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LG Optimus 3D Max hands-on (video)

While we haven't seen 3D phones take the world by storm just yet, that hasn't stopped LG refining its Optimus 3D series. Mobile World Congress 2012 has been hit by the Optimus 3D Max and it's faster, thinner and, well, just plain better looking. Unfortunately, there's been less progress on the software side; this dual-lens Android phone is still wearing last year's Gingerbread jacket. Our full first impressions and video awaits, after the gallery, below.


LG's new stereoscopic smartphone is an incremental improvement on nearly, if not all of the original Optimus 3D's specs, but in the hand there's a noticeable physical difference between the two. While the 3D Max is slightly thinner than its older brother, the difference in weight is far more distinct. There's a pair of dual five-megapixel cameras here and the phone is capable of editing 3D content on the device -- although this feature is already offered in the latest update to last year's model. The Gingerbread OS runs smooth and we browsed through the phone's features untroubled on the refreshed dual-core processor. The 3D Navi menu was nigh-on indistinguishable from the original Optimus 3D, with similar 3D video and gaming content on show in a 3D carousel, although there's no confirmation on any free gaming content being packaged alongside the phone's launch.

The 4.3-inch screen is also a noticeable improvement on LG's original glasses-free 3D phone, although its WVGA resolution doesn't quite stand up to the HD IPS found on its new quad-core flagship. The device doesn't wow us like the Optimus 4X. We reckon the design is a much-needed step-up from last year, but the rest of LG's 2012 collection proves that the company's style has already moved on even further. The Optimus 3D Max is trying to keep up; includes NFC connectivity and software similar to that found on the Prada phone 3.0, but it's the lack of Ice Cream Sandwich -- especially when the Optimus 4X and the (presumably cheaper) L-series phones already have it -- that worries us. LG said that Android 4.0 will make an appearance on the device but when it hits shelves sometime in Q2, it'll arrive behind the curve.