Stefan Mileschin

Two Galaxy Notes and two Optimus Vus later, LG's ready to tackle the giant-sized smartphone niche, this time without the category's defining accessory: a stylus. The Optimus G Pro, part of the company's performance line, was a surprise when we first laid eyes and hands on it: it's a 5.5-inch embodiment of lessons learned, not just from LG's past endeavors, but also from Samsung's. That the device would ever make it out of South Korea and into the US was an uncertainty. And by entering the market now, the G Pro risks coming off as a stopgap between the Note II and III, as well as LG's own flagship G line.

Yet, LG found a way. It paired with AT&T to bring the G Pro, with its Snapdragon 600 processor and 1080p display, to the States as an exclusive. For $199 on a two-year plan, subscribers get an attractive package: LTE, NFC, 32GB of storage (expandable by up to 64GB via microSDXC), a gargantuan 3,140mAh battery and dual 2.1MP / 13MP cameras with the option for dual-recording. So, aided by some competitive pricing and top-shelf specifications, the G Pro reads on paper like a boss. But the window for that dominance is short. So while we wait for Samsung to attempt a three-peat in the category it created (a Note III could debut by summer's end), let's examine the G Pro and its 15 minutes of fame.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/08/l... ign=Engadget