We review the LG Optimus 2X, but does LG’s super-powered smartphone live up to its lofty marketing claims? We investigate
LG likes to keep up-to-date with current trends. Whether it’s glasses-free 3D devices or dual core toting smartphones, the Korean tech-giant has got it covered.
We’ve yet to get our hands on LG’s glasses-free 3D tablet but we’ve had the pleasure of it LG Optimus 2X – LG’s debut dual core Tegra 2 smartphone – for just over a week now.
It’s got a dual core processor, HDMI-out port and an 8-megapixel camera, which certainly sounds premium – and it should. The LG Optimus 2X is LG’s flagship Android handset.
This means that it’ll be going head-to-head with the likes of the HTC Sensation, Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Motorola Atrix.
But does LG’s latest effort stack-up? We investigate.
Looks
The Optimus 2X measures in at 123.9x63.2x10.9mm and weighs 139g – that’s 4G heavier than the Atrix. The WVGA 4-inch display clocks up the standard 480x800 pixels and is decent enough – although we would have preferred a Super AMOLED Plus or qHD if we’re honest.
There are three hardware keys: two for volume, located on the upper right hand side and a power/unlock button on the top right. On the left is your 3.5mm jack and in the middle is the HDMI-out.
The front of the Optimus 2X is fashioned from Gorilla Glass with a faux metallic edging that runs around the entire device. The back, in true LG-style, is plastic all the way apart from a brushed metal strip beneath the camera that has ‘with Google’ stamped on it – not very classy.
It’s also way too long. The virtual keys for Home, Search, Settings and Menu sit below the screen with about half a centimetre of room above and below them. Combine this with the virtual keys themselves and you’ve got about an inch of pretty much unused space at the bottom of the device.
LG could have made the device significantly smaller, or extended the display some more. Either way would have worked. Instead, there’s just a platform at the bottom of the device with a four virtual keys floating around in the middle.
All in all, we weren’t sold on the looks of the Optimus 2X. It’s very plasticky and doesn’t look as premium as it should. It’s essentially very middle-of-the-road-looking and while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s really not good enough for a flagship device. Especially when you’re competing with the Atrix, iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S2.
Internals
LG’s Optimus 2X is the first Tegra 2 1GHz dual core-powered smartphone to hit the UK. It also squeezes in a low-power NVIDIA GPU too, along with 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and support for an additional 32GB via its microSD slot.
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA and Wi-Fi hotspot creation are all also present, as you’d expect. As is HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps and HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps – so far so good, then. But how does this translate into performance?
First up, the LG Optimus 2X is fast – that’s a given. However, it’s not ‘that fast’ and, if we’re honest, we were expecting a lot more. There’s still noticeable lag when swiping screens, the device doesn’t boot-up that quickly and we did run into problems on more than one occasion.
For instance, the camera and video application on the Optimus 2X is rubbish. It only works when it wants to, most of the time it does a ‘force close’ and simply won’t open – and this isn’t very good. More on this later though.
In terms of raw power, you’d expect it to absolutely wipe the floor with, say, the HTC Desire S, but it really doesn’t – at least, it’s not particularly obvious from general usage. The Desire S, with its 1GHz Snapdragon, is every bit as snappy and responsive as the Optimus 2X – and this is something we weren’t expecting.
The dual core processor and NVIDIA GPU do pay dividends when it comes to gaming though. We tried out a load of games on the Optimus 2X, such as Gun Bros and Spider Man, and they played like a dream – no lag, seamless movements and little to no glitches.
It’s also obvious you’re packing two cores when multitasking as well. For instance, you can mirror the device via HDMI and still run applications in the background without causing the Optimus 2X any real problems.
In this sense, the LG Optimus 2X is perfect for CPU-abusers and serious mobile gamers. It’ll take pretty much anything you can through at it. What’s bizarre though is that all this raw power isn’t really that obvious in general day-to-day usage. There’s still UI lack, more than a few glitches and Android 2.2 doesn’t run as well as you’d expect. Basically, there’s lots of room for improvement on the software side of things.
Operating System
LG neglected to ship the Optimus 2X with Android 2.3. Instead it’s been pushed out with Android 2.2 and LG’s usable, but ultimately inadequate, UI skin. Fortunately one of these issues can be remedied instantly with a quick download (Launcher Pro) via the Android Market, which should get your UI up to speed in no time.
The Android 2.3 update, on the other hand, is a different matter. That’s in the hands of LG and the networks, so you could be waiting a while for that depending on whether you go the network-branded route or SIM-free.
Personally, we find this pretty irritating. It’s not like Android 2.3 is new, it’s been on the Nexus S for a long time, and HTC has managed to get in on its MWC 2011 handsets – bar the Incredible S, of course. But still LG makes you wait.
We wouldn’t mind normally, but LG always seems to keen to keep up to date with the latest trends, glasses-free 3D, dual core processors etc, so why not apply this philosophy to everything? If it did, it’d probably have a solid device on its hands. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.
Cameras
Most people hear 8-megapixels and think, ‘Wow, that must be a great camera – so many megapixels!’ Well, those people are wrong. And if you’re struggling to find and example of this, look no further – the LG Optimus 2X is it.
Sure, it’s got an 8-megapixel camera and can record 1080p video. Yes, it’ll do both those things. But there’s one problem. It does neither very well. And this is unfortunate – it really should be better. The Optimus 2X has everything going for it on paper, but LG scrimped on the hardware and instead you’ve got a camera that shoots grainy, noisy images and decidedly adequate video – and that’s if you can get the application working!
Overall
All in all, we weren’t particularly impressed with the LG Optimus 2X. During testing we usually get quite attached to the phone we’re reviewing, but this wasn’t the case with the LG Optimus 2X – we couldn’t wait to get back to our HTC Desire S.
Yes, the dual core processor and awesome GPU translates into many tangible benefits for gaming, multitasking and the like – this is a given. But overall the Optimus 2X lacks a type of finesse that we’d expect from a device with this level of spec.
Put curtly, the Optimus 2X doesn’t stand a chance of taking on the Samsung Galaxy S2 or the Motorola Atrix. So if you’re desperate to get a dual core smartphone, you’re probably best waiting for HTC’s Sensation to land or picking up either the Samsung Galaxy S2 or Motorola Atrix.
The LG Optimus 2X, in this company, just doesn’t cut it.
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