LG G PAD 8.0 - Technology review

WHAT IS THE LG G PAD 8.0?

The LG G Pad 8.0 is an 8-inch Android tablet which slots neatly in between the G Pad 10.1 and the G Pad 7.0, which are also being launched at the same time. The internals are practically identical across all three devices, with a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU, 800 x 1280-pixel IPS screen, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

LG G PAD 8.0 – DESIGN AND SCREEN

In the realm of Android, smaller 8-inch tablets are fast becoming the norm, with this particular screen size seeming to strike the perfect balance between portability, functionality and price for many consumers. The G Pad 8.0 has this 8-inch sector covered, and while its design's hardly likely to set your pulse racing, it's appealing enough.The rear of the G Pad 8.0 is made of matte-effect plastic, which is reasonably grippy but soon becomes covered in unsightly thumbprints. Aside from the LG logo, camera lens and two speaker grilles, there's little else of note around the back.

Unlike the G Pad 10.1, this smaller variant is designed to be held in portrait mode by default – the orientation of the LG logo and camera makes this abundantly clear. On the left-hand edge you'll find the power button and volume controls, while the top edge is home to 3.5mm headphone socket, IR blaster and microSD card slot. The bottom edge is reserved solely for the Micro USB port.The tablet's 8-inch screen has a resolution of 800 x 1280 pixels, which delivers a pixel density of 189 ppi. The G Pad 10.1 has the same number of pixels stretched across a much larger screen, which results in blocky text and a general lack of definition. On the 8.0 model, the lack of sharpness isn't quite as pronounced, but it's still noticeable.The IPS panel is bright and colourful, and affords excellent viewing angles. The only criticism we have is that, occasionally, some images can look a little washed out. LG G PAD 8.0 – SOFTWARE AND APPSLG's been remarkably restrained when it comes to adding in too much bloatware on its G Pad range, each of which ships with Android 4.4.2. Some welcome unique features, such as Knock Code – which allows you to unlock your device by tapping a sequence on the touchscreen, even when the display is powered down – make the G Pad 8.0 stand out from its Android rivals.

Another nice element is the ability to run two applications in tandem, side by side. This is limited to a strict selection of apps and is arguably less useful on this tablet than it was on the larger-screened G Pad 10.1, but it's something we found ourselves using more than we expected, even if it did cause the device to chug quite badly.

Q Pair is an app which is unique to LG tablets and has been seen in older models, allowing you to link your phone to the G Pad in order to receive notifications such as text messages. This saves you having to reach for your handset when you're using the tablet, and is one of those truly impressive little features which should be present in every device of this type.Finally, there's QuickRemote, which works with the tablet's built-in IR blaster to enable control of your TV, DVD or Blu-ray player without having to search down the back of the sofa for the remote.Refreshingly, it's possible to uninstall some of the pre-loaded applications on the G Pad 8.0, which means you can free up more space for other downloads. Many manufacturers don't offer this feature, so LG should be applauded for giving its customers the option.

LG G PAD 8.0 – PERFORMANCE

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset which powers the G Pad 8.0 isn't going to win any awards when it comes to processing grunt – even last year's G Pad 8.3 came with more powerful internal tech. Backed by just 1GB of RAM, this rather weak chip doesn't make for a particularly smooth user experience.General navigation around the Android 4.4.2 OS is often jerky – usually when background tasks are being performed. The fact that the chipset's having to push less pixels thanks to the G Pad 8.0's low-resolution screen does balance out the weakness of the processor somewhat, but this isn't the kind of slate that's going to blow your socks off with its performance.

Gaming on the G Pad 8.0 also presents problems, with graphically intense 3D titles really pushing the Adreno 305 graphics processor to the limit. 2D titles fare much better thanks to their less demanding nature, but this is hardly the kind of device you'd recommend to a diehard mobile gamer – they'd be much better off with theNvidia Shield Tablet, which of course retails for more than the £150 you can expect to pay for LG's offering.Although there are stereo speakers on the rear of the G Pad 8.0, the sound quality is rather average. Audio lacks bass and when the volume is turned up to maximum, there's quite a lot of distortion. You're much better off using the tablet's headphone socket.You have access to just under 11GB of the 16GB that's included inside the G Pad 8.0. The purchase of a microSD card is almost compulsory if you wish to consume large amounts of downloadable goodies, but thankfully these are cheap enough and the chances are you've probably already got a few lying around the house. The G Pad 8.0 can accept cards of up to 64GB in size, so you could really go mad if you wanted to.

LG G PAD 8.0 – CAMERAThe G Pad's 5-megapixel rear-facing camera lacks an LED flash, so taking shots in darkened environments is off the table entirely. Photos are rather fuzzy and lack definition, which means you're unlikely to want to rely on this device for your main image capture.It copes better in direct sunlight and even allows you to take a snap by bellowing a special word – such as "Cheese" – but on the whole, it's not a device you're likely to use for photography or video, especially if you have your mobile phone to hand.The front-facing 1.2 megapixel snapper is primarily for video calls and those who have succumed to the unfortunate "selfie" plague that's currently sweeping the nation. LG G PAD 8.0 – BATTERY LIFEOne area where the entire G Pad range truly excels is battery life. The 8.0 comes with a 4200mAh non-removable power cell which we found was roomy enough to get us through a few days of moderate to heavy use. Naturally, activities such as playing games or watching movies will gobble away at your juice faster than simply reading emails or visiting a few websites, so your own mileage may vary. Certainly, compared to other Android tablets, the G Pad 8.0 has impressive staying power – something which could perhaps be attributed to its less demanding chipset.

SHOULD I BUY THE LG G PAD 8.0?

Like its larger sibling, the G Pad 10.1, the G Pad 8.0 has been forced to endure some compromises in order to hit its impressively low price point. The sluggish Snapdragon 400 chipset often struggles to keep up, and the overall experience is generally skittish.However, the low-res screen is less of an issue on this model as the display size is smaller, making those blocky pixels less obvious. It's also impossible to deny that LG has done an excellent job with its customisation of the Android OS – the features it's introduced are genuinely useful, and the minor cosmetic changes deliver a look which is just as pleasant as stock Android, if not more so.The G Pad 8.0 won't satisfy the needs of seasoned tablet aficionados, and is arguably better suited to newcomers or younger users, but for the price, it's still worth a look if you're shopping on a tight budget. VERDICTThe G Pad 8.0 is underpowered compared to other Android tablets, but for £150 it's still worthy of consideration if your expectations are modest.