Review: LG Optimus G for AT&T
Media
The Optimus G offers the expected native Google media applications. The ultra-simple Music app is on board, as is the simple video playback app. These are joined by the Google Play Store, Play Music, Play Movies, and Play Books apps. The Store is a fine place to discover and download all sorts of content, ranging from apps to tunes to movies and so on. Each of the separate apps is then used to playback that specific content. The native YouTube app is also included.
AT&T's Live TV app is included. This app streams live and prerecorded TV shows to the G. You can see content from the likes of CNN, FOX, Disney Channel, and so on. The video is streamed over the network. I found it performed significantly better over LTE than HSPA+. Video was cleaner and the sound was clearer.
One thing that's cool is an app called SmartShare. This app makes use of the DLNA powers on board the G to ease the pain of connecting with and sharing content to HDTVs and other DLNA-compatible equipment. I found the app intuitive to use and managed to pair the G to my TV set with no trouble.
Camera
The AT&T version of the Optimus G steps the camera down from the 13-megapixels found in the Sprint version to 8 megapixels. If you think that means the pictures aren't going to be as good, think again. (More on that below.) The AT&T G uses the same camera app that's on the Sprint version of the G.
If you're the point-and-shoot type, just use the big shutter button on the screen (there's no physical camera button). You can also easily jump to the video camera, user-facing camera, and video camera from these controls.
There's also a srip of advanced controls in the viewfinder. If you fancy yourself an artiste and want to ensure the best shot possible, these are the buttons you'll need to press in order to fine-tune the camera. The G offers plenty of cool features, including panorama, HDR, continuous shot, "Cheese shutter" (predetermined voice commands make the shutter file), and a Time Catch shot mode for timed bursts.
These tools all work as expected, though I thought the HDR capture mode was a bit slow when compared to other devices. The Time Catch mode is tricky to learn. It is essentially a tool for taking five rapid shots (including a few from before you pressed the button) so you can pick the best one. It's probably a good tool to use when taking pictures of kids who won't sit still. It takes a few tries to figure out how best to time it.
The rest of the controls (exposure, ISO, white balance, etc.) are easy enough for any old zombie to figure out.
Oh, and the G's camera flies. Absolutely nothing slows down the performance of this camera. It is as fast a camera as I've ever seen on a cell phone.
Photos
The AT&T G, with its 8-megapixel camera, takes visibly better pictures than the Sprint G's 13-megapixel shooter. I can't tell you why. Images are sharper, have better clarity, and much better low-light detail. Exposure and white balance is on par with the Sprint version. The improved focus and contrast on the AT&T G are enough to make images pop in a way that they don't with the Sprint G.
As far as I am concerned, the LG Optimus G's 8-megapixel camera is on the same playing field as the 8-megapixel cameras found in the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X, and Apple iPhone 5. That's a very good thing.
Video
I could not tell any difference between the video quality of the AT&T G versus the Sprint G. Both were clear, exposed properly, and showed accurate colors. The videos were a bit shaky-looking when shot at 1080p HD, but you can dial the resolution down to get a smoother look. When shooting in 1080p, you want to be as still as possible. Drop the resolution to 720p and the results improve dramatically when panning the G around.
Gallery
The G uses the stock Android 4.0 gallery app. It's a fine app for controlling your photos. I find it really easy to share pictures via this gallery app to pretty much any social network you want to, and managing your separate photo libraries is a snap.
Rotate and crop features can be accessed quickly, and a more fully featured editing app loads automatically when you select the "Edit" button. It lets you adjust color, apply filters, reduce red-eye, and other fine-tuning. The editing features are nice to have and can make a questionable photo a usable photo. There is also a simple video editing tool that lets you stitch together separate video clips into a longer clip. I thought it was easy to figure out.
Apps
There are 56 apps pre-installed on the AT&T version of the Optimus G. Most of them are Android apps, but a fair share are AT&T apps (Code Scanner, FamilyMap, Locator, Ready2Go, Smart Wi-Fi, etc). Of course the Google Play Store is available for downloading more apps. Most of the preloaded apps cannot be deleted, but there's more than enough room on board the G for your own.
Bluetooth
The G's Bluetooth 4.0 radio worked perfectly. I had no trouble pairing it with a half dozen different devices. Phone calls routed to my car's hands-free system were OK, but not nearly as good as those I experienced with the Sprint version of the G. Music worked well, though, via Bluetooth headphones.
Browser
The G has both the standard Android browser installed and Chrome. Whichever of the two included browsers you choose, the G does well as a browsing device over AT&T's HSPA+ and LTE networks. I found the G to be a zippy browser of the interwebz via both the stock Android browser and Chrome, both of which do a fine job of rendering web pages.
Clock
Out of the box, the G offers the same lock screen clock performance that most other Android devices do. There's a white digital clock on the home screen that can/cannot be seen easily on light wallpaper.
HOWEVER, the G lets you sub in a massive digital clock that is so large it can be read from the moon. It's seriously awesome. Way to go, LG.
GPS
Google Maps is the only mapping software pre-installed on the G. If that's all you ever use, you'll be fine. It is a capable piece of software for discovering local points of interest and routing directions to them. As far as the GPS radio is concerned, it is quick to locate and accurate. I found that it pegged me in about 10 seconds and to within 10 feet. Pair these with the ultra-fast performance of the G's quad-core processor, and you have an excellent navigation device in the Optimus G.
QuickMemo
The Optimus G also includes the QuickMemo app. QuickMemo lets users capture a screenshot and then open it in the Notebook app. The Notebook app lets you scribble on the screenshot with various pen styles and in various colors. You can add your own scrawled text, or insert actual typed messages. You can erase the notes and leave the background unaffected. You can attach additional content, such as photos or videos, and send them all together as a package via email, SMS, Google+, Picasa and so on. QuickMemo on the G is hindered somewhat by the lack of a stylus, however.
Hands-On: LG Optimus G
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LG Optimus G (AT&T)
