LG has introduced its answer to the iPad mini and Google Nexus 7. It’s an 8.3 inch tablet with a full HD screen, a speedy processor, and the ability to work as a companion to a smartphone.
As expected, it’s called the LG G Pad 8.3, and it’s set to launch in North America, Europe, and Asia by the end of the year.
The LG G Pad 8.3 has a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdagon 600 quad-core processor, 16GB of storage, and 2GB of RAM. It features a 4600mAh battery and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. It measures 0.33 inches thick and weighs 12 ounces.
While the 273 pixels-per-inch packed into the display doesn’t quite match the 323 ppi on the latest Google Nexus 7 tablet, I suspect most people will have a hard time telling the difference unless you press your nose right up against the screen.
And while the tablet is shipping with a slightly older version of Android than Google’s tablet, it has a few LG-specific features, including:
- QPair app which lets you tablet with an Android phone to view and respond to calls, text messages and other phone notifications on your tablet.
- The KnockON utility lets you turn on the tablet by tapping the display twice (just like on the LG G2 smartphone).
- Slide Aside and QSlide features let you multitask by moving current apps to the side of the screen with a three-finger swipe, and control up to three apps in one window.
You don’t need an LG smartphone to use the QPair app, but LG does recommend a phone running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or later.
Why not just make a smart 7-8″ screen?, the idea is not bad, I would like to have a bigger screen to my Samsung Galaxy Note 2, as it already has processor power, I sometimes just need a bigger screen without having to spend an arm & leg on it, if LG or Samsung could develop a 7-8″ screen with extended battery and wireless connection to phone that is all you need!, you could probably do it for $99 to $150 or even less?
looks rather lame and still isn’t due for 4 months….no tanks baby..
No 4G support? Next in line please!
Splitting hairs on screen size now, but why not? According to DisplayWars.com, an 8.3-inch 16×10 screen is 5% bigger than the iPad Mini, whereas the 8.0-inch screen on the Note 8 is 5% smaller.
8.3 might be a Goldilocks size if they can trim the bezels all the way down.