Chemical relief
Some early examples of the 4X had a problem with the autofocus when shooting video – apparently, the camera would refocus every few seconds making the end result unwatchable. This appears to have been fixed though as I found my handset demonstrated no such lunatic behaviour.
Video player has handy search mini-screen
The 4X’s removable battery has a big trick up its sleeve and, in many ways, is the phone’s killer feature. Being based on some clever SiO+ (silicon monoxide plus) chemistry that I don’t begin to understand, it squeezes 2140mAh into a cell that is physically only 5 per cent larger than the 1500mAh battery used in the Optimus 2X.
In the real world this means I was able to get well over a full day's use from a charge, which gives the 4X a slight edge over the competition from HTC and Samsung. To give you an idea of absolute performance I looped a 720p video with the screen brightness and volume at max and the Wi-Fi radio on and it lasted just over 4 hours.
LG's Optimus 4X HD quad-core Android smartphone
As it has yet to be officially released in the UK, I’ve not seen any contract prices for the 4X. Yet unlocked, it’s yours for £425 which is a wee bit less than the going rate for either an unlocked HTC One X or Galaxy S3.
Verdict
LG’s new 4X HD is not only the cheapest quad-core über-phone around, it's also the smallest and lightest, if only by the slimmest of margins. It may not shout "Look at me" like the opposition from HTC or Samsung but it’s a smart and solid bit of kit that goes like stink. Furthermore, it has a very well thought-out storage arrangement and some clever UI additions to stock Android. Add to that the beefy removable battery and regular-sized SIM card slot and I think we have a winner. ®
Thanks to Expansys for the loan of the review handset.
More Android Smartphone Reviews |
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 Samsung
Galaxy S III |
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for under 200 quid |
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LG Optimus 4X HD quad-core Android phone review
COMMENTS
Re: Fab phone. Dinosaur price.
That's like saying because you can buy a TataCar for £8, the game is up for BMW.
LG - Steer Clear
Sorry but after the firmware debacle that was & is the LG O2X I wont be going anywhere near any LG product. Current track record for LG would suggest that Jellybean will be available for this handset sometime Q4 2012..no wait that would be Q4 2017 and even then it will be buggy & broken.
Re: SIM
"Why does the reviewer think not using a MicroSim is any kind of advantage?"
Easy, you can swap SIMs between different phones. That was always the entire point of having a SIM in the first place. So you could switch phones, networks etc without having to ask anyone's permission. As a VERY simple example, whenever I travel, I buy a SIM pack from the country I am travelling in and stick it in my smartphone (much cheaper data, local calls etc). So that I can still receive calls and texts from home, my UK SIM goes in a 1p Samsung I got years ago.
Try sorting that out when one phone takes a standard SIM and the other a Micro SIM.
We have standards for a reason. Companies break standards for a reason!
Oh no, LG aren't very good at providing software updates. Oh no, I'll have to decide now whether i like the features and stick with them for the lifetime of the phone.
Remember a few years ago when we bought a phone and its capabilities remained exactly the same until such time as it went to landfill?? Just because Google releases a new version doesn't mean it needs to be on your phone, especially if you chose the right phone in the first place instead of whatever looked like it had the most horsepower & biggest screen.
Re: Not another 5in screen...
What the hell are you babbling about? Fandroid? What is that junk?
