Despite the fact that Android-based smartphones with 3D capabilities haven’t exactly taken off, the Koreans at LG are still trying to make a push in this market niche and will release in the near future their next 3D-enabled handheld, the Optimus 3D Max. LG’s Optimus 3D was the first ever 3D smartphone to hit the market last April, and, while this 3D Max should be an upgraded version of that handheld, it doesn’t look like a device to really look forward to.

At least that’s what we can make from a few benchmark scores leaked by Greek website PostPC.gr yesterday and that look… pretty awful, to be honest. Well, not awful if we were to compare the 3D Max with some of last year’s high-end smartphones, but terrible in a head-to-head confrontation with this year’s top-notch handhelds.

The 3D Max scored 2,314 points in Quadrant, 747 in Vellamo, and a 31.7 in NenaMark 2, all these results being much lower than expected. For comparison, you can check out Engagdet’s post here, where you can see LG’s 3D Max scoring less than half of the performance of HTC One S in two of the benchmarks and less than a third in the Vellamo test.

What will these scores actually mean for real users? Well, it’s pretty difficult to say right now, as we all know that some gadgets behave better in day-to-day performance than benchmark tests indicate, but one thing is clear, nevertheless. If you are on the hunt for a snappy smartphone, and raw performance is the first thing you look for in a gadget, the LG Optimus 3D Max should not be on top of your shopping list.

For those of you who missed the smartphone’s unveiling a while back, let’s quickly go through the 3D Max’ most important features and tech specs. LG’s handheld will sport a 4.3-inch IPS LCD screen with 800 x 480 pixels resolution and will be powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor. With dual 5 MP cameras, the 4.3-incher will also come with 1 GB of RAM, WiFi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, and 8 GB of on-board memory. In terms of software, the 3D Max is set to disappoint a lot of users, as it will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box.

Of course, the phone's dual cameras are capable of capturing 3D content, while the screen does not need special glasses to display 3D images. These are actually the two single aces up this smartphone’s sleeve, if you ask me, and might be the only features to draw in some customers.

There are still no details about the smartphone’s price and availability (we know that it will come sometime in Q2, though), but keep in touch with our website to find out more details about the LG Optimus 3D Max. And in the meantime, please let us know your opinions on the gadget and whether you would buy it once it's available!