One of the best Android tablets on the market comes from an unlikely source – LG. LG once stood for “Lucky Goldstar” – an amalgam of two merged South Korean companies. LG made a name for itself with the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, some of the best smartphones ever made. Fresh off their handset successes, rumors began circulating that Google tapped LG to manufacture the – potential vaporware – Nexus 8. The basis for the rumor lies in the sophistication and quality of the LG G Pad 8.3 tablet. It includes great build quality, specs and software, rivaling some of the best tablets in the market.
The competitors within the 8-inch tablet market include Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 8.0 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4” priced at $279.99 and $369.99, respectively. Within the 8-inch market segment, the LG G Pad offers excellent, but not the best, specifications. The Galaxy Pro inhabits the high end while the Galaxy Note offers similar hardware. However, in terms of its components, the LG G Pad falls more into the same category as the much acclaimed Nexus 7, 2013 edition. But can LG’s device, at around $280, match competitors, or does its price short-circuit an otherwise spectacular device?
Initial Impressions
The LG G Pad offers sterling design, good specifications and at first glance, feels like a great device.
Unboxing the LG G Pad, I didn’t expect much. It came in a relatively mundane white box, as many of LG’s products do. Inside lay a charger, micro-USB cable, instruction manual and an attached screen protector. Indeed, nothing felt polished about the packaging or presentation of the LG G Pad. However, only a fool judges a book by its cover.