LG Optimus 3D

Editor's Review of the Optimus 3D

LG isn't one for missing trends. First it bought us the Optimus 2X - the first dual-core smartphone to hit the UK, and now it's taken the plunge into the world of 3D to bring the world's first 'glasses free' phone - LG Optimus 3D - to British soil. Now, the question on all of our lips: Is it simply a novelty feature with no future, or is it a revolutionary device in 3D content creation? Read our hands-on review to find out...

Design & Build

Optimus 3D Dimensions

The LG Optimus 3D is one bulky, solid slab of a smartphone at 11.9mm thick, and seems fairly weighty at 168g. Although it took a lot of thumb stretching and and felt heavy in the hand, this adds somewhat of a sturdy feel, a feature that is missing from a lot of its rivals.

It's certainly not a 'pretty' phone either, sporting a matte black battery cover dressed with faux-metal edges. Although this rules out getting fashionistas onboard, it certainly oozes high-end appeal - despite the flimsy plastic back panel/ The handset's also an nightmare for fingerprint marks though, which somewhat dirties-up its otherwise luxurious exterior.

Optimus 3D

Now - the screen, the main selling point of the Optimus 3D. The 4.3-inch capacitive display covers the front and the palm-filling handset, and arrives rocking a decent 480 x 800 pixel resolution. This may not be on par with the Sensation's qHD resolution, but we struggled to notice much difference between them. It's pixel count isn't all the matters anyway, as it excelled at delivering up vibrant, deep colours.

Optimus 3D Menu

As you may have guessed, the screen is also 3D - making it the first phone to deliver 'glasses free' content. Although not apparent from the handset's main interface, a tap of the '3D' button will fire up LG's standalone 3D Space app - which offers a revolving menu full of three-dimensional content. The 3D is seriously impressive, and the phone uses the same parallax barrier display tech as Nintendo's 3DS, giving the impression of depth inside the screen.

While LG have already managed to sell us on the 3D idea with it's eye-popping menu - there is a bit of a downside. We found ourselves squinting, and shaking the phone to find the best viewing angles, which can become frustrating and made us look a bit crazy. After around 30 minutes of 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing', we did experience some slight dizziness too, although this is only likely to affect a handful of users, and hopefully only during initial use.

Of course, lets not forget what's under the hood. The LG Optimus 3D packs a 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor, making a break from the Tegra 2 we?ve seen in most other high-end devices. There's no doubting - the LG Optimus 3D is fast, but compared to the likes of the Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation, firing up apps seemed a little sluggish in comparison, and the device itself took a while to get going.

OS & Interface

The LG Optimus 3D comes running Android 2.2, and although we're disappointed with the decision to stick with Froyo, LG is promising an imminent upgrade to Gingerbread.

Atop its Android OS is the same Optimus UI as found on the LG Optimus 2X, with some added 3D tweaks. The interface is similar to Samsung's TouchWiz UI, offering-up seven customizable homescreens to decorate as you wish. The homescreen comes pre-dressed in LG's own weather widget and clock - in 2D, unfortunately - and with a permanent menu bar sat along the button.

Social Aggregator

LG have also dressed the handset with its Social+ aggregator widget, with combines your Facebook, Twitter and Email feeds into one handy list. We found this impressive both visually and in terms of functionality - although it's still not quite on par with HTC's FriendStream.

Elsewhere, the main application menu is split into LG's usual sections - this time with the addition of a 3D-widget organizer. Customizing is just as easy as ever, and you simply hold down an app to place it on the homescreen.

Multimedia & Storage

If you're looking for an entertainment device, then look no further than the Optimus 3D. Before going into its 3D smarts, it's worth pointing out that it's a great 2D device, too. Although light on features, the onboard music player proved extremely functional, and handy controls have been added to the handset's homescreen. The built-in speakers are extremely loud too, and can push music to full volume without any distortion. This is even better when paired with headphones - and there's a built-in equalizer for tweaking the sound to suit your style of music.

It's also capable of capturing 2D stills and 1080p 2D footage, which proved extremely detailed and full of depth. However, one niggly feature is that the camera seemed to default back to 2D every time - although that's could just be us being picky.

Optimus 3D Camera Screen

Now, onto the exciting stuff: the 3D cameras. The handset sports dual 5 megapixel stereoscopic cameras, capable of capturing both three-dimensional stills and 3D footage in 720p HD. We'll be honest, capturing photos took a while to get used to, and we quickly learnt that close-up shots were a definite no-go. However, once once we got the hang of it we were pretty amazed at the high-quality photos, which show extreme depth and suprisingly-clear detail. We were even more wow'ed by the 3D video, and the 3D effect when viewing video on the phone's glasses-free display is excellent.

For sharing your images and 3D video, there's a HDMI port onboard, alongside wireless streaming via DLNA - but you'll have to own a 3D TV to make the most of these features. However, the quickest way to share you content is via the built-in YouTube application, where your footage can be viewed in all its 3D glory. You can also fire-off content to Facebook and Picasa - although those 3D effects won't be visible.

Admittedly, we had a bit of a problem with viewing photos on our PC - as images are savings in a .JPS file. However, if you change the extension to JPS yourself - you can see the raw images, although not in 3D.

The 3D fun doesn't stop there, as gaming is another of the handset's selling points. The Optimus 3D comes with three pre-installed 3D titles: Nova, Asphalt 6 and Lets Golf 2 - undoubtedly the best of the trio. The games look pretty cool but try not to get hooked - as the 3D effect took a strain on our eyes.

Storage-wise the Optimus 3D comes with 8GB of built-in storage, which means you can get going straight away without forking out for a microSD card. Still, there's the option to expand up to 32GB, which sould be ample storage for all your 3D goodies.

Everything Else

Besides its 3D smarts, internet on the Optimus 3D is one of its stand-out features. It's dual-core innards coupled with HSDPA and WiFi connectivity means there's rarely any lag when loading up pages. LG has also added a tab along the buttom of the browser, enabling you to switch between pages, add new favourites, and tweak site settings for optimum viewing.

Optimus 3D Browser

As you'd expect, the Android browser comes with text reflow support, which is accessed by a simply double-tap of the screen. You can also zoom further by pinching-and-zooming, although this frustratingly doesn't enable text to resize to fit the screen. With Android 2.2 onboard the Optimus 3D support Flash - and seemed to view content without any trouble.

Conclusion

If you're planning on investing in some 3D gadgetry, look no further than the Optimus 3D - the 3D is fun, the camera is excellent and it's certainly a phone to make your friends jealous. As a 'smartphone' however, it lacks the speed of the Galaxy S2 and the intuitive interface of the HTC Sensation, with only its 3D card left to play.