LG’s 5.5-Inch Optimus G Pro Will Be First With Snapdragon 600 CPU, Coming To U.S. In Q2
LG announced its super-sized Optimus G Pro last week, a 5.5-inch handset that’s coming to do battle with the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The device will be coming to Korea this week, the company has now confirmed, before making its way to North America during Q2 2013.
In addition to its impressive 1080p display, the Optimus G Pro will also be the first smartphone to offer a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, which is the successor to the popular Snapdragon S4 Pro.
You’ve probably heard about the Snapdragon S4 Pro a lot lately, because it’s quickly been making its way into the latest high-end smartphones from the likes of Sony, HTC, ZTE, and LG itself. But the Optimus G Pro’s 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor is the next step up.
That’s combined with 2GB of RAM, LTE connectivity, a 3,140 mAh battery, and a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. There’s also a microSDXC card slot for expanding the handset’s internal storage, which is 32GB as standard. Some of its software features include a new video recording function that captures video from both the front- and rear-facing camera simultaneously, and VR Panorama, which is believed to be similar to Google’s Photo Sphere feature.
In many ways, the Optimus G Pro is like the Galaxy Note II; their displays are the same size, and they look very similar from the front. But the Optimus G Pro has the edge when it comes to specifications. Not only does it boast a faster processor, but its 1080p display smashes the Galaxy Note II’s 720p resolution.
The Optimus G Pro also looks a little nicer around the back, I think — with a patterned rear panel just like the hugely popular Nexus 4. But of course, there’s no S Pen stylus with LG’s offering, which is likely to be a disappointment to existing “phablet” users with Samsung devices.
The Optimus G Pro makes its debut in Korea on Wednesday, February 20, on a number of local carriers including SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus. It’ll cost 968,000 w0n, which is around $897. The device will then makes its way to North America during the second quarter of the year, which means it should be available by the summer.
LG is expected to show off the Optimus G Pro at Mobile World Congress next week, so we’ll bring you more information on this exciting device when we have it.
