LG answers Samsung Galaxy S with Optimus Q

LG Optimus Q

It may be a member of the Open Handset Alliance, but LG hasn't done much with Android here in the United States. To date, the company has only released one such device, theAlly, on Verizon's network. Though it was among the first phones released with Android 2.1 it was quickly lost in the shuffle with the EVO 4G and Droid X stealing the spotlight.

The situation back home in South Korea is somewhat similar in that Samsung's Galaxy S is getting all the buzz, but things could change with the release of the new LG Optimus Q.

Featuring a 1GHz processor, the Optimus Q is faster than anything LG has released so far and on par with this year'ssuper phones. The handset also boast a 3.5-inch high definition AMOLED display and a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash. Other hardware features include a TV tuner and support for Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), 3G, HSDPA, and Bluetooth. Internal memory is pegged at 3GB but microSD expansion allows for another 32GB.

Adding to the competition, Sony Ericsson is planning to release the Xperia X10 in Korea later this summer. Although it's running a much older Android 1.6 under the hood, the 8-megapixel camera could turn a few heads.

I'd love to see LG come to the United States with a beefier phone. The Ally makes a fantastic pickup for the $49.99 price point, but they have nothing to combat the heavy hitters arriving over the next few months.