LG was one of several companies today to have their latest phones revealed at NTT Docomo’s spring launch event. The new LG phone, called the Optimus G Pro, is a 5-inch 1080p upgrade to last year’s Optimus G. Apart from the new 440 ppi display, the phone includes a number of intriguing hardware and software upgrades that should make it a viable choice when you’re trying to choose among the suddenly massive field of 5-inch 1080p phones this year. Let’s have a closer look.
Inside, we see slightly improved hardware in order to drive the higher resolution display. We’ve got a moderately faster 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor (up from 1.5 GHz), 2 GB of RAM, up to 64 GB of internal storage and micro SD support. The optics are good here, with a 13.1 megapixel option on the rear and 1.9 megapixels up front. The most interesting change is the massive boost we’re seeing for the device’s battery – up to a whopping 3000 mAh from the 2100 mAh we had in the original Optimus G.
That capacious battery takes its toll however, with the new phone being a thick 10 mm – some 2 mm thicker than the last generation and almost double the thickness of the thinnest 5-inch 1080p phone, the Huawei Grand S. The new phone also lacks water and dustproofing – something that isn’t the case for the Sony Xperia Z, which has the same 5-inch 1080p display and is also much thinner.
LG are also improving their software component. They’ve introduced two notable features on top of the Android 4.1 base for the Optimus G Pro. The first new features is Slide Apps, which are apps running in small resizeable windows on top of other apps. Designed for simple tasks like calculating numbers or taking notes, the apps should offer a limited form of multitasking that should suit the large display. LG have also introduced the ability to shoot video from the front and rear cameras simultaneously, which could make for some interesting video blogging capabilities.
All in all, the Optimus G Pro is an intriguing proposition – is a 10 millimetre thick 5-inch phone a winning proposition, or will this sim-free handset be sunk by its weight in the same way that the Nokia Lumia 920 was?
I guess we’ll find out in April. That’s when the phone is expected to be released in Japan. News on worldwide availability and pricing should be available at MWC in just over a month’s time, although we’re not likely to get the device before the Japanese market.
Article By William Judd
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