The LG Optimus G is a smartphone designed and manufactured by LG Electronics. It was announced on September 19, 2012; On January 18, 2013, LG announced that the device reached 1 million in sales four months after its release in Korea, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. The LG Optimus G is also closely related to the Nexus 4 with similar specifications and a similar design.
Availability
North America
In the United States, the Optimus G was available through AT&T and Sprint. AT&T carried the 8-megapixel camera E970 model while Sprint offered the LS970 model, equipped with a 13-megapixel camera. The AT&T model was the only Optimus G model to feature a microSD-card memory expansion slot. These models were released on November 2 and November 11. In Canada, the LG Optimus G was available from the country's three major mobile providers: Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility, offering the E971 and E973 models respectively. Rogers was that country's only provider to sell the Optimus G with LTE band 7 2600 MHz support, as opposed to the more common AWS and band 17 700 MHz LTE frequencies used by other North American carriers. This extra spectrum enables theoretical download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s where available.
Japan
In Japan, the LG Optimus G is currently available from NTT DoCoMo as the LG L-01E. This Optimus G variant is similar to the E973 model with additional Japan-exclusive features such as FeliCa wallet support, a removable battery, a waterproof hydrophobic coating on all components and support for band 1 2100mhz LTE. The phone is also available in a currently-exclusive Red color.
South Korea
In Korea, the Optimus G is currently available from SK Telecom & KT & LG U+ As The LG F-180S/K/L. This Optimus G variant is Korean model with additional Korea-exclusive features such as T-DMB support
Taiwan
In Taiwan, it is sold as E975, but with minor differences.
India
In India, the LG Optimus G model is E975.
Europe
In February 2013, the E975 was launched in Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and other unspecified countries in March.
South America
The version that has been released to the public in Brazil and Chile is the E977 model.
Hardware
Dimensions
The E973, E975, E977 and the LS970 models have an overall dimension of 131.9 mm x 68.9 mm x 8.5 mm, whereas the E970 model has 130.8 mm x 71.6 mm x 8.4 mm dimensions. The E973, E977 and the LS970 model weigh 144.9 grams whereas the E970 model weighs 147.1 grams.
Processor
The LG Optimus G is the first widely released device to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC. The QualcommSnapdragon S4 APQ8064 SoC features a Quad-core Krait processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. The processor is based on 28 nm semiconductor technology with Adreno 320 graphics processor running at 400 MHz.
Memory
The LG Optimus G has 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of non-expandable internal storage in the LS970 and E973 models. However, AT&T offers the E970 model which has 16 GB of Internal Storage which may further be expanded via a microSD card up to 64 GB. A 16 GB card is also included in the AT&T & Japan & Taiwan model. The E975 model has 32 GB of internal storage of which 25 GB is available to the end user.
Screen
The phone features a 4.7" True HDIPS LCD of 768x1280 resolution and displaying 16,777,216 colors at 318 ppi pixel density. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2. There is Gorilla Glass on the back of the phone as well. The screen brightness is measured to be about 470 nits. The screen also features a screen technology called zerogap touch.
Cameras
Depending on the market and the carrier, the LG Optimus G may have an 8 MP or a 13 MP back-illuminated camera sensor and a single LED flash. In the US, the AT&T model features the 8 MP camera and the Sprint version features the 13 MP camera. The phone is also capable of recording FullHD 1080p video at 30 FPS. The phone also features a front-facing 1.3 MP camera, capable of recording HD 720p video at 30 FPS. The Indian LG Optimus G features a 13 MP camera. The camera supports digital zoom of up to 8X magnification. The Canadian Rogers and Telus/Bell models also have 8 MP camera.
Battery
The LG Optimus G is powered by a standard Lithium-Polymer battery of 2100 mAh. The official standby time is quoted at 13.5 days and the 3G talk time is quoted at 10 hours.
Software features and services
The LG Optimus G runs on Google's Android 4.0 operating system skinned with LG Optimus UI 3.0. The LG Optimus G comes with many preloaded Android apps, including Google Chrome, Gmail, YouTube, Google+, and the Play Store. Most variants of the phone have since then been updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, including the US models, Canadian model, European models, and the E975 model. Android v4.4.2 KitKat update is available now for Optimus G in South Korea and in India and is expected to hit other parts of the world in August–September 2014.
Critical reception
LG Optimus G has received a generally favorable reception. CNET reviewed the LG Optimus G as being "Undoubtedly the best phone LG has ever offered" with a score of 8.3/10. Mobile Reviewer GSMArena.com has reviewed it as "Designed to a flagship standard and powered by the latest in handheld computing".
