Is it hip to be square? LG bank on it with the LG Vu 3 4:3 smartphone

Android, Mobile phones, Tech Digest news
Share

lg-vu3-top.jpgSquare, 4:3 smartphones, rather than widescreen phones, are a bad idea right? Sure, it’s a nice try by LG to try to stand out from the crowd with the 4:3 dimensions of the LG Vu 3, but when the majority of the Android software that your handset will run is optimised for widescreen devices, as is the majority of video content these days, it does feel a needlessly contrary design decision.

That hasn’t stopped LG from going out all guns blazing with the LG Vu 3 though. Making use of a super-powered 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, a 5.2-inch 1280 x 960 screen and coming complete with a stylus, there’s also a 13MP camera around the back. Though squared off and featuring a number of physical buttons, there’s more than a whiff of the flagship LG G2’s design ethos having trickled down to the Vu 3 too.

Launching in Korea on September 27, the handset will be priced around £465, substantially more affordable than the off-contract price of comparable rival, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3. Though the Vu range has only seen modest sales in the west, they still seem to be proving popular in eastern territories, so perhaps it’s not all completely bonkers. That screen shape would make for quite a nice web browsing experience, admittedly.

lg-vu3-560.jpg

Gerald Lynch
For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv