LG have a new Android tablet, the LG G Pad III 8.0. It's a nice device but it was clearly made for the mid-range market as it cannot compete with the iPad.
This is not to say the LG G Pad III isn't any good, but after seeing products like the LG G5 or even the V10, you won't be frowned on for assuming LG definitely can make a premium tablet.
That said, the G Pad III 8.0, which is the third generation of its kind, could still make for a decent mid-tier tablet with a bent towards multimedia and reading.
The G Pad III 8.0 is powered by a 1.5 GHz octa-core processor. Not much of those lying around other than the Snapdragon 615 or 617, which is at least on the higher end of the mid-range. There's only 2 GB of RAM, which is turning to be quite low these days, and 32 GB of storage, expandable with a microSD card, of course. The 8.0-inch screen does 1080p only, which is decent for most videos. In fact, the 16:10 aspect ratio does seem designed for that.
It does seem that the G Pad III seems very reader friendly. Aside from the pre-installed "Reedy Books" app, the tablet also features what LG calls "Reading Mode". This basically reduces the amount of blue light being emitted, commonly regarded to be harmful to eyes after prolonged exposure. This feature is called Night Mode or Night Shift in other products, but Reading Mode isn't time-based like those. Users can select the levels on their own and even manually toggle the feature with a dedicated button at the side.
The tablet comes with some Microsoft Office mobile apps, like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint pre-installed. But perhaps the most interesting productivity-related feature is the full-size USB 2.0 port it has right at the top. Definitely a rare feature among tablets, Android or otherwise and on this it receives high marks.
The G Pad III seems to be available in South Korea and has also been sighted in the US, a standard price is as yet unknown but we'll keep you updated on that front.
