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The Engadget Interview: LG Mobile's Chief Research Engineer Dr. Henry Nho on the Optimus G (video)
After yesterday's hands-on with the Optimus G we had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Henry Nho, LG Mobile's Chief Research Engineer, to discuss the technology behind the company's beautiful new flagship smartphone. We talked about the challenges his team encountered while designing the world's first handset to feature Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC -- including issues such as power and thermal management. Making the handset 8.45mm (0.33-inch) thin was another major engineering feat made possible by the Zerogap Touch display, sealed 2100mAh Li-polymer battery and compact 13-megapixel camera module. Want to know more? Go ahead and watch our video interview.
LG Optimus G: hands-on with Korea's latest powerhouse (video) (updated)
We're in Seoul for the launch of LG's latest flagship smartphone, the Optimus G, and we finally managed to spend a few minutes with a demo unit. This is a powerhouse -- the first handset built around Qualcomm's 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro. It features LTE, a 4.7-inch 1280x768 True HD IPS PLUS display, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a 13-megapixel autofocus camera, a sealed 2100mAh battery, and NFC. We like the simple and elegant design, which is reminiscent of LG's Chocolate and Prada models -- it's thin (8.45mm / 0.33 inches) and reasonably light for its size (145g / 5.11oz). The front sports a glass surface with three capacitive buttons and the back showcases the company's Crystal Reflection process -- an attractive patterned glass-like finish that's a bit of a fingerprint magnet. Materials and build quality are excellent (better than the Galaxy S III) and the Optimus G feels pleasant in hand. You'll find a volume rocker and micro-SIM slot on the left edge and the power / lock key on the right. There's a notification light next to the 1.3MP front-facing camera. A standard headphone jack sits on the top side, with the micro-USB / MHL connector on the bottom. The speaker and main camera are in the back, pretty much where you'd expect them. While the display is definitely high quality, it's not mind blowing (the One X screen still looks better) -- we expected better viewing angles from LG's True HD IPS PLUS and Zerogap Touch technologies. Sadly, we didn't spend much time using the software, but the Optimus G runs Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with a skin similar to what we saw on the Optimus 4X HD and performance is definitely impressive. We'll get more seat time with LG's flagship over the next few days, so stay tuned for more impressions. In the meantime, enjoy our gallery below and our hands-on video after the break. Update: We've added pictures of the white model and screenshots to the gallery.
LG launches Optimus G flagship smartphone: quad-core S4 Pro, LTE, 2GB RAM, ICS, 13MP camera (updated)
It's official! Today in Seoul LG is announcing its latest flagship smartphone, the Optimus G. The 8.45mm (0.33-inch) thin handset -- which has been rumored for weeks -- packs Qualcomm's Fusion 3 chipset which pairs a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC (APQ8064) with a 2G / 3G / LTE radio (MDM9615). It features 2GB of DDR RAM and a 4.7-inch 1280x768 (320ppi) True HD IPS PLUS display with Zerogap Touch (in-cell touch) technology. A sealed 2100mAh Li-polymer battery rated for 800 charge cycles powers this Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) device. The rear camera sports a 13-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor with 1.1µm pixels, an f/2.4 autofocus lens and a single LED flash -- along with a more pedestrian 1.3MP shooter in front. There's 32GB of built-in flash storage, but no microSD card slot. Other specs include WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, NFC and MHL. Aesthetically, the Optimus G marries LG's Chocolate and Prada design-languages into a sleek 145g (5.11oz) unibody smartphone. The front is all glass with three capacitive buttons while the back indroduces the company's Crystal Reflection process which gives the handset "the ability to display different patterns depending on the viewing angle and lighting". LG's placing a lot of emphasis on how the user experience benefits from the Optimus G's quad-core Krait CPU and Adreno 320 GPU -- something it calls "cross-tasking". This includes capabilties like QSlide Function, Live Zooming, Dual Screen Dual Play, QuickMemo, Screen Zooming, Application Link and Icon Personalizer, plus camera funtionality such as Time Catch Shot, Cheese Shutter, Smart Shutter and Low Light Shot Noise Reduction -- all of which are detailed for your reading pleasure in the PR after the break. Stay tuned for hands-on pictures, video and first impressions later today... Update: Unsubsidized pricing will be 999,900 KRW ($895 USD) when the Optimus G ships in Korea next week. That's pretty steep, even for an unlocked device.
LG Optimus G makes its commercial debut in Korea (video)
Well, we know there's an LG event right around the corner and, if we were the betting type, we'd put our money on the flagship Optimus G making its stateside debut. Perhaps the biggest clue to what the company has up its sleeve is that the quad-core Snapdragon S4-powered handset just made its video debut. The sleek 4.7 inch handset is staring in its own commercial, currently posted on YouTube, that will be airing in the manufacturer's homeland shortly after launch. The brief clip doesn't tell us anything we didn't already know, but we can't find any reason complain about a few extra peeks at it before release. Check out the video after the break.
LG, Qualcomm ask us to save the date for yet another September smartphone reveal
Not quite tired of all the big mobile news to burst out of September's gates? Well, you can add one more to the list as LG's just issued an invite for an upcoming smartphone launch. What is the company introducing to go head-to-head against the Lumias, RAZR HDs, iPhone and offerings from HTC and Intel? Well, we can't say for certain, but with Qualcomm onboard as an official host, our money's on a stateside version of the Optimus G, the first LTE smartphone packing a quad-core Snapdragon S4 APQ8064. No doubt we'll be there on the 19th to bring you the news live, so stay tuned.
LG's Sera Park talks about the design story behind the Optimus G
LG's Sera Park has been talking about her latest handset, the Optimus G, and how it carries the DNA of its Chocolate and Prada phones from way back when. One of the aims was to build a display that was seamless with the rest of its unibody construction, so that it "floats in your hand," as you use it. It also banished all front-side decoration, but compensated by adding a crystal reflection method to bling up the back. Of course, we wouldn't be surprised if the clip was timed to appear as a timely reminder to those sensitive about design that LG certainly can't be accused of following a trend. The company isn't letting people embed the video, so if you'd like to watch her wax lyrical about rectangles, you'll have to head on down to the source link.
LG teases that Optimus G will have 768p gapless display, long-lifespan battery
LG must know that word of the Optimus G has been spoiled, even if it's not quite ready to put all its cards on the table. While it's only acknowledging the phone's identity under a 'G' codename, the Korean electronics giant is willing to talk a lot about what's under the hood. Among the truly new revelations: that uncommonly wide 1,280 x 768 screen, now called the G2 Touch Hybrid Display, is a 30 percent thinner gapless panel that puts the LCD right near the glass in a way that just might be familiar to HTC One X owners. We don't know for certain if it's one of those newly-shipping in-cell touch panels, but that name certainly suggests LG is setting aside a few of those cutting-edge LCDs for itself. There's also a treat in store for those who work their phones to the bone -- a newly refined battery can go through 800 full recharge cycles before it gives up the ghost, or about 60 percent more than we've seen in the past. Combine these with the quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro we already knew was coming, and the Optimus G could be quite the technology showcase for both LG's native South Korea as well as the US through a possible Sprint model.
LG's Optimus G caught on camera, flexes quad-core muscles
So, it seems that all those airborne clues about LG's new superphone are slowly coalescing into something more concrete. In fact, according to the folk at AndroidMx, so concrete they've actually had a go with one. Most of the specification they report chimes with what we'd already heard. The 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4, the 2GB of RAM, the 4.7-inch IPS display, Android 4.0.4 and 13-megapixel camera, all present and correct. The screen resolution actually claims to be 1,280 x 768 if the grabs are to be believed, but AndroidMx does remind us that this is all pre-production hardware, so final details might change. This makes sense, especially given the video tease we saw yesterday, which hinted at a slightly more rounded design. Hopes are, that we'll be put out of our misery come IFA, but with other potentially big announcements also in the pipeline, it's going to be a busy week in mobile-land.
Qualcomm confirms its role in LG superphone with quad-core Snapdragon S4
There's nothing like jumping the gun to announce your involvement with a phone that technically doesn't exist, but we've gotta say, we love Qualcomm for doing it. The company has just revealed to us its role in the production of a smartphone from LG that'll feature quad-core Snapdragon S4 internals, and if it performs anything like recent benchmarks suggest, you'd best hold onto your hats. For a little backstory, rumors are currently circulating that LG is producing a smartphone of epic proportions that's known as the Optimus G, which is said to wield a quad-core processor, a 4.7-inch IPS True HD display, 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera. Whether it's related to this announcement is anyone's guess, but you'll be forgiven for salivating at the prospect. Fortunately, you won't have long to find out the true home of the quad-core Snapdragon S4, as Qualcomm has also revealed that LG plans to release its next superphone for commercial availability this September in South Korea, with other territories to follow. Update: AnandTech has gotten word from Qualcomm that the LG device in question will pack an MDM9615 LTE baseband chip as well.
