LG Nitro HD review: Live in HD

Introduction

The LG Nitro HD for AT&T Wireless comes with some seriously heavy expectations to meet. It was back in August, when we first reported about the award winning AH-IPS screen with HD resolution, developed by LG. The unit is reportedly better than anything else on the market, including Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus displays, and the Nitro HD is the first device to feature it in the United States. It also stands out as the first device in AT&T’s impressive smartphone lineup to feature an HD screen.

LG Nitro HD official photos

It is the end of 2011 and all the cards are on the table. The LG Nitro HD is the last major player to enter the uber-smartphone competition. It surely has a spec sheet up to snuff: an HD screen to marvel at, LTE network capacity, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 8MP autofocus camera, etc. The list is long.

Spec sheets are something we’ve come to expect in the price category, where the LG Nitro HD will compete. It is the way that the components are integrated together and the user experience they create which counts. This is what we’re going to try and find out in this review.

As always, we’ll kick things off with the key features and main disadvantages of the smartphone.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support
• 21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 HSUPA support
• LTE network connectivity
• 4.5" 16M-color AH-IPS LCD touchscreen with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution; 326ppi
• Android OS v2.3.5 with LG custom launcher
• 1.5 GHz Scorpion dual-core CPU, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, 1GB of RAM
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; 1MP front-facing unit
• 1080p HD video recording
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support; Wi-Fi Share app
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity
• 4GB internal storage, microSD slot (16GB card included in the retail package)
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• Document editor
• Rich video format support
• Ability to remove preinstalled apps from AT&T out of the box

Main disadvantages

• No dedicated camera button
• Battery performance is questionable
• LG’s custom UI might not fit all tastes

As you can see, the LG Nitro HD has plenty on offer and hardly any serious flaws. It’s looks like a great fit for a flagship device. At a first glance, the latest and greatest AH-IPS screen is nothing short than a thing of beauty. The phone’s sleek and stylish body only adds to the appeal.

The biggest question mark is related to the battery performance of the smartphone – there is a lot of hardware that the 1830mAh unit has to deal with. The lack of dedicated camera button and the questionable UI design are mostly a matter of personal taste.

LG Nitro HD studio shots

Traditionally, we are going to continue with unboxing and design inspection of the LG Nitro HD on the next page.

Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include all of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our office and test lab. The LG Nitro HD is a US-only phone, so it will probably never get to the shores of the Old Continent. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the phone in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. Enjoy the good read!