LG Optimus 2X review

LG’s Optimus 2X is the world’s first dual-core smartphone, but it certainly isn’t the only one we’ll see in 2011. The Samsung Galaxy S2 is already out, and HTC and Apple should have dual-core devices on sale soon. The 2X may have been the first to market, but it still has plenty to prove.

First impressions aren’t brilliant, as the phone isn’t much of a looker. It’s also fairly large, measuring 124 x 63.2 x 11 mm. The device looks and feels pretty chunky in the hand, and weighs 139g, compared to 116g for the Galaxy S2.

The front of the phone works well – it’s a solid piece of glass with bevelled edges leading down to the metal strip around the edge of the handset. Unfortunately, the Optimus 2X’s plastic back panel and creaky build quality mean it feels more like a mid-range Android handset than a premium grade smartphone in the hand. It’s certainly nothing like the slim and good-looking Galaxy S2.

LG has opted for a 4-inch 800 x 480 IPS LCD display. While it isn’t going to give Samsung or Apple anything to worry about, it’s still pretty good. Colours are bright and vivid, images are clear and viewing angles are wide. The Optimus 2X’s screen is easily on a par with favourites such as the HTC Incredible S and Desire HD’s displays.

The Optimus 2X ships with Android 2.2 rather than the latest 2.3, although LG says an Android 2.3 update is imminent. This is disappointing, as the Optimus 2X is meant to be LG’s best and most up-to-date phone. The phone’s software problems don’t end there, either. The device’s UI is sluggish when switching between home screens and we noticed some lag on the virtual keyboard once we had more than a few applications running in the background. Applications open quickly, but the phone is plagued by rogue background apps (Car Home, for instance) that sit there running even if you haven’t opened them.

We can’t help but feel that LG’s software is letting down its powerful hardware. Whether Android 2.3 with its improved background app management will improve this sluggishness remains to be seen, but we certainly didn’t expect to come across any slowdowns on the first dual-core phone.