So – you’ve been keeping an eye on the LG Optimus G Pro ever since it was first announced back in early February and continued to follow it after we published our hands-on and official review of the device. Hearing today’s news the Optimus G Pro will be landing exclusively on AT&T on May 10 has probably got you to the point where you can already taste the goodness, but just what will the U.S. version of this device have which the International version doesn’t?
Before we get into what’s new, first you should know it’s specs are pretty much unchanged. The LG Optimus G Pro has a 5.5-inch screen that features a Full HD IPS display with a 400 ppi, a 13MP rear-facing camera, 2.1MP front-facing camera, 1.7GHz quad-core processor, 32GB of storage with microSD support and a 3,140mAh battery. Just like we found in our hands-on and review, the LG Optimus G Pro has a really nice look and feel to it, which we’re glad AT&T decided to keep much of what we enjoyed from the International version when bringing it to the U.S. market.
Now that we know it’s pretty much the same device our International friends have been privy too, the next thing is to see what makes the U.S. version so special. The LG Optimus G Pro in the U.S. will feature some new software improvements that weren’t originally made available to International customers. LG plans to add support for Dual-Camera, a feature that was added in a firmware update on the Korean version of the device. it allows you to inject an image of the person who is taking the picture or video by using both the rear and front-facing cameras simultaneously. This feature will ensure you’re always in the picture if you’re the kind of person who regularly takes photos and doesn’t have photos taken of them.
Smart video is another upcoming feature that LG was demonstrating on the Optimus G Pro which uses the device’s front-facing camera along with facial recognition software to determine when exactly you’re looking away from the device. This was introduced recently in Korea, and should find its way to the American version in the future. When the feature is activated, you’ll be able to watch a video, pay attention to something more important, like let’s say an axe murderer coming after you, and the video will pause from the moment your eyes stopped looking at the screen. Once you’ve outwitted the axe murderer, you can then glance back at the G Pro’s screen, which will then continue the video from where you left off.
One of the last new features is Pause and Resume Recording, which currently isn’t available on the LG Optimus G Pro (except in Korea, since they had the firmware update in April), but is expected to be released as an update soon after the device is launched. This feature allows you to record a video, to then pause it at any moment, and pick up right where you left off. This is a neat little feature that can become handy for those of you who enjoy creating stop-motion videos or record a video and want to add something to it after you already started the recording process.
As of now, the LG Optimus G Pro is expected to be released exclusively on AT&T on May 10 for $199.99 with a new two-year contract with pre-orders available starting May 3.
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