LG Optimus Vu - Larger Than Life

LG Optimus Vu - Larger Than Life

Another phablet option joins the fray here, but it might have come a tad too late in this region. In fact, we first had a good look at the LG Optimus Vu at MWC way earlier this year - the device was launched in March in Korea with its successor, the Vu II recently announced - and it is only in the tenth month of the year that it officially makes its retail appearance in Singapore, right after the vastly popular Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE's launch in Singapore. It goes without saying that the late entry is definitely going to hurt sales, whether LG likes it or not. Furthermore, it's not 4G/LTE ready for those looking to use the fastest data spectrum possible.

Nonetheless, the LG Optimus Vu does look stand out amidst similar looking handsets, mostly due to its 5-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio touch screen. With more manufacturers venturing into the phablet arena and starting to take this particular pool of interested users seriously, the LG Optimus Vu and the Samsung phablet devices definitely have a head-start. But of course, the main question is - aren't the growing pool of 4.5- to 4.8-inch smartphone devices good enough? How about the 7 to 8-inch tablets - is there really a need for an in-between device that is neither as pocket-able nor offers the same level of readability as its alternative? To better answer this question, we move on to assess the LG Optimus Vu.

The LG Optimus Vu sports a rather unassuming plastic black build, one that's quite like another flagship LG device, the Optimus 4X HD or the older Samsung Galaxy Note. Like the latter, the device comes with a grooved back that allows for a good grip and keeps fingerprint smudges at bay. Of course, the main attraction here is its large and wide 5.0-inch IPS screen. Because of its unusual 4:3 screen ratio format (similar to Apple's devices), the device adopts a rather square-like form factor that on first impressions, comes across as bulky and not pocket-friendly.

In actual usage, the handling experience is more positive than expected. Yes, the device is a little too wide for comfortable holding but buttons and ports are spaciously laid out, so there's no problem in operataing the device out of the box. The oft-used buttons, such as the volume rocker, quick memo and power buttons, are easy to press with good tactile feedback. Despite its girth, the device is considerably light at 168g and thin at 8.5mm, which takes a little pressure off in managing its width. Those with larger sized hands should feel more comfortable in handling the Optimus Vu.

The LG Optimus Vu initially came with Android 2.3 when it was first announced at MWC 2012, but has since been updated to Android 4.0. This also explains why the device features four touch controls as opposed to the usual three found on Android 4.0 devices. To open the multi-tasking tab, simply tap on the third button from the left.

 

 

Features

As with most Android phones, manufacturers prefer to add their own special touches to their user interfaces so as to differentiate their bot-flavored devices. Of course, the Android experience on the different devices remains well-preserved despite the little goodies that manufacturers inject into their mobile phones. While LG hasn't gotten as much traction as its HTC's Sense UI and Samsung's TouchWiz UI, it is no different. The LG UI found on the Optimus Vu offers users a similar experience found on its other Android 4.0 quad-core device, the Optimus 4X HD.



The notable difference is of course tailoring usability to its unique size. While the 4X HD came with the Quick Memo function, the software is baked further into the Optimus Vu's core - there's an extra physical button to launch the function; the software feels more refined with subtle improvements and the function works hand-in-hand with the pre-installed Notebook app. This feature is notably enhanced by a handy stylus that's included with the handset. The "Rubberdium" capacitive stylus worked smoothly on the phone's screen across the apps and had more accurate responses than the average finger. Still, we would have preferred the stylus to be tucked somewhere within the body of the device. The inability to house the stylus within the body of the phone is a major setback when greater precision is required, such as note taking, if you forget to bring the stylus along or if you've misplaced it.



The LG Tag+ app is here to stay as well, and LG has also kindly included three NFC stickers with the Optimus Vu. If you find yourself needing more, the stickers are sold at the LG Service Center at the price of S$6.00 for a pack of three NFC stickers.



We previously took a short video of some of the Vu's unique features back during MWC but do keep in mind that there have been changes since:

Play

Smartphone Performance

The Optimus Vu initially came with a dual-core processor but has since been updated to the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor alongside 1GB of RAM. These specs and its 5.0-inch screen place the device as a high-end 'phablet', taking its rightful place alongside other quad-core devices like the Galaxy S III, HTC One X and LG Optimus 4X HD. For reference, we would be using the older dual-core 5.3-inch Galaxy Note as a benchmark for all these devices.



As usual, we subjected the review unit to the Quadrant benchmark, which can be found on Google Play. To gauge how it performed against the competition, we matched its scores against a mixture of devices using dual/quad-core processors such as the LG Optimus 4X HD, Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE, HTC One X and Galaxy Note. For those who are unfamiliar with the Quadrant benchmark used below, it evaluates the CPU, memory, I/O, and 3D graphics of Android devices.

 

The LG Optimus VU scored an impressive 4627, overtaking both the LG Optimus 4X HD and HTC One X. All three devices feature the same Tegra 3 chip clocked at 1.5GHz, with the LG Optimus Vu and 4X HD sharing same specs as seen in the comparison table above. We attribute the Optimus Vu's much higher score to the possibility of enhanced LG software and UI on its part, since both handsets run on Android 4.0. On the other hand, the HTC One X and the Optimus VU share somewhat similar scores, with the former gaining chalking up a score of 4025. Of course, the Samsung Galaxy S Note III reigned supreme with its powerful Exynos quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

Raw benchmarking results aside, the LG Optimus VU, like its 4X HD sibling, ran extremely smooth in actual usage and had absolutely no problems rendering pages or running graphic-intensive apps like Temple Run or popular games like Angry Birds. The phone's lag-free performance, brisk day-to-day user experience and blazing fast web loading definitely contributed to a positive user experience.



 

Imaging Performance

The new LG Optimus Vu comes with a 8.0-megapixel camera and a standard 1.3-megapixel front camera. This is of course, congruent with its high-end specs. The camera software for the Optimus Vu is pretty standard fare, showcasing 4 customizable shortcut buttons and a settings tab. The latter allows access to the same pool of settings but is presumably reserved for opening up less popular options like shutter sound, swap camera and so forth. There are two standout camera features that comes with the VU, which are namely the Cheese Shot and Time Action Shot. The Cheese Shot function is, well, as what it is named - the shutter activates when the subject (if near enough) or the photographer shouts "cheese". This worked accurately indoors in a moderately quiet environment but not quite so in noisy places with high human traffic. Time Action Shot captures extra still footage at 1-2 seconds before and after the capture button is pressed. Both prove to be pretty useful especially in terms of minimizing hand shakes.

Images captured on the Optimus Vu showcased white-washed, overly red colors with moderate levels of details. We attribute this to perhaps, a not-so-intelligent white balance system. Aside the haziness spotted in our indoor photo, we noticed a strange green hue in the middle of the photo.The level of noise was a little too high for our liking, so much so that they were pretty visible even without zooming in. Overall, we found that the camera performance was slightly below expectations.

Video & Browsing Experience

The phablet-sized devices starting picking up the pace once again with the release of the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note in late 2011. When the Optimus Vu was first unveiled at MWC this year, it was yet another addition that belonged to the same growing pool of phablet devices. Soon after, the Optimus Vu II successor and the Galaxy Note II were announced. These gadgets have paved the way for a flood of upcoming 5.0-inch smartphone devices, in an era where bigger is better.



The big difference between the Optimus Vu and these devices is not just cosmetic (squarish form factor quite like an e-book reader) or UI-centric. The big difference is in the Vu's 4:3 screen aspect ratio, which is an oddity since most smartphone devices stick with the widescreen 16:9 format. The 4:3 ratio is primed for reading, no doubt, but not quite so for viewing widescreen clips, even for popular video sharing website YouTube. The 16:9 widescreen ratio has been the preferred option for videos as it conforms very well to current video standards. Thus, while using the Vu to watch videos, you will have to contend with distracting "letterheading" that occurs as seen in the screen shots below. On the other hand, this screen format allows you to browse the internet with more readability and will be handy e-book usage. As such, how you use the device or what you intend to do, makes or breaks your experience with the LG Optimus Vu. It's a choice you'll have to make prior to purchasing the device.

The Aspect Ratio Correction feature might be a nifty one for those who prefer their games to maintain the original widescreen aspect ratio but in all honesty, we had no troubles playing or using apps in the default 4:3 aspect ratio. Plus, there weren't any annoying black letterheads to contend with.



While we're still on the topic of the display, thankfully the quality of its IPS screen is relatively high, one that delivers quite the same experience as its LG Optimus 4X HD cousin. Picture clarity and quality is on the high side, with crisp details, good viewing angles with adequate brightness even under sunlight.  



 

Battery Mileage

Using the same 480 x 800 pixels resolution video that we use across all our mobile device battery tests, we set the same test parameters which includes having the video looped under the following conditions:

• Brightness and volume at 100%
  
   
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
  
   
• Constant data streaming through email and Twitter
  
   

The LG Optimus VU didn't fare well on our battery tests, quite like its 4X HD sibling. In fact, both shared remarkably close results with the former coming in at 245 minutes and the latter closing in at 280 minutes. Unsurprising of course, since the only obvious reason for this is because the Optimus Vu shares the same energy-sapping HD IPS touch screen but at a bigger 5.0-inch size.



Do note that due to its odd 4:3 aspect ratio, it is unfair to say it is just slightly bigger than say, a 4.8-inch, widescreen aspect ratio Galaxy S III. These screen measurements were taken diagonally and suffice to say, a 5-inch screen with a 16:9 screen aspect ratio will not have the same screen area as one with a 4:3 aspect ratio. As a point of reference, we took the measurements of a 4.8-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio device and the Vu. And just as we iterated, the LG Optimus Vu has a 20% greater screen area (10.2cm x 7.7cm) than the former (10.7cm x 6.1cm). With a bigger screen area to power, it is obvious why the LG Optimus Vu didn't fare as well as the others. As a point of reference, the Optimus Vu goes up to 650nits at maximum brightness, which is about twice the level of brightness even for laptops. This will definitely factor in when it comes to its low battery life.



While its battery capacity is slightly higher than the 4X HD, it is obvious that it didn't compensate much in terms of mileage. Compared to its AMOLED-touting competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, it certainly didn't match up to par with its 769 minutes' worth of battery life. And just like Samsung, this LG device refuses to run our test any further beyond the 4 to 5% mark to conserve battery.



The results are likewise replicated in the portability index (battery to volume ratio). Despite being the lightest out of the phablets in this comparison, the LG Optimus Vu came out last in this index - unsurprising of course, due to its low battery life performance and high battery consumption.



Other than the above formal usage based tests, we observed that the phone could last through a working day, with emails and Twitter feeds pushed constantly to it when using the phone in a casual manner for day-to-day needs. Other activities included occasional web surfing and phone calls. It is highly advisable to charge the device before leaving the office and when you are back at home. To conserve battery, do keep the brightness to a minimal level as its not-so-energy-efficient IPS panel will definitely consume a lot of unnecessary battery. We find that this does help prolong the battery life by a substantial amount.



 

Conclusion

The Optimus VU is frankly, a reasonable quad-core device with smooth performance, save for its dismal battery performance. Otherwise, it is probably Samsung's next best competitor and that in itself, being in close proximity in comparison with an extremely popular flagship device, has definitely cast a shadow over the device's potential popularity. Of course the extremely late availability of the device doesn't help it any better and probably hurt its relevance (and sales) quite a fair bit.



Sure, there are things about the Vu that we didn't really fancy, but we felt they could be improved upon. For instance, the fact that the stylus should have been incorporated into the phone's build and that the camera performance was a lackluster. Its unusual 4:3 screen ratio might not pander to everyone's tastes, especially given its squarish form, but it works well for those looking to double up the device as a reading/note-taking gadget. On the plus side, its Note function and user interface offer a generally positive experience that's easy to transit to, especially if you have previously used an Android device.



The major dent in its performance, as we have mentioned earlier, is in its less than stellar battery life. At 245 minutes, it is much lesser than its direct competitor, the Samsung Galaxy Note II, who stands at a grand total of 769 minutes. We suspect that its 5.0-inch IPS panel is the main culprit here (as it was on the LG Optimus 4X HD) but mercifully, the display performs splendidly, showcasing crisp details, high levels of details and clarity.

At a RRP of S$768 (with a free specially designed leather case while stocks last), the Optimus Vu is reasonably priced compared to the rest of the 5.0-inch and above contenders. But of course, if you are planning to opt for an LTE-ready device, the Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE ($998) and Galaxy Note LTE (only sold with an existing plan 1, 2, 3) are your best phablet options. However, if you are not specifically looking for a phablet device and are willing to settle for options with smaller screen sizes, there are plenty other Android options around.

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