Last week at CTIA, Kellex had time to go hands-on with LG’s new Optimus 3.0 user interface on the Optimus 4X HD which is a new toned down, yet feature-rich version of their Android skin. LG explains that with 3.0, they were looking to be less intrusive, while still being able to bring functionality and ease of use to LG device owners. Surprisingly enough, Kellex actually gave the new UI high marks and said it was a much needed improvement over previous versions. For vanilla Android purists, this next quote from LG’s CEO of Mobile Communications may sicken you:

With smartphone hardware becoming more and more similar, it’s important for manufacturers to differentiate their products from the competition through the user interface.

From what we have seen and readers have expressed, LG has done anything but stay up-to-par with the competition hardware wise. It’s interesting to see them pay so much attention to the UI when people have been calling for better hardware designs. Down below is the full list of additional features LG has baked into the new interface. 

LG is one of the few big wigs that has a major presence here at CTIA this week, so we stopped by their booth to check out their newest line of Optimus phones. First up is the Optimus 4X HD which so far, has not been announced for the States. It’s currently an international phone with a 1.5GHz Tegra 3 processor, 4.7″ HD display, HSPA+, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, 2150mAh battery, NFC, and Ice Cream Sandwich.

After playing with it for a bit, I will give LG some credit for once – this phone is very nice. This version of their custom skin is their best yet. They also took things like their native video and camera apps and pumped them up with features that no one else is doing (to my knowledge). It may not be stock, however, this phone is still something to consider if/when it comes to our shores. 

A new device by LG was name dropped over the weekend in Korea that is supposed to compete directly with Samsung’s Galaxy SIII. Currently under codename “D1L” the device will sport a 4.7″ HD display, Snapdragon S4 processor, and run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. It may seem odd that they would release a phone of this magnitude only a few months after announcing the Optimus 4X HD with its Tegra 3 processor and other top tier specs, but there is one thing you have to remember – we only care about LTE here in the States. The Tegra 3, isn’t friends with LTE radios at this time, so carriers here are opting for Qualcomm’s latest chipset which is.

If you were wondering where this new “D1L” device may be headed first, it looks like we have an answer thanks to a recent GLBenchmark: Verizon. They got creative with the codename on this one and are calling it the “D1LV” (“V” for Verizon in case you missed that) for now under model number VS930 (Spectrum was VS920). According to this benchmark, it will sport Android 4.0.3, an HD screen (720×1280 resolution), and a 1.5Ghz processor which we are assuming to be the Snapdragon S4.

Korean sources are calling for a May release. With a benchmark going live with Verizon signatures all over it, I’d say it might actually hit that time frame.

So we ask, is there anything that LG can do to win you over?

Via:  GLBenchmark, Ameblo, The Verge

There are absolutely zero surprises coming from LG at next week’s Mobile World Congress now thanks to some lengthy hands-on videos that Italian site Telefonino posted today. LG had already announced each of their major products to unveil – Optimus 4X HD, Optimus Vu, and Optimus 3D Max - but we had yet to really see them in the wild or in any sort of lengthy overview. 

So much for one last surprise from LG at next week’s Mobile World Congress. After announcing both the Optimus Vu and Optimus 3D Max, they went ahead and officially outed the Optimus 4X HD as well. The phone is everything that has been rumored so far, so let’s recap quickly and then get to your thoughts.

The LG Optimus 4X HD will rock a 4.7″ IPS HD display, 1.5GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera, 16GB internal storage, 2150mAh battery, and will run Ice Cream Sandwich. Not bad, right? And with the Tegra 3, don’t automatically assume that this device will suffer from battery life issues either. As we have written a number of times now, the quad-core architecture that NVIDIA uses, includes a 5th companion core that they are calling “4-PLUS-1.” This companion core allows the phone to idle and save battery during activities that do not need heavy processing. This device should exceed your battery life expectations.

The device will ship to Europe first some time in the 2nd quarter. U.S. rollout has not been announced, but if we go off of last year’s similar device from LG, the Optimus 2X, T-Mobile was able to grab it and rename it the LG G2X. LG G4X HD this time around, anyone?

Sooooo, your thoughts? Being an LG device, does this interest you?

Full press release.