LG Optimus 4X HD: a quad-core flagship with a 4.7-inch HD screen
The LG Optimus 4X HD arrived in 2012 as LG's answer to Samsung's Galaxy S III and HTC's One X, both of which had defined the early-year conversation around Android. Announced at Mobile World Congress and rolled out globally within months, it was LG's first phone built around Nvidia's Tegra 3 chipset, marketed under the "4X HD" badge to highlight both its quad-core silicon and its 720p screen. For buyers across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane tracking the launch calendar, the handset offered a credible third option at the top of the market.
A defining element was the 4.7-inch True HD IPS display, which used a standard RGB matrix rather than the PenTile arrangement found on competing AMOLED panels. Text and icons looked crisper as a result, particularly noticeable when reading articles on a commute into the city or scrolling through feeds at a Perth café. The display was paired with a 2150 mAh removable battery and a microSD slot that expanded the 16 GB of internal storage, two features that several rivals had begun to phase out.
Camera duties fell to an 8-megapixel rear sensor with autofocus and LED flash, alongside a 1.3-megapixel front camera for video calls. The phone shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich under LG's Optimus UI 3.0 skin, a software layer that split opinion but felt reasonably light for the period. Pricing in Australia placed the device in the upper-mid tier through carriers such as Telstra and Optus, sitting just below the flagship Galaxy S III and giving shoppers a more affordable route into quad-core territory.
Unlocked grey-import units proved popular with enthusiasts who preferred to skip the carrier subsidies and pair the phone with a cheaper SIM-only plan. JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman both stocked the handset, allowing cautious buyers to handle the device in store before committing. The combination of a sharp display, a removable battery, expandable storage and honest performance helped the Optimus 4X HD carve out a loyal following among Australian Android fans who wanted something a little different from the Samsung-HTC duopoly.
Tegra 3 silicon and the quad-core leap
At the core of the Optimus 4X HD sat Nvidia's Tegra 3 platform, internally codenamed Kal-El before launch. Four main Cortex-A9 cores handled demanding tasks while a fifth companion core managed low-intensity work like email sync and music playback. For Australians juggling streaming music through a Sydney CBD commute or running navigation on a road trip from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley, the extra cores delivered tangible multitasking gains, with apps holding their state in the background instead of reloading.
Graphics came from a twelve-core GeForce GPU that handled early-2012 mobile games well at the native 720p resolution. Titles like Shadowgun and Dead Trigger ran smoothly, and Nvidia's Tegra Zone highlighted games optimised for the chip with extra effects, including enhanced lighting and higher-resolution textures. While Adreno-equipped rivals sometimes edged ahead in raw benchmarks, the Tegra 3's strength in optimised titles kept it competitive.
The phone carried 1 GB of RAM, the standard at the time, and ran LG's restrained skin without major slowdowns during daily use. Heavy use, particularly continuous GPS or extended video streaming, did cause some warmth around the upper rear panel, but the plastic body kept weight to a manageable 141 grams. Against the HTC One X, which shared the same chipset, performance was essentially identical, while Samsung's Exynos-equipped Galaxy S III held a slight advantage in CPU-bound benchmarks.
Display, design and day-to-day handling
The 4.7-inch True HD IPS panel produced sharp text and accurate colours, with a 1280 x 720 resolution translating to roughly 313 ppi. Photos taken on weekend hikes through Tasmania's Overland Track looked natural, while the cooler colour tone of IPS made reading comfortable in bright sunlight, useful for anyone checking maps during a Cairns day trip. Viewing angles were strong, and the screen held up against glare better than several AMOLED rivals of the same era.
In the hand, the Optimus 4X HD measured 8.9 mm thick and weighed 141 grams, slipping easily into a pocket. The textured back panel, finished in white or black, offered reasonable grip, though the glossy surface picked up fingerprints readily. LG placed the power button on the upper right edge and the volume rocker on the left, a familiar layout for Android users of the period. The 3.5 mm headphone jack sat on the top edge, with micro-USB on the bottom for charging and data.
Audio came from a single rear-mounted speaker that delivered modest volume, adequate for hands-free calls or the occasional YouTube clip but not suited to music playback. Call quality was solid, with active noise cancellation through the secondary microphone. For anyone using the phone for navigation through Brisbane's CBD or catching podcasts on a train into work, the earpiece and loudspeaker proved more than capable.
| Specification | LG Optimus 4X HD | Samsung Galaxy S III | HTC One X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 4.7-inch True HD IPS, 720p | 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED, 720p | 4.7-inch Super IPS LCD2, 720p |
| Processor | Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5 GHz | Exynos 4 Quad 1.4 GHz | Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core 1.5 GHz |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Rear camera | 8 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
| Front camera | 1.3 MP | 1.9 MP | 1.3 MP |
| Battery | 2150 mAh removable | 2100 mAh removable | 1800 mAh non-removable |
| Storage | 16 GB + microSD | 16/32/64 GB + microSD | 32 GB, no slot |
| Thickness | 8.9 mm | 8.6 mm | 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 141 g | 133 g | 130 g |
| Launch OS | Android 4.0 | Android 4.0 | Android 4.0 |
Camera performance and image quality
The 8-megapixel rear camera used a backside-illuminated sensor with an f/2.4 lens, reasonable specifications for a 2012 flagship. In bright Australian daylight, shooting the sails of the Sydney Opera House or the stalls at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, images came out well-exposed with natural colour. LG's processing avoided the heavy sharpening seen on some rivals, producing a slightly softer but more organic look that suited landscape photography and street scenes.
Low light was the weaker area. Without optical image stabilisation, handheld evening shots required a steady hand or a flat surface to avoid blur, particularly when capturing dimly lit pubs in Fitzroy or colourful laneway street art. The LED flash helped for close subjects but washed out anything beyond a couple of metres. HDR mode salvaged some high-contrast scenes by combining multiple exposures, though it occasionally ghosted with moving subjects.
Video capture topped out at 1080p at 30 fps, competitive for the year. Continuous autofocus handled moderate pans well but could hunt during rapid movement. The 1.3-megapixel front camera produced acceptable Skype calls and occasional self-portraits, though it struggled outside well-lit environments. As a primary camera for everyday snapshots, the Optimus 4X HD delivered solid all-round performance without reaching the imaging heights of later dedicated camera phones.
Software, updates and LG's Optimus UI
Out of the box the Optimus 4X HD ran Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich, layered with LG's Optimus UI 3.0 skin. The interface added a custom lock screen, a reorganised settings menu and several LG-exclusive apps, including a notes tool, a weather widget and the SmartShare media hub. For users coming from stock Android, the skin felt heavier than necessary, but features like quick toggles in the notification shade and a system-wide search proved genuinely useful.
Updates arrived unevenly across regions. LG eventually rolled out an official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update in select markets, although Australian owners sometimes waited longer than European counterparts depending on their carrier's testing schedule. The custom community kept the device alive long after official support ended, with unofficial CyanogenMod and later LineageOS builds offering modern Android versions for enthusiasts. Devices like the second-generation Moto G that followed benefited from similar community longevity.
Pre-installed apps included Polaris Office for document editing, a file manager and LG's own music player, which supported FLAC playback with a competent equaliser. Social integration through the address book pulled in photos and status updates from connected accounts. While Optimus UI never achieved the same following as HTC Sense, it remained functional and visually clean, with consistent typography and icons across menus and apps.
Australian pricing, carriers and the competitive landscape
In Australia the LG Optimus 4X HD launched in mid-2012 through Telstra, Optus and Vodafone on contract plans of roughly $60 to $80 per month, depending on the included data. Unlocked retail pricing hovered around AUD $600 to $700 when new, placing it just below the premium tier occupied by the Galaxy S III. Later rivals such as the Lenovo Vibe Z2 arrived with broadly comparable specifications but often undercut LG on price, particularly in the grey-import market.
Major retailers including JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and the now-defunct Dick Smith Electronics stocked the handset, with grey-import models from online sellers frequently undercutting official Australian pricing by $100 or more. Shoppers who wanted to try before they bought appreciated the floor models on display at Westfield centres in Chatswood or Chadstone, where the phone's large screen could be compared against competing flagships. Carrier exclusives were limited, meaning customers could pair the device with whichever SIM-only plan best matched their usage, particularly useful for those travelling between inner Melbourne and regional centres like Ballarat or Bendigo.
By 2014 the Optimus 4X HD had been succeeded by the Optimus G Pro and other LG flagships, and its second-hand price had fallen sharply. Enthusiasts on Australian tech forums continued to recommend it as a capable budget buy for secondary use, citing solid build quality, expandable storage and reliable Tegra 3 performance. For readers keen to compare this device with other handsets of the period, the wider archive at New Mobile Arrivals offers plenty of context on how LG's quad-core bet played out across the early 2010s.
The LG Optimus 4X HD occupies a comfortable place in smartphone history as one of the first widely available quad-core Android handsets, remembered fondly by early adopters who appreciated LG's take on the high-end experience. Its combination of a sharp IPS display, removable battery and expandable storage set it apart from rivals that locked users into fixed configurations. Whether owned new from a Telstra store in 2012 or picked up second-hand from a marketplace listing years later, the device offered a slice of flagship performance that aged gracefully. Anyone shopping today in the vintage or budget Android space should give the Optimus 4X HD a closer look, and the New Mobile Arrivals archive covers the full spectrum of phones that defined the early 2010s. Head over and browse our reviews to see how this LG flagship stacks up against today's budget favourites and retro classics alike.