Is LG’s new G-Slate Honeycomb tablet worth your money?

LG was earlier interested in only serving budget consumers. But, it soon realized where it had gone wrong as other companies tasted success in the tablet space. LG dumped both its O2X and G2X in the process and began looking for an opportunity to make an impact in the tablet market. Now, the very Honeycomb tablet on T-Mobile, the LG G-Slate is here.

Compared to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 or the Motorola Xoom, the G-Slate is smaller with an 8.9-inch screen. It may look a little longer than the rest of the tablets in the market but it is not so. The wide profile of the tablet makes it a little uncomfortable to handle with your hand. The front facing camera is placed in the corner of the device making it easier for both landscape and portrait uses.

The tablet’s NVIDIA powered Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor is found in nearly every tablet in the market at the moment. The 720x1280 screen resolution is worth comparing to the 10.1-inch ones. The WXGA screen displays colors in a vibrant manner and can easily compete with the Motorola Xoom.

The G-Slate comes with a 32 GB on-board storage capacity but cannot be expanded further. There is a microUSB port and an HDMI port at the bottom, including a separate power port on the side of the device. The tablet can be charged via USB unlike other tablets. The sound quality of the speakers is mild and mid-ranged as compared to other tablets in its class.

However, the best attraction of the tablet is a pair of cameras in the back that will record videos in 3D. Don’t expect real movie like 3D effects, but it is a basic Red/Blue 3D, and a black plastic framed glass has been provided. The camcorder, however, is the only one which uses 3D capabilities. So don’t expect still 3D photos or 3D chats.

G-Slate has a 6400mAh battery which is good enough to keep you going all day long. Use it the whole day and still you will have a bit left to make that one final call. The tablet can go for days without charge on wi-fi or standby. The Airplane mode will even fetch you 12 hours of constant use and you will still have 15 percent battery remaining.

Speed and performance is something LG has worked upon this time. The tablet has a Honeycomb OS which makes navigating through the phone a smooth process. The touchscreen has been made responsive compared to Xoom and the Galaxy Tab. Few of the apps still need to be optimized for the screen size, but the ones which are optimized are a treat to use.

The 3G and 4G network provided by T-mobile is great. The app has a little problem with a few apps which are just reminders to install stuff like Adobe Flash. But if you take a little time and install it, the app will run like a dream and you will be able to play simple Flash games and small videos.

Is it worth your money? Well, the tablet definitely has a few features other tablets never even thought about or came out with like notification light, USB charge or a 3D camcorder. The 3D’s use, sadly, is limited to that only. The single camera has nice photo quality and takes great pictures. The work capacity of the device will increase if you are in a 3G/4G area. The G-Slate can be rated as one of the best Honeycomb tablets in the market at the moment and a 3.1 upgrade will make it even more impressive.