The World's First Dual-Core Phone - From LG?
posted Saturday Dec 18, 2010 by Scott Ertz
I guess they just couldn't wait for CES 2011. LG this week announced the Optimus 2X, the world's first phone powered by a dual-core processor. What proc is powering this new powerhouse? The Nvidia Tegra 2, of course, running at 1GHz (times two, of course).
In benchmarks, the device obviously overpowered devices like the Nexus One, Motorola Droid X and HTC Evo (currently the three fastest handsets running Android 2.2). Not surprising, given its dual-core wonderfulness. You can see the benchmarks on the right.
What other traits does this phone have and will it be worth it? Hit the break to find out.
The phone is certainly trying to compete physically with its big brothers in the Samsung Galaxy S series, the HTC Evo and the Motorola Droid X, sporting a 4 inch screen, but unlike its big brothers, stays with an LCD as opposed to n AMOLED or Super AMOLED format, meaning that the colors are going to be much more washed out than with most of these other phones (the Droid X also being an LCD screen).
On the other hand, it matches Motorola in cameras, with an 8MP rear-facing and a 1.3MP front-facing camera allowing for Qik and other video conferencing services. It also includes the ability to record 1080P video, but we all know how that works out. Like the iPhone 4, Moto Droid X and other handsets, the "1080P video recording" is always choppy, grainy and freaks out in low-light. Seems that these companies should perfect standard definition video before trying for anything more advanced.
Now, the battery. Like most of the high-end Android devices, it comes with a 1500mAh battery. The only problem here is that we are now running two processors concurrently. That means it will be more power-hungry than the average device. Considering an average user has to charge their Samsung Galaxy S phone at least once per day (the Galaxy S also sports two processors, one for data and one for video), we can only imagine how short the battery life on this one will be.
A lot of the features of this phone sound appealing but there are still a few downsides that I think need to be considered before making a purchase - battery life, screen quality and of course manufacturer. It won't last as long as an HTC Evo, it won't look as good as a Samsung Fascinate and it won't be as durable as a Moto Droid X. Shop carefully. The good news is you will have some time to choose as LG has no current plans for a US launch.
