LG Optimus G Review: A Great Phone that You Might Have Overlooked

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Rating:
3.5/5

Optimus G - South Korean tech vendor - LG's smartphone offering which was launched in India at a whooping cost Rs 32,990, a long time after its official debut as compared to the International market. Why is the phone holding a price tag higher than Samsung Galaxy S3? Well, LG explained to GizBot on this, Optimus G is better than S3 in all aspects, considering the amount of Android feature goodies enthrusted in the flagship model. It might be running on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) internationally, but in India the smartphone has been launched skinned with Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS and LG has made best attempt at a high end phone, not to forget to mention the custom UI 3.0 skin.

 

Well, to check that out, GizBot received the Optimus G unit for a week and here is our review on the predecessor flagship model of LG Optimus Pro. Take a look at it below!

LG Optimus G Benchmark Scores

AnTuTu Test Score - 17904

Quadrant Score - 7474

NenaMark 2 - 58.86 fps

Form Factor

With 4.7-inch True HD IPS + display, a resolution of 1280 X 768 pixel and a pixel density of 318 ppi, LG Optimus G screen is extraordinarily crisp and clear. The display is full bright towards the white tone, as compared to Samsung Galaxy S3's saturated tone. However, Optimus G lacks the goodness of the viewing angles - as its not that wide, compared to an HTC One X or S3.

Surely, the best part of the smartphone is the lock screen, however, LG has just concentrated on the looks of the lock screen, they could have added some customizable shortcut icons over there instead of the contacts, camera or browser. The same problem which is there on Galaxy S3.

The build of the phone is uber cool, the square corners make it feel bigger than it is. But when you start a hands on, the back panel edges are scratchy and itchy, beware you might also end up hurting your fingertips. The back has a subtle 3D pattern to it under the glass, for protection. Both the sides of the smartphones is protected by scratch and dustproof Gorilla Glass 2, but the panels are a major finger-print magnet.

Meanwhile, the only physical buttons you find are the volume controls on the left and the power button on the right. The 3.5 mm audio jack is located on the top and the USB port is on the bottom.

Operating System and Processor Power

With Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS on-board, LG Optiums G has all the standard preloaded apps including Chrome, Gmail, Youtube, Google + and more. The screen of the phone also features a technology named Zerogap touch, the sensor which pushes the screen to the edges. Further, call quality is also fine but when it comes to touch screen typing, the custom keyboard of the phone is a feature to bother about. You will take some time to get used to it.

Meanwhile, Optimus G is quite substantial, when it comes to processor power. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm's new quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro supported by 2GB of RAM and it is really fast. Be it watching videos, browsing internet, opening multiple tabs, playing games like Asphalt 7 it all went good on the G. The lag while browsing or switching apps was also not noticeable. Definitely, the speed of the phone makes it up for the price tag. Merely though, the phone heats up a lot during multi-tasking.

Camera

The camera of LG Optimus G hold some of the most interesting features seen on any Android smartphone in the market yet. Yes! That's true! The camera software has some redeeming qualities, which makes everything easily accessible. Optimus G camera includes speak-to-click feature, where you can say "cheese" or "whiskey" and your device will automatically click shots.

Further, the 13MP shooter also outdoes Galaxy S3 performance in terms of sharpness and low light shots. But still going by the colors and 8MP shooter difference, I wont be making a wrong statement by saying that Galaxy S3 camera is much better, going by the colors and video performance. Let us not skip the fact that the smartphone also consist of a decent 1.3 MP Secondary Camera for front photography which can support most of the software features integrated in the camera.

Battery

Well, the company decidedly claims that Optimus G sports a 2100 mAh Li-Po battery, which supports up to 15 hours of talktime and up to 335 hours of standby time on the 2G network. So GizBot decided to do a battery test, and the results were remarkable. Well, yes it was definitely more than Galaxy S3 performance (after Android Jelly Bean update in India) and equivalent to HTC One X. Optimus G delivered a talktime of more than 15 hours, and web browsing was done for almost 3 hours, where the battery didn't drain much. And we also watched videos and played songs for around 7 hours.

Storage and Connectivity

LG Optimus G might be lacking a microSD card slot for memory expansion. But at the end of the day, its not required at all, the smartphone boasts a 32 GB internal memory, which gives plenty of space to store music, videos and other data.

Further, on the connectivity front, the phone comes equipped with GPRS, EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi, NFC and other features like Document Viewer and PDF Reader. Bluetooth assists in the wireless transfer of files while DLNA allows you to share the data of your phone on compatible devices like your TV.

Click Here For New LG Optimus G Smartphone Gallery

LG Optimus G First Look

LG Optimus G First Look

LG Optimus G QuickMemo

LG Optimus G QuickMemo

LG Optimus G

LG Optimus G

LG Optimus G Apps Storage
 

LG Optimus G Apps Storage

Power Port

Power Port

Headset Port

Headset Port

Charging and USB Port

Charging and USB Port

Front Camera

Front Camera

SD Card Slot

SD Card Slot

LG Optimus G Back

LG Optimus G Back

Number Dialing Display

Number Dialing Display

Settings

Settings

Storage Capacity

Storage Capacity

System Software Information

System Software Information

Text Message Display Screen

Text Message Display Screen

Rear Camera Features

Rear Camera Features

Camera Time Catch Shot Feature

Camera Time Catch Shot Feature

More Camera Features

More Camera Features

Apps

Apps

Games

Games

Benchmark Tester

Benchmark Tester

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Verdict

Well, LG Optimus G is altogether a right choice to make if you are going for a Samsung Galaxy S3. But definitely not better than Nexus 4. Still apart from all other highlights and features mentioned in the review, Optimus G comes with out-of-box features, one of them being, QSlide Function - which shows two different screens simultaneously on one display so users can quickly send an important work email while playing a graphic-intense video at the same time.

Then there is QuickMemo to take notes on captured documents or photos with fingers and instantly share as an attachment or URL. Also there is , Live Zooming feature, which enhances viewing experiences by enabling consumers to zoom in up to five times while watching video to see small details normally hidden on the screen. Lastly, there is the Dual Screen Dual Play, which not only allows mirroring between the smartphone and a TV or monitor, it also has the ability to display different content on each screen. But at Rs 32,990, LG Optimus G still sounds a little too costly.

Pros

Excellent Display

Creative Camera Software features

Great outdoor visibility

Remarkable processor performance

Cons

Camera shots not first class quality, considering the 13MP snapper

Flash not good

3D Back Panel laser cut contour can hurt fingertips

Speaker's audio average quality

Best Mobiles in India

Best Phones

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