It’s a Smartphone? It’s a Tablet? It’s the LG’s 5-Inch Optimus Vu

When devices play in this mid-size space I tend to have mixed feelings. Here in Japan, where I live, I can see the value in larger mobile devices that can still be used if you’re clutching a strap while standing on a train. LG’s (066570:KS) new Optimus Vu LTE phone is the latest phone to play in this large-phone/small-tablet grey space. It was announced just before Mobile World Congress, boasts a 5-inch IPS display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and is being marketed as “a multimedia lover’s dream device.”

While the aspect ratio is neat, the shape is certainly unconventional (139.6 x 90.4mm) — and as you can see in the promo images below, that’s a pretty phat phone. It’s not quite square, but it’s getting there. The profile is very dainty in contrast though, at just 8.5mm thin.

The handset is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with a promised update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich said to be on the way. There’s an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front. The Optimus Vu boasts 32 gigabytes of storage, and 1 gigabyte of memory.

This one drops in Korea in March, but so far there’s no word on price of availability in other regions. I should also note that LG just last week announced a new logo for its Optimus-brand smartphones, which you can also see below. As you can see, it’s awfully Transformers-ish.