I have become an LG fan with the G2. I felt that the G3 was not at par with my expectation so I opted to wait for the next best thing. I was really considering leaving LG and moving to the S6 Edge but went back to considering the G4 because of the curved and solid feel. The S6 Edge felt to be too thin and to glassy for my taste; while the Iphones was not part of my option; so it was the LG G4 or nothing.
Design
While everyone is on board with a metal unibody or incorporating glass on their mobile phones. LG wanted to do the more unconventional approach with leather. Other than the leather infused back-cover, the whole thing is pretty much almost identical with its predecessor the G3. But in a closer look, the G4 has a more definitive corners, and a much evident curved screen than its past two predecessors. The buttons are also placed exactly where the G3 left it but with some changes on the back buttons which are now changed to mimic those of which found on the G2.
The back covers are easily removed with a simple lever found on the right side of the phone. This makes it easier to remove the back cover to replace the 3000 mAH battery. The nice looking 16MP camera is joined by the LED flash, color spectrum sensor and the laser auto-focus, with the power and the volume rocker found just below it. It is slightly thicker and slightly heavier with the G3.
The G4’s back cover is a bit scary to deal with, the plastic base with the leather mounted back does give it a pretty aesthetic, but like all leather, it could easily be damage by pointed things like your long sharp finger nails to scratch the leather, or the sides being damaged by male-type USB for charging. Other than that, we are giving it a big thumbs up as the feel when holding it is very natural, the buttons at the back are much better to press than the G3 and the placement of the lever is tucked in that you might not even notice it.
Camera and Video Capability
The LG G4 is equipped with a 16MP camera, some other phones that has the same16 megapixel are the HTC One M9, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Duos and the Note 4, Samsung S6 and the S6 Edge, the Note Edge, and the Meizu MX4. What is outstanding with the LG G4’s camera is it is able to capture RAW images. It could also record 3840×2160 or 4K resolution. And with the help of laser autofocus, it brings the best out of every snap that you would want to capture with your G4. The LG G4 is also well equipped to be one solid camera phone with the ability to adjust your apperture size to F1.8 and it has a shutter speed control. This gives you a taste of the future of cameras in mobile phone to become a straight DSLR replacement.
On Auto Mode- ISO:50, Aperture: 1.8, Exposure time: 1/389
On Manual Mode – ISO :50 , Aperture :1.8, Exposure Time : 1/1000
On Manual Mode – ISO : 250, Aperture : 1.8, Exposure Time : 1/2000
On Manual Mode – ISO : 100, Aperture: 1.8, Exposure Time: 2
Last but not the least, the front facing camera is with a 8MP camera which is great for Skype conversations and other video conferencing needs.
The G4 has one of the best camera that I have handled. Although there are lots of phones with a 16MP on its camera, the colors produced are much more vibrant than the others. I’ve tried taking pictures with a Samsung Note 4 and I feel it lacked the color quality that the LG G4 has.
Battery
The G4 comes with a 3000mAH battery. This has the same battery input and output as with the G3 so you would expect it to have the same crappy battery life as the G3. On the contrary, the G4 has all the improvement to make the battery life extend longer.
This comes as a no surprise as LG is using the Snapdragon 808 chip which is much more efficient than the 28nm 801 chip used by the LG G3. The LG G3 in our standard usage at 20% brightness for everyday with a constant data usage lasts for around 4 to 5 hours., this has been increased by around 7 to 10 hours of our daily usage with the same settings.
The battery is also removable, this comes surprisingly as most of its competitor opts to go for a non-removable one. This feature is surprising as the likes of Samsung moved towards a built that has a non removable battery, while LG, a local competitor for them moved from having a non-removable battery from the G3 to a removable one. Even better, the pre order and early buyers of the G4 would be receiving an extra battery and a charger for the extra battery.
OS, UI and Apps
The LG G4 will have the Android 5.1 Lollipop right out of the box, and with my experience with the LG UI, it seems that they are stripping down their own to have it run as smooth as the Vanilla version. The only noticeable difference was LG’s addition to the Knock Code, Dual Window, QSlide, and the customizable homescreen buttons; other than those, the whole minimalist thing going for Lollipop is in place.
For apps, it comes as bare as possible. Unlike, other brands like Samsung, the LG G4 is only packed with minimum LG applications like useful Google apps, and LG’s SmartWorld app.
Multimedia (Audio and Display)
Audio is one of the key things that i did not like about the G2, the LG G4 however has a load speaker situated at the back of your phone. Load as it might be, it has the right amount of bass and treble to have the perfect combination when listening to your favorite artist and songs. I certainly would still prefer front facing speakers like of those found on HTC phones.
It also comes with a nicely designed ear phones. It is colored red and black to make it stylish enough to wear around, the 3.5mm jack is thin enough as well to be inserted in most casings, but you might have a problem trying to fit it in with other casings because of its 90 degree form factor.
“We are sorry for the discussion in the background…”
Conclusion
Well there are only a couple of things I did not like about this flagship phone. I really did not like how easily the back cover snaps out of the phone. This becomes an issue for me as I normall have a casing that snaps as a back cover. When trying to remove the casing, the leather back cover on my phone goes with my case. Otherwise, this phone is perfect for me. The curved back makes it a perfect fit when handling, and when inside my pocket. The UI is very straight to the point without the bloat-ware to to further minimize the clutter. The LG G4 retails for around 31,990Php to 32,990Php, although I got mine from Widget City for 27,500Php. If you want an alternative, you may head onto Lazada.
The battery, although a bit insufficient is fine; the extra battery and the charger kit makes it perfect. The audio quality is okay, loud and sufficient but it could’ve been better. Finally, I am in love with the quality of the photos as well as the quad HD capability of the screen. Together with the improved screen with Quantum Dot technology, which improves the overall lighting and color quality.
Specification:
Cellular
Miscellaneous
Messaging and Internet
Processor
Display
Communications
Graphics System
Battery
Memory
Multimedia
Camera
Dimensions and Weight
