LG Optimus Black

The LG Optimus smartphone series hasn't made much of an impression in the high-end market so far, but that could change with the Optimus 2X and the Optimus Black, which were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. Unlike the Optimus 2X which features the Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor, the Optimus Black's key features are a new Nova display, ultraslim design and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

LG claims that its 4-inch WVGA TFT Nova display is a lot brighter than competing panels (yet with a lower power consumption) and that it'd remain visible outdoors under direct sunlight. At maximum brightness, we couldn't really tell the difference between the Optimus Black and the iPhone 4, although LG's panel seems to display a warmer tone. So far, the Nova screen hasn't let us down, both indoors and outdoors under strong sunlight. Do note that the Optimus Black has a standard WVGA resolution which is significantly lower than the iPhone 4's 960 x 640-pixel display. LG wasn't the only phone-maker with a new display at CES. Sony Ericsson, too, showed off its Reality panel which is powered by a Mobile Bravia Engine. So it'd be interesting to see how these two touchscreens compare with the existing AMOLED and Apple Retina displays.

A new panel wasn't the only thing that grabbed our attention at CES. The Optimus Black has a girth of 9.2mm which squeezes down to 6mm at its thinnest point. That's 2.7mm thinner than the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. Other features of the Optimus Black include a 9-axis accelerometer which lets you navigate phone functions by tilting, turning and shaking, a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video telephony. There is a physical Gesture button on the left edge of the phone, which when pressed, lets you scroll home screens and pan images. To skip to the next song or picture, all you need to do is tap twice either on the right or left of the device.

You also get hotspot capability, plus a Wi-Fi Direct feature which lets you beam content via Wi-Fi to other devices without actually having to connect to the wireless network.

The user interface, however, has largely been left untouched compared with previous Optimus models, but we like the customizations LG has provided for the home screen. The widgets, shortcuts and folders are now represented by neat graphical icons in a grid layout, and look a lot more pleasing to the eye. What's also cool is that now, you can preview the wallpaper before applying it on the home screen.

LG said that the Optimus Black will initially ship with Android 2.2 Froyo in the first half of 2011, but the device will be upgradeable to Android 2.3 Gingerbread, although the company didn't say when this update will be available.