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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TheJian - Wednesday, September 5, 2012 - link
I'm not sure any of these benchmarks even matter. It's kind of like benchmarking office and how fast it waits on me to type in word. Until they start benchmarking ACTUAL games (which is the only way I know how to judge one vs. the other and my fun on them out to a tv :)), the only other interesting thing is battery life.I can't play sunspider (it's not a game last I checked), have no interest in linpak etc. I want to know how they perform when output to TV over hdmi and using my xbox360 controller to have some fun. Consoles days are numbered, but I guess they can breathe easy until we start getting some real benchmarks that actually tell us something. The same can be said about bandwidth memory tests on desktops etc. All pointless accept to prove your stuff is operating correctly. I can't have fun or get any work done running sandra benchmarks ;) So who cares? I can't wait for a GAME mobile phone benchmark (I mean a real game, not some 3dmark crap for phones). Fraps for phones? :) SeeMeGaming? As Vivek already said, pretty much anything runs fine on all the latest phones. So gaming will be the differentiators.
piroroadkill - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
One thing: I wish manufacturers would stop using Tegra 3 in phones.Use Dual core Krait, and increase the size of the battery... and then we're talking.
krazyfrog - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Your weather widget is showing Seattle weather but your network ID is Airtel. It seems you are based out of India. :)krazyfrog - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Never mind. Commented before I saw the camera page.rocketbuddha - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
The picture of the temple seems to be the Madurai Meenakshiamman temple.VivekGowri - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Thillai Natraja Kovil in Chidhambaram.Belard - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Ya still get slapped anyway... :)*slap!!*
VivekGowri - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
Screenshots/images taken at different times, so some happened while I was in India, some after I got back to Seattle :)jramskov - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
LG doesn't exactly have the best track record in that regard...cserwin - Wednesday, August 29, 2012 - link
As a G2X owner, I would say that you will never see an update.The G2X has soured me on Android completely. It's pushed me into community supported ROMs just to have some semblance of a functional smart phone. And bless their hearts, but the community support for this phone has been marginal - soured by poor driver support from NVIDIA and LG.
This stuff is sold in the U.S. on 2 year commitments. But the manufacturers and carriers aren't committed 5 minutes to this hardware.
Really, how much research should I need to do before I purchase a smartphone with a decent feature set and expect it to work? It is complete bullshit the level of quality and consistency in the Android ecosystem, and LG wears the crown for putting lipstick on a pig.
This phone will never be updated. And it will fail you weekly.