It made news, and heck, the Guinness Book of World Records, as the world’s first smartphone with a dual core processor. And it is also LG’s boldest step into the high-end smartphone segment in recent times, with respectable hardware built around aforementioned chip, leading many to predict that it would emerge as a contender (to quote Brando, Marlon) among the many high-profile devices – the Galaxy S2 and the iPhone 4, to mention just two – that are expected in the Indian market in the coming days. But does the LG Optimus 2X (or the P990, to give it its proper moniker) deliver on its innards and almost Dickensian Great Expectations? We have been using it for a few days now. Hit the jump to get our pennyworth.
Looks
In terms of appearance, the 2X is more Meryl Streep than Megan Fox. The look is understated and the design minimalistic. To put it bluntly, you are not going to really pay attention to it unless you are really close to it. The 4-inch TFT display seems to curve just a little outwards (not as much as in the Acer Liquid Metal, but enough to be noticeable) and predictably dominates the jet black front, below which are four touch keys for menu, home, back and search, while the top right corner has a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. We would have preferred proper keys instead of touch ones, but in terms of pure design, it works. The lower side of the phone has dual speakers that seem right out of iPhone 4 territory, only with a micro USB port between them, while the top has the screen and power on/off button, a covered HDMI port and a 3.5 mm jack. The left side of the phone is totally bare, and the right only has the volume buttons on it – we told you the look was minimalistic, no room even for a camera button, alas! In fact, the only touch of flair on the handset is on its back – where a vertical metal band with the word “with Google” seems to flow downwards from the 8.0-megapixel camera with LED flash. The build is mainly plastic but very solid indeed. The phone does seem a bit long (perhaps the bezel below the display could have been smaller) but is comfortable to hold – no moving parts or rough edges. People are unlikely to give it more than a passing glance in this era of large display handsets, but neither are they likely to go “Eurgh!”
Hardware
The 1 GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor might have grabbed all the headlines in the publicity surrounding the Optimus 2X, but there is more to the handset than just the first dual core processor seen in phonedom. For starters, it has a capacitive touchscreen with the now-standard 800×480 resolution that we have come to expect in large display Android handsets, the first camera in a smartphone in India to record full HD video (1080p) and in terms of connectivity, everything from HSDPA and 3G to Wi-Fi to HDMI to GPS and Bluetooth. We would in particular like to draw attention to the fact that LG has thrown in an HDMI cable in the package along with the phone – a very thoughtful touch, as the things not just cost a few extra bucks but can also sometimes be a pain to find. On the sensor side, it has an accelerometer and a gyroscope. Onboard memory of the handset stands at a very decent 6.4GB (1.3 GB of internal phone storage and 5.1 GB of internal SD storage) which can be expanded with a microSD card to 32GB. At 512 MB, the RAM seems a bit on the lesser side when compared to the likes of the HTC Incredible S (768 MB) and the other dual core in the market, the Galaxy S2 (1GB), but is in fact pretty much par for the course for a high-end smartphone, as is the 1500 mAh battery that resides in the back. Talking of the back, after our struggles with some handsets, we are just so happy to see a back cover come off with so little fuss.
Software
The Optimus 2X has been released running Android 2.2 (Froyo), which truth be told, is a bit of a disappointment on such good hardware for our techie side, but will not make that much of a difference to most general consumers. LG has draped a skin over Froyo with seven customisable homecreens and a steady four-icon toolbar on the bottom, but it is nowhere as comprehensive as Samsung’s TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense, so one pretty much gets a standard Android experience from it. We slapped Launcher Pro on to it for a much more jazzy and let’s face it, faster, experience. The standard Android goodies such as integration with Gmail, maps and social networks are there and so are some apps from LG’s side, including its App Advisor, F-Secure security app, an e-mail client with support for MS Exchange, Polaris Office for accessing files on the device and on Box.net, and LG’s apps for Twitter, My Space and Facebook. We were however surprised to see no apps or games designed to make the most of the device’s processing muscle – even the Tegra Zone app that recommends apps to run on Tegra 2 devices was not installed (we got it off the Android Market pronto). The only preloaded game was Real Darts, which is not really the best advertisement for the handset. And a word about the onscreen keyboard – although relatively spacious, its predictive text can be hell, so we would suggest subbing it with Better Keyboard from the Android Market.
Performance
A general user is unlikely to see a rush of speed when they use the Optimus 2X. The handset performs most general tasks at a decent clip which is pretty much on par with that seen on other high end Android devices sporting single core 1GHz processors. However, up the ante a bit and the Tegra 2 difference starts to come out. For one, multi-tasking does tend to happen more smoothly and with hardly any lags. For another, applications like AutoCAD WS and Firefox that seemed to slow down and sometimes struggle on other phones, simply fly along on this one. And grab Dungeon Defenders or Asphalt 6 from the Market to get an idea of just how buttery smooth gaming can be on the handset – it actually can even work as a remote when you connect to a larger screen using the HDMI cable. We attached it to our our Bravia, and believe us, for a while, we did not really regret disconnecting the PS3 (for the record, it works fine for watching movies and videos too). Only for a while, though – after that it was back to L.A. Noire. On the browsing front, it handled multiple tabs, Flash websites and videos without any trouble at all. Yep, dual core does make a difference but you need the apps to make it happen, and as of now, there are not too many around. Which just makes us wonder why LG, in its infinite wisdom, did not include the ones that were at least there.
The processor apart, the most outstanding performer on the handset is the camera. In sunlight, we got very decent shots which were not too far off those we had on the Xperia Arc, although colours were not as bright as on that worthy, and the interface took some getting used to, even though it did offer a variety of modes (panorama, macro, et al). Video was very good too, although if you are recording something hectic, we would advise going for the 720p mode rather than the full monty 1080p, as the recording seems clearer there. Given the camera quality, we really think LG should have thrown in a dedicated camera button on the 2X – this is by far one of the better cameras we have seen on an Android device. On the other fronts, the 2x performed nobly. Call quality was very good, although just short of Motorola class, and while GPS occasionally took its time locking on to satellites, for the most part, it worked fine. We had no complaints on signal quality either. Sound and video were very good too. The display itself was one of the better ones we have seen this side of an AMOLED one. Battery life was standard for a large screen, touchscreen device running Android – a day and half if you nurse it carefully and about a day if you keep everything running. We are sure the Android 2.3 update which is expected in June, will improve matters, but as much, we are not too unhappy with what we have.
Conclusion
So where does all that leave the Optimus 2X? Well, judging by what we have seen, we have no hesitation calling one of the best Android handsets we have used. Yes, for the general user, it will not seem too different from others that have slower processors on paper, but if you are the type that likes to push your phone a few yards further and like to use apps that need lots of processing juice, then this is perhaps the phone for you. Heck, we can go out on a limb and say that for Rs 26,500 (its price), it is perhaps the best smartphone you can get right now. It might not seem to be significantly faster at first than the likes of the Desire HD, the Xperia Arc or the Incredible S, but push it, and it flies. There will be phones that can do more. But not at that price. Ladies and gentlemen, LG has a contender!
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