First Look in Stereo, 2011: LG Optimus 3D, Android Smartphone tech news update.

A huge high-res screen, a new chipset expected to deliver beyond anyone's wildest hopes and 1080p video recording: the LG Optimus 3D sounds like a great package and we haven't even started yet. These are big ones no doubt, but not even close enough to making the headline. Not with a stereoscopic screen and a couple of 3D video-recording cameras at the back.

    
LG Optimus 3D official photos

The LG Optimus 3D is flagship stuff, head to toe. A premium package that doesn't need anything else to be complete. But whether it asked for it or not, the LG Optimus 3D might turn out to be the device of the season, on the shortlist of any self-respecting geek. Just look at those specs and you'll see what we mean.

This preview is based on a pre-production Optimus 3D unit and the functionality, software and performance could possibly differ in the final retail units.

LG Optimus 3D at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 21 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps;
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone;
• Dimensions: 128.8 x 68 x 11.9 mm, 168 g;
• Display: 4.3" 16M-color WVGA (480 x 800 pixels) TFT LCD stereoscopic touchscreen;
• CPU: Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset;
• RAM: 512MB, dual-channel;
• OS: Android 2.2 (Froyo);
• Memory: 8GB storage, microSD card slot;
• Camera: dual 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash with 1080p@24fps video recording; Stereoscopic 5 MP photos Stereoscopic 720p@30fps videos; geo-tagging face detection;
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0, standard microUSB port, microHDMI TV-out, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo FM radio with RDS;
• Misc: DivX/XviD codec support, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, front facing camera, video-calls.

2010 was a year of disappointment for the LG mobile division, but they're looking to turn things around in 2011. Having beaten all the competition to bring the first dual-core smartphone to the market, LG is now racing to get to the 3D checkpoint ahead of HTC.

And the really cool part is that LG didn't rush through the rest of the development in favor of the stereoscopic screen and imaging on the Optimus 3D. Quite the opposite, the phone is touted as the first to feature dual-channel memory, thanks to the brand new TI OMAP 4430 chipset. The only sour note is Froyo. LG are obviously taking their time with Gingerbread and we're yet to see a single phone of theirs running it.

    
The LG Optimus 3D at our office

The rest does sound promising though and we cannot wait to see the 3D droid in action. 

Design and construction

Despite its entirely plastic construction, the LG Optimus 3D is a pretty good-looking handset. The front is a well-done mix of faux brushed metal (the two plastic pieces at the top and bottom), touch-sensitive keys and an ample LCD.

The back has the LG’s trademark styling with a metal stripe on soft rubbery plastic. We liked that back in the Optimus 2X and a few months later we're glad to report we haven't tired of it.

If anything takes away some points from the Optimus 3D design, it'd be the thickness. Now, we realize it's probably impossible to squeeze all that functionality (including two cameras and a stereoscopic screen) in a anything slimmer so we are not blaming LG here. However, the fact remains that, when placed next to one of its slimmer competitors, the Optimus 3D loses some of its appeal. It simply looks chubbier.

    
The LG Optimus 3D sized up against the Galaxy S II and the Optimus 2X

The increased thickness also has a slightly negative effect on handling. It's harder to wrap your hand around the Optimus 3D and have the entire surface of the screen within comfortable reach. It's not too bad though, and the result is most probably worth it.

  
Handling the Optimus 3D

This might be the right place to mention that the LG Optimus 3D is also a pretty heavy device. At 168 grams, it weighs a mere gram less than the Motorola Milestone 2 with its metal body and QWERTY keyboard. While the extra weight gives a certain solidity that many will appreciate, it's also certain to turn off those users who don't like carrying this much bulk around.

A pretty good display that also does 3D

The 4.3" stereoscopic LCD screen of WVGA resolution is the key feature of the LG Optimus 3D. The LG engineers have come a long way since we first met the handset back in Barcelona and the screen has been improved significantly as far as regular 2D viewing is concerned.

At this point of its development, the Optimus 3D screen has very decent viewing angles, and so are the brightness and contrast. And no, when used as a regular 2D screen, the Optimus 3D display won't rival the Super AMOLED Plus blacks or the Retina display's sunlight legibility, but none of them does goggle-free 3D, do they?

The goal of the Optimus 3D display here was to trail the leaders closely and be ready to catch up and even overtake them by playing the trump card. Now the question remains how much is the stereoscopic ace worth to you.

The 3D mode only works in landscape mode and the glasses-free viewing relies on a parallax-barrier technology. It's an extra screen layer that makes sure each eye sees a different set of pixels, giving a sense of depth. On the downside, each eye gets only half of the screen horizontal resolution.

Also, to be able to enjoy it fully you will need to find the sweet spot between your eyes and the handset's screen, which is different for everyone. It might seem a bit of a nuisance at first, but you quickly get used to it.

 
The display is pretty decent even if you only use the regular 2D mode

The other thing that you have to get used to is there’s no way to share the 3D goodness of the screen. Only one person at a time can watch the 3D effect. Looking at the screen at an angle, gets you a regular 2D image.

That aside, the 3D effects itself are pretty impressive, even more so if you are a fan of the technology - you know, the kind of guy who would go and watch any mind-numbing movie they threw at you, just because it's in 3D (did somebody say Green Hornet?)

Now the 3D visualization is only available in applications that are specially designed for 3D viewing, but those are in no short supply on the Optimus 3D (we'll get back to them later). The regular Android interface looks just like on any other smartphone, you’ve seen.

Still, given it's the first attempt we've seen at a mobile glasses-free 3D screen for mass sonsumption, the Optimus 3D display does pretty well. We were pleasantly surprised and we believe the technology has a future in smartphones. Or at least the potential is there.

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