May 7, 2013 In
the world of smartphones, especially in the ever-changing arms race
that is the Android market, it's all about being at the right place at
the right time. LG's much-awaited
Optimus G Pro finally
hits stores this week, and it's clear that its keen on clawing the
premier megaphone title away from the current King of the Hill, the
super successful Samsung Galaxy Note II.
And in the fight for super-sized smartphone supremacy, the Optimus G
Pro has the design, muscle, and features to blow the Note II out of the
water. But every must-have smartphone needs a little bit of sizzle to
the steak — has LG created a device that not only meets the competition,
but offers enough innovation of its own?
The Optimus G Pro is a big phone. Roughly six inches long, LG's thin
bezel leaves enough for a whopping 5.5-inch display and mimics the size
of the Galaxy Note II, without the extra bulk that makes phones of this
size a pain to handle. That's not to say that it's escaping the
"phablet" stereotype — while tools for one-handed use are available
within the phone's settings, you'll find yourself bracing the phone with
two hands even when holding the phone vertically. The plastic backing
and hard aluminum shell are standard Android fare, but the look is
becoming increasingly unattractive when grouped with the likes of the
sleek
HTC One.
It's worth noting that LG has released a proprietary Quick Cover for
the phone that replaces the back acts a lot like Apple's Smart Cover,
though it's not available in the U.S. just yet.
The screen of the Optimus G Pro is far and away one of the most
beautiful on the market right now, with a True Full HD IPS Plus LCD
touchscreen that boasts 1080x1920 resolution. The pixel density of the
screen is roughly 40 pixels-per-inch (ppi) less than the Samsung Galaxy
S4 (401ppi versus 441ppi), but the crisp colors of the IPS make this
screen more pleasing to the eye — perhaps only outmatched by the HTC
One. The contrast is crisp and clean, making reading a joy, even on the
smallest text, and the wide array of colors make even gray text amidst a
gray background clearly discernable.
The big, beautiful screen is a showstopper, and it's clear that LG
really put a lot of time and effort into making the Optimus G Pro catch
customers' eyes on store shelves.
Luckily, once that beautiful display is tapped, the Optimus G Pro is
pleasantly responsive. With a quad-core 1.7 Ghz Snapdragon 600-series
processor and 2GB of RAM, the phone has absolutely no trouble running
its Android 4.1.2 Jellybean software, remaining speedy when toggling
through apps (even the resource-heavy camera) and has a surprisingly
long battery life for such a big phone. I was able to make it through
the whole day without running out, even with rigorous gameplay and data
use. The phone's QSlide feature was one of the battery and
processor-taxing features, involving many widgets running
simultaneously, but I was able to do calculations while running HD video
and browsing on the Internet without a significant drop in overall
charge or slowdown. Battery performance is clearly a cut above most of
the Android herd, and during processor benchmark testing, it even blew
away the Galaxy S III, Note II and LG's own Nexus 4.
However, it still trails behind both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the
HTC One in performance. Although it's not the strongest performer out
there, it's the best in the phablet class. It also has a base storage of
32GB (plus expandable storage capacity to double that) provides a value
over other devices.
There's no doubt that the Optimus G Pro has good bones, but it lacks
any standout features. LG has baked-in features include a screen-sharing
function (which, unfortunately, only works with other Optimus G Pros),
the aforementioned QSlide, and a suite of camera tools. While great
bullet points for marketing materials, in practice the only feature that
felt useful was the phone's infrared sensor — changing my TV channels
with the phone was a gleeful experience, but it's a bummer that there's
no channel guide or interactive features, like those found on the HTC
One or Samsung Galaxy S4.
Even worse, the much-touted "centerpiece" feature of the phone,
QuickMemo, is frustrating and unintutive to use. Not only does it show
up when you don't want it to (usually by tapping the button on the side
of the phone that's programmed to the feature), but it's difficult to
truly get rid of. QuickMemo is meant to help multitasking and take
advantage of the note-taking features that are commonly associated with
the Galaxy Note II, but without a stylus there isn't much use for it.
The 13 MP rear-facing camera is fast and responsive, quick to take
snapshots even with the flash on. Unfortunately, the pictures don't look
as clear as they should, and the phone doesn't perform very well in
low-light scenarios. The camera's Intelligent Auto feature does take
some of the guesswork out of shooting and provide a little richer
contrast, but those looking for the cream of the mobile camera crop will
be disappointed.
The LG Optimus G Pro could have knocked it out of the park — its
display and snappy UI are commendable, but trouble lies under the
surface. LG's ill-conceived software doesn't bring anything new to the
table or make the device a "must-have." It makes significant
improvements over the Note II, but it doesn't transcend enough to
maintain the spotlight. And unfortunately, with the Samsung Galaxy Note
III likely just around the corner, its narrow lead is sure to be
short-lived.
That said, if you're looking for a faster, sleeker take on the Note
II and can't wait for the next big leap, the Optimus G Pro might be for
you. It just may convert you to the big phone lifestyle.
