LG Optimus Pad
The LG Optimus Pad is an Android tablet capable of shooting 3D video and stills. Does this feature justify its high price? Find out in our full hands-on review.
While its 3D capability may be the feature that has caused the LG Optimus Pad to steal headlines, there are other things about it that grab the attention. The first is its price. At just shy of £700 inc VAT this is not a tablet for the faint hearted. And, with it 8.9 inch screen, it sits a little outside the norm in size terms.
While its 3D capability may be the feature that has caused the LG Optimus Pad to steal headlines, there are other things about it that grab the attention. The first is its price. At just shy of £700 inc VAT this is not a tablet for the faint hearted. And, with it 8.9 inch screen, it sits a little outside the norm in size terms.
Today’s tablets either have relatively small 7-inch screens or head out towards ten inches. Does 8.9 inches represent a good compromise?
Actually, we don’t think so. The larger screens are ideal for browsing the web and watching video, while smaller screened tablets are easier to carry and feel in many ways like giant smartphones rather than small tablets. The LG Optimus Pad is neither of these, and it feels like a compromise in everyday use.
The screen size does not go along with a relatively lightweight design, either. At 621g we noticed the weight in our hands after just a short time and would not want to hold the LG Optimus Pad for long periods one-handed. That noted, the build quality is very good with a tough plastic backplate that should take a fair few knocks.
The screen delivers 1280 x 768 pixels and it is of course capacitive. It has a wide aspect which makes some activities, such as browsing the web, rather unrewarding. In widescreen format there just isn’t enough depth to see a lot of web page content at once, and in tall mode you often have to scroll horizontally to read text.
We found the screen very slightly laggy in response to our fingers, and this despite the presence of an nVidia Tegra2 dual core 1GHz processor.
Actually, we don’t think so. The larger screens are ideal for browsing the web and watching video, while smaller screened tablets are easier to carry and feel in many ways like giant smartphones rather than small tablets. The LG Optimus Pad is neither of these, and it feels like a compromise in everyday use.
The screen size does not go along with a relatively lightweight design, either. At 621g we noticed the weight in our hands after just a short time and would not want to hold the LG Optimus Pad for long periods one-handed. That noted, the build quality is very good with a tough plastic backplate that should take a fair few knocks.
The screen delivers 1280 x 768 pixels and it is of course capacitive. It has a wide aspect which makes some activities, such as browsing the web, rather unrewarding. In widescreen format there just isn’t enough depth to see a lot of web page content at once, and in tall mode you often have to scroll horizontally to read text.
We found the screen very slightly laggy in response to our fingers, and this despite the presence of an nVidia Tegra2 dual core 1GHz processor.
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