LG unveils the high-resolution G Pad 8.3 tablet

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By Will Shanklin August 31, 2013



LG just announced the G Pad 8.3, which it claims is the first 8-inch class tablet with a full HD screen

Tired of waiting for that long-rumored iPad mini with Retina Display? Well, don't look now, but LG just introduced the LG G Pad 8.3. We don't know whether it will fare better than LG's last tablet, 2011's Optimus Pad, but the G Pad's status as the (supposed) first eight-inch tablet with a full HD display can't hurt its chances.

Specs and features

The G Pad 8.3 has, surprise surprise, an 8.3-inch display. The killer feature is its resolution: the Korean company managed to squeeze 1,920 x 1,200 resolution into this bad boy. For those keeping score, that comes out to 273 pixels per inch: an unprecedented number for a tablet of its size (the 2013 Nexus 7 has 323 PPI, but measures only 7" diagonally).

At first blush, the G Pad looks like it has a sleek design and well-rounded set of components to boot. It weighs just 338 g (11.92 oz.). We're also looking at a mere 8.3 mm (0.33") thickness. That makes it a bit thicker than the iPad mini and Galaxy Note 8.0, but then again, neither of those tablets has anything approaching a high-resolution display.

LG's new tablet also packs plenty of horsepower, with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 processor living inside. 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (with no microSD on board) and a healthy 4,600 mAh battery round out the hardware highlights.

Software

The G Pad 8.3 runs Android 4.2.2, with LG's custom UI splattered on top. Much like the upcoming G2 smartphone, LG threw in a few unique software features, like Slide Aside (multitask by sliding an app off-screen with three fingers), QSlide (run three apps at once in one window) and KnockOn (tap twice on the display to turn it on or off).

Until we get some hands-on time, we can't say whether these features will add to the user experience, or just leave us dreaming of a world where manufacturers forget the "differentiation," and just give us stock Android.

LG hasn't yet announced pricing, but the company says the G Pad 8.3 will roll out globally in Q4. On second thought, maybe it won't beat that Retina iPad mini to market after all.

Source: LG
 
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