LG Optimus 3D Max

3D in mobile phones tends to generate a lot of questions so let’s begin by clearing a couple of them – no, the phone is not displaying stuff in 3D all the time, only the 3D apps work in 3D. And yes, the 3D photos and videos you shoot will not appear 3D on your computer unless you have a 3D display attached.

With that out of the way, LG’s last Optimus 3D was the best implementation of the tech we had seen in a handheld device, and the same trend continues in the 3D Max. Though you have to be in a direct facing ‘sweet spot’ it’s pretty easy to get the 3D effect without the dizzy feeling that other glasses – free 3D displays tend to give you.

There are two 5 megapixel cameras at the back, capable of shooting pics in 3D (yes, it shoots in 2D as well), and does videos in 1080p, 30fps. We found the picture quality very impressive under most lighting, but there was a noticeable shutter lag, when shooting in 3D, which can get bothersome.

The device itself is excellently built. It feels sturdy in the palm of your hand, which unfortunately can’t be said about most other android phones in that price bracket. Though the display is crisp and bright, the screen resolution is only 480x800, which is a bit low these days for phones in this category.

We’re not big fans of Gingerbread (Android 2.3) devices these days, especially after we’re so used to seeing Android 4.0 on so many devices. But we must admit that the Gingerbread performance here is really, really smooth. There were no hiccups in the device’s interface and using heavy applications one after the other didn’t seem to affect the performance. That said there is a promised update to Android 4.0 coming later this year.

LG has been good at making feelgood phones, and that’s exactly what we get here. The 3D Max looks great and the 3D makes a brilliant social ice breaker if nothing else.