LG’s new G Pad 8.3 might be the best mid-sized Android tablet yet, we go hands-on

When LG announced its new G Pad 8.3 ahead of the IFA consumer electronics show this week, it didn’t seem to get as much attention as the company was perhaps hoping for by releasing the news before anyone had a chance to get a look in Berlin. The good news is that after playing with the device today, our first impression is that the new G Pad could be serious contender for the best Android tablet on the market. In fact, it might even give Apple a run for its money for those looking for an iPad mini Android alternative that doesn’t compromise on build quality.

The aluminum on the back gives the device an extremely high quality finish that puts it more in the iPad and HTC One build-quality category, and the 1920 x 1200,  273 ppi, Full HD WUXGA display might be the best in the mid sized tablet category. The device packs in 2GB of RAM, a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, and we didn’t have any performance issues in our hands-on with the tablet today. It comes in black and white (as pictured above), and also offers some of LG’s unique software features like QPair for connecting a smartphone to the tablet and receiving calls, messages, and more on both devices.

The real beauty of the design is that the 8.3-inch display doesn’t feel much bigger in your hand than a 7-inch tablet thanks to a nice thin bezel, and it is still easily pocketable wherever your 7-incher can fit. It’s hard to give a recommendation on the Android 4.2.2 tablet since we don’t know pricing yet, but if it’s price competitively with the Nexus 7, LG might have just made the #1 or #2 Android tablet for the year and heading into next. Hopefully we have good news to report when pricing gets announced at launch time in Q4.