LG Optimus Vu Unveiled, Features 5-inch Screen with 4:3 Ratio

 

LG just unveiled a Samsung Galaxy Note competitor.  The LG Optimus Vu enters Galaxy Note territory with its 5-inch screen and stylus input capability.

The LG Optimus Vu was expected to be unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Congress but it appears that the Korean company simply wants to be ahead of the others. The LG Optimus Vu is quite unusual in that it has a 4:3 aspect ratio, something that’s not ordinary for handheld devices.  At 5-inches, the Optimus Vu is expected to have a huge screen, but the 4:3 aspect ratio makes it harder to hold.  This part of LG’s press release may help us understand the company’s decision to use a 4:3 aspect ratio:

Optimus Vu offers a unique combination of tablet-like viewing with smartphone portability. The large 5-inch display with bright 4:3 aspect ratio makes viewing documents, books, internet and multimedia contents easier and more comfortable. The 4:3 aspect ratio is optimized for viewing to grasp more at a glance and note taking to increase productivity in everyday life.

In any case, the Optimus Vu should be another interesting device.  It will have a quite formidable set of specs which will include a 1024×768 resolution display,  5-inch IPS LCD display with stylus input, a 1.5GHz dual core CPU, 8MP camera, LTE, 2080mAh battery.  It will also be a thin device, coming in at only 8.5mm.  It will not run Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, but will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.  An ICS update will surely be available after the release.  The launch is scheduled in March in Korea and the rest of the world should be able to see this device shortly thereafter.  Pricing is still unknown.

LG Optimus Vu Specifications

• 1.5GHz Dual-Core Processor
• 5-inch (1024×768) IPS Display
• 32GB eMMC and 1GB DDR2
• 8MP with AF LED Flash (rear) and 1.3MP (front)
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 2,080mAh battery
• Dimensions: 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5mm
• HDMI, DLNA