If you’ve been following 2Degrees’s marketing run since its inception, you may have noticed a progression from budget prepay carrier, to low-end consumer contracts.
The release of the LG Optimus 2X (and its latest marketing campaign) is perhaps the best indication the third ranking New Zealand network is keen to get a piece of the lucrative high-end and commercial contracts dominated by Telecom and Vodafone. As a handset the Optimus 2X (cousin of the G2X) is a natural progression and knockout competitor against the offerings of the aforementioned stalwarts, for now at least.
Hardware
The Optimus 2X is the first dual-core Smartphone to be carried by one of the big three networks, so this is of course its defining draw card. The dual-core processor does make for a noticeably speedy Android experience, and what’s pleasantly surprising is how economical the Tegra 2 processor is on battery life.
The build quality is also extremely solid. The 2X features a 4 inch Gorilla Glass screen that rounds off to an aluminium bezel. The only downside is a metal strip that sports the camera lens and flash along the back, my review unit seemed to have taken a few hits before it arrived with me, and scuffing on this metal strip seemed to sport the only real telltale signs of its past life.
Specs wise, the 2X sports 8 GB of internal storage that can be easily expanded anywhere up to 40GB through the unoccupied MicroSD slot. The phone’s screen is not quite as responsive as some of its competitors (HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy S II), and although image richness is very solid, the 2X could have done with a slightly higher resolution over the 800x480 WVGA IPS it’s kitted with. The screen does wash out quite heavily in direct sunlight. That said, the screen is really the only thing that could do with a competitive boost, Specs wise.
Interface & Android
The phone’s interface is sporting a light skin over the stock Google Android OS. Whilst I’m not a fan of these manufacturer tweaks in general, LG’s implementation is far less intrusive than the likes of Motorola’s ‘Motoblur’ or, HTC’s ‘Sense’. In some cases LG has really added some flourish to the experience.
Browsing of Pictures and Videos in the Media Gallery is hard to describe but trust me; it’s nothing less than gorgeous. The downside is that the 2X is still running Android 2.2 (as opposed to the latest 2.3). 2Degrees says an update will be on its way sometime before October, but it’s something to keep in mind if you want to be on the bleeding edge.
Camera & Multimedia
The phone sports an 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera with a single LED flash. The image quality is really outstanding. If we had to be picky the shutterbugs amongst us will notice there’s no dedicated camera button, and some images feel a little under saturated, that said, the stable of effects will have these tweaked and optimized in no time. The 2X also shoots fairly immersive 1080p video, the only downside being some slight frame rate issues which make the video appear a touch sticky on wide panning shots. That said, a single object moving inside the frame looks impressive, as does the autofocus and exposure functionality.
The front-facing 1.3 Megapixel camera was completely acceptable quality wise, but it’s worth noting the 2X doesn’t yet support Skype. If you were planning on video chat your best options at this stage are probably ‘Qik’, or ‘Tango’. What is cool is that any video you shoot can then be played directly through the phone’s inbuilt mini-HDMI port to a Plasma or LCD.
Connectivity
Data on 2Degrees is super cheap, and with a phone like this you’ll probably use lots of it. Unfortunately it’s not available everywhere, especially if you happen to spend a lot of time roaming on Vodafone’s network when out of 2Degrees’s range, so something to keep in mind. The Optimus 2X is available on 2Degrees for $899 unlocked or with a subsidy for Contract and Corporate customers.
Currently neither Telecom or Vodafone offer a direct competitor to the 2X, however Telecom’s poised for the launch of its 1.2 Ghz Dual-Core HTC Sensation (review coming next week). Even with rumours of the iPhone 4S (or 5) the iPhone 4 is still a worthy contender for those heavily vested in Apple’s iTunes ecosystem.
All up the Optimus 2X is an incredibly well built multimedia phone with great hardware and software. The dual-core processor allows for a super-speedy user experience, but responsiveness of the touch screen, and Android OS upgrades may be a slight letdown for some users.
0 komentar:
Post a Comment