LG Apollo – first Windows Mobile 7 phone, 1280×720 screen, 10 megapixel camera

January 18, 2010 | By Surur

WMExperts claim one of the first handsets to run Windows Mobile 7 is the LG ‘Apollo’. The handset has features which for the most part border on the unbelievable.

The specs are as follows:

Launching: August/September 2010
CPU: Qualcomm QSD8650; 1.3GHz
CDMA + GSM (aka a World Phone)
EvDO + HSDPA
Device Size: 115 x 57.5 x 11.2 mm
Memory (RAM/ROM): 1GB/1GB
External Storage: MicroSD (up to 32GB)
Screen Size/Type: 3.8-inch capacitive AMOLED “Multitouch Supported”
Screen Resolution: WXGA 1280 x 720 px
Camera: 10-megapixel with flash and autofocus; HD 720p video@ 30fps
Video Support: Windows Media Video (WMV), MPEG-4 (MP4/M4V) H.264, DVR-MS4
Audio Support: Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC-LC), FairPlay DRM, MP3
Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
Talk Time: Up to 7.5 hours
Standby Time: 288 hours
Internet Use: 4.5 hours (3G), 6.5 hours (WiFi)
Video Playback: 10 hours
Audio Playback: 30 hours

Reportedly both Sprint and Verizon is set to carry the device, which is a CDMA/GSM world phone, coming around August/September 2010.

Are we ready to believe 720p screens and 10 megapixel cameras? Let us know below.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged lg, lg apollo, windows mobile 7

PTrizzy

hopefully it wont have the ugly LG UI on it.

Horseman

Does UTGI and or Zero1 have anything to do with this phone and or Ben Piilani???

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

OMG 720p screen on 3.8 inches?? QSD8650 ?? so the HD2 will only be high end for a year (
http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

And this makes it improbable to have wm7 running smooth on HD2…

GP007

They say that WM7 will have two versions, with a stripped down light one that should run fine on the HD2. Probably wno't have the high level media UI, but you should get all the benefits of the core OS itself. This also leaves it open for shell makers to keep making ones for WM7 as well.

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

hum… I hope the HD2 doesn't have problems running the media version.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Foamy Foamy

I think this is good because you need to consider what would stop if from running the media version? It's going to be either storage size due to fancy graphics or power due to fancy graphics. neither of these is needed to have a good media experience. maybe the UI is too intensive (although you'd think if that were the case then the battery life would be terrible). point is that you'll probably be able to do almost anything in the media version. you may need it to be hacked or have a third party program but it's not going to be missing a massive feature like windows 7 starter is missing media centre.

http://www.facebook.com/florian.zeindl Florian Zeindl

720p on 3,8 inches is not realistic. Resolution is always related to physical size of the screen. There is no 720p 3,8inch AMOLED Panel in production even. For a phone to sport this resolution, someone (Samsung or LG) would have to at least have announced the development of such a screen. Even if it existed, do you realize how small everything would be on such a screen? Even 13 inch laptops sport nothing higher than 1280×800/1280×720! It makes no sense. Someone mixed up the video recording capabilities with the panel specs of the screen.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Foamy Foamy

Screen technology is not protected as well as new phones. it would be a big scientific achievement so we would hear about it. also I'm not sure what the maximum resolution our eyes can really see on a screen that size is but i suspect it is lower than 720p.

http://www.facebook.com/florian.zeindl Florian Zeindl

Exactly, it would be pointless. 720p is something i expect modern Netbooks to sport (10inch), but 3,8 inch… I'd be amazed if they were even able to make pixels small enough to create 1280×720=921 600 on such a small area. For 4 inch screens the next step will most likely be something like WSVGA's 1024×600. Even that is a very high resolution for below 4 inch.

Generally, there a very few companies producing LCD/AMOLED panels. Mostly, production/announcement of next gen panels starts way ahead of finished OEM products. This means keeping an eye on Samsung/LG.Philips/AUO/CMO announcements in terms of Cell phone panels will give a pretty realistic outlook on what to expect in next gen devices.

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

The Diamond has 640×480 with that tiny 2.8 inch screen so they can certainly make pixels that small

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

I really doubt we'll get 720p screens. There's no benefit, and quite a lot to lose.

Also, QSD8650 is the CDMA variant of the QSD8250. (MSM72XX is GSM, MSM76XX is CDMA), and I don't think it's 1.3GHz…
http://WMExperts.com Malatesta

Right, but the QSD8250 a does to 1.3GHz and WXGA Me thinks in the specs they left out the "a", which is actually a frequent occurrence on spec sheets.

Also, in the article I link to a new PMP that just came out with a 5" WXGA screen. Sure, it's not AMOLED nor 3.8" screen, but yes, HD screens are coming.

Personally, I'm mixed on the whole LG specs thing. There's evidence going both ways and I'll just wait and see for something more conclusive.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

QSD8250 also supports HD video recording, 12MP cameras and a whole host of things that will likely never be used. There's always more support for things that aren't used, because it means you're well within the limit of the hardware, and it will perform well at that level.

An MSM7200 could probably driver a WXGA screen, it just wouldn't be very nice.

There's also a big gap between 5" and 3.8", and AMOLED is less well developed than TFT/LCDs. If 3.8" WXGA AMOLED screens were out, they'd have been announced a year ago for development purposes so OEMs can test them for release.
http://WMExperts.com Malatesta

I find the notion that a WXGA AMOLED would have to be announced "a year ago" dubious.

Samsung announced the 800×480 AMOLED in June 2009. Two weeks later, the Samsung B7610 Louvre shows up with a WVGA 3.5 AMOLED screen. A few months later, they were on other devices.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Have LG ever made a screen?

I know people who work with 1920×1200 5" AMOLED screens. You need a diamond substrate and a very clean environment. The technology is out there, but not affordable, or useful for a mobile device.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Also, from OLED-Display.net, linked to the OLED Association

There are some rumors that LG Electronics want to roll out a new mobile phone called Apollo with Windows Mobile 7.
The display is a 3.8-inch capacitive AMOLED Display “Multitouch Supported the resolution is WXGA 1280 x 720 px. Launching: August/September 2010
This must be a completly new AMOLED Display, Samsung Mobile Displays does not have this display in there portfolio. Or LG Display produce this AMOLED?

http://www.oled-display.net/lg-apollo-with-an-38-…
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Also, from OLED-Display.net, linked to the OLED Association

There are some rumors that LG Electronics want to roll out a new mobile phone called Apollo with Windows Mobile 7.
The display is a 3.8-inch capacitive AMOLED Display “Multitouch Supported the resolution is WXGA 1280 x 720 px. Launching: August/September 2010
This must be a completly new AMOLED Display, Samsung Mobile Displays does not have this display in there portfolio. Or LG Display produce this AMOLED?

http://www.oled-display.net/lg-apollo-with-an-38-…
http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

yep you're right! I had mistaken QSD8650 with 8672 (which is a behemoth). My worries about whether the HD2 can run the media version are now much less.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5401995 Christopher Hippolyte

I guess you haven't been looking at the right notebooks. My now last generation Vaio Z, 13.1" (the smallest 13" available is 13.1" and most notebooks are 13.3) sports a 1600×900 resolution.

http://www.ithinkdiff.com Imran Hussain

FairPlay DRM on a Windows Mobile 7 phone? How fake can this be? Since when did Apple start allowing FairPlay in Windows Mobile? The only phones ever to have had FairPlay except Apple's products were Motorola phones which were failures.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Foamy Foamy

Would that mean that it would work with itunes?

http://www.ithinkdiff.com Imran Hussain

Yes, FairPlay is Apple's DRM scheme. But this sounds too far fetched that Apple would let this happen

http://intensedebate.com/people/mohsen7x8 mighty

Nearly impossible that Apple would do that

http://WMExperts.com Malatesta

Google Microsoft and FairPlay. You'll see MS has licensed it in 2007 for their Ford Sync program.

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Ford Sync is a dedicated media platform, and isn't even branded as Microsoft. It also doesn't compete with any Apple solution, so Apple have nothing to lose by licensing it.

In the mobile sector, Apple would have a lot to lose if other devices can use iTunes. Just look at the mess Palm got into over the Pre.

http://WMExperts.com Malatesta

True, but the same could be said about Microsoft and Exchange sync, which they will license to anyone who pays, including competition (e.g. Google, Apple).

The Palm situation is different as it looks like Palm just didn't want to pay for a license (probably couldn't afford it) so the tried to go the free route.

Just saying, Microsoft has deep pockets and could pay for a license. Would Apple sell it to them? Perhaps. Remember, there is a price for everything and I have heard of crazier things.

As far as branding goes, well Ford decided to call it SYNC instead of Microsoft Auto, just like how Fiat calls it Blue & Me and Kia UVO. No biggy, they're all "powered by Microsoft". Point is, Apple does and has licensed FreePlay to Microsoft.

Whether it is true for these supposed devices is a different matter, but I don't find it too far fetched.

http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

But, MS exchange support is far better on WM than on other platforms. Some lie about encryption, some don't support certain parts, some are just crap. You also need to have an exchange server to use it which is a very profitable business for Microsoft.

The Pre and the iPhone directly compete, so I doubt Apple would license their DRM for it, and the same I guess would be true for WM, though more so as the market share it has is far larger.

As I said earlier, Apple only gain from licensing on a platform they don't have anything in, if there was the iCar, I doubt Apple would license anything.

derliebewolf

wow! you made it again! Silverlight Mobile will be a big thing in near time! Lets wait for MWC and Mix10! You made my day!

GP007

Using Silverlight and .NET for WM7 apps and even the UI is the logical step for MS to take so I'm expecting that to be the case.
http://intensedebate.com/people/l3v5y l3v5y

Silverlight, WPF and XAML will all feature heavily in the new UI.

http://twitter.com/iFlossiFOB @iFlossiFOB

Beautiful. If this phone has better specs than the touch pro3 then goodbye HTC it was nice while it lasted
http://intensedebate.com/people/Strangerx Strangerx

omfg, if this becomes true I might consider getting a LG for the first time (and I somehow hate LG because of it's first chocolate-phone..). Or I wait till HTC comes up with an HD3
waazzupppp

Could the 1280×720 screen be 'that resolution' to support new soft buttons in media modes? Like the slide in controls in the Samsung Omnia's camera mode? with 240px buttons on each side (or even just a third of the screen on one side) would make it an 800px screen…? Maybe the higher resolution just sharpens it?

Who cares at this point, it's just exciting to hear that WinPhone 7 is coming someday soon!
http://www.avianwaves.com Parrotlover77

Again, I call BS on some of the specs here. Some of it may be true, but it's way too freaking early for these kinds of leaks. I mean they have the carrier in there already? Yea, right!

In other news, I heard that AT&T is soon going to drop iPhone and go full steam on WM7, Verizon is going to start offering internet access fees that aren't in the "price gouging" $40 territory, and Sprint is going to put the same amount of money into WM phones as they are into the absolutely failed Palm WebOS!
Jos Dewey

Most of this has to be crap, I'm sure. Well, maybe not most but much of it.

There's many reasons why I think this, but the simplest is this, when did someone release such a perfect device? If this phone comes out with those exact specs listed (even if it's missing one or two, come on, still unbeliveably amazing) and right after the summer no less, would you ever want anything more out of a phone?

Even the HD2 has a bunch of flaws and shortcomings in specs, but this thing would just be asolutley perfect. All the RAM and ROM you could ever want or need, a maxxed out 10MP camera, HD screen and HD recording, WM7, AMOLED screen and as I say even the release date seems way to good to be true.

If it's true it would be awesome, because as I've always said WM7 needs to innovate and not merely update WM to bring it in line with where Android and iPhoneOS and the rest are at currently. And if these specs are true it would suggest WM7 is going to be totally innovative… HD screens on phones are non-existent, 10MP camera on smartphones are non-existent as far as I know… if WM7 is the first to have these things then it will finally have a shot at real success in today's market.

But… I just can't buy all this, like I said no manufacturer making any form of consumer goods has ever made something so perfect as this phone sounds to be. I would imagine this to just be a 'standard' WM7 phone since some of the specs seem too good to be true now but will not towards the end of the year, but some of them are just unbelievable.
http://intensedebate.com/people/pinguino1 pinguino1

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HA, HA, Don't you get it? it's just a joke! So smile.
Raise your hand (Beginning with Admin) if you fell for this stupid joke.
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KCMatt

I bet it's all true, but it won't have a 3.5mm audio jack! 10MP camera, 1GB each RAM & ROM, but a set of cheap headphones that plug into micro USB!
guest

1280×720 on a 3.8" screen? That's just crazy. It's hard enough to see single pixels on a 800×480 3.7" screen. If this phone is real, they're just building it to win the spec race, rather than building a practical phone. 800×480 is enough for a screen that size, I'd rather have it last longer on a charge than to have a "real" HD screen that I can't actually resolve all the pixels on unless it's 2 inches from my eyes.