Ever since phone processing units have reached the 1GHz mark, people were waiting for dual core devices. Now, the people from LG decided to turn this dream into reality with the LG Optimus 2X. This superior processing power is the easiest way to get to 1080p video recording from a phone and you can enjoy the result through the mini-HDMI port. Plus, you can be sure that the applications will run and load much faster than they used to and that you won’t have to sit and wait around for the phone to respond to your actions.
Design
As usual, you won’t be shocked by the design. The LG logo is placed above the touch screen, which takes most of the front side of the phone. A few touch sensitive buttons are placed on the bottom side and you will also find a front facing camera on the top right side of this device. The phone is black and it has a sliver line running on its edges. This is where you will find all of the ports, along with the volume rocker. A 3.5 mm headphone jack is located on the top side of the phone, right next to the power button and the mini-HDMI port. The miniUSB port is located on the bottom edge right in between the speakers. If you flip the phone over, you will see a nice design change; a thin sliver strip runs across the middle of the phone right to the 8MP camera. On the opposite side of the strip, the LG logo is present once again. The phone is only 0.43 inches thin and 5 ounces heavy, so it will easily fit in your pocket and it won’t slow you down.
Features
This phone runs on Android 2.2 and even if it comes with only 512MB of RAM, the 1GHz dual processing unit certainly makes up for it. On the downside, you will only receive 8GB of internal memory, so you should considering getting a 32GB microSD card before you start recording full HD videos or playing around with the camera.
Browsing the internet is this phone’s strong point because of the large screen and very powerful processor. The 3G 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity also helps, so as soon as you click on the browser, the phone will be ready to go. Pages load instantly and surfing through them is even quicker. This is where the true power of a dual core processor is shown, but the touch screen might have some problems keeping up. You will find yourself tapping the screen in the wrong place or having problems scrolling because your touch isn’t registering properly, at least until you get used to this device. The four inch screen is perfect for any type of online action and you will enjoy the details from the 800 x 480 pixel resolution. Streaming videos is fast and the quality is above average.
The 8MP camera is definitely powerful in theory and so is the 1080p recording power of the LG Optimus 2X. However, if you put it to use, you might notice a couple of flaws. If you decide to record a video in 1080p, the frame rate will drop at 24 frames per second, while 720p can be offered at 30 fps. This will put you in a predicament because there are some situations in which lower resolution is better as long as you can maintain a high frame per second rate. Taking pictures is a lot easier, especially considering the multitude of adjustments you can make before snapping the photo. You can change the focus mode, pick a new scene mode, and adjust the ISO setting. If this isn’t enough for you, you can play with the color effects, use image stabilization or adjust the white balance. All of these options are more than enough for anyone and you will be able to take perfect pictures if you know how to adjust the settings. If you are feeling artistic, you can even choose the panorama shot mode and take a nice picture in just a few seconds.
If you want to connect your phone to your TV screen, you can definitely try it and you might even enjoy the result. The phone is still very responsive even if you are watching it on a large screen and you can play videos, games or simply look around the menu without having any problems. Streaming videos from YouTube is also quite entertaining and you should give it a go.
Apps are available on the LG Optimus 2X and many of them are preinstalled. If you want to check your social network accounts, there are plenty of apps to do so and everything works incredibly smooth. Google Maps has never worked faster on a mobile device, so you should give it a try.
Pros and Cons
The LG Optimus 2X surprises in many ways thanks to its incredible processing speed and a few other aspects. This phone is great for any online activity, playing games, and media playback. You can record a movie and play it on your TV in just a few minutes, the phone will respond instantly to your actions and there is little this device can’t do. If you want a Smartphone that runs everything smoothly and without problems, this is definitely the best one on the market.
If you have to find a flaw for the LG Optimus 2X, it’s the video camera. Even if it can record 1080p videos, the quality is somehow below what you’d expect. The frame rate should have been a little bit higher for an excellent result.
Conclusion
In the end, the LG Optimus 2X lives up to the expectations and you will enjoy using this phone on a day-to-day basis. The dual core processing unit is not just a marketing line and the difference will be obvious as soon as you hit the menu button and start using the touch screen.
