LG G Pad 8.3 Tablet - Quad-Core 2GB RAM 16GB Flash 8.3" Full HD Display Android 4.2, Black (LGV500.AUSABK)

Pros: - Super powerful 1.7Ghz clocked quad core processor. The tablet has minimal lag and compared to other tablets I have owned is much snappier and responsive. I ran some benchmarks an it is evident this processor is way faster than any sub 10” tablet out there. If you dare you can root it, unlocking can be done, and easily overclock it to 1.9Ghz, do this at your own risk off course - 2GB of DDR2 RAM that helps reduce any lag when flipping through apps - Nice 8.3”bright HD 1920x1200 IPS display that is really vibrant and crisp, it beats most Android sub 10” tablets - You can use any micro USB to charge the tablet, I even charged it via my laptop USB, this is a great plus in my books. - Tablet sits comfortable in the hand, the weight distribution is optimal given the size of the tablet. - The GPad comes with about 20% of battery charge, it took a couple of hrs to get to 100% and as I’m typing this the tablet is back at 20% after wait…26 hrs 36 min of running without recharging. On screen time was 2 hr 49 min at the time. I surfed the net, streamed videos and ran benchmarks. I have to say it beats any other tablet I have owned as far as battery life. - I tested the WiFi and was super impressed with the range, it maintained a strong signal across two levels of my house and 50 ft from the router, even my gaming laptop struggle to beat that. It certainly has a better WiFi receiver than my phone or any of the other four tablets we have in the house. - It comes with a host of very cool features such as: o KnockOn – this allows you to turn the display on and off by simply doing a quick double tap with your index finger on the screen, gone are the days where you have to fiddle to find the power button on the side of your tablet, a really neat future. o QPair – Although there is an app for this in the Play store, the GPAd is pre-configured with this feature to enable QPair so you can connect with your Android phone, once connected you will receive missed calls and other messages on your tablet, you can also share pictures and documents across all devices connected via QPair. o QuickRemote – This feature allows you to set your tablet to be used a TV or other home device remote, not sure if I would want another remote in my house o QSlide – This allows you to move an resize apps so you can view it in a window on your main screen, you can also change the transparency of the app. o With three fingers you can swipe any app that is open off the screen and with the same movement swipe it back onto the screen. You can also customize the front buttons that appear at the bottom of your screen. Smart screen is a very nifty feature that while the camera detects your face it will not turn off the screen, when you put your GPad down it will turn off based on the settings you have.

Cons: - The location of the two speakers is not practical and could muffle the sound depending how and where you put the tablet. - Under email settings it does not give the option to delete e-mails from the server if you delete it from the tablet, it does have an option to delete it from the server once downloaded, that makes no sense as it will disappear from your laptop or other devices once you download it on the GPad. LG needs to address this with next software update. - It is hard to find a good cover for this tablet, it is not a real con given that the tablet only came out a month ago on the market. - Price…now I was contemplating where to put this, the tablet is loaded with a high end processor, screen and the features are great…but it is priced high for a sub 10” tablet, that said it very well positioned price wise compared to the iPad mini. - I would have liked to have 32GB of built in storage, the only reason for that is the fact that you can’t move apps to the micro SD card, so if you fill up the internal storage with apps you will need to start uninstalling apps, newer games are quite sizable so a few of those will fill up your internal storage in no time - Auto brightness function on the display is too dark, 65% seems optimal, depends on personal preference off course.

Overall Review: Opening the brown Newegg box revealed a white glossy box with a picture of the LG G Pad 8.3 on the front. The back of the retail box displayed the specifications and key features categorized under Performance, Display, Multimedia and Function. When you flip open the retail box you will find the 8.3” tablet sitting on the top, the screen is covered with a plastic film that serves as protection. Underneath the tablet is an inner box that contains the battery charger and cable, the cable has a regular USB port on the one side and a micro USB on the other end. The power converter has a USB port into which you plug the cable. There is also a Quick Start Guide in the box that is written in both English and Spanish. The guide is pretty comprehensive and covers all of the key features. For the rest of this review I will discuss the tablet under a few key headings. I will also try to compare the tablet to the iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy tab 7 inch, both of which is similar in size and performance. My wife owns an iPad and both my kids Samsung devices so I thought as I know these devices well it would be appropriate to compare it against the GPad. 1. Look and Feel: At 338 grams the GPad sits very comfortable in your hand, compared to the Samsung which is 340g it really feels lighter as the weight is evenly distributed across a bigger area, the iPad mini is slightly lighter at 331g. The tablet is quite a bit longer compared to the other two and a bit narrower than the iPad, so a person with medium to large size hands can easily hold it with one hand in the portrait position. Like all tablets out there it does get covered with finger prints easily, that goes for the front and the back. The screen real estate is maximized across the surface of the tablet, unlike some other tablets where you have a broad band of nothing around the screen wasting space essentially, the GPad has minimal dead real estate around the display. The power and volume buttons are located at the top right in the portrait position. On the top left you will find the micro SD card slot as well as the input jack for headphones. At the bottom is the micro USB port for the battery charger. I have to pause here as I was quite ecstatic to find a micro USB charging port on this tablet, it is really annoying to see just about every other tablet out there with a proprietary charging port, why can’t they just all standardise on a micro USB. The rear camera is located on the rear to the right and the front camera top middle just to the right of the LG logo. On the back of the tablet and towards the bottom (in landscape) you will notice two speakers, not the best place to put the speakers in my opinion as the sound can be muffled when your tablet is sitting on your lap or in a cover on the table. 2. Performance: The LG GPad comes with a very impressive 1.7Ghz default clocked quad core processor (Qualcom snapdragon 600 CPU), you normally find such high end processors on 10.1”

Pros: Highest resolution 8" screen (at the moment), excellent build quality, strong wifi, snappy CPU performance, some useful LG apps, excellent developer support for custom ROMs, micro sd expandable

Cons: Screen needs some color calibration, selling price varies wildly, limited distribution may inhibit future developer support vs. Samsung e.g., packaging not pristine enough for some, HDMI out require Slimport adapter

Overall Review: Despite the literally hundreds of Android tablets from both well known and unknown OEMs, your choice is considerably narrowed by size, cost, and aspect ratio. If you can live with the relatively small size of a 7" tablet, then the Nexus 7 2013 is outstanding for the money. Unfortunately it does not include a micro sd slot for expansion and the upgrade to 32GB is expensive. It's surprising how much an extra inch increases the screen size without adding much to the overall size and weight. Samsung was first to the market with an 8" Android tablet but with a rather high price and a so-so screen resolution. Sometime this year they will release an 8.4" tab with a "retina" screen that I expect to be great and rather expensive. There's also the intriguing HP Slate 8 Pro with a 4:3 form factor, a satisfactory 1600x1200 resolution, and a somewhat high price for what appears to be mediocre build quality. HP has done nothing to market this tablet and the android community seems unexcited about it. Acer's upcoming 4:3 tablet is not in the same league. So the G Pad is kind of in a class by itself if you want a conventional Android 16:10 screen of 8". It is the only 8" tab with a full HD resolution. At the original MSRP of $349 I was going to pass but I picked it up from Newegg on Cyber Monday for a surprisingly low price and it has become my most used tablet of the three I own. There are a few knocks on the product that I'd like to correct. Every tablet sold by Newegg and Best Buy has come in an unsealed box, leading some to believe they have bought a return. It seems like LG kind of rushed this to market in a box with a photo of the white version for both the black and white models. Given all the doubt it created this was a dumb move. People have complained that their screen appeared scratched out of the box. They probably didn't realize that the GPad ships with a temporary screen protector and that the screen itself was perfect. There have also been complaints about scuffs on the aluminum back-plate. I'm sure these were from handling during manufacture and quality control and not because they were returns. LG should have carefully polished the back and put on a plastic film before packaging but as I said it looks like they rushed this. Perhaps the best thing about the GPad is how quickly it was picked up by the enthusiast developer community. Rooting it was child's play and replacing the stock LG ROM with a variety of home-brewed versions of KitKat has been painless. The stock LG skin is well thought out for what it is but it has features I'd never use and I prefer the simplicity of vanilla Android. It's a great tablet, although not a perfect one. If I'd paid more than I did I would probably be less positive. But for the money it's been fine. And Newegg remains one of the very best places to shop. There's no way they'd sell open box as new so if this is what you want, buy with confidence.

Pros: Crazy fast processor for a midsize tablet, games and apps load very fast and run smooth, I haven't had any sort of lag on any apps I have, a great choice for anyone who does alot of multitasking, LG's 'slide aside' also makes multitasking easy. Quick and easy setup (It does ask you to sign up for a couple unnecessary things on start though, if you dont want to just tap the home button). Sturdily built and well constructed, the rear camera lens in recessed far enough in the metal frame to protect it from scratches just as well as any other tablet/phone can. Great display quality can be bright enough to see in almost any environment, the color on mine was clear and perfect. 16GB storage with microSD slot to add up to 64GB, 16GB is more than enough for me but its nice to know I won't need to worry about running out of space. Sleeps extremely well using VERY little power when left on and not in use, the battery lasts long in use as well this tablet is perfect for people who forget to turn things off. Miracast & SmartShare both worked great and I had no trouble streaming media with either of them.

Cons: The one thing I hate so very much about this tablet itself is the cameras. I take a TON of pictures, if anything the thing I would use this the most for IS taking pictures, I have alot of cats and like to randomly take pics of them whenever they are acting silly. The cameras are great in daylight & MOST indoor lighting, but I have 60w equivalent CFL 'warm' lighting throughout my house & at night for some reason all the pictures come out very dark even if brightness & exposure are maxed out, i have to lay down with the ceiling light directly shining in my face to get a clear picture of myself, due to this I can't take pictures/clips at home after around 6PM which well really really sucks. For something that costs over 300$, the box it comes in has it extraordinarily unprotected, I was shocked to open it and see the screen just right there pressed against the front of under less than 1/16" of 'cardboard' thats too thin to even qualify as cardboard. Whose idea was that I mean really?? What?? Sticking this in a plain bubble envelope is far more protective than the box this ships in! I noticed several low reviews complaining of screen/color issues and I'd assume this might have something to do with it. Mines perfectly clear & looks great. A semi-con is that its just too new, not alot of cases to choose from that fit, it definitely should have shipped with some sort of protective case, especially considering the badly designed box it ships in.

Overall Review: Personally i think tablets having an IR to turn them into expensive remotes is kind of a con haha. Yes its a useful function, but I've spilled alot of stuff on my remotes ruining many of them over the years and this isn't something I'd want to be tempted to use as one. But really the only real cons for me is the camera flaws and the horrible packaging. I'd give this a 5/5 if it weren't for the two major cons it works wonderfully, long battery life, fast, everything you could want really its hard to complain. Personally for me its more of a 2/5 but that's because the camera is so so very important to me, but I'm giving a 4/5 cause other than that its a wonderful tablet great for beginners & experienced users alike.

Pros: Fast: Little to no lag when opening apps, switching homescreens, or manipulating documents Light: Lighter than my Nexus 7 2012 Edition. Actually, it's almost as light as my S2 Skyrocket Bright: Strong backlight makes it easy to use and read no matter how small you have the text. Still difficult to read in direct sunlight Sleek: Great-looking design looks chic without looking cheap or plastic. Aesthetic design was obviously a priority Slim: In spite of packing more hardware and a larger screen than may other "middle-sized" tablets, this is about as thin as my phone MicroSDXC: I only had a 16GB card to use, but the location not only makes sense, but is DEFINITELY a selling point for this device Reliable bluetooth: Seems odd to have to mention this, but many other devices I've had (Nokia XpressMusic 5800, iPhone 3Gs, Skyrocket, PC connection) all have issues with maintaining a BT connection. With the G Pad 8.3, it's the device, not the tablet EXTREME standby time: Left it on a few nights ago, and it only lost 2% of it's charge over 7 hours! Of course it could be that it doesn't have a cellular radio Fast camera switching: Switching between the front and rear cameras is almost instant Super WiFi: The Nexus 7 2012 didn't have 5GHz, but this does, and it outshines the Skyrocket! The Skyrocket would drop signal right about the time I got downstairs (or outside with the glass door closed, 4m away from router). The G Pad keeps about 3-4 bars of signal ANYWHERE in the townhome!

Cons: Lack of accessories: Fewer than 30 items designed SPECIFICALLY for this tablet. Even the folio I got doesn't quite fit right. Zagg still not supporting this tablet No customization options: CyanogenMod does not have a ROM for this, nor does XDA have anything other than a root. Custom Recovery is available - but not guaranteed - for the AT&T-offered version PolarisOffice: Comes with version 5. docx formatted files read as fully redacted. Doesn't support the OpenOffice format (*.odt). Could not create a spreadsheet on the device itself Sometimes picky: I got a new wall charger for my birthday, which had an Apple-Certified port. Tablet soft-restarted the first time it was used. This problem has not happened since that only time, but it's something to keep in mind Camera location: Not exactly a 'con' but the rear camera the potential to get HORRIBLY scratched, even with a case/folio. Unlike with Apple's tablets, there's no metal ring around the camera lens. Be mindful of where you set this down

Overall Review: I was supposed to get the black one, at least from the link I got, but meh. It's the same hardware. I LOVE the aluminum back panel, but I got this at the same time we got an extended cold snap in San Diego. As a result I've jolted my self back to wakefulness by accidentally having it tap my leg. The white version has a brushed titanium blue back, giving a nice contrast. The memory cleaner isn't the BEST, but it's faster than most PlayStore options, and usually keeps you at about 50% free. I didn't list it, but the LG keyboard has a strong point in its favor, and one against it. You can extend the keyboard so the numbers are above the standard keys. With the large 16:10 HD screen, the space is there. It's nice to have them there and not have to hold 'Q' for '1' or 'Y' for '6.' The drawback is, like the WindowsPhone keyboard, at least half the time you.type.like.this. I ended up installing the Kii keyboard. The only other thing to be mindful of is how to take screenshots and the power menu. There's an option to put the QuikMemo app on the soft-controls. This is, so far, the only method to take a screenshot. You need to press this button, then "Save to Gallery." It's better than having to hold the lock button or press the lock button and one of the volume keys at the same time. Then the power menu. To get there you need to hold the lock button for about 6-7 seconds. I've gotten used to Samsung and Asus products, so this was, and still is, a bit of a transition. Overall, this is a great device, and while coming from Samsung and Asus products, it's nice to see and use devices from other companies. I would have said something about the KnockON feature in this review, but it's nothing major: Just tap twice while locked to bring up the lock screen, or twice in the notification bar to lock. I don't find this to be a useless feature, but I also don't see it as a greatly useful feature either. If you're looking for a mid-sized tablet, want expanded storage, and don't care about having shelves and shelves of accessories or available ROMS, GET THIS! The default apps are mostly good, and if you find them lacking, just get others.

Pros: Brilliant, Full HD Screen Connectivity Battery Life Wi-Fi signal Speed

Cons: Not Stock Android Experience, although low impact UI Accessories Non-Existent Slippery As Snot

Overall Review: I have finally found my perfect tablet. I have owned iPads, Sony Xperia Z tablet, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire 8.9, and a Kobo Arc. All of which were either returned or sold within a month of ownership. This tablet, however, I intend to keep until LG releases a new one. I own the LG Optimus G Pro phone and love it, so I was already acclimated to the LG UI, which in my opinion is low impact and zippy unlike the Samsung UI. I have thoroughly put this tablet through its paces and it has performed well in all tests. All HD games play wonderfully with no hiccups, HD and SD video are seamless and smooth, the WiFi on this beast is amazing. It seems to pick up signal where the G Pro doesn't. The battery life is wonderful. I get approximately 5 hours when streaming Netflix. In my book, that's good, especially at 75% brightness, which is most of the time too bright. The fit and finish is top notch, best I've seen of any tablet. Feels like all metal construction, the screen is smooth as silk, no rough edges or uneven glass on screen (I'm looking at you Nexus 7). Can be held in 1 hand, but loves the two handed position and you will too. This tablet is slick as snot, I need a case which unfortunately are nonexistent right now. All in all, great tablet from a great company doing great things with technology. Worth every penny and more in my book.

Pros: - Under 10" - Easy to hold in hand - very light - 8.3" LCD 1920x1080 - Very fast quad core snapdragon processor - microSD slot - speakers are positioned fine for a tablet. Purchased a bluetooth speaker for playing louder music, etc. - The LG Slide Aside, Qslide, Qpair, make multitasking a treat - mirrorcast works great, nothing like seeing and hearing your tablet on the TV

Cons: screen not that bright in sunlight.

Overall Review: I have had many tablets in the last 4 years including fruit. Last year purchased the top of the line Asus transformer infinity, to find out there was a system IO problem. Could not even browse the web without major lag, screen freezes while typing, etc. Thank the stars, the transformer could not swim and had to research for a replacement for work and slight gaming & SD slot. After all the research determined the Samsung note 8 was the perfect size. Only downfall was the resolution 1280x800, same on all their tablets/notes from 7, 8 and 10, until you get into the 2014 editions. After researching on the forums and testing at BB, found a Samsung's have a stuttering problem just like my transformer... :( So, more research and found about the LG Gpad 8.3. Perfect size, powerful, microSD slot.. :) At BB after they found the Gpad placed with the phones, :( Played with this thing for an hour, no hick-ups, no freezing, screamed through Anatutu benchmark. And it looks very cool. :) Have had this thing for nearly a month now and runs fabulously. I highly suggest to everyone.

Pros: Screen size looks and feels just right. Text and graphics are quite sharp on the display as well. 8.3" screen w/ 16:10 aspect ratio (1920x1200) = 273 pixels per inch -Build quality is excellent -Snapdragon 600 processor is faster than Nexus 7 -MicroSD card slot let me add up to 60gb of video/music -Dual band wifi (5ghz frequency)

Cons: - Whites are not super white - 5mp camera isn't great. Images aren't that sharp and there is too much noise when shooting in low light conditions.

Overall Review: I purchased this tablet from Newegg for $250 and I think it offers great value at that price. I chose this over the Nexus 7, because in my opinion the faster processor, larger screen, and microSD card are worth paying a little extra for. Most other tablets in this price range will only come with 16gb of FIXED space. Meaning you can never upgrade or add extra space later. When you consider that the operating system for the tablet itself is already using up a few gigabytes of space, then you're left with a brand new device that can only offer 12-13gb of space for apps, movies, games, music. That is simply absurd to me.

Pros: I recently obtained this tablet on a 199.99 special for a refurbished model on another seller and I have to say I am impressed for 200$. -Snapdragon 600 (1.7Ghz). This is a snappy little thing. On par with something like an Galaxy S4 or an HTC One (M7). It's one of the top mobile CPUs today. This will be the Note 8 and the Nexus 7 (yes the 2013 refresh) in terms of overall performance. -2GB of ram. Awesome. Multitasks like a beast, swaps between apps fast. -11GB of Storage + microSD slot. It's worth noting that 4.4.2 bring some mSD write issues. These issues can be fixed if you are rooted and edit the platform.xml file under ect/permissions/platform.xml with any file explorer that has root support. It's literally a single line you add under WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE. <group gid="media_rw" /> and your SD card should work for everything. -Awesome DPI. It's nice to see tablet makers pushing their 7/8 inch tablets past the terrible 1280x800, up a notch. This device comes in at a very health 272PPI and gives me a very crisp image. Great for watching HD videos, and text looks very clear.

Cons: -Camera(S). Both of them are pretty mediocre. I don't use my tablet camera, I assume most people don't either, but it would be nice to see some effort on this part. Even for skype I found the front facing one to be a little fuzzy. -Bloatware. While I found some of the features like Knock-on/off and Qpair to be really handy, there was a good bit of bloatware to clear out via Titanium-Backup. I really hate that device makers pre-install this junk and it's a trend that should really stop. At the very least make it so normal users can uninstall it without rooting their device. -Software. I'm also not a fan of LG's skin and bloated software. I'm still trying to find a rom I really like for this device, CM11 doesn't really do it for me. -Speaker Placement. After using a HTC One for the past year, any device without front facing speakers really sucks. While I don't use the speakers that often, I feel no android device should have rear-facing speakers in this day in age. -Battery Life. I'm not sure what I expected, but I get a subpar 6hrs while watching videos. I was hoping for something a little better, but I may just opt for a backup battery. With low brightness and all off the extras (wifi/bt) turned off, I do get a solid 9+ hours of reading though.

Overall Review: All-in-All, at a ~200$ price point, this is an amazing buy. But if you are buying at MSRP, there are better options out there and better things on the way.