LG unveils 5.0-inch Optimus Vu 'phablet'
by Steven Mostyn - Feb 20 2012, 11:49
Image: LG.
There was a time, not so very long ago, when smartphone handsets were not only desirable and cutting edge, but also diminutive and the very epitome of mobile portability. Ah… them were the days.
Moreover, consumer electronics heavyweight LG has this week unveiled the Optimus Vu, which seemingly straddles both the smartphone and tablet sectors, thanks to its huge 5.0-inch IPS touch-screen display (1024x768).
Although a significantly sized slab of hybrid hardware, the Optimus Vu has a physical profile of just 8.5mm, a very capable dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 32GBs of data storage.
Other points of interest include a rear-facing 8.0 mega-pixel camera, a front-facing 1.3 mega-pixel camera, Long Term Evolution connectivity (LTE), an unusual 4:3 screen ratio, and a 2,080mAh battery.
The Optimus Vu’s direct rival, Samsung’s 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, runs a dual-core 1.4GHz chip, 1GB of RAM, a Super AMOLED touchscreen (1280x800), and storage sizes of 16GBs or 32GBs.
Both the Vu and Note come complete with a handy stylus for navigating their gargantuan screens, and host the Gingerbread variant of Google’s popular Android operating software. LG has promised that an update to version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be released soon after the Vu launches.
However, LG has not yet said how much the Optimus Vu will cost or when it will be released to retail. The existing Galaxy Note costs $300 USD alongside a two-year data contract.
Expect to learn more about the Optimus Vu during the upcoming Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, which kicks off on February 27.
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