LG launches Optimus G Pro, the first smartphone with Snapdragon 600

LG teased us with a few details about the Omptimus G Pro, a 5.5-inch full HD phone, on Facebook last week. Now the Korean company has revealed the launch date of the handset in Korea, along with more specs and a launch timeline for other regions.

Most notably, the Optimus G pro will feature the just-announced quad-core Snapdragon 600 clocked at 1.7Ghz along with 2GB of RAM. The CPU was announced at CES and is technically an upgrade, albeit a mellower one when compared to the 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800, over the Snapdragon S4 Pro.

The LG Optimus G Pro has a 5.5-inch screen

Besides the CPU upgrade, LG appears to have included a few homegrown software elements. Both cameras of the phone can be used for shooting 1080p video and a unique Dual Recording feature can be used for shooting picture-in-picture footage. Another camera perk is the Virtual Reality Panorama mode; it seems to be a method of shooting and stitching together images similar to the Google Photo Sphere seen in the Nexus 4.

LG’s press release says, “Creative and innovative UX features popular with Optimus G users have been added to the Optimus G Pro, such as an upgraded QSlide, Live Zooming and QuickMemo.”

Other specs include:

• 5.5-inch True HD-IPS+ LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 @ 400ppi
• LTE connectivity
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
• 13-megapixel primary camera and 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera
• 32GB internal memory with microSD card slot
• 3,140mAh removable battery along, wireless charging

The display of the phone uses a curved glass which LG claims creates a 2.5D effect when viewing images and movies. It is also likely manufactured using the Zerogap touch technology that LG first employed in its Optimus G handset. The battery of the smartphone is already massive, but the company claims it lasts longer and charges faster than other batteries thanks to R&D by the LG Chem team.

The Optimus G Pro will launch with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The phone will launch with South Korean carriers on Wednesday for 968,000 won (approx Rs 48,000), while a North American launch is mentioned for Q2.

"The Optimus G Pro was developed specifically to deliver vivid and superb picture quality in a large display smartphone form factor," said president and CEO of LG mobile Dr. Jong-seok Park. "We will continue to expand our position in the premium LTE smartphone segment with our superior display technology and unique user experience."

The company also said visitors to the 2013 Mobile World Congress will be able to experience the Optimus G Pro and its UI at LG's Booth.