LG whips out dual-core Android smartphone
Tegra, Froyo on board
Say hello to LG's latest Android handset: the world's first - the company claims - smartphone with a dual-core CPU.
Hence the name, Optimus 2X, which also applies, for now, to the version of Android it'll run: 2.2 Froyo. LG pledged to release a 2.3 Gingerbread update for the device.
The handset incorporates Nvidia's 1GHz Tegra 2 ARM-based system-on-a-chip that enables it to shoot and playback 1080p HD video. It'll do so over HDMI too.
The 2X also supports the DLNA medai streaming platform
Android fans, yesterday
The smartphone also includes rear- and front-facing cameras, a Micro SD memory card slot, a micro USB port and a "hefty" 1500mAh battery.
The LG Optimus 2X goes on sale here in Q1 2011 ®
COMMENTS
Battery life
I'm guessing the "hefty" battery is there to ensure the thing lasts longer than 6 hours on a charge.
I've got an HTC Desire, and while it's a great phone and I'm enjoying the smartphone features, it's a pain that the battery only lasts a day on a charge, less if I use it heavily (particularly GPS which kills the battery). My last phone would go 5 days on a single charge quite happily.
Add in a dual core CPU and you can imagine the drain on battery life...
I'm hoping that more efficient CPUs are on the way which will help the longevity of a single charge on a phone.
HDMI..
Won't be run by the CPU, but by the GPU, so having running over HDMI wont affect general usage.
To be honest, most smartphones already have > 1 processing unit in them - one for the baseband, one for the GUI and apps, and one or more in the GPU. They are already pretty powerful devices!
