LG Readies G Pad II 10.1 in New Bid to Shake Off Tablet Sales Blues

Can LG’s upcoming G Pad II 10.1 succeed in a tablet market in which even sales of Apple’s iPads have been sluggish? The company certainly thinks so. Here’s why.

The model name is the tipoff that the G Pad II 10.1 comes with a 10.1-inch screen. Beyond its size, the display specifications are respectable, delivering a 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution and 224 pixels per inch. LG Display, the company’s highly respected manufacturing subsidiary, is developing the screen, which in itself offers some assurance that the G Pad II 10.1 will have a high-quality screen when the device hits the market later this year.

By running the standard version of Android in the G Pad II 10.1, LG will bring Google’s cloud services to its device. That means users will find all of the usual cloud applications on the Android-based tablet, including the Chrome browser, the Google Play app marketplace and Google Maps.

Although LG is pitching the G Pad II 10.1 as a top-end tablet, the device’s built-in processor may not live up to the hype. The G Pad II 10.1 comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with a clock speed of 2.26GHz. While that should be suitable for most applications, there are some mobile devices available now that have octa-core chips. It’s unfortunate LG didn’t opt for the higher-end processors available in some other products.

Most would think that a tablet would naturally come with wireless network connectivity, but that’s not always the case. In fact, there are some slates that are WiFi-only, leaving them practically useless when away from a WiFi signal. Luckily, LG isn’t falling into that trap and offers 3G and 4G LTE connectivity in the G Pad II 10.1. Those who aren’t interested in paying mobile carrier fees, however, will be happy to know that a WiFi-only model is also available.

LG is making a fuss about the Reader Mode feature built into the G Pad II 10.1. The feature ostensibly reduces eye fatigue by reducing the display’s production of blue light while reading an ebook. LG argues that putting the tablet into Reader Mode makes for a more “comfortable” viewing experience and will cut down on blurred vision.

Thanks to the G Pad II 10.1’s ample screen real estate, the device is capable of displaying two windows at the same time. When users are running two applications, they can see both on the screen and work within them simultaneously. The feature is similar to Split View, which is coming to Apple’s iPads in iOS 9. It’s a nice addition for multitasking fanatics.

The G Pad II 10.1 will come with Microsoft’s Office suite preloaded, thanks to a deal LG, like several other Android vendors, has signed with the software giant. Users will get Microsoft’s Word, Excel and PowerPoint, among other apps, and the companies are offering 100GB of free storage on Microsoft’s OneDrive for two years. Microsoft is slowly but surely infiltrating the Android ecosystem.

Arguably the biggest disappointment in most tablets is their cameras. Tablet makers reason that people use the devices for viewing and not for snapping photos. In response, they typically build low-quality cameras into their products. LG has followed suit with the G Pad II 10.1, which comes with a 5-megpaixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing lens. While both should be fine for simple pictures, it’s rather unfortunate LG, like other tablet makers, won’t offer better cameras.

LG is largely using software to distinguish its tablet in the crowded marketplace, and so has announced that the G Pad II 10.1 will come with QuickMemo+. The feature lets users add a memo from any app, rather than be forced to open a separate program. After a user creates a memo, QuickMemo+ lets the user save and share the memo with other applications and services. It could be a handy feature for those who have quick thoughts and don’t want to shift to another app to write them down.

If the LG G Pad II 10.1 is on your wish list, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for its price and availability. While LG has confirmed that the tablet will be available in North America, Europe and Asia, the company says it won’t announce exact pricing or shipment dates for those markets until the IFA show in Berlin. Since IFA kicks off on Sept. 4, that won’t be too long a wait.