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Review LG G Pad 8.3 Tablet

Smartphone genes. LG promises that you will find many features of the LG G2 in the G Pad 8.3. The smartphone got a "very good" in our review at that time. Now we want to know how well the tablet derivative does.
In review: LG G Pad 8.3. by courtesy of LG Germany.
In review: LG G Pad 8.3. by courtesy of LG Germany.

For the original German review, see here.

LG was insignificant in the market for some time, at least in the European smartphone and tablet market. However, this has changed with remarkable speed in the last few years. The cooperation with Google during the development of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 could have helped here. With the LG Optimus G and G2, LG produced two very high-end smartphones. The latter has evolved to a tablet called G Pad 8.3.

The G2 and G Pad 8.3 have, to some extent, a similar shape. Both feature rounded edges and two speakers. In addition, the tablet took over the software from the smartphone and several convenience functions should help using Android. These were one of the reasons why the G2 got a "very good" rating earlier. Let us see whether the tablet with weaker processor performs as well as the smartphone.

Case

The case is not outstanding, yet sturdy.
The case is not outstanding, yet sturdy.

The LG G Pad 8.3 is really sturdy: It does not warp from side-to-side-twisting, applying pressure on the rear side does not have an effect and most parts of the display did not show distortions when exerting pressure against the front side. Only at the far left edge (portrait mode) the liquid crystals can be seen when pressure is applied.

The device, which can be optionally had in white or black, is elegant, yet not too extraordinary. Thanks to rounded edges, it is comfortable to hold. A narrow margin (7.2 mm; ~0.28 inches) surrounds the display on the left and right. The case is made from plastic. The rear side looks like brushed aluminum.

With a height of 8.4 mm (~0.33 inches), the case is slightly bulkier than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0's, but it is also a touch thinner than the Google Nexus 7's. Overall, the case looks very compact, especially because of the rounded corners.

Connectivity

With a quad-core processor clocked at 1.7 GHz, the LG G Pad 8.3 offers a good price-performance ratio, at least on paper: Only the processors of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 and the Dell Venue 8 Pro feature a higher clock rates among our comparison group. Details about the actual performance are available in the "performance" section.

16 GB of memory are standard, but the HP Slate 7 or the Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue, for example, feature less. The rear camera's resolution of 5 MP is average, but two speakers on the rear side are striking.

Besides a Micro-USB and the 3.5 mm inch jack for headsets, there are no special interfaces. A microSD slot is hidden behind a small cover at the top edge of the case.

top: microSD and headset jack
top: microSD and headset jack
right: power button, volume control
right: power button, volume control
bottom: Micro-USB, mic
bottom: Micro-USB, mic
left: no interfaces
left: no interfaces

Software

We appreciate that LG apparently spent time and development effort to further improve the user-friendliness of the usual Android UI. It is even more pleasing that it largely works.

The system is based on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which is not the newest version since version 4.4 is already available and with it many new features. Furthermore, we have even already heard first rumors about Android 4.5. Therefore, the user has to do without several convenience functions. At least Android is still easy to use and responsive.

This is also because of the improved UI mentioned above. In detail:

- QSlide: allows multiple transparent windows, and thus multi-tasking

- Slide Aside: makes it possible to switch to another active app by sliding on the edge of the screen

- Multi-User: access to private data and certain domains can be blocked from other persons using the tablet.

- KnockOn: the tablet can be reactivated from stand-by mode and stand-by mode can be activated by double tapping the screen.

To summarize, those frequently running multiple tasks at once, will especially benefit from the enhanced UI. Acer and Samsung have already developed convincing solutions for their tablets, too. But, the KnockOn gesture is really reasonable, intuitive and handy.

Among the additional apps and features, QPair is especially noteworthy. The tablet actually gets an enhanced smartphone with it: Although calls cannot be accepted, it allows rejecting calls during a meeting and directly sending the caller an SMS that you are busy at the moment. You can reply to SMSes from the tablet. Furthermore, you can continue reading links or watching videos recently used on the smartphone. In addition, memos are synchronized between smartphone and tablet and Internet sharing is possible via QPair. Generally, the QPair app works on all Android smartphones, but several features might be limited.

Furthermore, the LG includes Polaris Office5, a translator, and a video editor. Overall, the software bundle is very extensive and quite useful.

outdoors: good reception
outdoors: good reception
indoors: still acceptable
indoors: still acceptable

Communication & GPS 

The LG G Pad 8.3 is only available without a cellular module, at least at the moment. If you also want to surf the Internet on the move, you will therefore rely on mobile hotspots or you had better buy another device.

Wi-Fi standards 802.11 a/b/g/n are supported, while the new, fast 802.11 ac is not. Both frequency bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, can be used. The reception quality is still good at a distance of 10 meters (~33 feet) from the router with three walls in between: 3 or 4 bars are still available. This is sufficient for fast page loading and surfing without problems. Bluetooth is also available, namely the current version 4.0.

In order to test the GPS module of the LG G PAD 8.3, we took it and the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500 on a car ride. The route led us through a wood and over a bridge. Unfortunately, the GPS module of our test device had serious problems. Especially the route through the wood significantly deviates from the route we actually drove. Crossing the bridge looks like we hovered over the crossing road.

Finally, we tested the reception quality of the GPS module with the "GPS test". The result is good: Even indoors, it connects to satellites fast enough for determining the positions with a precision of 10 meters (~33 feet). Outdoors the accuracy increases to 3 meters (~10 feet) after a short time.

Garmin Edge 500: complete route
Garmin Edge 500: complete route
Garmin Edge 500: in the wood
Garmin Edge 500: in the wood
Garmin Edge 500: over the bridge
Garmin Edge 500: over the bridge
LG G Pad 8.3: complete route
LG G Pad 8.3: complete route
LG G Pad 8.3: in the wood
LG G Pad 8.3: in the wood
LG G Pad 8.3: over the bridge
LG G Pad 8.3: over the bridge

Cameras & Multimedia

The rear camera is quite inconspicuously incorporated in the top part of the frame. It has a resolution of 2560x1920 pixels, i.e. 5 MP, and does not feature an LED-flash. The colors of the photos look slightly dull and the images quickly get noisy in bad lighting conditions. The sensor masters back-lit photographs quite well, but bright areas often look too bright here. The front camera does not shoot good photos, but it is sufficient for video telephony and popular "selfies".

rear camera (5 MP)
rear camera (5 MP)
front camera: 1.3 MP
front camera: 1.3 MP
reference: Canon 450D (11 MP)
reference: Canon 450D (11 MP)

Accessories

Only the usual accessories are included: data cable, USB charger, quick guide. You will not find specific accessories for the G Pad 8.3 on LG's web site, but you can buy generic add-ons, e.g. portable batteries, which allow charging the tablet on- the move or a mobile printer.

Warranty

The included warranty information reports a warranty period of a maximum of 27 months from the date of production and 24 months from purchase date. You can register for repairs via a hotline or online via their website.

Input Devices & Handling

The capacitive touchscreen of the LG G Pad 8.3 works reliably. This is also true for the corners. The surface is pleasantly smooth. All Android functions work reliably, only the "KnockOn" gesture added by LG, which allows waking the tablet from stand-by mode, should not be done too quickly.

Thanks to the display size, typing on the virtual "LG keyboard" is very comfortable. The usual Android keyboard cannot be selected, but, this is not a big problem, since the LG version is intuitive. In addition, there are many smileys, emoticons and symbols, with which you can create colorful emails or other messages.

LG also provides many other input options: handwriting, voice input, or swiping over the keyboard. You need to get used to them first, but they are useful in some situations and work quite reliably.

Display

LG uses an 8.3-inch IPS display with a Full HD resolution (1920x1080 pixels), which outperforms many competitors'. Only the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 and the Google Nexus 7 also feature Full HD displays.

Distribution of brightness as well as brightness are poor. With an average brightness of 291.7 cd/m², the G Pad 8.3 performs worse than all comparison devices: The average brightness of the Google Nexus 7 display is above 200 cd/m² higher! A brightness distribution of 78% is very uneven. Such brightness differences can be seen with the naked eye in big white areas.

297
cd/m²
314
cd/m²
274
cd/m²
280
cd/m²
329
cd/m²
266
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
315
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 329 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 291.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 78 %
Contrast: 731:1 (Black: 0.45 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.08 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 6.36 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 3.9

Contrast and black value are fortunately acceptable: The black value of 0.45 cd/m² is better than most test devices' and the contrast of 731:1 is average. The image benefits from these: Colors look crisp and strong and dark colors do not look grayish.

The results of our measurements with the colorimeter and the CalMAN software are also quite good: Although the colors do not precisely equal the values of the reference color space, they are quite close. An average deviation of 5.08 gives an acceptable color precision, although most comparison devices perform better. Especially red colors deviate too much from the reference value. The display is not bluish because blue colors are under-saturated. As a result, red colors often look closer to orange.

CalMAN color management
CalMAN color management
CalMAN precision
CalMAN precision
CalMAN gray levels
CalMAN gray levels
CalMAN saturation
CalMAN saturation

It is difficult to read from the screen in bright environments because of the low brightness and the glossy display. But, we did not face problems with the G Pad 8.3's display indoors.

The IPS technology allows wide viewing angles. This is also true for the LG G Pad 8.3. The viewing angles are bigger from top to bottom than from left to right in portrait mode. However, the image only gets darker at extremely flat angles.

Outdoors
Outdoors
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance

As already mentioned above, The G Pad features a quad-core CPU with a clock rate of 1.7 GHz from Qualcomm. It is called Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T and is slightly slower than the Snapdragon 800, which is used in the high-end smartphone LG G2. Nevertheless, the strong CPU performance and 2 GB of RAM should be more than sufficient for most apps. LG’s highly advertised multi-tasking worked without problems in realistic scenarios.

The performance is actually quite high in system benchmarks: Only the CPU of the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7, with a clearly higher clock rate, is faster. The G Pad 8.3 is more or less on par with the Google Nexus 7. Google's tablet performs slightly better in 3D benchmarks. However, none of the other comparison devices can keep up with the performance of the G Pad.

If you like surfing the Internet, the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 might be your first choice, but the G Pad comes right after it. LG's tablet performs very well here. Finally, the G Pad 8.3 is average in terms of access times and transfer rates of the hard drive.

Overall, it is impressive that the Nexus no longer is the only device with extremely good performance for a low price. Meanwhile, LG's G Pad can easily keep up with the Nexus 7 and outperformed several competitors. In practice, navigation is fast, multi-tasking is smooth, and the browser loads pages quickly.

Smartbench 2012 - Productivity Index (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
7326 points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
3153 points -57%
Google Nexus 7 2013
5080 points -31%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
3772 points -49%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
9469 points +29%
Linpack Android / IOS - Multi Thread (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
517 MFLOPS
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
95.9 MFLOPS -81%
Google Nexus 7 2013
253.6 MFLOPS -51%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
134.4 MFLOPS -74%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
727 MFLOPS +41%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
129.9 MFLOPS -75%
AndEBench
Java (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
365 Iter./s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
251 Iter./s -31%
Google Nexus 7 2013
452 Iter./s +24%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
297 Iter./s -19%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
709 Iter./s +94%
Native (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
13397 Iter./s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
5366 Iter./s -60%
Google Nexus 7 2013
10329 Iter./s -23%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
8610 Iter./s -36%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
16985 Iter./s +27%
Geekbench 3
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
629 Points
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
338 Points -46%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
863 Points +37%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
327 Points -48%
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
1900 Points
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1019 Points -46%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
2622 Points +38%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
1094 Points -42%
PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 - System (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
3178 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
2217 Points -30%
Google Nexus 7 2013
3636 Points +14%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
2106 Points -34%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
1807 Points -43%

Legend

 
LG G Pad 8.3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T, Qualcomm Adreno 320, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310 Samsung Exynos 4212 1.5 GHz, ARM Mali-400 MP4, 16 GB iNAND Flash
 
Google Nexus 7 2013 Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064A, Qualcomm Adreno 320, 16 GB SSD
 
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef NVIDIA Tegra 3, NVIDIA GeForce ULP (Tegra 3), 8 GB SSD
 
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974, Qualcomm Adreno 330, 16 GB SSD
 
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue HiSilicon k3v2 Hi3620, Vivante GC4000, 8 GB SSD
 
Dell Venue 8 Pro Intel Atom Z3740D, Intel HD Graphics (Bay Trail), 32 GB eMMC Flash
3DMark - 1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
6178 Points
Google Nexus 7 2013
7245 Points +17%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1929 Points -69%
NenaMark2 - --- (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
59.8 fps
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
58.4 fps -2%
Google Nexus 7 2013
59.3 fps -1%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
54.9 fps -8%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
59.5 fps -1%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
60 fps 0%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
14 fps
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
6.2 fps -56%
Google Nexus 7 2013
16 fps +14%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
5.2 fps -63%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
8.6 fps -39%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
14 fps
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
3.9 fps -72%
Google Nexus 7 2013
16 fps +14%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
2.4 fps -83%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
3.8 fps -73%
Epic Citadel
High Performance (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
57.8 fps
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
55.5 fps -4%
Google Nexus 7 2013
58.6 fps +1%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
51 fps -12%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
43.9 fps -24%
High Quality (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
57.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
54.6 fps -5%
Google Nexus 7 2013
58.1 fps +2%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
49.1 fps -14%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
42.1 fps -26%
Ultra High Quality (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
33.4 fps
Google Nexus 7 2013
38.5 fps +15%
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
2826 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
2154 Points -24%
Google Nexus 7 2013
2248 Points -20%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1695 Points -40%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
3546 Points +25%
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
1089 ms *
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
1257 ms * -15%
Google Nexus 7 2013
1105 ms * -1%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1168 ms * -7%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
564 ms * +48%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
1609 ms * -48%
Vellamo Mobile Benchmark 2.0
HTML5 (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
2487 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
1594 Points -36%
Google Nexus 7 2013
1663 Points -33%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1512 Points -39%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
2839 Points +14%
Metal (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
751 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
522 Points -30%
Google Nexus 7 2013
727 Points -3%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
401 Points -47%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
1153 Points +54%
Octane V1 - Total Score (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
2774 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
1873 Points -32%
Google Nexus 7 2013
2283 Points -18%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1634 Points -41%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
3839 Points +38%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
1220 Points -56%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
9896 ms *
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
20959 ms * -112%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
8251 ms * +17%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
26477 ms * -168%
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
574 Points
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
712 Points +24%
Google Nexus 7 2013
611 Points +6%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
528 Points -8%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
975 Points +70%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
475 Points -17%

* ... smaller is better

AndroBench 3-5
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
1.08 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
1.88 MB/s +74%
Google Nexus 7 2013
0.82 MB/s -24%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
1.09 MB/s +1%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
1.33 MB/s +23%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
0.28 MB/s -74%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
11.34 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
10.94 MB/s -4%
Google Nexus 7 2013
11.99 MB/s +6%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
8.94 MB/s -21%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
16.52 MB/s +46%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
7.13 MB/s -37%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
10.45 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
20.07 MB/s +92%
Google Nexus 7 2013
13.97 MB/s +34%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
7.73 MB/s -26%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
22.1 MB/s +111%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
5.34 MB/s -49%
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
LG G Pad 8.3
60.1 MB/s
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310
45.86 MB/s -24%
Google Nexus 7 2013
59.7 MB/s -1%
HP Slate 7 Plus 4200ef
31.44 MB/s -48%
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 inch
133.6 MB/s +122%
Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
30.09 MB/s -50%

Gaming

How about games? The benchmark results are encouraging and so, we ran several of the most popular titles from the Google Play Store. We expected that "Angry Birds: Star Wars 2" should run without problems from the start.

Even more demanding 3D games like "FIFA 14" or "Sonic Dash" ran without problems. And we even did not face problems with 3D shooters or fast 3D race games including "Shadowgun: Dead Zone", "Need for Drift", "Real Racing 3" or "N.O.V.A. 3": The games always ran without stuttering and loading times were pleasantly short.

Naturally, 2D games like "Angry Birds: Star Wars 2" run.
Naturally, 2D games like "Angry Birds: Star Wars 2" run.
But, the performance is also sufficient for 3D games.
But, the performance is also sufficient for 3D games.

Emissions

Temperature

In landscape mode, the tablet always remains comfortably cool on average. As the performance components are obviously near the edges, the G Pad 8.3 gets slightly warmer there. The measured maximum temperature is 38.4 degrees Celsius (101.1 Fahrenheit). Are there tablets that remain cooler? Sure - e.g. the Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8 in our comparison group. But, the Amazon Kindle HDX 7 performs better at the expense of a higher waste heat and gets significantly warmer than our test device in all parts.

Overall, the LG G Pad 8.3 can be used comfortably in all scenarios and does not get hot. While idle, the tablet only gets imperceptibly warmer.

Max. Load
 38.4 °C
101 F
28.5 °C
83 F
31.8 °C
89 F
 
 38.4 °C
101 F
28.3 °C
83 F
33.3 °C
92 F
 
 33.2 °C
92 F
28.3 °C
83 F
31.2 °C
88 F
 
Maximum: 38.4 °C = 101 F
Average: 32.4 °C = 90 F
30.9 °C
88 F
30.4 °C
87 F
34.1 °C
93 F
31.1 °C
88 F
30.2 °C
86 F
34.5 °C
94 F
30.7 °C
87 F
30 °C
86 F
32.1 °C
90 F
Maximum: 34.5 °C = 94 F
Average: 31.6 °C = 89 F
Power Supply (max.)  36.9 °C = 98 F | Room Temperature 21.1 °C = 70 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.4 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 30 °C / 86 F for the devices in the class Tablet.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.4 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 33.3 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.

Speakers

Two speakers on the rear side are promising: most tablets only feature a single speaker. The sound should at least benefit from the stereo effect: You can clearly hear whether the sound comes from the right or the left if you hold the tablet in front of you.

The maximum volume is also remarkable: It is nearly too loud for the usual distance during everyday tasks. However, if you decrease the volume, the sound quickly gets significantly duller. It only sounds clear at the highest volume levels. Overall, the sound booms and is not precisely differentiated. Basses are actually lacking and high tones are over-emphasized. The speakers failed to leave a good impression.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Having high performance, yet a rather dark display, the power consumption should not be that high while idle. Unfortunately, the LG G Pad 8.3 is not exemplary in this aspect. It can only outperform the Lenovo Yoga tablet in the idle scenario; all other comparison devices require significantly less energy. Under full load, the G Pad needs a maximum of 7.6 Watt and so more than all other comparison devices.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.001 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.7 / 4 / 4.6 Watt
Load midlight 6.2 / 7.6 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Life

As a result, the battery life is not pleasing. The battery capacity of 17 Wh is slightly bigger than the Google Nexus 7's or the HP Slate 7 Plus'. But this is necessary because of the high power consumption of the tablet. In all three tests, the battery life of the LG G Pad 8.3 is nearly always shorter than the comparison devices'. For example, our WLAN test ends after 5:16 hours on the G Pad, while all comparison devices last at least one hour longer.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
11h 13min
WiFi Surfing
5h 16min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 44min

Verdict

The LG G Pad 8.3 is powerful and slim, but its display is not bright. Thanks to its quad-core processor with a relatively high clock rate, its performance belongs to the upper class and is even comparable with the Google Nexus 7's. In addition, LG reasonably enhanced Android and included a good software bundle. We appreciate the reliable touchscreen, the sturdy and slim case, and the high-res screen with strong colors.

Although the display is darker than many competitors' are, this is not a serious problem indoors. The speakers are not a delight. Since LG incorporated two speakers, they should have also cared whether these fulfill the expectations they raised. In addition, the LG does also not perform too well in power consumption, which is higher than usual. As a result, the battery life is just acceptable.

Overall, the LG G Pad 8.3 is recommendable for those who usually use their tablet with headphones, indoors and not too far away from the next power outlet. These will get a more than solidly designed, fast tablet with Full HD display. However, the Google Nexus 7 still has the better price-performance ratio.

LG G Pad 8.3
LG G Pad 8.3
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In Review: LG G Pad 8.3, courtesy of LG Germany.
In Review: LG G Pad 8.3, courtesy of LG Germany.

Specifications

LG G Pad 8.3 (G Pad Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T 4 x 1.7 GHz, Krait-300
Graphics adapter
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
8.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 12.4 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headset port, Card Reader: microSD up to 64 GB, Sensors: G sensor, GPS, position sensor
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.3 x 216.8 x 126.5 ( = 0.33 x 8.54 x 4.98 in)
Battery
17 Wh Lithium-Ion, 4600 mAh
Operating System
Android 4.2
Camera
Webcam: rear camera: 5 MP (2560 x 1920 Pixel), front camera: 1.3 MP (1280 × 960 Pixel)
Additional features
Speakers: stereo speakers on the rear side, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, Polaris Office 5, QTranslator, DioDict dictionary, LG Smartworld, QuickRemote, Video Editor, Life Square, Voice Mate, QPair, 24 Months Warranty
Weight
338 g ( = 11.92 oz / 0.75 pounds), Power Supply: 49 g ( = 1.73 oz / 0.11 pounds)
Price
300 Euro

 

The LG G Pad arrived and has to go through our tests.
The LG G Pad arrived and has to go through our tests.
LG took over several functions of the successful G2 smartphone. Let's see, whether they perform that well in the tablet.
LG took over several functions of the successful G2 smartphone. Let's see, whether they perform that well in the tablet.
The front camera is a fail, but is is sufficient for occasional video telephony and "selfies".
The front camera is a fail, but is is sufficient for occasional video telephony and "selfies".
Although the rear camera has a higher resolution of 5 MP, the images are not really good.
Although the rear camera has a higher resolution of 5 MP, the images are not really good.
The two speakers are the same as the LG G2's, but the sound quality is poor.
The two speakers are the same as the LG G2's, but the sound quality is poor.
So you will need the headset port on the top quite often.
So you will need the headset port on the top quite often.
The tablet is slim and available in black or white.
The tablet is slim and available in black or white.
The rear side is made from plastic, but it looks like brushed aluminum.
The rear side is made from plastic, but it looks like brushed aluminum.
The microSD slot is hidden behind a cover on the top side.
The microSD slot is hidden behind a cover on the top side.
Overall, the case is very sturdy.
Overall, the case is very sturdy.
The display features Full HD resolution, but it is not very bright.
The display features Full HD resolution, but it is not very bright.
Both physical controls are on the right side.
Both physical controls are on the right side.
LG made several useful enhancements to the Android UI.
LG made several useful enhancements to the Android UI.
A widget helps with the new functions.
A widget helps with the new functions.
It allows watching explanation videos. The user can decide whether to use the full screen of Android for this purpose.
It allows watching explanation videos. The user can decide whether to use the full screen of Android for this purpose.
Swiping an app to the side with three fingers will start multi-tasking.
Swiping an app to the side with three fingers will start multi-tasking.
The LG keyboard is the only input option.
The LG keyboard is the only input option.
It works well in landscape...
It works well in landscape...
... and in portrait mode.
... and in portrait mode.
Further input options are available.
Further input options are available.
You can e.g. input via the keyboard without lifting the finger.
You can e.g. input via the keyboard without lifting the finger.
The performance of the tablet is more than sufficient for fast 3D games.
The performance of the tablet is more than sufficient for fast 3D games.
There are several apps on the lock screen, which can be directly started.
There are several apps on the lock screen, which can be directly started.
The remote control app is useful.
The remote control app is useful.
Life Square keeps track of social media profiles.
Life Square keeps track of social media profiles.
Overall, the LG G Pad is a good tablet, but the Google Nexus 7 continues to have the best price performance ratio.
Overall, the LG G Pad is a good tablet, but the Google Nexus 7 continues to have the best price performance ratio.

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Pros

+very high system performance
+all tested games ran smoothly
+Full HD display with vibrant colors
+sturdy build quality
+compact case
+sensibly enhanced OS
+good software included
+24 months warranty
+cool surfaces
+stereo speakers ...
 

Cons

-..., but with poor sound
-high energy consumption
-battery life only passable
-dark screen
-uneven brightness distribution
-modest camera
-GPS module sometimes inaccurate
-no mobile internet

Shortcut

What we like

LG packed a lot of performance and a Full HD display into a cheap tablet.

What we would like to see

The screen should be brighter and the speakers should be better.

What surprises us

How quickly other manufacturers took over Google's "cheap and good" concept.

The competition

Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, Lenovo Yoga Tablet 8, HP Slate 7 Plus, Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7, Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue, Dell Venue 8 Pro

Rating

LG G Pad 8.3 - 01/10/2014 v3(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
84%
Keyboard
63%
Pointing Device
90%
Connectivity
36%
Weight
100%
Battery
91%
Display
79%
Games Performance
43%
Application Performance
62%
Temperature
89%
Noise
100%
Add Points
83%
Average
77%
86%
Tablet - Weighted Average
Florian Wimmer, 2014-01-16 (Update: 2018-05-15)