X
LG Optimus Black

The LG Optimus Black UnBoxing: How Bright Is The Nova Display?

By Anthony Hardy
May 05, 2011

LG Optimus Black With Nova Display

The new LG Optimus Black has begun to make it way around to reviewers to see whats  it made of. Lets see if the single core Optimus Black can hold its own in a world of dual core devices like its sibling the G2x. The first thought that comes to mind is how amazingly thin the device is, which is immediately followed by the urge to test out LG’s new Nova Display. Does it have what it takes to take on the champ of displays the Samsung Super AMOLED Plus or does it fail to add up?

Hardware

Just how does the Optimus Black compare to the other two handsets in the race to be the thinnest? The Sony Xperia Arc comes in at 8.7mm, the Samsung Galaxy S II at 8.49mm, and the LG Optimus black is just a tad larger at 9.2mm. While not the thinnest it is certainly in the running and  should have no problem fitting into the pockets of your skinny jeans. The Optimus Black places style at a premium and it is easily one of the most attractive devices out with its all black design and soft touch shell feels great in hand.

It is a single core device running a 1Ghz TI OMAP 3630 and matches the performance of the original Droid X. It has a 5 megapixel shooter that can record 720p video out back and a 2 megapixel camera up front.  It features a 4″ display with a 800 x 480 resolution and this version came with 512MB of RAM and 2GB of on board storage and a microSD slot if  that’s not enough. The navigation buttons along bottom are capacitive which is a trend for LG models.

Nova Display

The LG Nova display is claimed by LG to be the brightest mobile display available. They also state it uses less power than a standard LCD so you might even save battery life using the extra brightness which is certainly a positive. It can produce 700 nit compared to 500 nit brightness on the IPS-LCD that LG makes for the iPhone 4.  The Nova display did provide a high level of brightness and was visible in almost every lighting situation indoors or outdoors. PhoneArena conducted a comparison test you can see in the above photo the Optimus Black looks fine in light. While in the dark photo it clearly is the brightest display and competes favorably with the Super AMOLED and Retina displays.

Software

As of now the LG Optimus black is running on Android 2.2 and the Optimus 2.0 UI sorry to all those who prefer a pure experience. The good news is LG says the update to Gingerbread should arrive soon. There is a new feature implemented with the UI however that is initiated by pressing the G button along side allowing for Gesture navigation within the browser and gallery. At this point while holding the down the G button you can scroll and zoom by moving the device by way of a 9 axis G sensor.

Overall the LG Optimus Black provides a pleasant initial experience. Check out the videos below and come back for the full review.

LG Optimus Black UnBoxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIp2WOe7kgE

Software Preview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLNhMkHz3KY

Via PhoneArena, IntoMobile