LG Optimus 4X HD: Tegra 3 Handsets Stay Global
by Vivek Gowri on August 29, 2012 4:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- LG
- Ice Cream Sandwich
- Mobile
- Tegra 3
LG devices typically have good displays, no matter how the rest of the device turns out (notable exception: the Revolution). The G2x, for example, was one of my favorite smartphones simply because the display was very, very good. It wasn’t borne out so much in our numerical tests, but the IPS panel had decent contrast and brightness numbers and really, really nice colour reproduction, so it looked very nice even if it couldn’t match the brightness or contrast ratio numbers of the Sensation or Droid X2.
The Optimus 4X HD’s namesake is the same obligatory massive 720p display that has seemingly defined every headline phone since the Galaxy Nexus. It’s an IPS panel like the G2x, and looks similarly great, with a pixel density of 312 PPI, class leading brightness and near-180 degree viewing angles. It’s an RGB stripe panel, so subpixel density ends up matching the One X and being higher than the RGBG Pentile panels in the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S3. The O4XHD at full brightness is actually painful on the eyes, and the numbers back it up - this is the brightest phone we've had go through our labs:
The contrast ratio of 857:1 is essentially the same as the G2x, and certainly competitive by mobile display standards - the black levels are a little bit on the high side, which is what hurts the display respective to the One X’s SLCD2 panel, but it’s not terrible. The only real issue I could find is that the screen appears to be set back a bit from the glass, and the gap results in a bit of extra glare that can be quite distracting under direct sunlight. It’s a minor complaint at best though, and the screen is bright enough to overcome the glare.
But while the display is very good, it can’t top the One X, which is far and away the most impressive mobile display I’ve seen thus far. I prefer the O4X HD to the Galaxy Nexus and put it just ahead of the SGS3, but both the One X and the One XL (AT&T One X) are just at a different level right now.
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SpaceRanger - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Same here.. Fellow G2X owner and I will NEVER get another LG product again.VivekGowri - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Yeah, I had a G2x for a long while. Gave it to my brother, so no longer my headache. The software on that phone was literally never finished. That's what the problem was, and that's why it was so ridiculously buggy. I think the O4XHD will get the 4.1 update at some point, but definitely nothing after that.Myrandex - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Hey there windows Phones were / are pretty well supported! Their launch Quantum is supopsed to be getting the 7.8 upgrade, its just a shame that they have been pretty quiet on that front too. I knew a bunch of people that bought the Quantum here in the U.S.Myrandex - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
their*VivekGowri - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
That's because Microsoft is doing the updating, not LG's software engineers.Lepton87 - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Aren't you a little contradicting yourself? First you say "Now with all that out of the way, I think my flagship phone recommendation for most consumers is still the One X." and then "In real life, I prefer the O4X HD - the elegance of LG’s software package, in my book at least, has a bigger impact on my day to day usage of the phone than the hardware polish of the One X or the GPU horsepower of the S3. In my personal rankings, the O4X HD and One X are almost even, with the O4X coming out just ahead, and the S3 is a definite third."
So you actually prefer LG but think than you are unlike most consumers and thus ONE X will be better for them?
VivekGowri - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Essentially. The HTC is without question a better phone - better design, better screen, better camera. But honestly, I enjoy using the LG more, simply due to the software. It's essentially the same rationale behind me sticking to a Galaxy Nexus when the hardware has been outstripped on T-Mobile by the One S and S3. It's a purely personal preference, and if you don't have an issue with Sense 4, then there's no real reason to not get the One X.MDme - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
it is a rectangle with rounded corners!Spunjji - Thursday, August 30, 2012 - link
HOMG CALLZ TEH LAWYERS!!!1Spunjji - Thursday, August 30, 2012 - link
(But seriously, it's OK, the radius of the corners is wrong. Because that is somehow relevant and can totally be patented.)