Announced in February 2014, the LG G Pro 2 is the phablet from LG’s side that is sent on the field to knock down other contenders. If you are a big screen person, and would love to invest smartly in a future proof device, here is something you should definitely read till the end. Let’s see how it stands against the others and what makes it stand apart in the in-depth LG G Pro 2 review :
Hardware and Design :
On seeing the LG G Pro 2 you will observe that the majority of the front is dedicated to this huge block of drop dead gorgeous screen that leaves little to no bezel on the sides – a luxury that you do not get on any other smartphone till now. It virtually looks like a fusion of the futuristic LG G Flex and the flagship LG G2.
The back of the LG G Pro 2 is a meshed like fine textured material. LG emphasizes that they use special lasers to etch out the fine material that enhanced grip in real world usage and also in our experience, it did really well in keeping fingerprints away. The phone has a 5.9inch screen but since it is really well designed with minimum space for bezels, handling is not a big task and it is relatively easy.
The buttons of the G Pro 2 Â are on the back making the sides extremely clean and free of any toggles. There is a silver metallic ring enclosing the entire phone and it gives a minimalist look of the phone – a sophisticated touch. The phone has a secondary microphone and an IR blaster on the top with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The bottom of the phone has a standard USB 2.0 port for charging and file transfer,etc. along with a microphone at the bottom. We like the clean sides approach that LG has carried over here with the G Pro 2.
The chipset powering all that is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 with 3GB of RAM and 16/32 GB internal memory with microSD expansion, a 13MP Rear camera with a 2MP front camera. 4G LTE Advanced, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, GLONASS on the connectivity side and a 3200mAH battery to keep you lasted.
Display :
The display of the LG G Pro 2 is not industry leading now since there is a G3 coming up that is cutting edge when it comes to resolution but we are still far from that and right now what we have on the G Pro 2 is one of the finest displays – a 5.9-inch 1920x1080p panel with crazy good viewing angles and really good outdoor visibility. Colors are accurate and saturation has been limited to just the right level to not make it look like candy.
The bezels as mentioned, are super slim – after using this phone for a while you wont enjoy using any other phone that has a big fat bezel.
Software :
The software on the LG G Pro 2 is not anything stock like – LG has skinned it with it’s own Optimus UI and it is mostly all good and functional. The icons, widgets and shortcuts are located at their usual places and look the same.
You’ll mostly find visible differences in the notification panel with it’s black and blue tone design and a handful of nifty features stacked in – Q slide apps are mini apps that hover on any running app and extend the functionality.
The navigation buttons on the bottom can be customized to your liking – this is not something you are able to do on any other Android device of a brand, unless and until you root it.
You get Android KitKat 4.4.2 running out of the box which is good since you do not have to wait for running on the latest version – keep in mind some Samsung devices in this range are yet to get the KitKat update. LG will also make sure that you are kept updated when Android 5.0 L rolls out.
Knock Code is a functional and a stealthy way to unlock your device and you get this option in the G Pro 2. There is also split-screen multitasking available that enable two apps to run side-by-side and resize as per your requirements.
Camera :
The camera package on the rear consists of a 13MP sensor covered by a f/2.4 glass and a hardware OIS+ module. Optical Image Stabilization or OIS was first introduced in the LG G2 and is extended on the G Pro 2 with OIS+ which enhances the already stellar photo and video experience. Blur is not something you will come across in photos – even night shots are detailed and have sharp edges.
Flash is much powerful to light up subjects in the dark and the software optimization with the viewfinder on the front make sure photos and videos get the right amount of exposure and contrast. the camera on the front is 2MP in size with HD recording – enough to get video calls done.
Also, there is UHD or Ultra HD recording on the back – better known as 4K. The LG G Pro 2 remains the only device with hardware stabilization with 4K recording onboard.
Overall Verdict:
If you are looking for a phone with a screen size of 5 inch or more than you must absolutely consider the G Pro 2. Infact it is the number one device in it’s range offering all those features with a brilliant screen, a fantastic camera and enough future proofing with 4G LTE A connectivity. The battery of the device lasts around 36 hours with medium to heavy use which is very impressive.
The overall experience of using the phone is kept on the snappy side of things with a fast processor and impressive graphics. With a price of around Rs.35,000 in the Indian market, it is a great choice and we are pretty sure that buying this phone will make sure your experience is delightful.
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