First look: The T-Mobile G2x smart phone looks sharp

T-Mobile is freshening its G-series with the T-Mobile G2x, one of the first smart phones with the ability to record video at 1080p. Available for $200 with a two-year contract after rebates, the LG-made G2x is actually based on the Optimus 2x LG, which was previewed at CES 2011.

Like the Optimus 2x, the G2x has a 4-inch AMOLED display, a 1-GHz NVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera for video chats via Qik service, and 8GB of internal memory. But this version adds the ability to cruise on T-Mobile's 4G network. You can connect the phone to an HDTV via an optional HDMI cable, or wirelessly if the TV supports DLNA. The phone runs on the Android 2.2 operating system.

The G2-x measures 4.9 by 2.5 by 0.4 inches and weighs 5 ounces, making it one of the larger phones in our upcoming mobile phone Ratings (available to subscribers).

T-Mobile bills this phone as a multimedia powerhouse, and after using it for a few hours, I'm inclined to agree. The details:

It's fast. The phone's dual-core processor and fast Web connections noticeably trimmed the time it takes to move from one activity to anther. Apps launched and refreshed quickly, and the display was highly responsive even when using graphics-intensive games, such as The Need For Speed Shift HD and Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance (NOVA), a shoot-'em-up space-alien game.

Good display. In daylight, I had no trouble reading text on the G2x's AMOLED 480 x 800 display, which seemed quite sharp. In calendar mode the G2x even showed me the tiny text of events listed in the 7-day view, which many T-Mobile Android phones have had trouble doing. Game graphics seemed sharp, though colors were on the dull side. Though the display proved more than adequate for viewing videos and pictures taken with the G2x's cameras.

Decent camera. CR engineers are currently testing the G2x's camera in our imaging labs. In the meantime, I showed some videos and pics I took with the phone to my colleagues in the TV lab.

We hooked up the phone to a 65-inch Panasonic plasma TV via an HDMI cable. They observed that both stills and videos looked reasonably sharp for a camera phone, though not nearly as sharp as the images produced by quality standalone cameras and HD camcorders. The camera itself, which includes a flash, had many big-camera controls, including manual adjustments for ISO and other image settings. But the camera seemed to take slightly longer to recover for the next shot than some other camera phones I've used. On the whole, though, overall image quality was impressive for a camera phone.

Bottom line: The G2x is a fast, game-friendly smart phone with an above-average display. But it's not quite ready to replace your SLR or camcorder.

—Mike Gikas