First 3D Phone From LG To Cost £515

The world’s first 3D phone for the mass market, made by electronics giant LG, will arrive on UK shores on 25 April for £515.

Website Expansys has the LG Optimus 3D smartphone available for pre-order at the hefty UK price SIM-free, followiug LG’s statement that the launch of the Optimus 3D at Mobile World Congress (MWC), that the phone – which has two cameras to capture 3D images, would be rolled out globally, starting with Europe, early in the second quarter.

Technical Specs

LG showed the Optimus 3D phone to eWEEK Europe, along with a 3D tablet, at MWC in Barcelona this week, promising 3D effects without the need for 3D glasses. LG has not officially confirmed the 25 April release date in the UK, despite repeated calls to the company.

The device itself boasts a 4.3 inch WVGA display and an 8 megapixel dual-lens camera. The display is used to display 3D content. Users can navigate through the device’s 3D interface with the click of LG’s 3D Hot Key, which presents five 3D-dedicated user interfaces, including Gallery, Camera, Game&Apps, YouTube 3D and 3D Guide.

Captured 3D content is apparently shared via an HDMI 1.4 connection to 3D TVs and monitors, and the handset also is compatible with Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) Certified products. In addition, users can upload and stream 3D content and share each other’s creations on YouTube’s dedicated 3D channel.

The smartphone has a 1GHz dual-core processor and 8GB of memory available on-board. It also has a front-facing camera for video chats. Initial reviews of the device seem mostly positive, but the one downside is that the phone will be initially released running Android 2.2 (Froyo), although it is likely that it will be upgradable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) in the future.

The phone will also come with a 1,500 mAh battery, but it remains to be seen if this will be sufficient to run the handset for a lengthly period if it is utilising its 3D capabilities.

3D Tablet As Well

LG is also set to launch a 3D tablet device sometime in March. The Optimus Pad features an 8.9-inch display with 1,280-by-768 WXGA resolution and is powered by Google’s Android 3.0 platform and the Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processor.

The tablet’s 3D camera boasts full HD 1080p decoding. A built-in video conferencing feature was designed to appeal to business users who might otherwise lean toward a BlackBerry PlayBook or other enterprise-oriented tablet.