Difference Between LG Optimus Pad LTE and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

LG Optimus Pad LTE vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 | Speed, Performance and Features Reviewed | Full Specs Compared
 

Sometimes, in a competitive market, if you are the trend setter, you automatically gain a competitive advantage over your rivals. This is because your product will be unique for a given amount of time until the others follow your footpath. Although that’s the case, there are occasions where the followers improve the design and surpass the trend setter. In the mobile market, this is often considered as a usual occurrence. It’s needless to say that this poses a threat to the trend setter. So even before releasing a new product, the trendsetter plans even on resurfacing after a surpass so that it’s always two steps ahead of the competition. We had to discuss this scenario because we are going to compare two tablets that are so alike released during a distinct time interval.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has introduced a new size for tablets. We will talk about the implications it has on this context in the discussion to come. But we have to agree that it’s a wonderful slate to play with. Samsung has been generous with their tablets to include almost all the cutting edge features needed, and Galaxy Tab 8.9 is no difference. Add to that, Samsung always has a high esteem about the Galaxy family. As the rival to be compared today, we have LG Optimus Pad LTE. Optimus family is the esteemed family of handsets from LG and holds equal value to LG as Galaxy to Samsung. The Optimus LTE is also a 8.9 inch tablet, and we will look at the individual characteristics that differentiate them.

LG Optimus Pad LTE

LG Optimus Pad LTE may not be Optimus Prime of the race of tablets, but it sure has features to climb to the top of the market. It is powered by 1.5GHz dual core processor on top of Qualcomm chipset, and we assume 1GB of RAM would only seem fit for this setup. The hardware is been controlled by Android OS v3.2 Honeycomb. It is unfortunate that LG hasn’t made any promises about an upgrade to IceCreamSandwich, which would have been great, but we can’t deny the possibility altogether, as well. Thus, we are hoping that LG would have an upgrade for the time being. It has 8.9 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels at a pixel density of 168ppi approximately. The screen is of good quality and has good viewing angles. We are satisfied with the resolution it offers, as well.

LG Optimus Pad LTE is Black in color and has a comfortable built to it. It has some customized widgets by LG for ease of use. The Optimus Pad scores dimensions of 245 x 151.4mm and a thickness of 9.3mm and a weight of 497g. Although these are not the lowest in the market, the ergonomics are fairly decent so that you can easily hold it in your hand for extended amounts of time. It comes with 8MP camera with autofocus and Geo tagging. It can also capture 1080p HD videos at 30 frames per second. The 2MP front camera is integral for conference calls bundled together with Bluetooth v2.1. As the name suggests, Optimus Pad defines it’s connectivity through LTE. Needless to say, the user can enjoy super-fast internet connectivity and gracefully degrade to HSDPA when the connectivity isn’t available. The Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n enables the Pad to stay connected continuously, and the ability to host a Wi-Fi hotspot is a great way to share your internet connection. LG also claims that the device would have interactivity with smart LG devices like TVs via HDMI, DLNA. Unlike other Android tablets of the same caliber, LG Optimus Pad LTE offers the option to expand the storage up to 32 GB with a microSD card, which is an added advantage. We reckon Optimus can do up to 10 hours with the built in 6800mAh battery although official statements are lacking.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

Samsung is trying to test the usability of tablets with different screen sizes to come up with the best. But they are doing it with making competition with their own and setting up. Anyhow, the 8.9 inch addition seems to be quite refreshing, considering the fact, that it has almost the same specs as its predecessor Galaxy Tab 10.1. Galaxy Tab 8.9 is a slightly scaled down version of its 10.1 counterpart. It almost feels the same and comes with the same smooth curved edges that Samsung gives to their tablets. It has a pleasing metallic grey back that we can cling on comfortably. We expected it to come with the amazing Super AMOLED screen that Samsung ports their devices normally, but we have to suffice with a PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen of 8.9 inches, which can do a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels in 170ppi pixel density. While we have no complains about neither the resolution nor the crispness of the images and the viewing angles, Super AMOLED would certainly have been an eye candy for this beauty.

Galaxy Tab 8.9 has the same 1.5GHz ARM Cortex A9 dual core processor, which is better than its predecessor Galaxy Tab 10.1. It’s built on top of Qualcomm chipset and comes with 1GB RAM, to optimize the performance. The Android v3.2 Honeycomb does a good job in binding them together, but we’d have preferred if Samsung would promise an upgrade to ICS. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 also gives rise to some storage restriction, since it only comes with 16GB or 32GB modes with no option to expand the storage via a microSD card. The 3.2MP back camera is acceptable, but we would expect more from Samsung for this beauty. It has autofocus and LED flash along with Geo tagging backed up by A-GPS. The fact that it can capture 720p HD videos @ 30 frames per second is a relief though. Samsung hasn’t forgotten the video calls as well since they have included a 2MP front facing camera bundled with Bluetooth v3.0 and A2DP.

Since the Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes in different flavors of connectivity such as Wi-Fi, 3G or even LTE version, it’s not fair to normalize and describe them generically. Instead, since the counterpart we’re comparing features LTE, We will take the LTE version for comparison of network connectivity. It has no problem whatsoever in been connected to the LTE network. It also has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and the ability to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot which, as we mentioned before, is great. It comes with an accelerometer sensor, Gyro sensor and a compass besides the usual suspects and features a mini HDMI port, as well. Samsung has included a lighter battery of 6100mAh but surprisingly, it can stay up to 9 hours and 20 minutes, which only fall behind 30 minutes from its predecessor.

Conclusion

When you get two handsome slates in your hand, it’s really difficult to pick one. It’s even more difficult if the two slates resemble each other very much. Thus at the end of this comparison, we will not try to pick up a tablet from these and leave that choice to you. But we will discuss some features in them that we would like you to think about. In terms of performance, both handsets would yield same performance levels, although there may be some differences if we perform intense benchmarking tests. Nonetheless, the end user isn’t about to feel those while using either of the tablets. What we have to say about the display is the same as performance; because, there won’t be much difference that can be easily identified although viewing angles does differ. The major difference one would notice is in optics. LG Optimus Pad LTE comes with a better camera that has more advanced features. On a side note, I personally am not a fan of taking snaps from 8.9 inch tablet, but it depends on your preference. If you want one device to do it all, LG Optimus will suit your needs. On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 is thinner and surprisingly lighter than LG Optimus Pad LTE and would result in better usability and flexibility in carrying around. There is also some difference in battery life each tablet provides which you might have to take into consideration. Finally, there’s the issue on availability. Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE is available in the United States while LG Optimus Pad LTE is due to be released in Korea although we expect a release in US soon; the company has made no promises. So stay tuned and we leave the investment decision at your hand.