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LG Optimus G for AT&T, the company's US-bound Android 4.0 flagship (hands-on)

LG Optimus G for AT&T, the company's US-bound Android 4.0 flagship (hands-on)

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No word on when it'll receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

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We know what you're thinking — the LG Optimus G, again? It's true that we have seen the international variant of this device a few times before, but this is the first time we've seen a US-bound version of LG's latest top-of-the-line phone. This is AT&T's Optimus G, which has a 4.7-inch, 1280 x 768 pixel IPS display, a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of storage, and an 8-megapixel camera. That camera is one of very few changes between this variant of LG's flagship and the international versions, which have a protruding 13-megapixel camera instead.

What primarily makes the AT&T Optimus G different is its design: the phone features a glossy black plastic finish with a textured look — something we haven't seen on other versions of the phone. The top and bottom are capped with a woven sort of plastic, while the sides are smooth glossy black plastic. AT&T's branding is limited to a globe logo on the back, and of course some of the carrier's apps are pre-loaded. Overall, the 0.33-inch thick phone feels excellent, especially when compared to the early production units that we used earlier in Seoul, Japan, and New York. The screen remains a focal point of the unit, though we aren't huge fans of LG's Android 4.0 skin, which overcomplicates the settings menu and introduces a bit too much flair when swiping between homescreens — even if it is all pulled off without a hitch.

Like the rest of AT&T's phones shown off today, we don't have any pricing or availability information available, but with the Lumia 920, iPhone 5, One X+, and Optimus G, consumers looking for a high-end smartphone on the carrier are going to have a hard choice to make. If you're not on AT&T, Sprint has also announced that it will be carrying the Optimus G, though we haven't seen any pictures of it yet.

LG Optimus G for AT&T (hands-on pictures)

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