Hasta La Gadget!

Shopping for a smartphone can be an exciting and arduous experience. Along with the promise of something new and fantastic, it brings the fear of commitment, and even worse, the prospect of saddling yourself to a lousy device for two years. Fortunately for you, Engadget spends tons of time playing with the latest gear and we’re constantly on the lookout for what’s coming next. If you’re wanting to take the pain out of shopping for a smartphone, you’ve come to the right place. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: your one-stop resource to finding the best and most exciting handsets on the market today.

Before you dive in, however, we’ve introduced a few changes to the buyer’s guide, so take a minute to prepare yourself for what’s in store. First and foremost, you’ll now find alternate selections to supplement our top picks. This should already be familiar to many of you, which is the same format we use for our seasonal gift guides. The next one is a biggie: we’ve dropped the QWERTY selection. By and large, manufacturers and carriers alike have shifted their focus away from keyboard-equipped smartphones, and you’ll rarely find more than one option on any given carrier. That said, if you still insist on the tactile experience, you’ll always find everything you need to know in our reviews. Finally, whenever possible, you’ll now find prices from Amazon Wireless, which allows us to provide you with more compelling budget selections and highlight the substantial savings that you can score by circumventing the carriers. It’s not like they need your charity, anyway.

If you’re curious to see how it all unfolded — and we know you are — join us after the break, where we round up the very best smartphones of the season.

Continue reading Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, LG, T-Mobile

Engadget’s smartphone buyer’s guide: fall 2012 edition originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today in Japan KDDI announced a full lineup of new devices and other than the first smartphone with a 1080p 5-inch display and a tablet with all-new IGZO display tech, it’s also home to its own variant of LG’s quad-core CPU powered Optimus G. The second Japanese carrier to offer the phone after NTT DoCoMo, it launches on KDDI’s LTE network November 2nd, and will be available in either Astro Blue or White Prism colors. Labeled the LGL21, it features similar specs to other worldwide variants, hit the source link for more details or doublecheck US Optimus G launch info on AT&T and Sprint.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

LG Optimus G comes to Japan’s KDDI in blue, white November 2nd originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint, which just signed a huge deal with Japanese carrier Softbank, has just announced the pricing for its version of the LG Optimus G, the first handset to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 pro. With a 2-year contract, the Sprint LG Optimus G will retail for $199.99, which is in line with most high-end smartphone launches, with a few exceptions.

However, customers will still have to wait until November 1 before being able to place orders. If you missed what the LG Optimus G is about, you can read our detailed Optimus G hands-on of the Korean version. The Optimus G was announced last month in Korea and should appear on Sprint and AT&T networks. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG Optimus G headed for AT&T and Sprint with different cameras, AT&T announces the LG Optimus G for 2nd November, pre-orders now available,

NTT DOCOMO announced today its 2012 winter lineup of 16 models for launch in or after November, including nine smartphones, one tablet, four feature phones, one photo panel and one mobile Wi-Fi router. DOCOMO’s newest collection of high-quality smartphones satisfies a wide range of user needs by offering high-end CPUs, large-capacity batteries, high-resolution displays and distinctive designs suited to specific customer segments.
Key features of the new lineup include the following:

All …

Sprint is going to be offering LG’s new Optimus G this fall. The smartphone is LG’s flagship Android device, and has the specs to own that role, with a Quad-Core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor and 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel display. Back in September, Chris went hands-on with the international version, and today at CTIA MobileCon we took the Sprint version for a spin.

The Sprint version boasts the same camera as its international cousin, a 13-megapixel monster that outdoes the 8-megapixel version on the AT&T iteration of the phone. As you can see below, the extra pixels capture a lot of detail, but I still think colors in general look more washed out than on competing devices like the iPhone 5, despite the extra resolution. Photos look great on the device’s own screen, however, due in part to the 318 ppi display.

The hardware on Sprint’s version is consistent with others, meaning a plastic case that’s screwed to the front faceplate, an unusual design choice for Android handsets that normally feature a pop-off back and more easily accessible battery. Still, the design choice works in the Optimus G’s favor – construction feels solid despite primarily plastic materials, and the weight of the phone overall feels very satisfying in the hand. Buttons are kept to a minimum, with only three total sticking out from the device (volume up/down and power). The minimalist approach is nice, keeping the overall look satisfyingly spare.

Despite running Android 4.0.4, instead of Jelly Bean, the Sprint LG Optimus G felt very snappy. Transitions between screens and apps were butter-smooth, and there wasn’t any kind of lag I could detect in any applications I tried out. The phone is no doubt taking full advantage of its quad-core processing power to make that happen. And speaking of processors, LG has included an eco mode to maximize battery life over power to get the most out of the phone’s 2,100 mAh battery, which LG says can provide up to 13 hours of talk time.

All told, this is a powerful, solid option in the Android field. Is it a particularly exciting one? That’s up for debate. Check out the gallery below for more on this device, including sample shots taken with the smartphone’s camera.