LG Optimus 3D review

You can also shoot 3D videos and images with the device’s dual 5-megapixel cameras. 3D still images aren’t quite as good as their 2D counterparts but they do give you a pleasing illusion of depth. You can shoot 3D video in 720p at 30fps, although the quality and image stabilisation in 3D mode is pretty iffy. Switching back to 2D with the 2D/3D toggle in the camera application gives you significantly better still image quality, and you can shoot 2D video footage at 1080p and 24fps.

You can display these images and videos on a 3D TV using the Optimus 3D’s micro-HDMI output, but you’ll need to buy your own cable (£8 from www.play.com). You can always upload your images directly from the handset to YouTube 3D for anyone with a 3D device to view.

Once you’re done messing around with 3D, you’ll find all the normal Android apps, along with Polaris Office to view and edit Office documents. However, LG has decided to launch the handset with Android 2.2 (Froyo) instead of the latest – 2.3 Gingerbread. It seems strange to launch a premium handset with an outdated operating system – we’re pretty sure HTC’s Evo 3D will have the latest Android installed.

However, what the Optimus 3D lacks in the OS department it more than makes up for in processing power, thanks to its dual core 1GHz TI OMAP4 chipset. In our Quadrant benchmarking test the Optimus 3D scored a very impressive 2557, which makes it one of the fastest smartphones we’ve seen, if not quite up there with Samsung’s Galaxy S2. It’s blisteringly fast, especially when compared to the Optimus 2X. There’s no lag whatsoever, applications launch in the blink of an eye and 3D content is handled with ease.

Couple this awesome processing power with the device’s 8GB of onboard storage, microSDHC slot, 512MB of RAM, 802.11n Wi-Fi, DLNA media streaming, Wi-Fi hotspot creation and HDMI output and the Optimus 3D starts to look like a very impressive smartphone, even if you don’t care about 3D. That is, at least, until you come to battery life.