New LG G Pads Hit 7-, 8-, and 10-inch Tablets Space
LG's G Pad line just tripled in size.
LG has a long track record in the smartphone segment, but its experience in the tablet space is a little more limited. The company announced the Optimus Pad in 2011, followed by the Optimus Pad LTE a little less than a year later. In November 2013, the company introduced us to the LG G Pad 8.3, the first tablet to use its 'G series' branding. This week, LG is hitting us with three tablets at once, something it's never done before. All of these are part of the G series, too.
The line is comprised of 7-, 8-, and 10.1-inch offerings. The 7-inch model, the imaginatively named G Pad 7.0, is designed to be held in one hand and no doubt hopes to compete with the likes of the iPad mini, the Kindle Fire, and the Nexus 7. Next up is the G Pad 8.0 with its 8-inch panel that offers an 'immersive multimedia experience,' as well as smooth multitasking. Presumably, this will replace the G Pad 8.3. Rounding out this new family of tablets is the 10.1-inch G Pad 10.1, which LG promises will provide 'endless hours' of entertainment.
LG didn't offer us anything else in the way of hardware specs. From the sounds of things, the company wants to drip feed us information about these devices (perhaps in an attempt to drum up excitement). The devices will be officially unveiled at MedPI 2014, which takes place in Monaco starting tomorrow, and then additional details on specs and local availability will be revealed 'in the weeks ahead.'
All is not lost, though. We did get some information on the software LG will be shoehorning in on top of Android. This will include LG's own proprietary UX with QPair 2.0 (Bluetooth pairing) and Knock Code (a pattern-unlock feature for the lock screen that uses tapping).
LG has obviously decided that the one-size-fits-all approach of its flagship Optimus Pad wasn't going to cut it, though it's not clear if this carpet bomb approach of hitting every major tablet category will be much better. LG will have to really impress with specifications and pricing if it hopes to compete in the Android space. We're excited to hear more about these slates but will reserve judgement on LG's new strategy until we know all about it.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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teh_chem I really like LG's custom UI. I find it brings a lot of features and settings very close to the user, and doesn't seem to have too much bloat. I'm part of the minority, but I like it so much more than vanilla android for sure.Reply -
BranFlake5 ReplyWaiting for the day of bezeless displays then I will pick one up.
How will you hold it if it has no bezel for your hands to grip? Otherwise you would constantly be pressing the edge of the screen.
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teh_chem Reply13282867 said:How will you hold it if it has no bezel for your hands to grip? Otherwise you would constantly be pressing the edge of the screen.
Nature finds a way... -
Belardo When I first got an ipad and others - I thought "How stupid to have such huge ugly bezels" After using them (I still have an ipad 1), the bezel is a place to hold the unit without touching the screen... and of course room for a larger battery.Reply
You don't hold a tablet like you would a phone. My Moto X barely has a bezel on the sides. And even Apple didn't go screen to edge on their iPad Mini. I tried holding my ipad on just the edges or picking it up and sharing it... when doing hand offs to others, you need the space for your thumb/fingers for gripping it.
Hell, even on monitors, I prefer to have SOME bezel. -
Niva This article said the key words I wanted to see. This will not run stock (pure) android. That means I will never own one of these tablets.Reply -
ceh4702 My daughter got me an android tablet Asus Memo Pad 7HD. I really like it. Don't have a clue whether it is stock android or not. It is not like I expected it to run like a PC. I plan on using it at church and when I need a Mobile device. Seems a lot faster than the first tablets that came out.Reply