The LG Optimus L9 sits atop the L series of Android devices from the Korean manufacturer. We caught up with the new model at IFA 2012 in Berlin for a quick play.

The L series handsets from LG were conceived to put well-designed phones into the hands of those who can't quite stretch to the price of the top-rung handsets.

The 4.7-inch IPS display is impressive, something LG has been pushing in recent device launches and nice to find a large display on a device that's note going to cost you a bomb.

But outside of the display, the spec sheet is rather middling. There's a 1GHz dual core processor under the hood, with 1GB of RAM. You have a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a step down from LG's top draw Optimus 4X HD, packing 8 megapixels.

But to the new Android handset's credit is that it lands with Ice Cream Sandwich, so it's reasonably up to date. LG have been busy at work tweaking and customising, with their UI adding some nice features over the top of Android.

In terms of design, it isn't too far removed from the LG Optimus 4X HD we recently reviewed. The design is simpler, some might say a little less fussy, but we did notice that the plastic backplate didn't feel quite as secure as LG's high-end models. 

In our short play with the new Android handset it's difficult to make any great conclusions about performance, however, we'll give you a definite judgement in our LG Optimus L9 review closer to launch.