Product Listing

LG Optimus G Pro - A Show Stopper?

By Sidney Wong - 8 Jul 2013
Launch SRP: S$868

Overview, Design & Features

Overview

LG unveiled the 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro in South Korea on February 18 days before it was showcased at Mobile World Congress 2013 where we had a hands-on session. Back then, LG laid claims to being the first phone announced to be using Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor. It is also one of the few 5.5-inch phones to come with a full HD display.

Now that there are several phones sporting full HD displays and Snapdragon 600 processors in the market, has the LG Optimus G Pro lost its shine? More importantly, is the LG Optimus G Pro a compelling alternative to the nine-month old Samsung Galaxy Note II? Read on to find out more. Here's a quick look at the specs of the LG Optimus G Pro and how it fares against the Samsung Galaxy Note II:

LG Optimus G Pro 

  Key highlights of the LG Optimus G Pro

  • Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
  • 5.5-inch IPS display / 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core 1.7GHz processor
  • 2GB RAM
  • 16GB internal storage
  • 13-megapixel rear camera
  • 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 4G LTE
  • micro-SIM
  • 3,140mAh battery
  • Dimensions: 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4mm
  • Weight: 172g
  • Price and Availability: S$868 from 6 July

Comparing the LG Optimus G Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note II
  LG Optimus G Pro Samsung Galaxy Note II (16GB)
  LG Optimus G Pro Samsung Galaxy Note II (16GB)
Launch SRP
  • From S$868
  • From S$998
Operating system
  • Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at launch)
  • Android 4.3 Jelly Bean (current)
Processor
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core 1.7GHz
  • Exynos 4412 Quad quad-core 1.6GHz
Built-in Memory
  • 2GB RAM
  • 2GB RAM
Display
  • 5.5-inch / 1,920 x 1,080 resolution / IPS
  • 5.5-inch / 1,280 x 720 pixels / Super AMOLED
Camera
  • Rear: 13-megapixel
  • Front: 2.1-megapixel
  • Rear: 8-megapixel with BSI sensor, autofocus and LED flash
  • Front: 1.9-megapixel with BSI sensor
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n HT40, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE), NFC, MHL
Storage Type
  • 16GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 64GB
  • 16GB internal storage
  • microSD support up to 64GB
Battery
  • 3,140mAh
  • 3,100mAh
Dimensions
  • 150.2 x 76.1 x 9.4mm
  • 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm
Weight
  • 172g
  • 180g

 

Design

Unlike its 5-inch counterparts, it's hard to find fault with the material used for the chassis of the Optimus G Pro. The use of any other materials (e.g. aluminum) would have made the 5.5-inch device much heavier. At the Asian launch event held on 3 June, Dr. Ramchan Woo, head of LG's smartphone division reiterated the same point and shared that the company is actively researching other materials for use on future phones.

So far, we have only seen one manufacturer succeeding in building a similarly-sized phone with a better build and design - the Lenovo K900. The K900 is encased in a low-magnetic stainless steel and polycarbonate unibody chassis which measures just 6.9mm and weighs only 162g. In comparison, the Optimus G Pro has a side profile of 9.4mm (similar to the Galaxy Note II) and tips the scale at 172g.

The LG Optimus G Pro is almost an exact copy of the Samsung Galaxy Note II except for a slightly shorter, narrower and lighter body.

If you've noticed, the Optimus G Pro has a very thin bezel around its 5.5-inch IPS display. According to LG, the bezel is a mere 3.65mm thin. However, if you look closely at the screen, you can see that there is actually a black frame. 

Similar to the Galaxy Note II, the Optimus G Pro comes with a hardware home button flanked by the capacitive back (left) and menu (right) buttons. We find the home button to be a little too thin and and flat for our liking. As a result, you have to apply a bit more effort to press it. 

While other phones usually have a dedicated notification LED,  LG takes a different approach; the home button acts as the notification LED. Dubbed Smart LED Lighting, the home button lights up in various colors to alert you of missed calls, messages, low battery and other notifications. 

You will find the Q Button (shortcut button) and volume controls on the left side of the LG Optimus G Pro. By default, the shortcut button activates the QSlide feature.

There is a shortcut button (also known as the Q button) on the top left side of the device. By default, the Q button activates the QSlide feature. You can customize the Q button to be a shortcut to almost any app on the phone via Settings > QuickButton.

The battery cover is easy to remove and it also gives you access to the micro-SD card slot. Take note that it's hot-swappable, which means that you can insert or remove the card when the phone is powered on - despite the phone's cover not being present.

The handling of the Optimus G Pro proved to be a tricky issue for us. We find its glossy plastic rear cover to be slippery, and coupled with the size of the device, we were in constant fear that the phone would accidentally slip out of our grasp. 

 

Features

The Optimus G Pro runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and the latest Optimus user interface, which has unique features that the Optimus G doesn't. Let's take a look at these exclusive features.

 

Color Emoticons

Color Emoticons for texting in email and SMS - a first for an Android smartphone.

LG claims that this implementation is the first for an Android smartphone where emoticons can be inserted while texting in email and messages. For those who are unaware, there are already several third party keyboards such as Go Keyboard that have support for Emoji. 

If the emoticons look familiar, they are actually inspired from the stock emoticons in WhatsApp. Users who message a lot and go beyond simple text will appreciate this feature.

 

Q Button

The list of apps that can be set as the shortcut for the Q button.

As mentioned in the design section, the Q button allows you to set an app shortcut. Basically, any app that is preloaded or installed on the device can be set as a shortcut. There are five recommended apps by LG to be used which are QuickRemote, QuickMemo, Camera, Internet and Music. 

While you cannot jump straight into the app from sleep mode, the Q button allows you to go straight into the app from the lock screen. All you need to do is press and hold the button. 

 

Smart Video

LG's own take of the Smart Pause feature on the Samsung Galaxy S4 is Smart Video, where the Optimus G Pro deploys advanced eye recognition technology to detect the position of the viewer's eyes to determine when to automatically pause the video. 

The Smart Video feature functioned as claimed in our day-to-day usage. The feature obviously cannot work in low light conditions (e.g. when you turn off the room's light to watch videos) as the front-facing camera will have difficulty tracking your eyes. As such, with this function activated in a dark room, our video experience was put on hold. When the lights were turned on, the video playback resumed.

 

One-Handed Operation

One-handed operation makes it easier to carry out common actions on the LG Optimus G Pro.

A feature that is nothing new for phablets, LG also has the one-handed operation in the Optimus G Pro. This feature is also seen in the Galaxy Note II and Huawei Ascend Mate. You can find out more about the other features of the Optimus UI in our review of the 4.7-inch LG Optimus G.

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8.0
  • Design 8
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8
  • Performance 8
  • Value 8.5
The Good
Large and beautiful IPS display
Smooth performance
Handy Q shortcut button
The Bad
Battery performance could be better
Slippery back
Overwhelming size and weight for some users
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