LG recently introduced the latest addition to its popular range of Optimus smartphones, called the Optimus Vu – a big and bright Android-powered smartphone with tablet-like viewing experience. We had a brief hands-on with the GALAXY Note competitor.
The Optimus Vu is a top-of-the-line smartphone running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (upgradeable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean when available), and powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5Ghz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. It comes with a generous 32GB of internal memory and 2,080 mAh battery to match.
The brilliantly crisp and bright IPS display brings true HD to the user – all 5 inches of it, in 4:3 ratio (768 x 1024 pixels @ 256PPI). It is slightly strange that LG has gone with the ratio as the trend has pointed to 16:9 on current smartphones. However, with LG’s renowned IPS technology, we expected superior colour clarity and picture quality, and it did not disappoint.
The Optimus Vu’s profile is ultra slim at only 8.5mm and at 159g, very light indeed for a phone its size.
LG’s phablet comes built-in with an 8MP shooter on the rear, and a HD-capable 1.3MP shooter in the front. Nothing groundbreaking here, but keeps up with the competition.
Not to be outdone by the pioneers of the ‘phablet’ space, Samsung, with their highly successful GALAXY Note family, LG has custom-built its own memo app called QuickMemo. The Optimus Vu comes with a dedicated QuickMemo hotkey to enable users to easily jot down notes or messages. Getting into the stylus game, the Optimus Vu comes with a dedicated Rubberdium pen (yes, that’s what it’s called).
Our quick take
The Optimus Vu doesn’t quite bring anything new to the plate, especially in the phablet category where the GALAXY Note and Note II is king. However, based on hardware specs alone, LG’s phablet effort can be a viable alternative, especially at such an attractive price point. Consumer choice is a good thing 🙂
Pricing and Availability
The Optimus Vu: is available in black and white at all LG authorised dealers, at the recommended retail price of RM1,899.
Key specifications at a glance:
o Chipset: 1.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
o Display: 5-inch (1024×768) IPS Display
o Memory: 32GB eMMC and 1GB DDR2
o Camera: 8MP with AF LED Flash (rear) and 1.3MP (front)
o OS: Android OS, v4.0.4 (ICS)
o Battery: 2,080mAh
o Dimension (L x W x D): 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5mm
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