LG Optimus 4X HD quad-core Android phone review

Jelly fishing

Keeping all the hardware in step is the latest(ish) version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich v4.0.3. To date LG’s reputation for rolling out Android updates hasn’t been great, so if you are the kind of person who just has to have Jellybean you may want to factor that into your purchase decision.

 

Chrome browser and quick memo

LG has added its own Optimus 3.0 UI to ICS but thankfully it’s highly customisable, easy on the eye and generally more of a help than a hindrance. LG has also thrown in some handy tweaks and enhancements like the excellent MediaPlex video player and system-wide QuickMemo integration, which lets you take screen grabs and doodle on them even when using a third-party launcher.

Dive into the screen settings menu and you will find that the white backlight for the three capacitive buttons can be set to always-on or always-off, which is a neat visual trick, especially if you go for the white model. I’m also awarding LG points for using a standard Sim card rather than a micro version.

Snappy dog and bone? Click for a larger image

The 8Mp main and 1.3Mp secondary cameras are both perfectly good exemplars of the breed and both take a more than decent snap. Put pictures taken with a 4X, S3 and One X side-by-side and I defy you to tell them apart. The camera’s autofocus is the quickest I’ve ever encountered on a mobile phone.

The webcam works a treat with Skype video calls and you can capture 1080p video through the main camera and 720p using the secondary shooter. Again the results are on a par with what you will get from the HTC One X or the Samsung Galaxy S3.