Over the years, Android phones have gradually, and drastically, increased in size. From the 3.2-inch G1 to the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II, phones just keep getting bigger and bigger. For the most part, though, the aspect ratios of Android devices have all been 16:9, making them relatively easy to navigate. Apps are also able to scale up to fit the larger displays. LG, however, has decided to break that trend and released a 5-inch phone with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The LG Intuition is is much wider and shorter than your average Android phone and is available now on Verizon Wireless.

Specs

• OS: Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Processor: 1.5 GHz Dual–Core Processor & 1GB RAM
• Memory: 32GB internal memory
• Display: 5.0″ XGA IPS Display, 16.7M Color TFT, 1024 x 768 Pixels
• Wi–Fi Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n
• Bluetooth v3.0 + HS
• 8 Megapixel Rear–Facing Camera, 1.3 Megapixel Front–Facing Camera
• Battery: 2080 mAh
• Dimensions:5.50″ (H) x 3.56″ (W) x 0.33″ (D)

Review

LG has not had much luck in the Android phone space before. In the past, their devices have launched with quality control problems and buggy software. The G2x was expected to be one of the best Android phones ever, but fell short of those expectations due to serious hardware issues with the device. LG is now following Samsung’s suit and entering the phablet game. Though, LG has put its own twist on their phablet. The 5-inch display may not seem all that large, but the 4:3 aspect is the real kicker. The Intuition is a odd-looking device unlike any other Android device out there.

Display

The LG Intuition features a 5-inch 1024 x 768 display. That equates to 256 pixels per inch and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The screen’s quality is superb. Text is crisp and colors really stand out. However, the aspect ratio is utterly pointless. I understand that LG needed to stand out from the Galaxy Note, but using a 4:3 aspect ratio was not the way to do it. In some cases, it doesn’t seem quite as crazy, such as web browsing, but in all other cases, it’s more of a hassle than a feature. When you attempt to watch a movie on the device, you’ll be greeted with huge black bars on either side of the video. The video size is essentially the same as it would be on a 4-inch device.

LG offers the ability to correct aspect ratio issues you may have with certain apps by placing the same black bars on either side of the app. By default, the apps will be stretched to fill the whole display. Which, for text heavy apps, looks just fine, but when you get into apps like Instagram that are image heavy, it looks horrible. Again, the 4:3 aspect ratio seems more like a hassle than a feature.

Design

Much like the Galaxy Note, if you use the LG Intuition out in public, you’ll get some pretty strange looks because of its size. It is a whopping 3.56 inches wide, slightly wider than a credit card. It’s nearly impossible to reach from one side of the device to the other while holding it one handed, which is a really big downside of the size.

However, aside from the size, the device is actually very well designed. It’s just .33 inches thick and 168 grams heavy. The back will not scratch or attract fingerprints easily, which is always great.

On the right side of the device is the volume rocker, while the left of the device is bare. On the top is the micro-USB port hidden under a sliding door, the power button, the headphone jack, and a screen capture button. The bottom is also bare.

Performance

The LG Intuition features pretty much the same specs as most other high-end Android phones…..released last year. It’s powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor with 1GB of RAM. However, even though it’s powered by a last generation processor, the Intuition can still handle the average task pretty well. Gaming was decent, though going into more advanced games such as Dead Trigger, I did experience some lag. Scrolling through menus and home screens was, however, pretty smooth.

Software

The Intuition ships with Android 4.0 and LG’s custom skin.

The software on the LG Intuition looks suspiciously like Samsung’s TouchWiz, but sadly, once you start to use it, you’ll notice it’s nowhere near as polished as TouchWiz.

First off, the browser is absolutely dreadful. Load times are long, pinch to zoom is laggy, and the interface just looks bad. To bring up the tool bar, you to pull up a very tiny menu at the bottom, and with my large fingers, I found myself accidentally hitting the capacitive buttons.

The device also comes with loads of bloatware, which is not removable. Some of those apps include Color, Verizon Apps, Real Racing 2, Shark Dash, and more.

LG’s software has come a long way since their first Android device, but it still has a long way to go. There are still many inconsistencies and bugs throughout the OS, but like I said, it’s greatly improved.

Camera

The device is packing your standard 8MP camera. There’s not really anything that stands out with the camera. If anything, it’s worse than the competition. Pictures, especially indoors, can be washed out and dull, though outdoor shots turned out ok.

The camera app does feature some features (some may call gimmicky) that are cool, such as the ability to say “Say Cheese” and automatically capture a picture. There is also face tracking where it will automatically find and focus on a face.

Data and Phone Performance

The LG Intuition is compatible with Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. Currently, this network is available in more than 330 markets, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and covers more than 400 million Americans.

Using the speedtest.net app, I was able to consistently get 20-25mbps up and 5-9 up. ESPN’s mobile site loaded in a speedy 6 seconds.

The speaker was decent as well, though I did notice quite a bit of crackling when I would turn the volume up all of the way.

Microphone quality was great and people often couldn’t tell I was on a cell phone while using the Galaxy S III.

I was very impressed with the device′s GPS performance as well. In a pair of commutes, it stuck onto satellites and updated my position more quickly and accurately than other phones I’ve used.

Battery Life

One thing that has been disappointing on nearly every Android phone is the battery life. Sometimes, I can make it through a day, but others I can’t. With the LG Intuition, however, I could usually make it through a day with the 2080mAh battery in the device. Battery life was pretty good. A day for me consists of web browsing, music, Twitter, Google+, and some texting. I usually kept the display at 75%, though I didn’t notice that much change when cranking it up higher.

Usually with a device that has LTE, you experience a pretty significant battery drop of over other HSPA+ devices and that appears to be the case with the Intuition. On a day with heavier LTE usage, my battery was far worse than days spent mainly on WiFi.

Stylus

Much like the Galaxy Note, the Intuition comes with a stylus, dubbed the Rubberdium Stylus. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with it. The tip is made out of rubber, which affects the accuracy greatly in my testing. In all honesty, it feels like the stylus was an afterthought. There’s no built in holder for it on the device like with the Note, so it’s a lot easier to lose than the Note.

Overall

Pros

• Good performance
• Good display
• LTE

Cons

• Awkward form factor
• Apps don’t always scale correctly
• Poor, inconsistent software
• Stylus feels like an afterthought
• So-So camera

Don’t buy the LG Intuition. There’s no reason to. With the Galaxy Note II coming to Verizon this quarter, you’ll do so much better with it than with the Intuition. The Intuition is just awkward. It’s nearly impossible to hold with one hand. Apps also don’t scale correctly in some cases and even though LG offers tools to correct that, it doesn’t always look right. Also, what’s with the stylus? LG offered no integration between the device and stylus, so I really have no reason to use it.

Just don’t buy the LG Intuition. Go with the Galaxy Note II if you need a phablet, if not, the Galaxy S III is a great device.

As pretty much everyone has expected, the press conference that Google will be holding next Monday will unveil the next-generation Nexus phone. With all of the rumors in the past six months, it has boiled down to one, LG manufactured Nexus device that runs on the same internals as the Optimus G (4.7-inch 720p display, quad-core S4 Pro CPU, etc.), dubbed the Nexus 4. A head of Product Planning over at LG, Amit Gujral, has now confirmed both the Nexus 4 and the Android 4.2 update, which may be Jelly Bean, or Key Lime Pie. Gujral mentioned that ”Google will unveil the LG Nexus on October 29 and the phone will be available in the Indian markets by the end of November,” and also confirmed the 4.7-inch display as well as the quad-core S4 Pro CPU. Does this disappoint you? Were you hoping for more than one Nexus? Do you think the 8GB rumors were also true? We will have to wait until the 29th for official clarification from Google.

PhoneArena

Last month in South Korea, LG unveiled the Optimus G, but with no U.S availability information. Today, however, the company announced that both AT&T and Sprint will carry the device.

The AT&T model will feature an 8MP camera, while the Sprint model will have a 13MP shooter. Both variants will feature LTE connectivity, a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB of RAM, and a 2100mAh battery. Both models will also have 32GB of internal storage.

Sadly, there is no pricing or availability for the U.S. models, at the moment.

What do you think of the Optimus G? Let us know in the comments!

U.S. Cellular announced today that the mid-range LG Speldor will be available in-stores tomorrow for $79.99 after a mail-in rebate. The Splendor is packing a 1700mAh battery, 4.3-inch display, 1GHz processor, and 5MP camera. The is voice activated and will snap a picture when you say “cheese.” The device is only .34 inches thick and only has 2GB of internal storage, though it does a microSD card slot. It is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the Smartshare DLNA app for streaming pictures and videos to your TV.

Anyone interested in the LG Splendor? Let us know in the comments!

The LG Nitro HD is not a very well known phone, but if you do have one, we have some good news for you. AT&T has announced that the device will be receiving its much-needed Ice Cream Sandwich on July 31st. The update will be available on Windows PCs via LG’s Mobile Support Tool. It’s unclear if the update will be available in any form for people using Macs.

New features include:

• New lock screen actions let you conveniently jump directly to a specific application without unlocking the homescreen.
• The redesigned Gallery App & Photo Editor makes it easier to manage, show, and share photos and videos than ever before.
• An updated home screen folder and favorites tray that lets you group your apps and shortcuts logically by simply dragging one onto another.
• Enhanced multitasking capabilities let you instantly navigate from one task to another by leveraging a list in the System Bar that includes thumbnail images of all recently used apps. Just tap the thumbnail to resume using that app.
• Improved text input with an updated keyboard that supports faster text input and more accurate entries with better error correction and word suggestions.
• An app that helps you easily monitor your data usage.
• Face Unlock, a new screen-lock option that intelligently unlocks your device using facial recognition software.

Let us know what you think of the update in the comments!

The LG Spectrum 2 has been of the worst kept secrets of the year so far and it’s back for some more face time. The device has appeared in Verizon’s CelleBrite systems. This further confirms that the device is right around the corner. Specs of the device include a 4.7-inch True IPS 720p (1280 x 720) display, a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 1GB of RAM, and 8MP rear camera. There’s no release date just yet, but we’ll let you know when there is.

[Source: TalkAndroid]

The only good thing about this device, and I use the word good loosely, is that it comes with Android 4.0.4. Will it be seeing 4.1 soon after release? Who knows, this is LG remember? As far as the other specs go:

• a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 with Adreno 220 GPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 32GB storage
• 8MP/1.3MP cameras

     

Those specs aren’t set in stone but really? Why is this even an option? Why is Verizon Wireless going to sell this? Why is LG going to even make a mini-CRT monitor? Why do iPhone users think emoji is so great? These questions will probably never be answered. All I know is that it reminds me of the Dell Streak, and look at how that ended. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments.

Source: Android Police