We all know about LG Optimus G that was released by the end of last year. Optimus G turned out to be one of the best smartphones in the industry today. It also got featured in our list of most durable smartphones. The power-packed Optimus G has 13 MP camera, 4.7 inch 318 ppi display, which LG markets as ‘true HD’. It is not Full HD 1080p. You can spot the differences in our 4K TV article.
Optimus G is also the hardware behind Google’s Nexus 4. Within a few days, we will see an upgraded version of Optimus G in the form of LG Optimus G Pro. Let’s look at the details here.
Technical Specifications
LG very recently released the technical specifications of the new Optimus G Pro. Here is a comparison between the models.
| Feature |
 LG Optimus G Pro |
 LG Optimus G |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.5 inch Full HD (1920×1080) 400ppi | 4.7 inch ‘True HD’ (1280×768) 318ppi | ||
| Processor | Snapdragon 600 quad-core 1.7 GHz | Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz | ||
| Graphics Processor | Adreno 320 | Adreno 320 | ||
| Memory | 2 GB | 2 GB | ||
| Storage | 32 GB with MicroSD support for up to 64 GB | 32 GB (MicroSD support available on select models) | ||
| Operating System | Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 | Android 4.0 ICS (Sprint version gets 4.1.2 Jelly Bean) | ||
| Camera | 13 MP; 2.1 MP front | 13 MP (1080p HD video recording); 1.3 MP front | ||
| Battery | 3140 mAh (removable) | 2100 mAh (10 hrs 3G talk time) | ||
| Dimensions | Length | 150.2 mm | Length | 131.9 mm |
| Width | 76.1 mm | Width | 68.9 mm | |
| Depth | 9.4 mm | Depth | 8.5 mm | |
| Weight | 172 g | Weight | 145 g | |
| Connectivity | LTE, HSPA+, EV-DO, Bluetooth 4, NFC, Wi-Fi Direct | LTE, HSPA +, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4, NFC | ||
As you can see, G Pro does have amazing new features. It is a true upgrade to the existing Optimus G. LG will unveil the device in the Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain. The smartphone is expected to arrive in the market by the second quarter of 2013, within a few months from now.
You probably remember we covered the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 & 800 processors. They are expected to be the next big thing in mobile processors. LG and Qualcomm have long-standing relationship in which the chipmaker has powered most of LG’s smartphones. LG has only occasionally used chips from other manufacturers (Optimus 4X with Tegra 3 and Optimus Black & Bright with Texas Instruments OMAP). Snapdragon 600 and 800 are expected to be the fastest processors in the industry today. They were released by the CEO of Qualcomm, Dr. Paul Jacobs in an event in the Consumer Electronics Show last month.
LG Optimus G Pro is an extra-tough smartphone. It has DuPont Kevlar (the tough fiber used in bulletproof vests) at the back. That doesn’t necessarily mean the smartphone is bulletproof. That’s not all; the Kevlar back is reinforced with a coating of Corning Gorilla Glass 2.
On the front of the smartphone also, you have Gorilla Glass 2 protection in Optimus G. About Optimus G Pro we are not sure if they have upgraded it to Gorilla Glass 3, which was released in CES. Recently, Engadget reported Optimus G Pro as having curved glass. The curved glass product manufactured by Corning is Willow. We don’t have any indication of Willow being used in Optimus G Pro.
Optimus G Pro has all the features that you look for on a high-end smartphone—LTE, NFC, huge camera, 1080p HD display, big-ass battery, etc.
Conclusion
So, who will compete with Optimus G Pro? There is for sure one coming up in a day from now. HTC M7 will be launched on Feb 19; yes, tomorrow. HTC website has a beautiful countdown in place. There are all kinds of rumors about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV as well. Optimus G has been quite a success with LG, with the smartphone selling more than a million units already. LG is also making money with its Nexus 4 device, which is also getting rave reviews.
[Update: ]
The long-awaited LG Optimus G Pro smartphone has come to the market. It is now available via Best Buy (AT&T) for an activated price of 199 dollars or 749 unactivated.
[Image: Engadget, GSMArena]