LG has announced the Optimus 4X HD with a powerful quad-core processor, 8-megapixel camera and running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Optimus 4X HD uses a 1.5GHz quad-core processor from Nvidia, accompanied by 1GB of RAM and drives a huge 4.7-inch display with an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels.

LG Optimus 4X HD
The 4X HD can convert 2D into 3D and play content on a connected television (LG)

One of the most striking features of the new LG is its size - or lack of. The Optimus 4X HD is just under 9mm thick, making it a Motorola RAZR-rivalling slimline phone, but with bags of power.

The Ice cream Sandwich-running smartphone may be super-powerful, but "speed in itself isn't what makes LG Optimus 4X HD unique, it's the benefit we're bringing to customers with the HD multimedia experience in a mobile form factor,"Dr. Jong-seok Park of LG said.

The Nvidia processor in the Optimus has four main cores, but also a fifth core to handle less power-intensive tasks like music playback and keeping the phone ticking over while it iis in standby mode - this setup will save battery life and reduce heat emitted, too.

Another party trick that the Optimus 4X HD has up its sleeve is the ability to convert 2D to 3D when plugged into a 3D television. This means that, yes, Angry Birds can be played on the connected television in glorious 3D. Chucking birds at pigs never looked so good.

Inside there is 16GB of storage - which can be increased by 64GB via microSD - and around the back there's an 8-megapixel camera, with a 1.3-megapixel camera on the front for video calls.

There is also NFC technology on board, which means the phone can be used to make small payments by being touched against a special pad in shops.

LG is yet to announce a price for the Optimus 4X HD, but we're expecting it to be towards the higher end of the smartphone scale. A release date is not yet known either.

Android