Specs
- 1Ghz dual-core Tegra2 SoC
- 512MB RAM / 8GB inner storage
- 4″ 800×480 pixel IPS LCD present w/ Gorilla Glass
- Android cell cellphone 2.2.2 Froyo
- 8MP again photographic camera / 1.3MP front side camera
- 1080p HD film capture
- WiFi b/g/n, Wireless 2.1 w/ A2DP
- DLNA service, small HDMI-out (cable not included)
- HSDPA 21Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps
- 124.5 x 63.5 x 10.2 mm
- 142g
The Phone
The LG Optimus 2X is many elements, and we’re happy to say that being wonderful is one of them. Along with some highly effective interior, it stocks a lot of style features with the LG Optimus Pad, which Rogers introduced in May. Actually, putting the two region by region you will dispute that LG was lastly appearing as a style person that you can buy. At 142g, it errs on the region of significant, but its security is what truly hit us when first finding it up. Created of applied flat cheap with a strong material red stripe down the center of it energy take care of, it delivers the top quality advertising LG was looking for.
The Optimus 2X takes a variety of style tips from the iPhone 4, but not enough to be erroneous for the eponymous system. The remaining region is clean, which is uncommon for an Android cell cellphone phone, while on the right region there are two divided amount links, pointed into slits. The end of it residences the microUSB slot, buffeted on either region by two grills: a right presenter and a remaining mic. The top of it is quite fast paced, with a 3.5mm earphone slot on the remaining, a small HDMI-out connection in the center and energy move on the right. Just within the energy move, similar to the LG company logo on the practical knowledge of the Optimus 2X is the 1.3MP front-facing photographic camera. Around again, centred, is the 8MP photographic camera with LED expensive which you can find just above the wonderful described “racing stripe” ornamented “with The look for engines.”
The style is tri-tone: the dark-colored practical knowledge discussed by a internet explorer structure edge giving way to a grilling greyish battery energy take care of. It’s elegant and sensible, and perhaps one of the highest 4” equipment we’ve ever used. The top side of it has four capacitive holding links – list, house, again, look for – but there is a lot of room below them that some have described as spent room. We feel this style choice probably granted for a larger battery energy, but even if it do not, it’s strong, wonderful and useful.
The Display
Short of a Extremely AMOLED present screen, this is likely the best smart phone present screen you may discover on an Android cell cellphone phone today. At four in., it is just the right pixel solidity for the 800×480 solution, and because it uses IPS technological innovation (again, like the iPhone 4) the colors are amazing and correct, shades of black are deeply, and watching factors excellent.
The present screen is taken care of by a piece of a little convex Gorilla Cup that grows a little external, instruments the present screen items just enough to appear to pop. While this does nothing to expand the viewed physical objects, legibility is thoroughly improved. There is still no issue, as opposed to Samsung’s Extremely AMOLED present, that you are looking at a bare LCD present, but this is one of the better ones out there.
The present does betray a few symptoms of mediocrity; there is some light-weight swelling in the crevices when the present screen is on. Most recognizable on a dark-colored historical previous, this reveals an irregular color slope in some places. Not recognizable unless desired out, the concern did end up being a issue when using the Kobo eReader app in evening method, as we are will not to do sometimes. Nevertheless, the issue seems to be indigenous to the island, and one of the causes of a serious creation cut at T-Mobile; LG seemingly desired to look into the issue before too many people had it in their hands. On our assessment unit, we found there was modest loss in all four crevices, with one leaks much more than the others.
Thankfully, WIND does have a very nice repayment plan, as per their FAQ: “We understand elements never always go the way you estimated. If you discover you and your new WIND product(s) are not a right diamond necklace within 14 days after you buy it, return to the WIND location you obtained it from for a repayment or exchange. So long as you have used less than 30 minutes of airtime, and the items are in “like new” condition, we’ll operate it out.”
Other than the modest light-weight swelling (or perhaps because of it) there are only nutrients to say about the present screen. Perfection levels are excellent, quickly rivalling its present day Android cell cellphone colleagues, and while colors and watching factors do not coordinate the much more expensive Retina Display of the iPhone 4, which also uses In-Plane Shifting technological innovation, it certainly performs.
Performance
The Optimus 2X has nVidia’s Tegra2 SoC, which, as we’ve discussed in our Samsung Atrix assessment, has some serious energy. Arguably a better artist, the LG never seemed to have concerns with anything we used at it, despite half the quantity of RAM as the Atrix. This is perhaps because it works a completely inventory — and therefore less delayed by historical previous services — edition of Android cell cellphone, but LG has definitely done some optimizations of its own.
First, let us get it out of the way: the Optimus 2X works Froyo – Android cell cellphone 2.2.2 – so despite including many of the recent operation changes and functions The look for engines first showed in May 2010, its cream-coloured appearance has not old well at all. Froyo presented with it many of the functions we take for naturally in Android’s current state: Flash capabilities; WiFi hotspot support; a just-in-time compiler for improved app performance; own cloud-to-device APIs, among others. And some clients will certainly see previous the insufficient glow to the austere fantastic of the screen.
Thanks to the dual-core brand, this baby travels. Through selections, through programs, film game titles and enjoyment, there is very little that presented the Optimus 2X to its legs. Actually, as with most high-end Android cell cellphone equipment, the only elements that did cause it to fall were Flash movies performed inside the visitor. Some performed without concern while others induced the visitor to Power Close. Though there was little of a routine to the uncertainty, it transpired most often with 720p movies, despite many going magnificently. Looking in common, however, is an excellent and simple practical knowledge and challenges any present day Android cell cellphone system in that regard.
Because the Optimus 2X comes with a very capable design brand with its two CPUs, nVidia thought it would be an excellent choice to present some film game titles that are improved for the chipset. Tegra Location is a place to try and buy film game titles especially ideal for its equipment, and while many would dispute this furthers fragmentation of the Android cell cellphone program and components market place, no one is moaning about the film game titles themselves.
We discovered ourselves playing Pinball HD, a wonderful video game with three high-definition levels and lots of replay value. Even if you never like pinball, it’s one of those film game titles to show off your new cell phone's design features to your jealous friends.
The Optimus 2X did very well in artificial criteria, too. The Quadrant standard selection averaged a report of 2407, a little above other Tegra2 equipment (though the Atrix makes at a higher solution, biasing the effects of the 2X somewhat). Linkpack results were a reasonable 42MFLOPS on the multi-core examine, and SmartBench 2011, our new go-to selection, generated a reasonable 2671/2544 on Productiveness and Games respectively. Examine that to the normal New samsung Universe S II which is inventory 1.2Ghz (3861/2244) and you have got yourself quite the achiever, especially when it comes to film game titles.
Camera
The 8MP photographic camera on the Optimus 2X is excellent for a few essential reasons. One, it is super fast; two, the program is custom made by LG, and it’s wonderful.
One of the few places where LG decreased their feet into changing the center Android cell cellphone programs, the photographic camera app has one-touch use of all essential toggles and configuration settings in an screen that, as opposed to the inventory app, is not an eye sore. Incorporating functions such as ongoing chance and a very awesome surroundings method, firing with the normal configuration settings usually changes out distinct, correct colors and a lot of aspect. Even in more dark places the Optimus 2X works quite well, though images have a modest green dash to them.
In all conditions there is more audio than we’d like to see, likely due to an over active sharpness filtration. In contrast to very similar HTC equipment, however, there is no choice to adapt sharpness, though you can by hand adapt the ISO up to 800 as well as brightness (exposure) ±2. In shiny or warm areas the auto ISO changed itself to 100 or 200 and audio was minimal; inside it usually kept at 800 creating some very grainy images. It’s possible to focus by holding anywhere on the present screen, which is valued.
The system also has a front-facing photographic camera that, at 1.3MP, is much more useful than most VGA fps that you can buy. Appropriate for mirror images and the periodic film talk, offered the Optimus 2X is improved to Android cell cellphone 2.3.4, it operate excellent with GTalk for film.
As with most dual-core equipment that you can buy, the Optimus 2X can take film up to 1080p, and like its still images, the effects are amazingly excellent. Frame charges are dependable at 24fps until action gets large, and even then artifacting is kept to a least. It limbs 720p at 30fps, which we proferred, as the excellent quality was only a little more cost-effective while the quality substantially so. Shirt is highly effective, and though only taken in mono, audio excellent quality is too. There was a bit more artifacting that we’d like to see at substantial solutions, but that is more due to the selection bitrate than the excellent quality of indicator.
Connectivity and System Performance
A few weeks ago, WIND started offering the understanding of speech calling going over its network by way of the HD Voice method that we presented in the Htc C5-04 assessment. Adequate it to say, while there have been a few equipment presented since then, which include the Nexus S, to aid this function, we still could not discover another person using WIND and a appropriate cellphone to examine out the function.
Call excellent quality, even without HD Voice, is good over WIND’s network, offered you have a highly effective transmission. When we do not, usually while inside or covering behind definite support beams, calling sometimes decreased, but the situations were unusual. Since looking at the C5-04, the service provider has also substantially improved its network, branching western previous Oakville into Hamilton, and eastern deeply into Oshawa. Protection in the GTA is usually better than the similar cellphone on Mobilicity, though there are areas in the city where one is healthier than the other. Neither are ready to tackle the incumbents for nationwide insurance plan yet, but in their center places (Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver) both WIND and Mobilicity are increasing.
Data charges of speed are also an region in which WIND has been trying to improve, and we can fortunately say they are better than they were six weeks ago but still well below the incumbents. We arrived at a typical of 1Mbps obtain and 150kbps publish, despite it assisting 21Mbps/5.76Mbps respectively. Obviously still within the world of 3G, we are used to seeing charges of speed in excess of 4Mbps/2Mbps on Gong or Telus, and a little less than that on Rogers. It was a significant concern when browsing or getting large information files, and we often regretted not having a WiFi transmission around to give us a enhance.
In terms of connections, the Optimus 2X is no slump over. HDMI-out and DLNA service bring simple movie-sharing features to it, while WiFi b/g/n and Wireless 2.1 with A2DP service game out the situation. DLNA options are quickly designed through the Settings app.
Battery Life
In a word: meh. The 1500mAh battery energy provides enough liquid for most peoples’ day, but it’s not enough to ensure you will not need a battery charger by 6pm. We discovered that using it in our regular way, with a press mail consideration, a take mail consideration, historical previous Tweets improvements, 10-15 images, some text messages, browsing and a pair 5-10 minute calling presented it to the red zone by 4pm.
Used a little more sensibly and battery energy prospective buyers improve drastically. Rumour has it that there will be some major solutions in the Gingerbread up-date, as battery energy concerns have affected the G2x and Optimus 2X since its generate taken in The united states and The european union. Unsurprisingly LG missed to take benefits of the power-sipping characteristics of the Tegra2 nick, and have guaranteed to include things like the changes in the up-date. The business did guarantee and never provide Gingerbread by early May, so when WIND clients will see Android cell cellphone 2.3 is up in the air.
There is trust, however: see Coughing below.
Android: Naked
This is what we like to see. A holdover from the T-Mobile G2x (despite being called the Optimus 2X, the style no. P999 is actually similar to its United states counterpart) WIND’s edition too uses a inventory Android cell cellphone screen. While sacrificing some of the size that elevates HTC, New samsung and The Ericsson equipment, it is a welcome reprieve to use Android cell cellphone as it was used to be: pristine and small. And for your money, you are getting no service provider or producer bloatware, either.
While it keeps all of Google’s inventory programs, which include the rather homely-looking Dialler and Music programs out of the box it does not have little in ability. When you first hint into it you will be requested to log in to your The look for engines consideration. If you use it for such elements, your date and acquaintances, along with your images and mail will be synced to the cell phone's center programs. One of our favorite functions of Android cell cellphone, its reasoning syncing capabilities, makes it increasingly simple to move equipment without sacrificing much of your information. And since you have use of the Android cell cellphone industry, and all your previously obtained programs under the same The look for engines consideration, your products comes with you, too.
There are certain elements missing from the practical knowledge, however: as described, some of the center programs such as the dialler and audio shortage develop or functions, and are rather unsightly. Effortlessly treated by getting third-party choices from the wide Android cell cellphone Marketplace, it is an unwanted basic need however. A nice holding, though, is that when you hold down the app cabinet popular (the little facts in the base center of the house screen) for a second, a examine of each desltop bursts up with the choice of holding one to quickly get around.
There are some factors of Froyo that we’d rather put behind us. In addition to the cream-coloured stylings, the Froyo key pad is dreadful. When you use it for initially, appreciate that this was not one of Android’s best blemishes and that the concern has since been fixed in Gingerbread. Fortunately for us, we never have to wait for an OS up-date to update our keyboard; simply look for for “Gingerbread Keyboard” in the Marketplace to get breaking. Confidence us, you will not rue it.
HDMI-out is offered via a cord that is not offered, so make sure to buy one if you want to take benefits of the 1080p replicating features. The Optimus 2X can enjoy again DivX, H.264 and most high-bitrate movies natively, but certain information files, which include some xVid .AVI information files that enjoy without concern on our computer declined to work on the involved Training video Player. Fortunately there are variety choices in the Marketplace, which include our favorite VPlayer, which, for $4.99, performs essentially everything. You can set HDMI solution in the Settings, though it will try to diagnose it immediately based on your television’s solution.
Happily, the Optimus 2X delivers with 8GB of inner storage region, of which 5.4GB is available for common submit storage region and 1.35GB for application storage region. It also has an empty microSD position with service for up to 32GB cards.
Hackability
The LG Optimus 2X, which as reported is more like a G2x, is a hacker’s wish cellphone. Since the bootloader comes revealed out of the box, it is very simple to set up a custom made restoration ROM on it, which allows for such sexy practices as the installation of CyanogenMOD 7, our favorite custom made Android cell cellphone ROM (which happens to be going the newest edition 2.3.4). CM7 improves battery energy substantially by completely spinning LG’s kernel, and features the newest edition of The look for engines Talk which service film via the front-facing photographic camera. Go through more about it at CyanogenMOD.com, or go to the G2x online community at XDA-Developers.com to get your hacking job started. We’re absolutely hooked.
If boasting custom made ROMs is not your thing, perhaps custom made popcorn kernels are. Since its generate the Optimus 2X has proven quite the overclocking student, defeating out even the New samsung Universe S II in criteria when clocked substantial enough. Out of the box the O2X works at 1Ghz on both cores, but can properly be improved 50% to 1.5Ghz for a huge speed improve (at the cost of battery energy, and perhaps the daily lifetime of your system, so be warned).
Conclusions
At $445 overall (and $295 on the WIND Tab), the Optimus 2X is one of the most affordable high-end Android cell cellphone equipment we’ve used. It does not outshine Samsung’s or HTC’s flagships, but instead drifts just distinct, rivalling with even the Universe S II despite its more cost-effective admittance way.
It’s got an excellent present screen, excellent operation and an excellent progression area. It’s also used up with some of the smallest cost programs in Canada: for $55/month, you generally get endless everything (see WIND’s cost plans) which include information (subject to reasonable use policy) when in a Household Location. It’s not for everyone: the service region is not nationwide, running on Rogers’ network when outside the WIND Household edge, and at 25c/min for speech and $1/MB it can add up. But WIND also has the same charges for US running which is a much more cost-effective choice than the incumbents’ deals; for anyone a typical visitor to the Declares, and usually stay in your WIND Household region when in United states, these are the best rate programs in the country.
It’s also WIND Mobile’s best cellphone, and if you are set on the service provider, or already a customer and looking to update, the LG Optimus 2X is your best bet.
Rating: 8/10
Pros:
- Excellent performance
- Good excellent quality and design
- Beautiful IPS present (with caveats)
- Life-like photographic camera images and simple 1080p video
- Operating inventory Android cell cellphone with no bloatware
- Excellent cost for a dual-core smartphone
- Good speech quality
- Fanstastic hackability and progression community
Cons:
- All-plastic style sometimes creaks
- Egregious battery energy life
- Operating year-old Android cell cellphone code
- Quality management concerns with present screen backlight bleeding
Categories:
cellphone,
electronics,
lg
