What's good
- Excellent display
- Slim design
- Good battery life
What's bad
- Inconsistent performance
- Overabundance of LG apps in UI
- No 3G or 4G cellular data
The LG G Pad 8.3 is a mid-range, Android-powered tablet featuring an 8.3 inch, 1920x1200 resolution display, a quad-core, Snapdragon processor running at 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard memory - expandable to 64GB, and dual-cameras. It's 8.3mm thick, with an exterior comprised of glass, plastic and brushed metal.
The 1920x1200 LCD IPS display generates 273 ppi, which is equal to the Nexus 7 and considerably higher than many competitors, including the iPad Mini (162 ppi), and the Galaxy Note 8.0 (189 ppi). Reviewers found the display to be very good, representing colors accurately and with no pixelation problems. “Certainly, you'll be pleased with the clarity of the G Pad's screen and the crispness of text and images,” Engadget said. And according to Phonearena, “LG's tablet manages to output some very clean and pixelization-free visuals.”
In addition to the Snapdragon 600 processor, the G Pad has a separate, Adreno 320 graphics chip, which means gamers will be able to enjoy their favorite titles. “We experienced very little slowdown or jerkiness in any of the games we tested, including the notoriously demanding Shadowgun,” according to Expertreviews.
The tablet features the same skin used on the LG G2 smartphone, which comes with a host of features, including Knock-On, which allows you to turn the tablet on by knocking on the screen, and QPair, which allows you to tether the tablet to your Android phone. While many reviewers found the LG UI useful, others found it distracting. According to The Verge, “LG’s taken Android and made it uglier and more cluttered.” (The LG G2 is also available in a Google Play edition, which is identical except that it comes with a stock Android OS).
Additional features include a rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with image stabilization, touch focus and face detection, stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, and a non-removable Li-Po 4600 mAh battery.
Overall, reviewers gave a thumbs up to the LG G Pad. They were impressed with its display and found the design to be slim and comfortable. Techradar said, “ It's a great tablet which offers a wide array of features and a beautiful screen at a price which pips Apple's latest offering.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Robert Nelson, Android CommunityThe LG G Pad 8.3 LTE serves as a nice middle ground for those who want something between the 7 and 10 inch form factors. This one offers a bit more screen real estate and manages to keep things in a form factor that is still easy to hold with one hand. Not to mention, the display, day to day perfor...
- Josh Smith, GottaBeMobileThe Verizon LG G Pad 8.3 is a good tablet with a few areas where users will need to accept tradeoffs for the lower price. The G Pad 8.3 is leaps and bounds above cheap Android tablets that shoppers will find in big box stores and places like Walmart, but it is not that much more expensive than those...
- Tony McAfee, Android GuysI would recommend this device to anyone who either knows they want a tablet with its own data plan, or is opened to the idea of switching over. The G Pad 8.3 is a wonderful size, and it my opinion, a size that should have been common before 7 inch displays became popular. The device is plenty quick,...
- Cory Gunther, GottaBeMobileThe LG G Pad 8.3 is arguably one of the best Android tablets available to date. It beats the Nexus 7 in most categories, has a beautiful and sleek design with a large 8.3-inch display while still being portable. It sounds good, looks great, and works wonderfully for almost all daily tablet tasks. Th...
- Sanjiv Sathiah, MacnnThe LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition is an excellent Android tablet. The hardware helps to set it apart from the saturated field of Android contenders, which are by and large, plastic and can often look cheap. The G Pad uses a combination of plastic with brushed aluminum, along with a rigid chassis...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- LG G Pad 8.3 Quick Start Guide (PDF)
- LG G Pad 8.3 Manual (PDF)
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