LG Optimus 3D Max - Like last year's 3D phone but better

LG Optimus 3D Max – like last year’s 3D phone but slightly better [Video]

by Ben Stevens, Technology Researcher Mobile Phones 28/02/2012

LG has persisted in providing us with the tools to shoot our own 3D videos, no matter how bad they might be, by unveiling the new Optimus 3D Max at MWC 2012.

LG Optimus 3D Max hands on video

Does the 3D gimmick detract from its smartphone performance?

At last year’s show we saw the LG Optimus 3D – it then went on to perform well in our mobile phone tests. Our comparable testing methods, however, don’t include an assessment of the 3D photo and video quality, as it isn’t a common smartphone feature.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the 3D capabilities of last year’s and this year’s handsets are little more than a gimmick, yet that doesn’t mean the Optimus 3D Max isn’t a capable phone – we’ll know for certain once we get one into our labs.

3D clips filmed and played back on the screen still look woefully poor compared with decent 3D content seen at the cinema or on TV, but it can be fun, and there are always the 2D photo and video options to fall back on.

One new feature that’s come to the LG Optimus 3D Max is its ability to convert any 2D game to 3D, and I could forgive the poor 3D effect for the slightly more immersive gaming experience. As with the original Optimus 3D, converting 2D films to 3D is also possible.

You don’t need 3D glasses to watch the 3D content on the handset’s 4.3-inch display, but to get the best effect content can be played back on a 3D TV, for which you will need 3D glasses.

Besides 3D, what else do I need to know about the 3D Max?

The Optimus 3D Max has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, making it a more competent multi-tasker than last year’s device, and despite the extra horsepower the 3D Max is a shade slimmer than its predecessor.

LG claims that, while the screen’s resolution on 2012′s 3D Max is the same as last year’s model, the brightness has been increased.

LG describes the Optimus 3D Max, also known as the LG P720, as the ‘world’s slimmest and brightest 3D smartphone’, but in that race there really is only one horse.

We’ll be buying the Optimus 3D Max when it launches in the summer, before sending to our lab for testing. If it performs as well as the previous Optimus 3D then it’ll be considered a good phone – despite its gimmicky 3D capabilities.