Known as the LG Intuition in the USA, this smartphone has been introduced by LG as the LG Optimus Vu at Mobile World Congress. We had published a hands-on in early 2012. The goal for this device is to address the very large display smartphone market created by the Samsung Galaxy Note, which has sold more than 10M units since its launch.
The LG Optimus Vu adds a few things to this “phablet” category, including an ultra-wide display, a very fast user interface and some LG proprietary software. The main difference with the Galaxy Note is that the LG Intuition does not use a stylus, so keep that is a huge difference in my option.
It’s not always obvious from the photos, but this smart is huge, but the question is: how does it feel on a day-to-day basis, and I’ll try to answer that question for you. Let’s gear up for an LG Intuition deep dive… (more…)
It’s not uncommon for US carriers to take an international smartphone under their wings, make a few adjustments to hardware and firmware, stamp their fat logos in multiple places and then sell it to the masses. Verizon is no exception: the LG Intuition is its interpretation of the Optimus Vu, a 5-inch phablet we reviewed over the summer. Perhaps calling it an “interpretation” is a bit of an overstatement: aside from a bump in firmware and Big Red’s LTE, it is the Optimus Vu. In fact, going into this review, we had a difficult time believing our experience would be much different than our run-in with the Korean version.
Our first reaction is that this doesn’t bode well for the carrier. If Verizon opted for the Intuition in order to fill a gaping hole in its lineup, we have a hard time understanding why it would choose to greenlight this particular device with the Samsung Galaxy Note II coming within the next two months. The device’s quiet launch is a solid enough indication that the network isn’t planning on throwing a lot marketing dollars behind it, so it feels as though the Intuition’s main reason for existing is to bolster Verizon’s rapidly expanding LTE portfolio. Is there something intriguing about the Intuition ($200 with a two-year commitment) that wasn’t there when we first played with the Vu? Or will we find ourselves in the Twilight Zone, reliving the same moment over and over again? Let’s find out.
The folks at Verizon and LG have teamed up to bring you a device exclusive to the both of them here in the USA – the LG Intuition – made to take on the phablet segment of the market with a fury all its own. But what can LG offer the 5-inch display-toting smart device universe that the Samsung Galaxy Note (and now the Note II) haven’t already? Have a peek here at the one and only competing device to take on the larger than a smartphone but smaller than a tablet market currently on Verizon – and see if LG’s convinced us that a 4:3 aspect ratio display is all its cracked up to be!
Hardware
The LG Intuition is the USA version of the device we’ve known up unto this point as the LG Optimus Vu, it having been revealed earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The device we’re looking at now is essentially the same as it was in that first showing, here coming with what LG calls its Rubberdium Pen that works with any capacitive display-toting device, two LG Tag+ stickers that you can use to activate different phone modes using the Intuition’s NFC capabilities, and of course a charging cord for good measure.
This device works with a lovely 5-inch HD display at 1024 x 768 pixel resolution at a rather bright 650 NIT. The display is an odd 4:3 aspect ratio, that being the same as the first three iPads, with the same amount of pixels too. Now that those pixels are smashed down into a much smaller display, you’ve got a rather sharp and bright – and colorful – vision in your hand – or hands, as it were.
The back of the device is made of a soft plastic that’s almost rubbery, this making a great case for the idea that this could be a one-handed device – but you’re certainly not going to get away with doing much other than scrolling with one hand unless you’re a giant. Two-handed operation here feels much more natural. If LG’s aim here is to replace your tablet – and it is – then they’re doing it right.
If LG’s aim instead is to replace your smartphone, a smartphone that you’ve gotten used to working with using a display that’s closer to 4-inches for many moons, they may have a bit larger of a challenge on their hands. This device, like the Galaxy Note, looks a bit absurd to be holding up to your head to make a call. LG suggested to us that this device will make a great case for people to be using Bluetooth headsets to avoid such odd looks – but then again that adds another component where this device’s aim was supposedly to replace two.
The Rubberdium pen, too, is interesting to use, but because it really doesn’t do anything that a normal capacitive-friendly stylus wouldn’t be able to – it’s definitely not contending for any top spot in the pen-included smart device market. It’s a sturdy accessory, but it also doesn’t fit in a dock inside the device as Samsung’s S-Pen for the Note does. It feels much more natural to just use your finger for circling items and making notes with the Intuition.
This device has 1GB of RAM inside alongside a dual-core Snapdragon S3 processor clocked at 1.5GHz. That’s basically the same as what we saw in the tiny LG Lucid back in March of this year. LG informs us that the S3 should be perfectly capable of bringing on awesome “multitasking muscle” even if it’s not the newest architecture on the block – and for the most part we’ve seen that to be true in everyday use. Have a peek at a few benchmark tests here to see how it adds up:
Software
Inside of this device you’ll find LG’s newest user interface working with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. You’ve got the regular awesome abilities of ICS such as a Recent Apps button – included in an odd set for this device in the physical row – notice how there’s a menu button in there too, this being a unique set for any Android device thus far released to the market. The lockscreen here allows you to do a simple unlock by swiping across any part of the screen, or you can swipe through any one of five app shortcuts to go there too – pull down your notifications work on the lockscreen as well.
You’ve got facial unlock fully intact, Home Screen folders for your apps, and even icon customization abilities – you can literally draw your own icons or take photos to use as icons for your apps. That’s a move we did not see coming from anybody as it has the potential to make your apps look rather terrible – but if you’re an awesome artist or designer, you could be making something totally lovely.
The standard web browser here allows you to switch between mobile and desktop versions with the tap of a button and you’ll be able to save websites in their entirety for offline reading, too. Then comes the best part – a hardware button at the top of your device that takes screenshots that you can write on.
When you take a shot like this, you bring up a toolbox of icons that have multiple abilities. You’re meant to use your Rubberdium pen at this point, but you certainly do not have to if you don’t want to. The first button you see allows you to take a note with the screenshot you’ve just taken or without – this bringing you to a notepad for your note-taking pleasure. There are forward and backward buttons incase you need to undo or redo, and you can pick your pen type and color as well.
You’re able to share a memo to any of your various social networks and share-friendly apps, or simply save your memo for later viewing – you can save here to your gallery in a brand new folder specifically for notes such as these, or you can save them to your NoteBook. This whole interface is part of your QuickMemo environment, the idea that you’re the type of person that takes notes and memos being a large selling point for this device in the end.
LG has for some time now been working to provide the user with a unique ability – coming from a manufacturer, that is – to switch between user modes. You can use the LG Tag+ NFC stickers to activate your different modes, or you can simply do it yourself with a couple of taps. The LG Intuition comes pre-set with Car, Office, Sleep, and User modes, each of them bringing you a standard setup for their respective environments.
These modes bring you different home screens full of apps as well as settings – for the office, for instance, you could have your Office Mode set to silent, while your Sleep Mode could have your wi-fi and data connections shut off entirely while you snooze. On the Office subject, this device also comes pre-loaded with Polaris Office, this including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint compatibility.
This device also securely syncs with Microsoft Exchange for secure email action and is able to access your corporate network “without worries” with LG’s built-in VPN. You’ve got DARE – Data At Rest Encryption – at work here, and you can work with items such as secure booting, rooting detection, and remote wipe for relatively hardcore security measures all around.
As shown above, this device once again continues Verizon’s new set of apps as well as Amazon’s apps, yet works with a Google-certified set of apps like Google Play, Gmail, and Play Music. This device also comes with Shark Dash – an insanely odd game to say the least – and Real Racing 2 so you know you can have some fun while you’re making all kinds of doodles all week long.
Camera
This device works with an 8-megapixel back-facing camera and a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front – the back-facing camera taking some relatively lovely photos and videos – the placement of the shooter in the corner of the device makes taking video and photos feel natural with this device, much more so than it does with the Galaxy Note – in that way, this device wins.
Battery and Data Speed
This device works with notoriously battery-hungry 4G LTE connectivity, which though it is a power-gobbler, has nothing on the ability of the Intuition’s display to cut you down to size. Though the Snapdragon S3 processor under the hood doesn’t quite have the same awesome standby power-saving abilities that the S4 does, we’re still seeing some rather standard battery life action going on here.
If you’re a person who uses their device every 10 minutes, you may have to charge the device once halfway through the day. If you’re a regular person who works with their smartphone every half-hour or so, you’ll probably be good to go for your whole workday. This device uses a 2080 mAh non-removable battery, by the way, just a bit bigger than the Motorola DROID RAZR M (which has a 2000 mAh, massive for a device of its size.) This device, once again, runs on Verizon’s 4G LTE network which you can see rocking quite well in the speed tests included here:
Wrap-Up
This device certainly isn’t the magic all-in-one device for everybody – evidenced by the lack of a microSD card slot and 32GB of onboard storage as well as by the S3 processor inside – not quite perfect for future-proof-seeking gamers. On the other hand, the average office-goer will likely find this device to be more than a match for any tablet they’d been using up unto this point – this device is meant to replace the tablet, after all. You’ll have a much more awesome time with a 5-inch display than you have had with a 7-inch display if you’re finding yourself needing a whole extra bag to carry that device around all day.
Here you’ve got a device that’s massive – yet small enough to still fit in your pocket. That’s assuming you’ve got standard-sized pockets, of course. The display is perfectly bright and viewing angles are more than sufficient for everyday browsing and note-taking action, and the phone is, on your average day, swift enough to handle your office-bound needs. This is certainly one of LG’s most impressive devices yet, and though we’re not entirely convinced that we’d not rather have its main competitor in the end, LG does currently have the Verizon piece of the market cornered.
It’s time to take another look at the LG version of the in-between segment of smart mobile devices sometimes known as the “phablet” here in the Verizon-carried LG Intuition. We’ve got our hands on one of these lovely devices today after a short intro by LG in New York City where they’ve been so kind as to host us and a collection of other publications with the idea being that you’re assured the full LG story. The full LG story here is a play-by-play of the abilities and intents of this device as LG wants you to be aware – we’ll let you know this as well as the rest in a full review – for now, let’s have a hands-on look at the device here in its final form.
What you’ve got here is a rather boxy look at the smart device that, though it’s not the most elegant smart gadget on the planet, it certainly does appear and feel unique here in 2012. LG’s recent efforts have been in devices that have rounded corners and odd shapes – like the LG Lucid with its smooth back and tiny size. There’s also the LG Nitro HD with one of the most high-definition display-having devices on the planet at this very moment and a rubbery grip back. What we’ve got here with the Intuition, on the other hand, is a beast with a pen – a “Rubberdium” pen – and another rubbery grip back so you can hold tight!
The LG Intuition is currently the largest display-having smart device on Verizon that’s not considered a tablet, with the 7-inch Galaxy Tab line from Samsung being next up with a vibe that’s decidedly tablet-like. With the LG Intuition you’ve got a working machine rather than a play machine – tablets being mostly for play, no matter what anyone tells you. On Verizon this device has no parallel – on the greater smart device market, you’ve got the Galaxy Note and soon the Galaxy Note II, also both from Samsung. Until the Galaxy Note II (or Galaxy Note 2, however you want to type it) reaches Verizon – and it very well may, given the unconfirmed news from earlier today – this LG device has no competitor on Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
You’ve got ultra-fast data speed, a massive display, and a beast of a motor under the hood. LG has chosen the Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 dual-core processor to run this device, and it’s looking and feeling really nice here in our first few hours in general work and play mode. This isn’t the newest Snapdragon processor line – that’s the S4 – but it’s still lively – we’ll see if it continues to keep up in our full review.
Have a peek here at benchmark scores from the device right out of the box. Note also that there’s really no device that this can be compared to fairly with its display being the unique size that it is. It’s also always a good time to note that benchmark tests such as those used here on Android only really truly compare devices with one software build against the same devices with different software builds – or in some cases, the same devices with different processors.
Next have a peek at a few Speed Test scores from right here in New York City, and note that we’ve found almost exactly the same scores from downtown Brooklyn to JFK Airport back to LaGuardia over the past few weeks with several different Verizon 4G LTE devices. Have a peek at our review of the Motorola DROID RAZR M to see additional speed tests with Verizon in the Twin Cities in Minnesota as well as NYC and stay tuned to see if this LG device has the same results – our guess is that they’ll be essentially the same.
STAY TUNED FOR SPEED TESTS FROM AROUND NYC TODAY!
We’ll be doing a more extensive review of this device later this week – this week is also being run over by an Apple press event in which they’ll likely release the iPhone 5, this meaning there will be a LOT of news coming down from Apple. To make sure you’re able to see the LG Intuition in full before it’s inevitably pummeled down off the front page no matter when it’s posted, stick to our LG tag portal.
Meanwhile have a peek at the timeline below to see additional hands-on and feature posts on this device (and its international edition) and get pumped up about its final release!
It’s a silly name as smartphones go (and one that conjures images of lady-focused razors), but regardless, LG’s Intuition is now officially a member of Verizon’s lineup. The 4G LTE device, shown off today at the manufacturer’s launch event, is nigh unchanged from the South Korean model we reviewed this past July (known as the Optimus Vu). With a 5-inch 1,024 x 768 True-XGA IPS capacitive display, dual-core S3 CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, 8-megapixel rear camera, NFC, 2080mAh battery and that Rubberdium pen, the only thing separating this stateside iteration from its SK Telecom cousin is the skinned Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS onboard and $199 on contract price. So how does it fare in this Big Red debut? Follow along as we attempt to find what’s been lost, if anything, in translation.
It looks like previous rumors of a September 6th appearance of the LG Intuition on Verizon is correct, while September 10th will see LG’s answer to the Samsung Galaxy Note arrive in stores, all for $199.99 a pop. Sporting a 4:3 aspect ratio for its display that makes it less than ideal for a supposedly pocket-friendly device, the LG Intuition (known as the Optimus Vu in other markets) will carry a 1.5GHz dual-core processor underneath the hood, aided by 1GB RAM, with an 8-megapixel camera at the back and a 1.3-front-facing camera, you have a phablet worth checking out if your budget permits.
The LG Intuition will also come with a bunch of Amazon apps such as Kindle, Shopping, MP3, Zappos, IMDB and Audible. One thing about the camera which you should take note of – it will be able to take in voice commands, providing you with a hands-free photo taking capability. Let’s just hope the voice recognition software works well enough for different accents. Running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the LG Intuition is rounded off with Mobile Hotspot capability, DLNA support, and Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. [Press Release]
Just as rumors predicted, the LG Intuition for Verizon has been made official in time for a September 6th launch date. The phone, which is essentially the Optimus Vu with the carrier’s 4G LTE connectivity thrown in, will be available for $200 on contract on Verizon’s website starting tomorrow, and it will hit stores on September 10th. To jog your memory, the handset runs Android 4.0 on a 5-inch display, with a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor under the hood. The phone features the LG Tag+ app, which uses NFC to control phone settings, and two reprogrammable NFC stickers are included. Check out the press release for more info.
The day of September 6th is gearing up to be a rather hefty one for Verizon: earlier we reported that the Samsung Galaxy Stellar is slated to launch on that date, and it’s also the day after Motorola unveils its latest lineup for Big Red. Why not throw in another device that we’ve heard so much about, such as the LG Intuition? Indeed, docs detailing the CDMA-clad Optimus Vu is now beginning to make the rounds in Verizon’s internal system — and its intended launch date is among the trove of treasures to be found within. According to the docs, we should expect to see the 5-inch device available online in time for the 6th, while all channels won’t be ready to go until the 10th. We can’t imagine that too many people will be upset over having to wait another four days, however.
In terms of specs, here’s what we can anticipate from the Intuition: Ice Cream Sandwich, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8660 (Snapdragon S3) processor paired with MDM9600 LTE modem and 1GB RAM, Gorilla Glass, a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1024 x 768, 15 hours of talk time, 8MP rear camera with 1.3MP front-facing cam and no microSD expandable storage option. Ultimately, the Intuition is Verizon’s variant of the Optimus Vu, and boasts that commonality right down to the components and design — you won’t find much difference in specs, weight or dimensions between the two. We’ve compiled a few images for your enjoyment, so head below to see. As before, we had to be creative in how we treated these images to protect the identity of everyone involved.
LG just outed the Optimus Vu II for the Korean market, designed around a remote control app, QRemote. The company’s translated PR claims (erroneously) that the new device will be “the world’s first smartphone using infrared,” letting it operate gear like set-top boxes and home appliances, including other companies’ products. The device is scheduled to launch next month in the maker’s home country, around the time the Tegra 3-powered Optimus Vu will go on sale in the US as Verizon’s LG Intuition. The company hasn’t released any technical details for the phone — in fact, other than the remote functions, we don’t even know if there are any changes from the current pen-capable model. In any case, it might give pause to another Korean maker about to announce an awfully similar product.
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Known as the LG Intuition in the USA, this smartphone has been introduced by LG as the LG Optimus Vu at Mobile World Congress. We had published a hands-on in early 2012. The goal for this device is to address the very large display smartphone market created by the Samsung Galaxy Note, which has sold more than 10M units since its launch.
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