Hands-on At IFA: LG G Pad 8.3

LG has not had an Android tablet for the longest time but when they recently announced one here at IFA. The LG G Pad 8.3 is a comeback and it’s making a big splash with a powerful hardware in a popular size and form factor.

In 2011, LG had a limited release of the Optimus Pad P980 and it retailed for Php50k (with Php15k pre-order discount).

This comeback looks pretty much spot on — full HD IPS display, really good hardware, LTE support and running Jellybean.

Here’s the complete hardware specification of the G Pad 8.3.

LG G Pad 8.3 V500 specs:
8.3-inch IPS LCD @ 1920 x 1200 pixels, 265ppi
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz quad-core processor
Adreno 320 Graphics
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
HSPA+/LTE 100Mbps
5MP AF rear camera
1080p video recording @ 30fps
2.1 MP front-facing camera
4600mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
216.8mm x 126.5mm x 8.3mm
338 grams (weight)

NFC is conspicuously missing while LTE modem has hexa-band support (800/850/900/1800/2100/2600MHz).

At 8.3 inches, the display is just enough; a little bigger than the iPad Mini — think iPad Retina display quality slapped into the iPad Mini form factor. Very sharp screen, vibrant colors and really crisp display quality.

The backside is made up of an aluminum panel with polycarbonate trimming, the rear camera is flushed right at the top edge while the two speakers are both situated on the left side which indicates that it’s built for horizontal orientation.

The tablet actually feels light design the metal construction, though unlike the Nexus 7, it’s hard to grasp it with one hand.

LG introduced a software feature called QPair that allows you to pair any Android smartphone to the tablet and reply/compose messages on the tablet. This is the same feature we saw with the BlackBerry Bridge although the QPair with LG supports other Android brands too.

No word though when is the Philippine release date and retail price when it lands on our shores but if we base it on the timeline of the LG G2, it could be as early as October or November.