It's official: AT&T's new LG Optimus G Pro (pictures)

At a press event in New York we got a chance to spend some hands-on time with the new LG Optimus G Pro for AT&T. The 5.5-inch, quad-core superphone feels just as quick, nimble, and powerful as the international model. The device will be available May 10 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. Preorders start May 3.

The most noticeable thing about the G Pro is that 5.5-inch full-HD IPS screen. It has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution and 400ppi. It sports a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the display edges contour down toward the bezel. Indeed when we viewed the screen in person we definitely found it to be bright, colorful, and very big. It's an eye-catching number for sure.

At the very bottom of the handset is a Micro-USB port for charging.

Up top is a 3.5mm headphone jack. We also like the faux metallic stripe that rings the Optimus G Pro. And though the handset is large, its extreme thinness really helps the device avoid feeling unwieldy.

On the left, you have a volume rocker that's situated flush with and quite low on the edge -- almost right in the middle of the body -- and the QuickMemo shortcut key that sits right above it.

The right edge houses the sleep/power button.

The G Pro is one of the first phones to feature the (1.7GHz) Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor. Inside, you'll find a removable 3,140mAh battery and both the Micro-SIM and microSD card slots. The latter takes cards of up to 64GB.

The back of the device houses a 13-megapixel camera with flash. A small strip of chrome encircles the lens, which bubbles up ever so slightly out of the back plate. To the left is a small audio speaker.

A few camera options include shooting in 1080p HD video, a digital zoom, a flash, and cheese shutter, which is a voice-activated shutter.

Shooting modes include HDR, panorama, burst shot, and beauty shot. VR panorama photo ends up resembling what a 360-degree photo would look like if someone laid it out flat.

In addition to taking photos while recording, the G Pro also has dual recording as an option: this lets you record with both cameras simultaneously.

Photo Sphere, a feature in Android 4.2, stitches together pictures taken from every angle at a single point, to create expansive 3D-esque photos.

"Time catch" shot mode lets you choose and save the best shot from before the shutter was pressed.

The phone includes 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. You'll find a bunch of standard Google apps like Messenger, Maps with Navigation, Local, Voice Search, Talk, Chrome, Gmail, Search, Plus, YouTube, and access to Play Movies and TV, Books, and Store.