May 4, 2013

LG Optimus G Pro: Is it really Big Screen?

LG is hoping to take on the U.S. market with its massive 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro — does it have the goods to take on the Samsung juggernaut?


If the Optimus G was LG's attempt to take on the Samsung Galaxy S III, the Optimus G Pro is LG's take on the uber-successful Galaxy Note II.

Now, this isn't LG's first attempt at the phone/tablet space (I hate the word phablet, but it does apply), the company previously tried its hand at the large-phone space with the LG Optimus Vu (released as the Intuition in the U.S.). Unlike the Optimus Vu, the Optimus G Pro has a much more streamlined design and aesthetic.

Big Screen. Really Big

Compared to the Galaxy Note II, the Optimus G Pro has a slimmer profile. Both devices have a 5.5-inch display, but the Optimus G Pro has a smaller bezel on the sides, which makes the device slimmer and easier to hold.


Still, make no mistake, the Optimus G Pro is a big phone. Even for large-palmed individuals, I could see the Optimus G Pro — and any smartphone of its size — being hard or impossible to use with one hand. I'm probably the last person who should use a 5.5-inch phone because my hands (and fingers) are so small.

LG has modes for the phone that are supposed to make one-handed use easier, including better access to a keyboard and dial pad, but it made little difference in my experience.

The 5.5-inch screen is a full 1920x1080 IPS display. That's higher resolution than the 1280x720 on the Galaxy Note II and in line with the full HD displays we've seen from HTC and on the Galaxy S4. It gives the Optimus G Pro a pixel density of 400 ppi, meaning that text and graphical elements are crisp and clear.

The display is bright and vivid, but while I normally prefer IPS panels to Super AMOLED and PenTile displays, I wasn't in love with the viewing angles on the Optimus G Pro. Colors are bright and vivid and video playback and text is super sharp — but the phone doesn't have great viewing angles from the side, which is a shame. Part of the appeal of a phone of this size is that you can easily share it with someone else.

Like the Galaxy line of smartphones, the LG Optimus G Pro has a home button. Unfortunately, because of the way LG designed its bezel (to make the footprint of the phone smaller), the button's shape and positioning is almost hard to press. It just doesn't feel good or comfortable to press.

That wouldn't be a problem if the home button didn't become an important part of navigating the phone itself. In this case, I wish LG had followed its steps with the Optimus G and the Nexus 4 and just gone for all soft buttons.

There is a volume button on the side and a button at the top that toggles LG's Quick Memo feature. QuickNote allows users to quickly draw or write on top of the screen. You do this with your finger — no stylus for the Optimus G Pro.

The phone is made of plastic and the back is removable. This means that the back can be replaced with a Quick Cover to add wireless charging and provides easy access to the huge 3140 mAh battery, the microSD card slot and the SIM.

The phone comes with 32GB of storage and an additional 64 can be added via a microSD card.

The phone also has NFC support, LTE and Bluetooth 4.0.

Under the Hood

The Optimus Pro G has a quad-core Snapdragon processor running at 1.7 Ghz and has 2GB of RAM. It's running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, rather than the latest 4.2.2 release. The differences between 4.1.2 and 4.2.2 are minimal, especially when you factor in LG's Android skin, but it is curious that the company wouldn't release the phone with the latest software.

The phone also has dual cameras: a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 2.1 megapixel front-facing camera. Like the Galaxy S4, the Optimus G Pro has a dual-recording mode for photos, video and video conferencing.

Using the phone, I found that performance was generally quite snappy, with little to no discernible lag.

Having said that, I did find myself getting frustrated with LG's Android skin. Maybe I'm just more used to TouchWiz (Samsung's Android skin) or HTC's Sense, but I wasn't in love with the interface.

And while HTC is really touting the importance of Quick Memo, the feature activates itself in some really frustrating ways, often when unexpected. There wasn't an easy way to turn it off altogether — though I'm sure it's possible — and can severely impede with the ability to use the phone.

LG is also touting its idea of on-screen widgets, known as QSlide. It allows for floating instances of other apps like a calculator, note pad or calendar on the screen itself. I can find this being useful — especially the calculator — but it's far from the "multitasking" that LG claims.

Like the Galaxy S4 and the Note II, the Optimus G Pro also has an IR port so that it can act as a remote control. This was one of my favorite features of the Galaxy S4 and the implementation on the Optimus G Pro is similar on the surface.

While setup was simple, I didn't like that I couldn't set the remote to truly act universal — controlling volume on the TV while changing the channel with a cable box. Perhaps that's something that could be merged in settings but in my limited time with the feature, it felt more like a kludge rather than a thought-out feature.

And that's the problem. There's a lot of stuff that on the surface looks cool, but the implementation doesn't feel fully formed. I could lob the same criticism at Samsung, but at least with the Galaxy S4 (and the Note II), it's relatively easy to turn off or ignore the features you don't want.

Camera

The 13 megapixel camera on the Optimus Pro G is solid but nothing to write home about. The camera software includes time shift features we've seen from HTC, Samsung and BlackBerry, as well as various automatic modes.

In my limited testing time, I was disappointed with the softness of some of the shots and the automatic white balance. I did, however, like how easy it was to focus and take a shot.

The same was true for video. It's fine quality, but nothing particularly stellar.

The dual video mode works similarly to the implementation on the Galaxy S4. Samsung, however, has done a better job with the camera software and it makes accessing that feature easier. Of course, it also helps that the Galaxy S4 is a physically smaller device. Trying to take a photo or video with a phone the size of the Optimus G Pro is only slightly easier than trying to do it with a Nexus 7 or iPad mini.

Call Quality and LTE Speeds

The Optimus G Pro is available exclusively on AT&T. AT&T's LTE network in New York City is really robust and easily rivals Verizon in most parts of the city. I was consistently getting 30 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up.

Call quality on the phone is solid, although I'd recommend using it with a Bluetooth headset or pair of earbuds to avoid looking like Zack Morris. Moreover, if you're a smaller person, the size of the phone just isn't easy to hold up to your face. So not only do you look silly, it feels awkward.

Overall: Solid, If Uninspiring

There's a lot to like about the LG Optimus G Pro. It has solid specs and is a good performer. But that's no longer enough for a great phone.


Right now the Android ecosystem has two hot phones, the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, that offer a more manageable experience, better performance and better software.

Moreover, while the Optimus G Pro is better than the Galaxy Note II in the spec department, it's only a matter of time before the Note III gets released. If you're interested in a large screen phone, that's what I would wait for — because it's sure to get Samsung's latest Galaxy S4 features and improvements.

At $199 (and less if you take advantage of AT&T's trade-in program), the Optimus G Pro is a good value but at the same time, I can't find myself getting overly excited about a phone that is a solid performer, but ultimately not very special.

This one didn't wow me, and the tricks that were designed to wow just turned out to be annoying.

Still, if you're in the market for a large, HD screen phone, the Optimus G Pro might just be the ticket. But maybe consider installing the Nova Launcher. - Mashable

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