LG Optimus 3D preview: First look, in stereo

Introduction

A huge high-res screen, a new chipset expected to deliver beyond anyone's wildest hopes and 1080p video recording: the LG Optimus 3D sounds like a great package and we haven't even started yet. These are big ones no doubt, but not even close enough to making the headline. Not with a stereoscopic screen and a couple of 3D video-recording cameras at the back.

LG Optimus 3D official photos

The LG Optimus 3D is flagship stuff, head to toe. A premium package that doesn't need anything else to be complete. But whether it asked for it or not, the LG Optimus 3D might turn out to be the device of the season, on the shortlist of any self-respecting geek. Just look at those specs and you'll see what we mean.

This preview is based on a pre-production Optimus 3D unit and the functionality, software and performance could possibly differ in the final retail units.

LG Optimus 3D at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps;
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone;
• Dimensions: 128.8 x 68 x 11.9 mm, 168 g;
• Display: 4.3" 16M-color WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) TFT LCD stereoscopic touchscreen;
• CPU: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset;
• RAM: 512MB, dual-channel;
• OS: Android 2.2 (Froyo);
• Memory: 8GB storage, microSD card slot;
• Camera: dual 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash with 1080p@24fps video recording; Stereoscopic 5 MP photos Stereoscopic 720p@30fps videos; geo-tagging face detection;
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, microHDMI TV-out, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack;
• Misc: DivX/XviD codec support, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, front facing camera, video-calls.

2010 was a year of disappointment for the LG mobile division, but they're looking to turn things around in 2011. Having beaten all the competition to bring the first dual-core smartphone to the market, LG is now racing to get to the 3D checkpoint ahead of HTC.

And the really cool part is that LG didn't rush through the rest of the development in favor of the stereoscopic screen and imaging on the Optimus 3D. Quite the opposite, the phone is touted as the first to feature dual-channel memory, thanks to the brand new TI OMAP 4430 chipset. The only sour note is Froyo. LG are obviously taking their time with Gingerbread and we're yet to see a single phone of theirs running it.

The LG Optimus 3D at our office

The rest does sound promising though and we cannot wait to see the 3D droid in action. So, without wasting any more time, the hardware inspection is due right after the break.