LG G-Slate Pro Reviews

While the LG Optimus Pad is a solidly made tablet with some good general specifications, its in-between size doesn't appeal, and the 3D capability feels rather gimmicky.

It’s good to be a tablet these days. But it’s hard to rise above the rest. Honeycomb, Tegra dual-core and pretty much standard screen resolution, makers need to go to great lengths to make their slates stand out. The LG Optimus Pad seems to have more reasons than usual to call itself special. A pretty capable 5MP camera (actually two of them) and 1080p videos bolster its imaging credentials. The connectivity package is above the average too, with a standard miniHDMI port and USB On-The-Go. It’s a well-accessorized gadget too. And then there’s 3D. If nothing else, it feeds the hype machine and gives the Pad an extra leg to stand on. In fairness, the 3D stills turned out to be disabled, and the mandatory 3D glasses were not supplied with our unit. Not to mention, photo and video don’t usually top the bill for tablet users.

The big problem for the G-Slate, LG, T-Mobile, and its customers isn’t the gimmicky 3D camera, the lack of an SD slot, or the fact that Android has little in the way of great tablet software. The big sticking point for this device will be the fact that you not only have to pony up $630 just to get in the door, but you’re required to sign up for a restrictive, two-year contract as well. A quick bit of math means that even with the dinkiest plan (200MB for $29.99 a month), you’re shelling out $1250 over two years… that’s not counting taxes and regulatory fees, and with the $100 mail-in rebate (and come on, a mail-in rebate in 2011?). That’s a lot of money for a tablet that will be last season in six months or less. You could always go off contract — then you’re paying $750 for this tablet. Of course, if you’re in the market for an Android slate with GSM service, this is a fine device — it doesn’t have the software selection of the iPad, the size and shape is awkward, and the 3D camera won’t impress anyone but your 8 year-old nephew, but it’s a solid Honeycomb tablet that has more than enough horsepower to tackle what you throw at it. And that’s… something, I guess.

The LG V900 Optimus Pad was impressive in almost every exercise, apart from 3D video recording, respectively playback gimmick. The 630 gram tablet's workmanship is good. The IPS screen that has very good viewing angles in addition to a brilliant color and contrast reproduction was very satisfactory. Seeing the content is possible from almost every position without the display content inverting or fading.

A solid tablet, but its 3D video features and slightly smaller size aren’t worth paying such a huge premium for

It may be able to shoot 3D video, but for this price we'd expect a 3D display

The LG G-Slate is definitely a fine tablet, but most of what makes it such a quality product is the Honeycomb software, which, at this point, can be found on other, better pieces of hardware (e.g. Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer). Not only is there nothing particularly remarkable about the G-Slate as a piece of hardware, but its 3D capabilities -- its one defining characteristic -- are limited and generally pretty poor. But aside from the disappointing 3D, there isn't really anything major wrong with the G-Slate either. With the exception of some quirks and the occasional bug (most of which were browser or connectivity issues), the G-Slate performs well and can get the job done. It's just that there are other devices out there than can get it done better.

The T-Mobile G-Slate is a really nice tablet. It's nice to hold, easy on the eyes, and runs flawlessly. We're still waiting for more Android tablet applications, but those are sure to come eventually.

Clearly looking at things on paper, there’s no denying that the T-Mobile G-Slate is a wonderful alternative to the pricier Motorola XOOM – especially when it outperforms it on so many levels. T-Mobile surely picked the perfect tablet to get Android 3.0 Honeycomb to its existing base of customers, however, it still falls short in some areas that prevent it from really rising above the current stack of competition out there. Sure it’s 3D video recording ability is a standout feature on its own, and rightfully so, it’s not something you necessarily find being offered by other currently available tablets.

I've been using a Motorola XOOM for Verizon Wireless on a daily basis since before it was available for purchase, so I'm pretty familiar with Android Honeycomb and its quirks. And while the T-Mobile G-Slate could use slightly improved reception, I like it, as a whole, much better than Motorola's XOOM. It is more comfortable to hold, the G-Slate's build of Android seems more stable, and I really enjoy the G-Slate's unusual 3D camera abilities.

In a way it’s difficult to criticize LG for its decision to put 3D into the G-Slate. We’re constantly asking manufacturers to think about how they’ll differentiate their tablets from the iPad, and 3D recording is obviously LG’s push to do just that. Still, at the same time we can’t help but wonder whether dropping one of those rear cameras might have scraped a little off the unsubsidized price overall.