We all want our phones to be bigger and our tablets to be smaller — although LG has made its bigger than most of the other manufacturer’s so-called ‘mini tablets’, with the launch of the LG G Pad 8.3.
Display & Design
The G Pad 8.3 features, as the name would suggest, an 8.3-inch full HD display, which is a lot like the one on the G2 — gorgeous, but lacks brightness.
The G Pad’s tough aluminium body made it look a lot more premium than some of its competitors products, notably the pre-2014 edition of the Samsung Galaxy Note series.
The G Pad’s design isn’t overly inspiring, but it feels a lot less bland than the G2 — and thankfully the the buttons have returned to the edges of the device.
8.3 inches is definitely an odd size, especially considering the likes of Apple and Asus are creating 7-inch devices as mini-tablets, as opposed to 8.3. LG has explained that this is the ideal maximum based on the average hand size of people living in South Korea, which judging from my hands-on with the G Pad, it’s quite large.
The device itself is 8.3mm across, so it’s not cumbersome to hold, but it did stretch our hand to the maximum postion.
Unlike most other tablets though, LG has decided not to have a huge bezel — which is refreshing to see.
We couldn’t find many ports on the side of the device, which in our eyes is always a negative, but there was a micro SD card slot at least.
Camera & Software
On the back of the device there’s a five megapixel snapper, whilst adorning the front of the device is a 1.3 megapixel camera. Neither are going to give you great results, but we’re never going to knock it for at least including one.
The software on the G Pad is very similar to that of the G2, featuring many of the same changes as you would find on LG’s latest flagship smartphone.
One of the things we really liked about the software was that it gave you options when you plugged it into an external speaker.
It’s a small thing, but it really does make a difference if you’re going to be plugging it in a lot.
Other software features include receiving your phone notifications and interacting them directly from your tablet — useful as it means you won’t have to dig around after your phone when it’s out of sight.
Pricing & Availability
Pricing hasn’t yet been announced for the G Pad, nor has UK availability. What we do know is that it’s set to rollout at the end of September in South Korea, but that likely helps very little of you.
Conclusion
The LG G Pad is a compelling tablet, it’s slightly larger than other mini-tablets which means it offers more screen real estate, and it’s ultra thin bezel ensures you can hold it in your hand still.