2012 LG Optimus Vu Review

The LG Optimus Vu is a ludicrously large mobile that packs some impressive hardware into its thin, light frame. It seems like a powerful device, but I suspect the sheer size will put many people off.

With the big, beautiful Samsung Galaxy Note taking off in such an unexpected manner, it was only a matter of time before others followed suit to produce their own oversized handsets. The first to attempt the feat is LG, who showed off the Optimus Vu in a sneak preview event before the start of Mobile Word Congress in Barcelona.

The Vu is possibly the most unusual smartphone we’ve yet seen. On paper, its 5in screen isn’t quite as big as the Note’s 5.3in display, but the Vu does things differently. Instead of the smartphone standard 16:9 aspect ratio, the Vu’s screen is 4:3 – just like a tiny iPad. The resolution is an impressive 1,024 x 768, and behind the scenes is a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

The reason the Vu looks so massive is that it's much wider than most mobiles. This 5-inch display has an unusual 4:3 aspect ratio, meaning it's really broad.

LG reckons that aspect ratio will mean the Vu is better for reading ebooks and browsing the web. I'm tempted to agree -- the wider screen would likely make cruising around websites a pleasant experience. But there's a compromise to be made.

Because it's very wide, the Vu is tough to wrap your mitts around, and at 90.4mm wide, it's so broad that I think you'll really struggle to squeeze it into your pockets, even though it's astonishingly slim at just 8.5mm deep.

At the rear of the device, an eight-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED-based flash captures both still and video images, while a 1.3-megapixel camera is included on the front for video chat functionality.

Sadly, LG has confirmed that the otherwise cutting-edge handset - which will, in selected countries, include Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G capabilities - will ship with the outdated Android 2.3 'Gingerbread' operating system. Shortly after launch, LG promises, this will be upgraded to Google's latest Android 4.0 'Ice Cream Sandwich.'

LG has yet to confirm pricing and UK availability for the Optimus Vu, with more details expected when the device is formally launched at the Mobile World Congress event next month.

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2012 Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus Review

The Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus is a slightly souped-up version of the Galaxy Ace. It looks like a decent Android phone in its own right, though the Galaxy Ace 2 might prove a better choice if it doesn't wind up being much more expensive, as that phone features a bigger, higher-resolution screen.

The overall looks are decent, and still anything but a black plastic design would be a welcome difference. The Galaxy Ace Plus has tapered back made of shiny black plastic, where the 5MP camera with LED flash and the speaker grill are situated. This glossy plastic is a bit slippery, but the phone sits well in the palm, and the screen is small enough to reach everywhere with your thumb only, making the handset suitable for one-handed operation.

The screen on the Ace Plus measures 3.65 inches. That's bigger than the first Ace, which had a display that measured 3.5 inches on the diagonal. The resolution hasn't been increased though, leaving you stuck with a paltry 320x480 pixels to stare forlornly at.

The screen is one area where the Ace 2 has been given preferential treatment, sporting a 3.8-inch display and a 480x800-pixel resolution.

More pixels makes a huge difference and means your photos, videos, on-screen icons and text look much sharper. I would think very carefully before buying any smart phone with a less-than-brilliant screen resolution.

The Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus is an heir to the Galaxy Ace, which was outed a year ago, upping the CPU speed to 1GHz, and the screen size to 3.65”. Unfortunately, it is keeping the same HVGA resolution that was all the rage in 2006.

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