7"@1280x768, 2GB/16GB(8GB), 8MP/1.3MP, JB MR1, 2100mAh, 9.1mm, 139g.”

The above statement concurs with recent leaks about the LG Nexus 4, codenamed E960 Mako.

@Evleaks reveals the specifications of the LG Nexus 4

The image released by @Evleaks is not of the best quality as compared to other pictures posted by the tipster in the recent past. @Evleaks has recently leaked ctystal clear images of the upcoming Huawei Ascend W1 Windows Phone 8 smartphone.

According to a recent report, a Belarusian website Onliner.by has got its hands on LG’s Nexus 4 smartphone, and has published a review of the device. Judging from the images of the device, it looks extremely similar to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The major differences in the appearance of the phones are that the Nexus 4 doesn’t sport the same curved screen that is present on the Galaxy Nexus, and the presence of a chrome ring around the bezel. LG has opted for a flat back panel with a smooth and glossy design. The Nexus 4 also lacks the connectors for accessories that can be found on the Galaxy Nexus.

French newspaper Le Figaro revealed earlier this month that the LG Nexus 4 will be announced at the end of the month. The end of October promises to be an eventful time, as Microsoft is also gearing up to launch its Windows Phone 8 operating system. The report indicates the date of launch of the next Google Nexus phone in the US and France, but there is no word yet about its global availability. Hopefully, unlike last year, this handset will make its way to India officially.

Through the NenaMark benchmark, we can see a range of specifications of the purported LG-branded Google Nexus 4. This matches up with previous rumours about the smartphone featuring Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with Adreno 320 GPU. The Nexus 4 is expected to come with 2GB of RAM, a 1280 x 768 True-High Definition IPS display, an 8-megapixel camera, and a non-removable battery. It will also have no microSD slot, and between 8GB and 16GB of internal storage.

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Details of LG Nexus 4 E960 Mako leaked online

The Google Android event is a few days away, and the major talking point of the event is the upcoming smartphone from Google that will be co manufactured by LG. There have numerous leaks in the past pertaining to this device and even images of the handset have surfaced. The latest scoop comes via a tipster, @Evleaks who uses Twitter to dish out valuable information prior to the launch of a handset. As per a recent post, @Evleaks has exposed the specifications of the upcoming Google phone, and has provided an image of the handset.

In the tweet, @Evleaks has listed out the specifications of the smartphon, “LG Nexus 4 (E960): Quad-core APQ8064 @1.5GHz, 4.7"@1280x768, 2GB/16GB(8GB), 8MP/1.3MP, JB MR1, 2100mAh, 9.1mm, 139g.”

The above statement concurs with recent leaks about the LG Nexus 4, codenamed E960 Mako.

@Evleaks reveals the specifications of the LG Nexus 4

The image released by @Evleaks is not of the best quality as compared to other pictures posted by the tipster in the recent past. @Evleaks has recently leaked ctystal clear images of the upcoming Huawei Ascend W1 Windows Phone 8 smartphone. 

According to a recent report, a Belarusian website Onliner.by has got its hands on LG’s Nexus 4 smartphone, and has published a review of the device. Judging from the images of the device, it looks extremely similar to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The major differences in the appearance of the phones are that the Nexus 4 doesn’t sport the same curved screen that is present on the Galaxy Nexus, and the presence of a chrome ring around the bezel. LG has opted for a flat back panel with a smooth and glossy design. The Nexus 4 also lacks the connectors for accessories that can be found on the Galaxy Nexus.

French newspaper Le Figaro revealed earlier this month that the LG Nexus 4 will be announced at the end of the month. The end of October promises to be an eventful time, as Microsoft is also gearing up to launch its Windows Phone 8 operating system. The report indicates the date of launch of the next Google Nexus phone in the US and France, but there is no word yet about its global availability. Hopefully, unlike last year, this handset will make its way to India officially.

Through the NenaMark benchmark, we can see a range of specifications of the purported LG-branded Google Nexus 4. This matches up with previous rumours about the smartphone featuring Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro with Adreno 320 GPU. The Nexus 4 is expected to come with 2GB of RAM, a 1280 x 768 True-High Definition IPS display, an 8-megapixel camera, and a non-removable battery. It will also have no microSD slot, and between 8GB and 16GB of internal storage.

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Rumour: Images Of LG Nexus Phone With 4.7" Screen Leaked On The Web

Speculations regarding LG's Nexus device have been doing rounds over the web for about a month now. However, it's only now that we could get a glimpse of LG's upcoming device, thanks to multiple leaks coming from various message boards. The first leak comingfrom XDA forums confirms the software version as Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It didn't reveal much about the design though, since the handset was clad in a protective case. However, the suspense didn't last too long, as another set of leaked images from a Russian forum Onliner.by, left very little for the imagination.

From the images, the handset looks a lot like Samsung's GALAXY Nexus due to its rounded corners. On the other hand, this yet-to-be announced device sports a strikingly different, somewhat glittery, back panel. Reportedly, LG is expected to announce this handset next month. While no source has yet confirmed the device's specs, you can expect a 4.7" screen, 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU, and an 8 MP camera.

An image from XDA forums, revealing details regarding the OS.

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LG could base next Google 'Nexus' device on Optimus G

LG had announced its next flagship phone last month. Rumours indicate that the phone, named the LG Optimus G, could be what the next Google ‘Nexus’ phone is based on. According to AndroidCommunity, LG would be working on the next Nexus phone and use the Optimus G as the base.

Google usually announces a new Nexus phone by the end of the year, and according to AndroidCommunity’s sources, this year will be no different. According to the sources, Google is working closely with LG to work on the next Optimus G. If LG does end up making a Nexus device using the Optimus G as the base, the new Nexus device will probably come shipped with Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) out of the box, as opposed to the Optimus G, which is slated to run Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box.

Could be what the next Nexus device is based on

Here is a quick look at some of the main features of the LG Optimus G:

• 4.7-inch True HD IPS+ display with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels
• LTE, 3G, EDGE/GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities for net access, NFC
• GPS, A-GPS
• Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
• 13MP camera with LED flash and 1.3MP secondary camera up front
• 32GB Internal memory
• MHL, DLNA

LG claims that with the powerful quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor as its base, and the best technologies for enhanced viewing and longer battery life, LG adds the finishing touches on the Optimus G with a sleek design and innovative UX features. The brand states in an official release that the offerings in the Optimus G will provide users an experience currently unavailable on any other smartphone.

“The Optimus G is a groundbreaking premium device not only in the history of LG but also in the smartphone industry,” said Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With the Optimus G, users will be able to experience unsurpassed UX features that will allow them to perform tasks that really enhance their daily lives.”

LG claims that the technologies such as the Zerogap Touch and True HD IPSPLUS Display from LG Innotek and LG Display harmonise to offer the slimmest, sharpest and clearest viewing experience yet. The new battery from LG Chem which is a 2100mAh battery has a longer life of 800 cycles, a significant improvement over existing mobile phone batteries. An ultra high-resolution, compact 13MP camera is employed in the Optimus G to offer the sharpest photos without pixillation – even when creating extra-large prints.

The phone is set to see a global release in October.

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LG Optimus G

 LG's next flagship phone, the Optimus G.

(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)

LG officially announced its next flagship phone, the LG Optimus G, today in Korea. Not only does it possess a whopping 13-megapixel camera and a 4.7-inch HD display, but LG has also said it'll be the "world's first" LTE device with a quad-core CPU.

The Optimus G will go on sale next week in Korea, and will be offered in other countries in October. Because LG is holding an event tomorrow in New York, we anticipate that the device is slated for a U.S. release as well. Until we get some hands-on time during said event, however, we only have the specs to go by. But, judging by its specs and LG's recent devices, it has plenty of superphone potential.

Design
The LG Optimus G measures 5.19 inches tall, 2.71 inches wide, and 0.33 inch thick, making it slightly wider and thinner than the Optimus 4X HD (which measures 5.19 inches by 2.69 inches by 0.38 inch). Because of the screen's new Touch Hybrid Display technology, the Optimus G's display is also thinner than those currently on the market.

The phone weighs 5.11 ounces, making it a bit lighter than the 4X HD as well, but the height remains the same. In other words, tall. It won't be able to fit in small front or back pockets of jeans comfortably, nor will it be easy to use with one hand, but it's thin and light enough to throw in a clutch or small bag without much fuss.

The Optimus G comes in black and white, and sports a 4.7-inch True HD IPS+ display with a 1,280x768-pixel resolution and an aspect ratio of 15:9. Given how impressed I was with the 4X HD's touch screen (which also measured 4.7 inches and was HD IPS), I find the sound of this very promising. Especially considering that it also has a 320ppi pixel density, which means we can expect bright, vivid colors and crisp images.

Waving the flagship: A glance at the LG Optimus G (pictures)

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Features
One of the most anticipated features of the handset is the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core CPU. While I'll hold off on comparing Qualcomm's quad-core processor with Nvidia's Tegra 3 quad-core processor (the latter being the chipset that powers the 4X HD), Qualcomm's dual-core processor has a solid history of being fast and reliable.

The HTC One X, for example, impressed us all with its dual-core CPU, and if Qualcomm is looking to beef up its processor offerings, as it said it is, then the Optimus G will undoubtedly deliver great speeds. In addition, the device is equipped with an Adreno 320 GPU and 4G LTE capabilities.

The handset houses a 2,100mAh battery, which roughly translates to a reported talk time of 15 hours. This is a bit less powerful than the 4X HD's 2,150mAh battery, which leaves room for concern. Though the 4X HD's battery was adequate enough, with heavy quad-core usage it drained quickly. True, the reduction in the Optimus G is only slight, but it may have an effect when all cores are chugging away.

Because the phone has near-field communication (NFC) support, it should come with LG Tag+ stickers. The 4X HD, the Vu, and the Optimus L7 all were NFC-enabled, and included these tags. The stickers allow you to activate certain settings on your phone that you customize. For example, every time you go to sleep, you may want to put your device on vibrate, dim your screen, and have your music turn off after 10 minutes of playing. Once you set up and save those settings using the LG Tag+ app, you can activate them whenever you tap your "Sleep Mode" Tag+ sticker.

The handset also includes Dual Screen Dual Play, which enables users to beam screen images onto a TV; a feature called QSlide Function that displays two different screens or tasks (for example, watching a video and sending a text) at the same; LG's note-taking feature, QuickMemo; Bluetooth 4.0; an Application Link feature that launches preselected apps at a certain time; 32GB of onboard storage; and 2GB of RAM. In addition, users can zoom in and out of the phone's screen and recorded video.

A landscape view of the Optimus G.

(Credit: Brian Bennett/CNET)

One bad note I'm anticipating is that LG will probably slap its Optimus 3.0 UI on top of the Android 4.0 OS. With its boxy icons and clunky widgets (particularly that unattractive weather widget), the UI isn't as sleek as the vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich skin. Fortunately, however, users will have the option to customize app icons. And though I like that it sports the Roboto font, the keypad itself on the updated UI still looks outdated.

Camera and video
LG reported that the Optimus G boasts an eyebrow-raising 13-megapixel camera. Some of its features include a Live Zooming option that lets you zoom in and out while playing a video; Time Catch Shot, which lets you to choose and save the best of five images shot when you pressed the shutter; and a voice-command shutter called Cheese Shutter. There's also a feature that adjusts the shutter speed if the camera senses the photo's subject moving, and a low light/noise reduction function.

Given that it's decked out with four cores, I expect the camera to be lightning-quick. With the 4X HD, the shutter was so seamless, there was no indication or delay on the screen that let me know I took a picture. I relied only on the shutter sound. I could also hold the shutter down to take one picture after another. This isn't the same (or as fast) as continuous shooting (though again, there is an option for that), but that's how fast the camera can operate.

Outlook
LG scored a win with the 4X HD, and I expect nothing less with the Optimus G. Though I remain wary of its battery life and anticipate an unappealing UI, the device will be sure to please. It touts the same high-end specs as the 4X HD, but it adds 4G LTE capabilities and a superior camera. If everything else stays constant (and by that I mean the software isn't buggy or, you know, the phone doesn't explode in my hand), then the G definitely promises to be a winner as well.

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LG Optimus 3D Max (P725)

: Pros  Good 3D main camera; 1080p video playback support; Dolby Music improves sound quality.

Cons:Uncomfortable for one-handed use; Unimpressive UI, Runs Gingerbread; Glassless 3D doesn't work well; 2D to 3D converter is mediocre; Expensive.

LG Optimus 3D Max (P725)
MRP: Rs 31,000
Street Price (As On 9-Aug-2012): Rs 28,100 (BuyThePrice.com); Rs 28,400 (Infibeam.com);  Rs 29,000(HomeShop18.com)

LG seems to have had a rather busy July. Well before launching its flagship Optimus 4X HD though, the Korean manufacturer had launched the successor to its first "glasses-free 3D" handset, the Optimus 3D.Does it live up to the hype, or will the 3D Max be just another expensive marketing gimmick? Let's find out.

Design And Build Quality
The retail box comes with the phone, charger with detachable USB cable, earphones and an instruction manual. The handset measures 5" (l) x 2.7" (w) x 0.4" (10 mm) (d), and weighs around 148 grammes. It sports a wide bezel and looks quite rugged, with a matte plastic back panel that is easy to hold. Even so, the phone is a little too big for my liking, being difficult to use with one hand. Here is the full specs list:

• GSM quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) tri-band 3G (900 \ 1900 \ 2100 MHz).
• Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with 1.2 GHz dual-core, dual-channel CPU and 1 GB RAM.
• 4.3" capacitive screen with dimensions of 480x800, featuring Nova Plus 3D stereoscopic display technology (doesn't require 3D glasses).
• 2 x 5 mp main camera (shoots at 3 mp in 3D) with auto-focus and LED flash, VGA front camera; 1080p video recording @ 30 fps (720p in 3D).
• FM with speakerphone output, voice recording feature, playback supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WAV, WMA, OGG (Vorbis), AMR (NB, WB), MIDI.
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA, USB 2.0, GPS with A-GPS, and 3.5 mm jack.
• 6.5 GB internal storage, 32 GB microSD card slot.
• 1520 mAh battery providing a talk time of 17.5 hours on 2G and 9 hours on 3G.

3D Performance
The smartphone's 4.3" Nova Plus 3D stereoscopic LCD panel, which has pixel dimensions of 480x800, is bright and sharp with decent viewing angles. The display's sunlight legibility is strictly average though. Regardless, the highlight of the handset is of course the fact that it offers a "glasses-free, full 3D experience". Apart from the bundled 3D content that includes games and videos, the phone also provides a 3D converter that lets you transform 2D content (even games) to 3D. More on that later. First, you might want to read more about Lenticular 3D here, to get an idea of how exactly the 3D Max performs its magic of producing a 3D image without the use of special glasses.

With all glassless 3D displays, whenever the screen loads a new three-dimensional image, your eyes need a few seconds to adjust to the picture. It might take some time to get used get used to viewing the screen this way, and the effect will vary depending on the person. Some are more perceptive to 3D, while for others, it tends to cause disorientation and even nausea. This is a limitation of the technology itself, so there is little that can be done about it. Even so, the handset's 3D implementation isn't too impressive either. Images seems to "shake" a little bit, as if the 3D picture has not been fully formed. While this is common with glassless 3D displays, the smartphone tends to be more prone to this glitch. What's worse, the 3D depth isn't all that pronounced. In this department, HTC's Evo 3D, which also has a glassless display, comes with a much better three-dimensional image quality.

In an effort to justify its price tag, the smartphone comes preloaded with quite an impressive collection of apps and 3D content. This includes 3D games, the aforementioned converter, access to YouTube's 3D channel, and a 3D camera. Starting off with the game convertor, I tried transforming the 2D games Angry Birds, Temple Run, and Fruit Ninja to 3D. Unfortunately, the effect is nothing to write home about. While the convertor did manage to add a bit of depth to Angry Birds, in Fruit Ninja, the fruits on the screen appeared with jagged edges. Finally, the convertor couldn't work with Temple Run because you need to hold the phone vertically (in the portrait mode) while playing this game, while the converter only works in landscape mode. On the whole though, the transformation seems like just a gimmick, and I didn't see anything spectacular about it.

The YouTube 3D app directs you to YouTube's 3D channel. While it might not be much compared to the vast 2D library on the video-sharing website, there is still plenty here to keep you entertained, and the amount of user-created 3D content is growing by the day. In that sense, this app is a hit.

Moving on to the bundled games, the handset gives you access to full-3D games such as Asphalt 6, Let's Golf 2, N.O.V.A, and Gulliver's Travels, the last of which is actually an interactive 3D book. Except for Gulliver's Travels, which runs out of the box, each game needs to download some data before it can be played. While the download itself is free, it's a little inconvenient, especially considering that since the phone itself has ample internal storage, the data could have been included by LG right at the outset.

Gulliver's Travels recounts the popular children's tale in the style of a pop-up 3D book. While its visuals have been very well executed, it lacks narration of any sort — either audio or text. While most people are aware of the story, the absence of this feature makes the book feel half-hearted and incomplete. Let's Golf 2 provides the best 3D experience of the lot, probably because being slow-paced, my eyes found it much easier to adjust to the 3D. Not to say that the game is in any way boring — on the contrary, it's quite addictive. Asphalt 6 also displays a decent stereoscopic effect, and is eminently playable. On the other hand, I found N.O.V.A. to be quite disorienting, since this FPS requires quick hand movements that end up disturbing the ideal angle necessary to view the game in 3D. This is made worse by the phone's narrow viewing angle when it comes to 3D. While HTC's Evo 3D also suffered from a similar problem with FPS games, it wasn't that pronounced due to its larger viewing angles.

In effect, when it comes to gaming, the slower the pace, the better the effect. Google's Play Store has a little over 15 3D titles as of this writing, which should be good enough to keep you occupied for a while.

UI, Applications, And Multimedia
The phone comes with LG's custom UI that runs on top of Gingerbread. However, at this price point, expecting a better-designed interface and a newer OS (Ice Cream Sandwich) is not unjustified. Considering that this is a 3D phone though, its chances of getting an ICS update seem rather slim, since all of the 3D software will have to be reworked to be compatible with ICS. Considering the limited appeal of 3D devices, it's unlikely that LG will take the trouble of issuing an upgrade.

The handset features the stock Android webkit browser that isn't too fancy, but gets the job done. It offers Flash 10 support, so you can watch web videos without any issues.  The music player sports a clean interface and offers quite a few equaliser settings. The device supports MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, OGG, AMR, and MIDI formats. The sound quality is decent too, and gets even better when you turn on the Dolby Mobile option (similar to HP's Beats Audio, only better). The bundled IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) are up to the mark as well.

The 3D Max plays 1080p videos without any stutter, even when converted into 3D. It can also play AVI and MP4 files with support for several codecs out of the box, which is a good thing. Considering its 4.3" screen size, the handset is quite suitable for watching movies.

Moving on to the most interesting feature of the device: its 3D camera. The handset comes with a front-facing VGA camera for video calling, but the star of the show is its dual 5 mp snapper with LED flash. It includes features such as face tracking, auto-focus, continuous shot mode, image editing with auto filters, and geotagging. In burst mode (2D camera only), the camera manages six shots in well under three seconds.

In 2D photography mode, although the captured images offer a good level of detail, they are marred by excessive noise. Worse, low-light shots aren't even worth a mention. On the bright side, you can take snaps and switch between 2D and 3D modes at will after the capture is complete. While the camera's 3D performance is impressive, the object needs to be farther away than 15 metres for a crisp output, otherwise you'll just end up with an overlay of two distinct images.

In 2D video mode, you can record 1080p video at 30 fps, which gets reduced to 720p in 3D mode. The resultant MP4 clips contain a good amount of detail, and the playback is very smooth. Click here to view the 2D video sample. Note that the 3D video will only appear as overlapping images when viewed on a normal computer screen. To view such videos in 3D, you will need to play the clip on a a 3D-enabled display. Click here to view the 3D video sample. If you don't have 3D glasses, you can make one for yourself instead.

Telephony, Messaging, Battery Life, And Verdict
The device's signal reception was good throughout the test process, as was the voice quality. As for messaging, like in all touchscreen phones, the portrait keyboard feels a bit cramped. On the other hand, in landscape mode, the keys take away more than half the screen space. Being a messaging junkie, I'm not a big fan of touchscreen keys, and the lack of a predictive text feature makes it all the more annoying.

Coming to the battery, the smartphone's normal-sized 1520 mAh unit managed to keep the device running for around a day under normal use that including a brief spot of gaming, which is decent by Android standards.

In conclusion, the LG Optimus 3D Max's USP without a doubt is its stereoscopic 3D camera. However the phone's odd size and old Gingerbread OS coupled with a boring UI, weighs it down. Even though this is one of the few glasses-free 3D handsets in the market today, its average performance doesn’t justify the hefty price tag. If you're specifically looking for a 3D-enabled handset (despite the whole technology being more or less a gimmick), I'd suggest HTC's Evo 3D instead, which has all of the same features, a better performance, and a reduced price of Rs 23,000.
 

Features: 4/5
Design And Build Quality: 4/5
Performance: 3.5/5
Value For Money: 2.5/5
Mojo: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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LG Optimus 4X HD

 Pros: Impressive performance; Great looks; Excellent video player.

Cons:Uncomfortable for single-handed use; Lacklustre camera; Average sound quality.

LG Optimus 4X HD
MRP: Rs 36,000

Street Price (As On 31-07-2012): Rs 32,700 (Indiaplaza.com); Rs 33,000 (Flipkart.com; Infibeam.com)

A few years ago, LG became the first company to jump on the dual-core smartphone bandwagon with itsOptimus 2X. Sadly for LG, even though Samsung's GALAXY S II was launched a few months later, it stole the show. This time around though, LG appears to have taken its time to polish its flagship offering, releasing it nearly two months after its nemesis. Let's find out whether the Optimus 4X HD can challenge the current heavyweight, the GALAXY S III (GS3).


Design And Build Quality
The retail package comes with a phone, earphones, charger with detachable USB cable, user manual, and a couple of NFC stickers for changing the phone's profile. The handset measures 5.2" (l) x 2.7" (w) x 0.4" (9 mm) (d), and weighs 133 grammes. It features a plastic body, but thanks to its clever design manages to look expensive, while a textured back panel provides a good grip. Similar to other Android flagships though, the phone is too big for one-handed use.

At 4.7", the 4X HD's Gorilla Glass covered screen matches the size of the HTC One X's panel, and is around 3 mm smaller than that of the GS3. The IPS LCD has pixel dimensions of 720x1280, taking its pixel density to around 312 ppi. The display is very sharp and bright, but the viewing angles are narrower than the One X's screen. More importantly, the depth of blacks is nowhere near that of the AMOLED panel in the GS3.

The device is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset, featuring a 1.5 GHz quad-core CPU and NVIDIA GPU. The detailed specs are as follows:

• Quad-band GSM (850 \ 900 \ 1800 \ 1900 MHz), quad-band 3G (850 \ 900 \ 1900 \ 2100 MHz).
• 5.2" (l) x 2.7" (w) x 0.4" (9 mm) (d), 133 grammes.
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, ULP GeForce GPU, 1 GB RAM.
• 8 mp rear and 1.3 mp front camera.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n with hotspot support, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS (with A-GPS), NFC.
• 16 GB of internal storage, 32 GB microSD card slot.
• Micro-USB 2.0 port with MHL support (video out), 3.5 mm jack.
• 2150 mAh battery.
• FM radio and a standard set of sensors.

UI And Performance
The 4X HD features Android 4.0 out of the box, with LG's Optimus UI v3.0 on top of it. Unlike the lacklustre performance of its predecessor, this handset delivers a smooth and pleasant user experience. LG has started paying attention to the software, and the results are positive. The interface is clean, and even transition effects are virtually lag-free. Although the handset is powered by a same Tegra 3 chipset as found in the One X, I found the 4X HD's performance way better than HTC's flagship phone. While the interface does not have too many software tricks, there's a unique feature that allows you to replace app icons with images of your choice. Check out the second screenshot in the gallery below to see what it looks like.

Every game that I tried on this smartphone worked well. However, I felt that the loading times were slightly longer than the GS3. The browser is quick to render pages, and supports web videos as well. Overall, there's nothing to complain about in the interface and performance departments.


Multimedia
The music player's interface is simple and easy to use. It offers aDolby Mobile enhancement mode, as well as a plethora of equaliser settings. Sadly, the sound quality isn't as good as you'd expect from a high-end phone.

Thanks to its big 4.7" screen though, the 4X HD is ideal for watching movies. The phone supports most video formats including MP4, DivX, XviD, and MKV out of the box. Moreover, it offers a few interesting features, such as the ability to control the playback speed from 0.5x to 2x, zooming in and out of a video, and an enhanced seek bar that displays a thumbnail of the frame at that location.

The 8 mp camera is accompanied by a single LED flash. It offersContinuous Shot (burst shot), Panorama, and HDR modes. Although there's no dedicated capture button, the <VOLUME -> key serves this purpose, much like the iPhone. The shutter speed isn't as fast as compared to its rivals, and it can only capture around 10 images in 7 seconds. However, the resulting shots contain a good amount of detail, and also deliver natural colours. On the flip side though, the image quality is marred by excessive noise. This is a big letdown for a top-end phone.

The 4X HD is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30 fps. You can also take snaps during the recording process. The clips are saved in the MP4 format and offer smooth playback. The high-quality video recording is the only saving grace of the phone's camera. Click here to check out the sample.


Telephony, Messaging, Battery, And Verdict
Unlike the current crop of high-end phones, the 4X HD has a normal SIM slot, which is a good thing. The phone's network reception is strong, as expected at this price point. Additionally, the signal strength of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections is also quite good. Coming to the subject of messaging, the onscreen keyboard isn't very well designed, but the large screens size ensures that you don't hit the wrong keys too often. Finally, the 2150 mAh battery lasts up to around 5 hours under heavy use, which I think is good enough for a quad-core Android phone. Under normal use, it should safely take you through a normal working day.

LG has made a strong comeback in the high-end segment with the 4X HD. It has a nice design, pleasant UI, and great performance. In the display, camera, and audio departments though, its nemesis the GALAXY S III takes the lead. However, considering that the 4X HD is around 5 grand cheaper, it's still a good deal for those who desire to own a quad-core phone, don't care about having a very good camera, and have a budget that's limited to Rs 35,000.


Features: 4/5
Design And Build Quality: 3.5/5
Performance: 4/5
Value For Money: 3.5/5
Mojo: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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