LG renames Optimus LTE as Nitro HD

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 3 2011, 14:35

Given the sheer number of smartphones flooding the market, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. Then again, while the iPhone remains largely unopposed where dominance is concerned, the majority of new arrivals are still thoroughly superb offerings.

Take, for example, the new Nitro HD from Korean electronics specialist LG. Already known outside North America as the Optimus LTE, the handset certainly looks the part thanks to its sexy 4.5-inch capacitive display, 1280x720 pixel resolution, and pleasingly tactile rear casing.

The Nitro HD is a mover beneath the covers too, where it’s packing a snappy dual-core 1.5GHz  processor (the smartphone standard is presently 1GHz to 1.2GHz), 4GBs of data storage, a rear-facing 8.0 mega-pixel camera, a 1.3 mega-pixel sensor on the front, and a bundled 16GB microSD card.

Sadly, although connectivity is taken care of by access to AT&T’s 4G LTE framework, the carrier’s network isn’t yet nationwide (only 15 states) and performance drops to HSPA+ wherever coverage is not available.

Also, the Nitro HD will arrive running version 2.3 (a.k.a., Gingerbread) of Google’s Android operating system. While LG has not yet said whether the device will support the newly released version 4.0 of Android (a.k.a., Ice Cream Sandwich), a near-future software update has been promised.

We here at Tech Herald Towers expect said update to arrive before the close of 2011—not least because the Nitro HD will be at retail from December 4 (priced $250 USD).

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