5 of the best quad-core gadgets

LG Optimus 4X HD

LG enters the quad-core race with its flagship Ice Cream Sandwich flavoured 4X HD smartphone. Running at 1.5GHz per core and packing a 4.7in 720p hi-def screen and NFC capabilities, LG’s almighty blower packs an impressive punch. Chuck in an 8MP camera round the back and a 1.3MP front-facing shooter, a generous 2,150mAh battery, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, in an 8.9mm profile and you’re looking at a pretty impressive spec sheet.

HTC One X

HTC’s latest flagship Android Ice Cream Sandwich handset, the One X, is a wonderful combination of powerful 1.5GHz quad-core guts and stunning polycarbonate hardware. In an attempt to stand out from the crowd, the One X’s 8MP camera comes with an impressive bag of tricks, such as HDR stills and an f/2.0 lens for decent photos in low light. We’ve got to admit, when you consider the One X also packs NFC, Beats audio and a 720p Super LCD Gorilla Glass screen, all wrapped up in a 9.3mm thin body, HTC’s first quad-core attempt starts to look even more tempting – don’t you think? Check out our hands on review.

Asus Transformer Pad 300 series

We loved the original Transformer so much we awarded it 2011’s Gadget of the Year. The Transformer Prime impressed us just as much, earning a well-deserved five red stars in our review. Now Asus has welcomed a new member into the fold – the rebranded and more budget-friendly Transformer Pad 300.

With a Tegra 3 quad-core engine, Android 4.0, dual snappers (8MP and 1.2MP) and an optional keyboard dock, the Transformer Pad 300 series is just as covetable as its Transformer Prime sibling. The only major difference, as far as we can tell, is the 300 series totes a 1280 x 800 pixel IPS display, as opposed to the Super IPS+ display that’s served up with the Prime and new Transformer Pad Infinity 700. Plus it’ll be much kinder to your pockets.

ZTE Era

ZTE means business. Not only did the Chinese company show up to MWC with a briefcase overflowing with new smartphones, but it also pulled back the covers on its powerful Android Ice Cream Sandwich-toting flagship Era handset. Powered by a 1.3GHz Tegra 3 processor and 1GB of RAM, the Era certainly has speed on its side, and is complimented nicely by a 4.3in 960 x 540 QHD touchscreen, 8MP snapper with 1080p video capture, Dolby sound and NFC capabilities – all of which have been crammed into a svelte 7.8mm thick outer shell.

Huawei Ascend D Quad

Huawei’s Ascend D was the first quad-core smartphone announced at the Mobile World Congress, which for a while earned it the world’s fastest smartphone title. That is, until the HTC One X and LG 4X HD came along and ruined the party. Huawei’s quad-core beast has shunned Nvidia’s Tegra 3 chip in favour of its own stock – a 1.5GHz K3V2 chip, which boasts up to 30% energy savings. Processing power aside, the Ascend D squeezes in a 4.5in 720p screen, Dolby surround sound, an 8MP shooter with 1080p video recording and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich into an 8.9mm thin body. Check out our hands on review.

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About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.