Stunning screen and speed without much style

Big phones are on the rise, and these days, the bigger the screen, the more people want to scoop them up. We aren’t always fans of phablets here at DT, but we’ve long stopped complaining about them. Some of you like your phones extra large, and we’re not about to stop you. If you’re looking for a good phablet (that’s phone + tablet, a play on words!), you may want to consider LG’s new G Pro 2. After using it on a couple different continents, we think it’s a great option next to the four major phablets on the market today, though we’re not sure we recommend it over LG’s own G Flex.

Introduction

Ever since the Note series rose to power and propelled the phablet class to stardom, their reign has only been disturbed once. The first generation of the G Pro, known as Optimus back then, was unveiled as the ultimate phablet in terms of specs, but the patchy market availability and inadequate marketing backup prevented it from reaching its potential.
 

Now, a generation older and a year wiser, LG will be looking to prove that it can learn from its mistakes and produce a device that can finally put a proper challenge for the phablet throne. The G Pro 2 certainly seems to have the right tools for the job: powerful hardware, brilliant screen and minimal bezels, plus a bunch of home-baked software features for an extra bit of exclusivity.

With the new G Pro 2, LG hopes to make would-be Note 3 buyers think twice. Like Samsung's popular phablet, the Pro 2 boasts a huge, bright, and colorful HD screen as well as an excellent 13-megapixel camera. LG also packs in plenty of software tricks and UI enhancements to throw veteran Android users a curve or two.
Of course the G Pro 2 will have a tough time deflecting potential Note 3 shoppers off target. While LG's latest creation matches the current phone/tablet hybrid in terms of power and components, its design isn't quite as classy as that of Samsung's killer, overgrown smartphone. Additionally the G Pro 2 lacks a stylus, so it can't tackle the same inventive S Pen features that the Note line brings to the table. That said, while the unlocked, Korean model of the G Pro 2 we reviewed isn't sold in US or Europe, if you can grab it for significantly less than the Note 3, it's one heck of a bargain no matter where you live.

You’re gonna need two hands for that

The phablet category is not for the faint of heart. If you spend all day worrying that you’re going to drop your phone, don’t buy a phablet because chances are, you will drop it. We’ve only had the G Pro 2 for a week, but we’ve already dropped it on a concrete sidewalk once.

The G Pro 2 is still thin and small enough to fit in a guy’s front pocket, but like it’s competitors, it’s on the edge of being too large to use.

We pulled the phone out of our pocket on the street to access a map, held it with one hand, and halfway through unlocking it with our KnockCode (more on that soon), the phone just slipped out of our hand. All it took was the startling sound of a moped racing past. Like all accidents, it happened both in slow motion and too fast to recount. Luckily, it only took a few scratches and the battery cover and battery popped out. The screen came out uncracked. The G Pro 2 isn’t extra durable, but the plastic back does repel falling damage more than a glass or metal back might.
The point is that it’s more difficult to keep hold of a big phone like the 5.9-inch Pro 2. Keep that in mind. If you prefer a better grip, there are smaller Android models like the 5.2-inch G2 and Motorola’s 4.7-inch Moto X (the most comfortable phone we’ve held).
Having said all that, there are a few things that make the G Pro 2 more comfortable than most phablets. One is the button placement: LG now puts power and volume buttons on the back of the phone. It takes a little getting used to, but it makes the buttons easier to access. The G Pro 2 also sports an industry-leading thin bezel – that’s the space between the screen and the edge of the phone. This lets LG pack a larger screen into a phone about the size of a Galaxy Note 3. It’s also very thin, at only 8.3mm, or a third of an inch.

Overall, the G Pro 2 is still thin and small enough to fit in a guy’s front pocket, but like it’s competitors, it’s on the edge of being too large to use. Be sure to try out a big phone before you order it. If you’ve used and enjoy the Galaxy Note, then you’re in good shape.

KnockCode, a new, but slow way to unlock your phone

The other fun trick you can do with an LG is wake the phone up by just tapping on the screen twice. This feature is called KnockOn and works because LG keeps the touch layer of the screen turned on even while the phone is sleeping. We love KnockOn, and for the G Pro 2, LG created KnockCode, which adds security. You can create a custom tapping code using all four quadrants of the screen, then tap that pattern when the phone is off to unlock and re-awaken it. LG claims there are more than 80,000 combinations to try, making it more secure than a four-digit pin.

At first, we liked KnockCode, but it grew tiresome.

At first, we really liked KnockCode, but because LG forces you to re-enter the code even if your phone screen has been off for only a few seconds (and the G Pro 2 defaults to turning off every 30 seconds), it grew tiresome. All of these new security features slow down our use, and when we were periodically looking at maps of a city to get around, trying, and failing, then succeeding, to unlock the phone grew tiresome. The response time needs a boost.
Overall, we still love KnockOn. Double tapping the screen to unlock the phone is great, but KnockCode, as safe as it is, annoyed us. Once we turned it off and went back to double tapping, we were a lot happier.

A familiar interface

LG hasn’t changed the basics of its interface this time around. The G Pro 2 runs Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system (the newest version), but everything looks familiar. Well, familiar if you are a reviewer who uses LG phones frequently.
Mostly, LG’s interface looks a lot like Samsung’s, so if you’ve used a Galaxy phone, you will understand things pretty quickly. It has home screens, an app menu, a nice weather widget, and access to Google’s Play Store, which has more than a million apps to download.

There are areas of the interface that are too cluttered, and the Notification tray is one of them. It’s so full of QSlide apps (little mini floating apps you won’t use much) and dials that there are no room for actual notifications. We fixed this by tinkering with the settings (swipe all the way right on the Wi-Fi toggle menu to edit what appears here) and turning stuff off.
Unlike Samsung, which dialed back the number of apps it preloads on the phone with the Galaxy S5, down to roughly 45, LG is still pushing 80 pre-installed apps. We really hope this is trimmed down because there is only 32GB of space to work with.
Finally, we also like the ability to customize the on-screen navigation buttons. In Settings, you can add up to five buttons on the bottom. We had the normal Home, Back, and Recent Apps buttons, but also added a Menu button and one that auto pulls down the Notification tray because it’s hard to reach sometimes.

Design

A lot can and should be said about the G Pro 2's exterior. For starters, this is one sweet-looking device, even though it's unlikely to win consumers' hearts on looks alone. LG hasn't used truly premium materials with the build of the device, but there's simply no way that one would confuse this for anything less than a top-of-the-line phablet.

Starting with the front, we have very narrow bezels all around, so this is a relatively conservative device in terms of its dimensions (6.22 x 3.22 x 0.33 inches). In comparison, the 5.9-inch HTC One Max commands dimensions of 6.48 x 3.25 x 0.41 inches, so it's considerably larger and thicker. We also simply have to point out how light and well-balanced the G Pro 2 is. At 6.07 oz (172 grams), this is possibly the lightest phablet in its class, and it isn't top- nor bottom-heavy like some devices we've come across. In other words, while this will never be seen as a one-handed device, it's still more comfortable to use than quite a few other phablets in this size class.

Anyways, those aforementioned bezels all tout a fancy texture which shimmers under light, much alike the rear of the Nexus 4. In comparison, the rear is less intriguing. The plasticky shell  has something of a mesh texture, which doesn't exactly scream premium, but it does feel practical. Moreover, the G Pro 2 borrows the rear-placed volume and power buttons from the G2, and these are worth a moment to discuss, because they have seen some noteworthy improvements. For starters, they're now far less flush with the surface, and you can make them out by touch alone, which definitely helps. What's more, they have a roughly doubled travel time upon impact and you don't have to push too hard to get feedback from them. We never quite warmed up to the rear combo, as outlined in our long-term LG G2 review, but the G Pro 2 definitely begs a rematch.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; Quad-band 3G with HSPA; LTE cat4
• 5.9" 16M-color 1080p True HD IPS Plus FullHD capacitive touchscreen
• Corning Gorilla Glass 2 display protection
• Android OS v4.4.2 KitKat; LG Optimus UI
• Quad-core 2.26GHz Krait 400 CPU, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset
• 13MP autofocus camera with LED flash, geotagging, Intelligent Auto, optical image stabilization, Time catch shot, smart shutter and VR panoramas
• 4K video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound; HDR mode, Dual recording, optical image stabilization
• 2.1MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording
• 16/32GB of built-in storage, microSD card slot
• microUSB port, USB host support, USB on-the-go, SlimPort TV-out
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• Standard 3.5mm audio jack
• Voice commands
• Multi-tasking with mini-apps and optional transparency (QSlide)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
• Huge 3,200mAh Li-Ion battery
• IR emitter for remote control of home appliances

Main disadvantages

• Plastic finish of the back cover has poor grip
• No dedicated camera key
• No FM radio

The LG G Pro 2 gets quite a lot of things right, and while it's only able to match the Galaxy S5 for processing power, its innovative design should help tip the scales in its favor. Rear-mounted buttons may seem like an odd solution at first sight, but everyone who's handled the G2 will tell you that once you get used to them, you realize that they are actually a truly inspired bit of engineering thought.

LG G Pro 2 live photos

Then there's also the camera that matches the Galaxy Note 3 unit for resolution and video recording and one-ups it with optical image stabilization. Given that low-light performance was the Achilles' heel of the Samsung phablet, this might be the right ingredient to turn a solid camera into a flawless performer.

This is certainly going to be an exciting battle, and one that will potentially shape the mobile landscape. And we're lucky to be watching from the front row. Join us on the next page for the hardware inspection.

Feature-packed KitKat

The LG G Pro 2 runs on LG's own, deeply-customized launcher dubbed Optimus UI on top of Android 4.4 KitKat. There's a rich selection of themes, icon sets and home-brewed apps on board.

Here's a quick hands-on video to showcase what the G Pro 2 can do.

True to its phablet nature, the LG G Pro 2 comes with multitasking-assisting features like Dual Window and Slide Aside UI.

The lock key at the rear is still a novelty and one that works well on the bigger body of the G Pro 2. you can wake the screen with a double tap on it. To lock the phone you don't need to use the hardware key either. You just double tap on an empty area of your homescreen or on the status bar no matter where you are - it will lock your G Pro 2.
The lockscreen can span across multiple panes, each containing one full-screen widget. The page to the right is special and fires up the camera, but you can easily disable it in the widget menu.
The pages to the left contain different widgets - four different clocks, Gmail, Google Now, Calendar, Google+ posts, Quick Remote and Weather. More apps can be downloaded off the Play Store to add new widgets.


The lockscreen
With the G Pro 2 LG has implemented the Knock Code feature. It allows you to unlock the device with a predefined knock pattern, including taps in a specific part of the display. LG says there are 87,376 knock patterns (2-8 taps on the four available sections) and yours should be as impossible to break as a password.
To set up the Knock Code you're guided through a screen where you enter two Knock Codes that have to match and set up a backup passcode. For many it may not be as cool or unique as a fingerprint scanner but we have to admit that it's forward-thinking and outside the box.


Knock code

The G Pro 2 also supports the so-called Guest Mode, activated by a specific unlock pattern. There's no app drawer in guest mode - you can access up to five apps: camera, video and music players, calculator and quick remote. You can, of course, make more apps available from the suggested list. To exit guest mode and make the full functionality available you'll need to lock the screen and unlock into standard mode using your regular password.

Source

GSM Arena LG G Pro 2 Review (Design 8.3/10, Features 8.5/10, Performace 8.6/10) March 4, 2014

Engadget LG G Pro 2 Review (Critic Reviews 8.2) March 4, 2014

SlashGear LG G Pro 2 Review (Overal 8.0/10) March 4, 2014

CNet LG G Pro 2 Review (Overal 8.0/10, Design 7.0/10, Features 8.0/10, Performance 9.0/10) March 4, 2014

The Verge LG G Pro 2 Review (Overal 8.0/10) March 10, 2014

AndroidCommunity LG G Pro 2 Review (Overal 8.0/10)  March 4, 2014

DigitalTrends LG G Pro 2 Review (Overal 8.0/10) March 6, 2014

PhoneArena LG G Pro 2 Review March 4, 2014

Official Website

Where to Buy

$9.99 – $399.00 (Price varies with service agreement) Amazon LG Optimus G Pro, Black 32GB (AT&T) *free shipping

$328.76 Amazon LG Optimus G Pro AT&T Unlocked Cell Phone 5.5" FULL HD Model LG-E980 - INDIGO (Dark Blue) *free shipping