Hasta La Gadget!

If you were thinking about trading in that recently-dominant LG Optimus G or Google Nexus 4 for a brand new monster soon, look no further – the LG Optimus G2 may be on the way quick! If you’ve been working with the LG Optimus G or the basically-the-same-hardware LG Nexus 4, you know good and well that Qualcomm and LG work rather well together under the hood. Now with the benchmarks we’re seeing today, their team up (so good Google had them make the Nexus 4) is back with a second wave!

As you’ll know well by the looks we’ve had at the LG Optimus G Pro, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor is an absolute beast. It’s the second-highest most powerful processor Qualcomm makes today – so great, both the HTC One and the Samsung GALAXY S 4 have opted to employ it. Then there’s the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, a step up, a quad-core processor intended only for the most dominant devices of this generation, complete with a fabulous Adreno 330 GPU for graphics superiority.

That’s the processor we’re seeing here in the GLBenchmark results found today to be showing the LG D801. This is a device that’ll be hitting up T-Mobile to start with, bringing with it a set of specifications that’ll blow your mind.

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• T-Mobile 4G LTE
• 1080 x 1794 pixel display
• MSM8974 (aka Snapdragon 800)

The benchmark list you see above also shows the “HTC 6435LVW” – note here that this is the HTC DROID DNA, while the LG E975 below it (with the same score) is the LG Optimus G (the original.) Right along with it is the LG Optimus G Pro which gets a similar score because of its massive display – note that the DROID DNA and the LG Optimus G Pro should, by all means, be getting different scores because the G Pro has a more advanced processor – but again, this isn’t an all-encompassing benchmark, it’s only showing Offscreen 1080p processing – no worries!

Have a peek at our archive of bits and pieces surrounding this upcoming LG Optimus G2 as it makes its way to T-Mobile soon – stay tuned!

LG Optimus G2 appears in benchmark-dominating leak is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

In an effort to promote their upcoming Galaxy S IV handset, Samsung has plastered Times Square in New York City with billboards and advertisements promoting the new device. However, LG has stepped in to rain on their parade with its own ad that mocks Samsung and the “4″ theme. The ad, which is placed right above Samsung’s billboard, promotes the company’s new Optimus G.

Whereas Samsung’s ad reads “Be ready 4 for the next Galaxy,” LG’s ad reads in a similar, but mocking tone with “LG Optimus G is here 4 you now!”. Of course, LG has occupied that billboard space for quite some time, while Samsung only recently bought the advertising space right below it, but it’s pretty obvious what LG is doing here.

However, we’re not sure if LG did a great job in this case, since both of the ads look almost identical, meaning that someone just driving by and glancing at the billboards may not notice that they’re actually different from one another, and due to Samsung’s viral marketing of the number “4″, most people may just quickly assume that LG’s ad is a Samsung ad at first glance.

Either way, while this may not turn the heads of most people walking along Times Square, it may certainly ruffle some feathers at Samsung headquarters in Korea. Plus, we doubt the ads themselves will persuade anyone from getting an Optimus G. Marketing and advertising is a tricky industry, and it takes more than just a few billboards to persuade someone to buy a specific smartphone.

[via Android Community]

LG one-ups Samsung with Optimus G ad in Times Square is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

This week the LG Optimus G hits Europe in several markets it’s never been available in before with a collection of feature upgrades that’ll make it the most enticing device it’s ever been. Though the LG Optimus G has already launched in several markets around the world – including in the USA (see our full LG Optimus G review now!) – this launch will place the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro-toting smartphone in Sweden, France, Germany, and Italy as well. This version of the device will also be working with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 right out of the box.

With this version of Jelly Bean, the LG Optimus G will be nearly up to the newest edition of the Android operating system currently available on the market. The only devices available with more advanced software from Google are the Nexus 7 from ASUS and Google Nexus 4 – also made by Google. Incidentally, the Nexus 4 is built with the same design foundation as the LG Optimus G, having many of the same features both inside and out.

The LG Optimus G launching in the European markets listed above will be working with enhanced features in its software build unique to the LG family. One of the biggest additions is an enhanced QSlide function – here allowing users to operate more than one app at a time with transparent screen layers. That’s one app on top of another, operating at the same time – weird stuff!

Another update in this release of the LG Optimus G is in Safety Care. With this upgrade you’ll see Safety Care providing pre-designated users information about the device’s physical location when certain emergency situations arise. This can be used for those that are forgetful and need a reminder of the device’s location (this activating after prolonged periods without use), with an emergency service is dialed, or when you’ve completed a call with a designated contact.

Privacy Keeper for hiding caller information, Google Now (with its newest edition up now), Filmstrip View (for galleries), and Expandable Notifications will also be available for this new release. Pricing and exact release dates will be coming soon – for now have a peek at the timeline below with more LG Optimus G information than you can handle!

LG Optimus G hits Europe “enhanced and improved” is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The LG Optimus G was ushered in with a bang last year, bringing on the first look we’d had at the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor – and here in 2013 it’s looking like the face of the device is about to get a whole lot larger. With the original Optimus G having a very likely large amount of sales cannibalized by the Google Nexus 4, it’s no wonder that LG is likely thinking about bringing not one, but two new models to the market here in the first half of the year. The first reveal was the LG Optimus G Pro with a lovely 5-inch display – now it’s time to get even larger.

This LG Optimus Pro+ device (as it’s temporarily being code-named here) will be appearing in China with a fabulous 5.5-inch HD display with IPS LCD technology running at a monstrous 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. With 2GB of RAM under the hood, this Optimus G Pro+ would be bringing the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor once again, this time clocked at 1.7GHz per core with all the best connectivity to back it all up.

Also inside you’ll find 32GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot capable of holding 32GB cards (with the possibility of 64GB cards before this device hits the market), and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box. This device will also be appearing with a 13 megapixel camera on the back, 2.1 megapixel camera on the front, and a 3140 mAh battery inside.

Of course this device will be working with NFC as well as Bluetooth 4.0 and will be revealed soon. While it’s not officially been announced by LG, we’re expecting to see this model at Mobile World Congress 2013. Catch us there in Barcelona later this month in our fabulous MWC 2013 tag portal!

[via PhoneArena; via Android Community]

LG Optimus G Pro+ spotted with extra massive display is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The LG Optimus G Pro, a successor to LG’s flagship Optimus G smartphone, looks to be preparing for a Japanese launch at least, according to a couple of separate leaks this morning. Engadget has managed to secure a slide purportedly showing the phone’s design and listing its specs, and the Japan-based Blog of Mobile separately received a spec list that fits with the info received by Engadget.

The Optimus G Pro will launch on NTT Docomo in Japan if the leaks prove true, running Android 4.1 Jellly Bean, and featuring a quad-core, 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor , with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The big improvements for the Optimus G Pro over its namesake predecessor are the larger 5-inch, 1080p HD screen and a 3,000mAh battery included to help better power all those pixels. It also reportedly comes with a 13-megapixel rear and 2.4 megapixel front camera.

LG’s Optimus G is actually a pretty fantastic phone, as is the Google Nexus 4, which in many ways is just the Optimus G in a different body case. The Optimus G Pro looks to essentially just add to the strengths of its predecessor, with a new streamlined design that I’d argue beats either the AT&T or the Sprint version of the Optimus G in the looks department, and it should come in both “Platinum White” and “Indigo Black” versions, at least for its Japanese market launch.

As early as last November we’d heard whispers of the LG Optimus G successor coming by May 2013, and among its supposed features were the 5-inch, 1080p display that’s being talked about now. At the time, Chris Velazco lamented the possibility that the Optimus G successor might ship with a battery inadequate to drive that display, but if these new leaks are accurate, it looks like that’s something LG’s engineers have been sure to keep in mind.