CES: The LG Optimus Black is bright
CNET editor Nicole Lee gets a hands-on with the LG Optimus Black.
Despite the buzz around the LG Revolution, I have to say that the LG Optimus Black has a bit more star power, and it's all because of its display. While I can't attest to its actual clarity under bright daylight due to the dim lighting on the show floor, what I saw of it was impressive.
As we reported, the Optimus Black's 4-inch "NOVA" display boasts 700 nits of brightness, which LG claims makes it the brightest and clearest display on the market. The company even placed it next to an iPhone 4 to compare it with the Retina display, and at first glance, it did seem to be brighter--though I don't know if that's because the settings were changed beforehand. The display also boasts 16 million colors and a WVGA 800x480 resolution. We also liked its very slim, sleek form factor. Measuring 3.8 inches long by 2.51 inches wide by less than half an inch thick, the Optimus Black is possibly the thinnest phone I've seen at the show.
Other features of the phone include a 5-megapixel camera and the "world's first" 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The device also has Wi-Fi with portable hot-spot capability, Dolby mobile, quad-band GSM, and tri-band UMTS. It ships with Android 2.2, but LG assured us it'll be upgradeable to 2.3. The Optimus Black is a global release for LG, so we likely won't see it in the U.S. any time soon, if at all. But if you can get it unlocked, it's good to know it'll work on either AT&T or T-Mobile.
Check out our hands-on photos and First Look video for a closer look at the LG Optimus Black.
