With the LG Nitro HD, AT&T will finally have a smartphone for videophiles. The Nitro HD is an Android smartphone with a high-res 720p display.
The Nitro HD, known overseas as the LG Optimus LTE, has a 4.5-inch IPS display with a pixel density of about 326 pixels per inch. This display type and pixel density is similar to the Apple iPhone's "Retina Display," but the Nitro HD has a much larger screen (4.5 inches vs. 3.5 inches).
Other specs for the LG Nitro HD include a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, 4GB of internal storage, and a 16GB microSD card. The phone is just 0.41 inches thick.
The LG Nitro HD is one of AT&T's first 4G LTE phones, joining HTC's Vivid and Samsung's Galaxy S II Skyrocket. But AT&T's LTE network isn't as far along as Verizon's, with availability in just 15 U.S. markets compared to Verizon's 179. The Nitro falls back to a slower HSPA+ connection when LTE isn't available.
Software-wise, the LG Nitro HD runs Android 2.3. There's no official word on whether the Nitro HD will get Android 4.0, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich, but LG has already announced that the Optimus LTE will get the software update, with exact timing to be announced in December. Hopefully AT&T's variant will be included.
The LG Nitro HD will cost $250 with a two-year contract, and goes on sale December 4.
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