LG G Pad 8.3 review

LG's back in the tablet game and the G Pad 8.3 is a strong contender

LG G Pad 8.3 review
LG keeping tabs on its rivals with all new device

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Battery life

The LG G Pad 8.3 comes with a non-removable 4600mAh battery, the same size as the power pack in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, and performance is similar between the two tablets.

Unfortunately the G Pad 8.3 ships with Qualcomm's slightly older Snapdragon 600 chip which isn't quite as power efficient as the 800 version found inside the G2 handset and rivals such as the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX.

LG G Pad 8.3 review

That said we found that the G Pad 8.3 performed pretty well day to day and with general usage we were able to get a full day out of the slate.

Start watching a movie, or playing a graphically intensive game however and battery life starts to tumble.

In our battery test we played our 90 minute Nyan Gareth video with the screen turned up to full brightness and with various accounts syncing in the background. The battery had dropped 30% by the time the video had finished, so if you're planning on watching a movie then you may want to stay near a charger.

LG G Pad 8.3 review

It's no where near the iPad mini standard of battery life, and if you hit the G Pad 8.3 hard you're looking at about seven hours of juice.

Be more reserved with your usage though and even with QPair linked up via Bluetooth and various accounts syncing in the background the G Pad 8.3 is capable of seeing you through until bedtime - just.

There is a Battery saver option of the LG G Pad 8.3 which automatically activates when you have 30% left in the tank, allowing you to eek out an extra bit of life.

Connectivity

With no 3G or 4G LTE model there's only one model of the LG G Pad 8.3 available - Wi-Fi only.

If you're desperate for an internet connection on the move you can always tether the tablet to your smartphone - a process made easier by QPair, as we explained in an earlier section - but be aware of battery drain and data usage.

LG G Pad 8.3 review

You also get things such as Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS included in the G Pad 8.3, but NFC doesn't make an appearance here.

Miracast however is included, allowing you to share your tablet display and audio on a compatible TV - great if you want to effortlessly stick a movie onto the big screen.

If you own a fleet of LG phones and tablets you can share multimedia content between them with SmartShare Beam - with photos, videos, music and documents available to transfer between devices.

Thanks to the comprehensive quick settings bar in the notification drop down you can easily turn on and off most connections without having to dive into the main settings menu.

There's also the trusty microUSB port on the base of the tablet, used to charge the G Pad 8.3 as well as hooking it up to a computer.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.