Tablet Test: The better Nexus 7 - TIME ONLINE

LG brings its second Android tablet on the market. The G Pad 8.3 is eight inches tall, and costs a little more than Google’s Nexus 7, but worth the upgrade.

10 December 2013 clock 16:33

The G Pad 8.3 is the second Android tablet from LG. | © Sean Gallup / Getty Images

LG dare with the G Pad 8.3 after a long break back on the market for Android tablets. Shortly before the Ifa 2013, the South Korean manufacturer had introduced the 8.3-inch device. Golem.de , it has now been tested.

The IPS screen of the G pad is 8.3 inches in size, slightly larger than other 8-inch tablets. The resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 272 ppi. The screen content is correspondingly sharp, even fine structures are mapped in detail. Colors are the LCD touch screen of course again, even at low brightness screen contents appear still alive. For users with color vision deficiency or color blindness, the screen colors can be inverted, thus the color contrast is increased and the display is easier to read.

display

principle of the G pad screen has a very warm color reproduction that does not act through excessive and does not interfere. Overall, the display like it very much, it is balanced, sharp and has a large brightness range. Even in bright ambient light screen contents are still visible, the user can in poorly lit environments dim the display strong.

housing with aluminum cover

The case of the G pad is made from plastic, the back cover is made of brushed black aluminum. Although it appears at first glance, the back cover can not be removed. Unlike the display glass he attracts fingerprints almost magically, this can be difficult to remove. The dimensions are 217 times 126.5 times 8.3 millimeters.

Thanks to the narrow edge of the left and right of the display can also hold the G pad very well with only one hand. The tablet does not recognize but unlike the iPad Mini, if the user holds in the display when holding with your thumb. This can lead to incorrect entries in the operation. With a weight of 337 grams, the G Pad 8.3 weighs almost as much as the iPad Mini with Retina display (331 grams) and is not too heavy, even for prolonged use in the hand. Produced by Asus Nexus 7 is 290 grams lighter and slightly smaller – but also has a 7-inch screen

. camera for snapshots

LG has built on the back of the G pad a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus. An LED photo light does not. On the front there is a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calling.

The quality of the main camera is average, it is suitable for making decent snapshots – no more. Fine details muddying slightly, exposure, and auto white balance but agree.

Decent Hardware

LG installed in the G Pad 8.3 no Snapdragon 800 as the current Topsmartphone G2. Instead, working inside the Tablet Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon processor 600 with a clock speed of 1.7 gigahertz. The amount of RAM is two gigabytes of built-in flash memory is 16 gigabytes in size. A slot for micro-SD cards up to 64 gigabytes is installed at the top of the tablet. App2SD support the LG tablet not, so can not be app data outsource on a memory card.

WLAN supports the G pad after 802.11a/b/g/n at the frequencies 2.4 and 5 GHz. The fast standard ac is not supported. In a model with UMTS or LTE Module LG currently waived yet. Bluetooth runs in version 4.0, a GPS receiver is built.

The LG G Pad 8.3 is shipped with Android 4.2.2. LG installed on the tablet’s own user interface Optimus UI. With this many useful features are added, resulting in adjusted operating system from the “pure” Android Nexus tablet differs.

G pad can wake up with a double-tap on the screen from sleep mode and turn off again. For the user, the center must meet relatively accurately – already next to a few centimeters, the tablet no longer responds to the input, which is annoying for one-handed operation

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the lock screen LG has expanded next placeable widgets to app shortcuts. On the bottom of the lock screen, the user can place up to six freely selectable apps that can be started before unlocking.

Multi-Window and wegwischbare Apps

The LG interface offers several features designed to improve multitasking with the tablet. Practically, the QSlide called multi-window mode, with the Calendar, Calculator, Memo or Voice Mate App can be used in parallel with other apps. The user selects the desired application in the notification menu, directly under the Quick Settings. A maximum of two windows can be placed on the currently used apps. Vector also can be considered in this way. The windows are easy to move and change in size, also can change the transparency of a slider.

the Slide Aside feature lets users submit by wiping with three fingers up to three apps from in order to show them again with a wipe later also. However, the apps are not “frozen”: After some time they start the same way as conventional apps running in the background again when they are called. A game starts so not at the paused point, but back in the main menu. Thus, the slide-aside function is used at most of the better overview. The user can, however, also use the same Android-own overview of recently used apps, which can be reached at the G pad over a long press on the Home icon.

QuickMemo for notes

With the built-in notification bar app QuickMemo can create user via touch input notes or sketches. It is up to the user whether he wants to make these empty on a piece of paper or the screen content currently shown. This function is convenient, directions can for example easily on a Google Maps map area are located.

-made QuickMemo notes can be either stored locally or share with Bluetooth, e-mail or on social networks like Facebook or Twitter. Sometimes a stylus as with the note-models from Samsung would be desirable – this would simplify both the handwriting and painted notes

. Qpair held cellular modem

LG has deliberately avoided the G pad on a UMTS or LTE modem, and it simplifies the tethering feature. With the application Qpair the user can connect the tablet via Bluetooth easier than ever with its Android smartphone. These must be running on the smartphone as well as on the tablet the Qpair App will be installed and on the smartphone in the background. The smartphone must be running at least Android 4.1, older Android versions are not supported.

If the user starts the app then on the tablet automatically adjusts the G pad creates a tethering connection to the smartphone, although here there is no Bluetooth was activated before. The user no longer needs each time to pull his phone out of his pocket when he wants to go online with the tablet – which is very practical in everyday life

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Qpair allows, however, still more than the mere creation of an internet connection. On the phone incoming calls or messages are displayed on the tablet, the former can not be accepted, but will be answered with a pre-office message. Depending on your wireless service provider, the function of the office message is not available. Whatsapp messages are displayed only answer they can not be.

In addition, the user can view by Qpair which app last ran on the smartphone. This is then started by pressing a button on the G pad. This only works when the app is installed on both devices. Created on the Tablet Quick Memos can be sent automatically to the smartphone. Notifications of social networks like Facebook, Foursquare, Google+, Skype, and Twitter are transmitted on request to the tablet as soon as they are received on the smartphone.

test the LG tablet with a Google Nexus 4 was connected to Android 4.4. The unique setting of the two devices took several attempts before the connection was. In contrast, the reconnection proceeded smoothly and is stable. Overall, the Qpair feature is an extensive and good alternative to the missing cellular modem. For other mobile operating systems, the app is not available.

language assistant can not speak German

LG has with Voice Mate their own language assistants who currently but responds only to English or Korean language input. This is a shame, because the user can perform many functions of your tablet using your voice with him, how to write an e-mail, for example, update status updates in social networks or search the Internet. As with many Galaxy smartphones from Samsung and the G Pad has a feature that lets as long to switch on display as the user it looks. Videos can be stopped automatically when the user looks away from the screen. Both works well.

Thanks to a built-in IR transmitter TV and other electronic devices with the G pad can be controlled remotely. The decor is simple, the remote control works in the test with a television from Panasonic and LG problems.

Overall, LG’s Optimus UI

is clear and provides numerous helpful features that facilitate use.

Long battery life

not readily replaceable battery has a nominal charge of 4,600 mAh. In everyday usage with surfing, Facebook and Twitter, games and videos look the tablet loosely holds two days without charging by.

G pad slides easily through the menus and respond quickly to user input. Even with multiple open apps, the tablet does not come to a halt. Graphically more complex titles such as Dead Trigger 2 or Riptide GP 2 also run smoothly on the device. The default browser it creates different than Google’s Chrome browser to display web pages without stalling.

Availability and Conclusion

G Pad 8.3 by LG is to get it for under 290 € in online trading in white. The black version costs just 10 euros more.

At first glance, LG has brought a somewhat inconspicuous, but on closer inspection, very solid and good Android tablet with an excellent display on the market. In this case, no experiments the South Korean manufacturer is received by the installed hardware and relies on proven components. This is complemented by sometimes more, sometimes less meaningful usability improvements, and the case is handy.

particular, the Qpair function extends the usage of spectrum Tablets strong. LG has the missing cellular modem can replace good with her, for which not only the simple Internet connection via the Android smartphone provides. Also the possibility to display calls, text messages and other notifications from the smartphone to the tablet is practical. The slide-aside feature, however, is not convincing.

That no Snapdragon 800 processor is installed in the G pad, the utility does not hurt noticeably. The user can navigate through menus without any lag and the home screens, the tablet responds quickly, applications run smoothly. From a performance point of the G pad is located approximately at the level of the new Nexus 7

Google’s seven-inch tablet is the G Pad 8.3 a serious competitor. Although the 16-gigabyte version of the Nexus 7 only costs about 70 euros less with Wi-Fi, this is the screen here but with 7 inch also noticeably smaller and lacks a slot for memory cards. Moreover, the additional features of the LG user interface make the disadvantage of not fully current version of Android at the G pad more than compensated.

Publisher Golem.de