[MWC 2013] So, we have seen the LG Optimus G Pro announced officially for South Korea just a few days after Valentine’s Day, and received word that the Optimus G Pro will be making its way to the US sometime in the second quarter of the year.This morning at the MWC LG press conference, the LG Optimus G Pro was shown for the first time in Europe and there, I had the opportunity to get my hands on this great handset.
Update: for U.S users, there is the AT&T Optimus G Pro.
The LG Optimus G Pro features the largest display found on an LG smartphone ( 5.5”) and reading the specifications, it looks like the nemesis of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2. It sports a Full HD IPS display with a stunning resolution of 1920×1080 with 401 ppi pixel density, a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 13MP rear-facing camera, a 2.1MP front-facing camera and will come with an admirable 3,140mAh battery on board, with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean preinstalled.
Industrial design
The LG Optimus G Pro, even it is a little thicker (9.4 mm/0.37″) than recent devices with smaller displays, such as the Sony Xperia Z (7.9 mm/0.31″), feels thin and light for such a large handset. In comparison, the Galaxy Note 2, which features the same thickness and the same screen size, is a little heavier (160 g /5.64 oz vs. 183 g/6.46 oz).
The backside is covered with an elegant pattern, in the same style of the one unveiled with the LG Optimus G, which has become LG’s design signature. The overall build-quality is very good and the design is quite stylish. Although the chassis is partly made of plastic, it feels less plasticky than the Galaxy Note 2, which I use every day.
Check the video below for more detail on the product design and the connectors placement.
Display
At 5.5″ with Full HD resolution, it is the largest 1080p display featured in a Smartphone that we have seen. The IPS display is crisp and bright with high contrasts, and features good viewing angles. I will update this post with a comparison with other devices I carry.
Perceived Performance
The new generation Snapdragon SoC, namely the quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 allows for great performance. The overall user interface is very responsive and fluid.
Software
The LG Optimus G Pro offers the same custom user interface features as the one we saw at the launch of the Optimus G, back in September 2012, namely QSlide, QuickMemo and Live Zooming. Check the video above to see some of those fetaures in action and go to the Optimus G preview article to see all of them.
Additionally, the LG Optimus G Pro supports new user interface features such as Dual Recording, Virtual Reality (VR) Panorama, and Vu Talk. See below a demo of Vu Talk shot with the LG Vu 2, one of the device shown for the first time in Europe at the LG press conference at MWC this morning.
Battery
The powerful 3,140mAh battery, much needed to handle the new 1.7 Ghz quad core processor and the large 1080p display, let’s expect a long battery life. For that matter, we can refer to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and its 3,100 mAh battery, a device that lasts 7.5 hours while playing HD video (local file, no streaming). Please note that different devices with similar battery capacity perform differently with battery longevity, so, stay tuned until we get the review unti and we can check it for real.
Conclusion
The LG Optimus G Pro is the best Smartphone launched at MWC. In the phablet category, it is the most powerful and the most elegant device we have seen to date.
We can easily compare it to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, launched at IFA in September 2012, which features the same display size (5.5″), a similar battery capacity, and the same thickness. And just like the Note 2, the Optimus G Pro feature a removable back cover, which allows to hide the microSD and the microSIM slots.
Being 6 months younger than its main competitor, the LG Optimus G Pro is lighter, features a faster processor, and a 5.5″ display with higher pixel density (1080p/ 401 ppi).
This article will probably updated later with more information
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