BARCENA— kicked off the first official day of Mobile rld Congress Monday by showing off its latest Android smartphone, the Optimus o. That wasn’t the only smartphone to get some attention from the company at its Monday press preview, but the Optimus o stood out, thanks to its high-end specs impressive array of features. I managed to grab some hs-on time with the phone to see how well it hled in person.

At first glance, you could easily mistake the Optimus o for a Samsung Galaxy Note II. Both phones have a 5.5-inch display, a physical home button, a rounded rectangular design. Once you get ahold of the phone, though, you quickly realize that this isn’t Samsung’s stylus-equipped “phablet.”

The Optimus o doesn’t feel as sturdy as the Note II didn’t sit as comfortably in my h. ere the Optimus o does excel, however, is in its HD I display, which boasts a pixel density of 400 pixels per inch. Text photos displayed on the phone looked extremely sharp, with vibrant colors that were a real treat for the eyes.

The Optimus o ships with Android 4.1 lly Bean, runs on a hefty 1.7GHz quad-core processor. I experienced no lag whatsoever while using the hset, something I can’t really say about most other smartphones I’ve used. Apps opened instantly home screens flew beneath my fingertips. The Optimus o’s 13-megapixel camera took some decent shots, but I really would have liked to test it under better conditions; the booth was too brightly lit, the shiny white tables made lens flare a serious problem.

didn’t give us a U.S. release date or pricing for the Optimus o, so it’ll probably be a while before you see the phone on store shelves in the States.