AT&T just announced a version of the Optimus LTE for their network.  Called the LG Nitro HD, it's the first smartphone in the carrier's roster to feature a screen capable of showing displays in full 720p.

Measuring 5.27 x 2.67 x 0.41 inches, it's long and slender, just like a lot of the bigger premium phones coming out these days.  It features a huge 4.5-inch IPS display with a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and 500-nit luminance.   According to the press release, the screen offers "unrivaled color accuracy," " true-to-life color rendering" and "clear viewing in direct sunlight."

Details of the Nitro HD include an 8.0 megapixel camera module, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing webcam, aGPS, 4G LTE, HSPA+, WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA, 4GB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).  No word on what version of Android runs, but we're assuming Gingerbread, instead of Ice Cream Sandwich.

Billed as "the ultimate high-performance super phone," the handset comes with more than just a high-res display and LTE broadband speeds.  It also runs a powerful dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm processor that allows it to run HD games and movies with relative ease.

The LG Nitro HD will hit AT&T retail stores December 4th, priced at $249.99 with a new two-year agreement.

[via Engadget]

The successor to last year's LG Ally, the LG Enlighten is the latest entry-level Android smartphone to join Verizon's roster.  If you'd like an affordable handset with a physical keyboard, this phone could prove an ideal pick.

Physically, it's a compact device, much like a lot of the entry-level phones out there.  Design is blocky, with curved edges, rounded corners and a slightly bulky profile.  Display is a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen with 320 x 480 resolution.  While the sharpness is definitely lacking, the screen is notably bright and colorful.  It's also usable even under direct sunlight.  The slide-out landscape keyboard is roomy, with good travel between keys and a snappy tactile feel.

As a phone, the LG Enlighten made for great calls, with little to no distortion throughout our tests.  There was plenty of volume to go around, with clear audio and natural-sounding voices.  Speakerphone performed in a similarly positive manner.  Battery is rated at 6 hours of talk time.

Considering this is an entry level device, we're stoked that LG decided to throw in Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread into the thing.  It runs a custom interface, which we actually found to be easier to get into for first-time smartphone users.

It's got all the usual Android smartphone fare -- robust messaging, wireless connectivity (GPS,3G, WiFi with mobile hotspot, Bluetooth), Google's Mobile Services and  a number of preloaded apps.  The Verizon apps can't be removed, though, so you're stuck with the bloatware.

An 800MHz processor powers the thing, which makes for decent-enough performance.  Some lags occur once you've got a lot of apps open, although things are usually smooth.  Heck, it even runs Flash on the browser pretty well, so I can't complain.   The 3.2 megapixel camera actually takes good pictures with rich colors for outdoor snaps.  Multimedia experience is standard Android.

Available for free on a new two-year agreement with Verizon, the LG Enlighten is one of the best entry-level Android handsets in the market today.  If you can live with the smaller, low-res display, it's an excellent choice.

Marketed as a "fashion phone," the LG Marquee didn't get its introduction at a tech show.  Instead, we got our first look at the handset during New York Fashion Week.  Is it all beauty, though, or does it bring enough brawns to make an excellent option for an Android smartphone?

Physically, it's one of the thinnest and lightest phones available.  The shell's all plastic, which makes it pretty but not so premium in feel.  The 4-inch Nova display (840 x 480 resolution), however, is what really brings out the character here.  It's arguably the brightest and clearest display in the market (at least, on paper), although not quite as sharp as the iPhone's Retina or Samsung's latest-gen SuperAMOLED Plus.  It is a beauty to look at, though, with really deep contrast and popping graphics.

As a phone, the LG Marquee made for great calls, with excellent clarity and very little distortion.  Those on the other end reported the same pleasant experience.  Speakerphone was decent, but voices came with a lot of echo. Battery is rated at 5.5 hours of talk time.

All the usual Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread smartphone features come on board, including numerous voice options, robust messaging (including Exchange ActiveSync), tight social network integration and a full list of wireless connectivity options (3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, DLNA).  It ships with just a 2GB microSD card for storage, though, so you'll probably want to expand that.  Preloaded software include Polaris Office, SmartShare (for sharing via DLNA) and some of Sprint's services.

For media playback, it comes with just stock Android.  Watching movies on the gorgeous display is quite the experience, though -- just don't expect the 1GHz processor to perform all that admirably with very high-res videos.   The 5.0 megapixel camera  comes with a good selection of settings and manages above average photo quality.  It also snapped decent 720p videos.

Overall, the LG Marquee is a good-looking phone with a stunning display and a nice selection of features.   The lack of 4G, however, may be the only reason to stay away -- everything else is executed well.  It's available now, priced at $99.99 on a new two-year contract with Sprint.

T-Mobile has officially announced two new smartphones into their roster.  Called the LG MyTouch and LG MyTouch Q, the pair of T-Mobile exclusives come aimed at entry-level users.

Both handsets run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, along with the usual suite of Google Mobile Services.  Since they're looking to snag first-time smartphone users with these things, they come with a number of custom services designed with novices in mind, such as a Set-Up Wizard, a Tips Widget and a Genius Button for voice commands.

LG MyTouch

Details of the LG MyTouch include a 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording, a front-facing videocam with Qik preinstalled), HSPA+, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1GHz processor and microSD card expansion.  It will be available in two colors, black and white, with release date pegged before the holidays.  No pricing has been announced.

LG MyTouch Q

Details of the LG MyTouch Q include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a slide-out horizontal QWERTY keyboard, a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording, HSPA+, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1GHz processor and microSD card expansion.  Like the keyboard-less counterpart, it's slated for availability before the holidays.   It will come in a different pair of colors, though: gray and violet.   No pricing has been announced.

[T-Mobile]

LG has announced its first smartphone with an HD-capable display.  Called the LG Optimus LTE, it packs a display panel that can show 720p videos in full detail.

Unveiled in Korea, the handset wears a 4.5-inch IPS capacitive touchscreen as its main attraction.  With a native 1280 x 720 resolution, you no longer need to send your HD movies to your TV for viewing -- you can watch it here with no loss in quality.

Details of the Optimus LTE include an 8.0 megapixel rear camera with 1080p video recording, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing videocam, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, HDMI, DLNA,  4GB of internal memory, microSD card expansion (maximum 32GB, 16GB card pre-installed) and a 1,830 mAh battery.  As the name suggests, it comes with 4G LTE support, along with the usual set of wireless connectivity features.

Android 2.3 Gingerbread runs at the helm, along with LG's slightly modified custom UI and the usual suite of Google Mobile Services.  No word on any special software that comes pre-installed, but we're guessing some video-based multimedia apps and HD games will be thrown in.

The LG Optimus LTE will be released in Korea under two wireless carriers: SK Telecoms and LG U+.  Price is 899,000 Won (around $750).

[via LG Newsroom]

LG has announced a new phone in Korea and it appears to be a looker.  Called the LG Optimus EX, it's supposed to be the successor to the company's Optimus 2X smartphone.

Sporting a profile that looks wider than a lot of new phones, the handset also feature boxier corners.  The result is a slightly more formal aesthetic that business and professional users could find a bit more appealing.

The LG Optimus EX features a 4-inch IPS-based  capacitive touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), which features 700 nits of brightness, making for excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles.  Details include a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a front-facing VGA webcam, 8GB of onboard storage, the usual wireless connectivity options (including WiFi Direct), HDMI, microSD card expansion and a 1,500 mAh battery module.

Muscle is delivered by a 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor, which allows it to process 1080p video without breaking a sweat.  It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, along with some light UI customizations and the usual bundle of Google Mobile Services.

Korea's SK Telecoms will get first dibs on the LG Optimus EX, although the exact date and price have not yet been announced.  It will come in black/silver and white/gold color schemes.

[LG Mobile (Korean) via Electronista]

LG Just announced their follow-up to the LG Optimus Q from last year.  Called the LG Optimus Q2, the new handset is a good-looking QWERTY slider that fosters multiple improvements from the original both inside and out.

While it has larger overall dimensions, the device is actually slimmer and lighter than its 3.5-inch predecessor.  A tenth of an inch thinner and 0.35 ounces lighter, it measures 12.3mm thick and weighs 147g.  It also gets a wider-profile slide-out keyboard with a more spacious layout for better convenience when typing.

Details of the LG Optimus Q2 include a 4-inch IPS-based display (with 700 nits of brightness and 480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module, a front-facing VGA webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and all the usual smartphone niceties.  It will be powered by a dual-core 1.2GHz Tegra 2 processor.

The smartphone will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, along with the usual suite of Google apps.   Two colors will be available -- black and white.

For now, the LG Optimus Q2 has only been announced for Korea, with the release date scheduled for next week.  No word on plans for worldwide release and pricing, though, but it sounds like a good enough phone to get some international interest.

[via TheKoreaHerald]

Sprint has officially announced a new Android smartphone.  Called the LG Marquee, it's a carrier-branded version of the Optimus Black that's currently in stores at many European and Asian markets.

Billed as "thin, light and bright," Sprint appears to be marketing this as a fashion phone, launching it with design collective MADE during New York Fashion Week.  The "bright" part of that, by the way, refers to the handset's NOVA display, which boasts better-than-normal brightness that allows it to be plenty usable even under sunlight.  Based on the product images, it does look quite the stylish device, with the curved corners and clean black lines giving the entire 122 x 64 x 9.2 mm a very elegant appearance.

Details of the LG Marquee include a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with LED flash), a 2.0 megapixel front-facing webcam, aGPS, WiFi with mobile hotspot capabilities, 3G with HSPA, DLNA, Bluetooth 2.1, 1GB of available onboard storage and microSD card expansion.  Muscle is provided by a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU, paired with 512MB of RAM.

Unlike the current Optimus Black, this one won't be running Froyo but the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread.   Expect the usual load of Google apps, LG SNS integration, and additional preloaded software from both LG and the carrier.

The LG Marquee will be launched on Sept. 15, right in the thick of the New York Fashion Week.  Along with the phone, Sprint will be unveiling a series of special designer cases created specifically for the device.

[Sprint]

LG has announced the successor to the highly-successful LG Optimus One.  Dubbed as the LG Optimus Hub, the new handset improves on key aspects of its predecessor's hardware, all while maintaining an affordable price point.

While slightly bigger than the Optimus One, the new phone is still "compact" by today's larger smartphone standards, measuring 113.4 x 60.8 x 11.9 mm and weighing 123 grams.  Design is pretty standard for an entry-level smartphone, so it's decent, although you can see the plastic-heavy materials even in the pictures.

Details of the LG Optimus Hub include a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display (320x480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera (only VGA video, though), aGPS, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, Bluetooth 3.0, DLNA, microSD card support (up to 32GB) and a 1,500 mAh battery (rated at up to 4 hours of talk time).  Muscle is provided by a modest 800 MHz CPU, aided by an Adreno 200 GPU and 512MB of RAM.

It runs the latest Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, along with the usual Google apps, LG's custom applications (like Social+) and the menu-compressed Optimus Interface 2.0 (which compensates for the low resolution).  Unfortunately, the processor won't be able to handle Flash content in the browser.

The LG Optimus Hub announcement was made in Italy, with availability in the region set beginning October at a suggested retail price of €199 off-contract.  No word on dates or pricing for other markets, but we do expect this to hit multiple carriers under different names (like the Optimus One did).

[Android HDBlog]

Two new LG smartphones get a formal announcement today.  Both targeted at the entry-level smartphone market, the duo consists of the LG Optimus Pro and the LG Optimus Net.

LG Optimus Pro

LG's take on the QWERTY candybar form factor features a four-row QWERTY keyboard, a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display (240 x 320 resolution), a 3.1 megapixel camera, WiFi, aGPS, Bluetooth, a 1,500 mAh battery and microSD card expansion.  The Optimus Pro runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with muscle provided by an 800 MHz processor.    The appearance looks neat and tidy for what could have been a busy front panel, although build looks decidedly plastic from the product photos.

LG Optimus Net

The Optimus Net takes on a traditional touchscreen slab form factor (113.5 x 59 x 12.1 mm), with rounded corners and a compact profile.  Details include a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen display (320 x 480 resolution), a 3.1 megapixel camera, WiFi, 3G with HSPA, aGPS, Bluetooth 3.0, a 1,500 mAh battery and microSD card expansion (up to 32GB).   It packs the same 800 MHz processor as the Optimus Pro, aided by 512MB of RAM.  OS is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a special social networking widget available right on the homescreen.

Availability

Both the LG Optimus Pro and the LG Optimus Net will hit stores before the end of the summer, although pricing is yet to be announced.  They will be available in both black and white versions, as well as a third color (called Titan) for the Pro (we're not sure what kind of color Titan is, though).

[via TechCrunch]