LG launches its first quad-core smartphone

MANILA, Philippines - It’s LG’s first ultra-fast, quad-core smartphone and it’s called, appropriately enough, the Optimus 4X HD.

Having made its worldwide debut at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain early this year, the new Optimus 4X HD is set to spice up the fast-paced local smartphone scene with the announcement of its Philippine availability.

Featuring NVIDIA’s 4-PLUS-1 quad-core mobile processor, Tegra3, the Optimus 4X HD boasts new levels of performance and speed.

Tegra3 automatically activates all four cores when maximum power is needed but defaults to the fifth battery-saver core when less power is required, such as during standby mode or music playback mode.

And via the exclusive Eco-Mode application which will be provided with the software upgrade, users can manually shut down any of the Tegra3’s cores for even more control over power consumption and performance. 

What’s more, with a 2,150-mAh battery — the largest among quad-core smartphones — and proprietary SiO+ technology, the battery in the Optimus 4X HD is able to hold a greater charge without adding bulk to the handset’s slim lines.

Speaking of lines, if you are the type who goes for minimalist styling, you will love the Optimus 4X HD’s look. Being less curvy than its competitors, it sports an angular and sharply rectangular design, which LG dubs “prism-edged.”

Measuring 132.4 x 68.1 x 8.9 mm and weighing 133 grams, it fits and feels perfect in the palm of a hand. The plastic and textured removable back panel adds a nice grip to the phone. The Corning Gorilla Glass-covered screen helps showcase the 4X HD’s vivid display and rich, bright colors.

The 4X HD boasts an expansive 4.7-inch True HD-IPS LCD capacitive touch screen which has a resolution of 1280 x 720. The screen’s 16:9 aspect ratio allows for viewing more information at a glance and the unit’s high pixel density of 313 ppi and Stripe RGB IPS Panel displays sharper and crisper text.

The Optimus 4X HD provides a white background for the e-mail and message screen that users frequently use while True HD IPS allows for more accurate reproduction of white that enhances readability.

The phone runs on the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich with the Optimus UI 3.0, which includes QuickMemo, allowing users the ability to instantly jot down memos or notes from any screen without having to open a separate application.

The Optimus 4X HD also comes with MediaPLex, which combines a range of functions to enhance image and video playback such as Fingertip Seek and Live Zooming.

MediaPlex also includes Time Catch Slot, which allows one to select and save the best shot among the images taken just before the button is pressed.

Internal storage is at 16GB and 1GB RAM, which can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD.

It features an 8MP main camera with autofocus and LED flash and a 1.3MP front camera. It can also shoot videos 1080p at 30 frames per second.

Other features include Near Field Communications (NFC), stereo FM radio with RDS, document editor, and active noise cancellation with dedicated mic that works for your voice calls and even for video and audio recording.

Price-wise, the Optimus 4X HD retails for P27,990, making it the most affordable quad-core smartphone in the market.