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The LG Optimus Pad is a decent Android 3.0 tablet. It's speedy, it's responsive and it captures 3D video which makes it a bit of a one-off, at least for the time being. But the problem is that there's just something… missing.
We liked:
It's fast and responsive. The screen is nice and sharp and the battery performs as we'd expect it to. All in all, it's a full competent Android tablet with the unique ability (among tablets at least) to record video in 3D.
It's also very nice to hold in one hand which is crucial for a tablet. We particularly liked the setting to turn off the Anaglyph 3D display, because it's just nasty.
We disliked:
Our main problem with the Optimus Pad is that it's just not refined enough. It's not particularly good looking. It's quite fat, certainly compared to iPad 2 and it's rather heavy as well – particularly when you consider this is an 8.9-inch device.
It just doesn't have the same feel of quality that you get with other tablets even at this early stage.
It's comfortable to hold in one hand, but you'll need a firm grip simply because after a couple of minutes that 630g of weight starts to feel rather heavier. And there's also the issue of that missing expansion port...
Then we come to the price. The LG Optimus Pad has gone on sale in Carphone Warehouse for £749.99. This is, frankly, a ludicrous pricetag. You should laugh all the way to the shop nextdoor that's selling the £379 Asus Eee Pad Transformer.
Verdict:
It all hinged on the cost, and at £749.99 this tablet is simply not worth the cash. If it had cost in the region of £450 we might have recommended it to 3D enthusiasts, but that price is just ludicrous.
In general though, ignoring the price, we don't think this tablet has the chops to really capture the imagination of the masses. It's a solid performer – far and away better than most of the tablets that came out last year – but can it really claim to be as appealing as the Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 or Eee Pad Transformer?
