Review: LG G4

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The LG G4 is speedy and offers lag-free performance even when running more demanding games and apps as well as more complex camera and video features. Battery life is quite good, requiring a charge every other day with moderate use.

2015 has been an outstanding year for smartphones. Manufacturers have certainly upped their game in terms of features, battery life, design and materials. One could almost say that there are no bad flagship smartphones out there, and while some newer models may seem  like iterative takes on last year’s models, few will fall short of most user’s needs and wants.

LG has been placed in a peculiar place. Everyone knows their LG G line is their flagship Android offering, even if they keep pushing their somewhat experimental LG G Flex line of devices to anyone who is interested in curved phones.

 

For 2015, the LG G4 was one of the most heralded or leaked devices to come to market. It seems we knew all the touchstone features long before LG decided to unveil their latest and greatest phone, which is shipping to various markets, and which comes to Canada in June. This review pertains to the Korean version of the LG G4, as no Canadian variant was made available at the time, so some things may differ.

Adhering to the general look they started with the LG G2 and maintaining key design and operational features (power button and volume rocker at the rear), the LG G4 borrows some of the curved stylings of the G Flex line while fine tuning some of the more winning features of the LG G3. 

 

What’s new for this year is an improved 16-megapixel camera with a f/1.8 aperture that can shoot both JPEG and RAW files.

To accompany that wide aperture, is an extended selection of controls and settings. Next to Nokia, whose Lumia 1020 really raised the bar for manual controls for photo enthusiasts, LG seems to be a company that's serious about delivering a wider range of photographic options for users.

The LG G4's camera is suited to low-light conditions as well as detailed shots

The LG G4 has a removable backplate and has been seen with various leather and plastic options which give it a more premium or fashion forward look. The Korean-version review unit I have features a faux-metal plastic case with an interesting Gehry-esque texture which gives it a step up over some of the blander looking smartphones we’ve seen.

 

The overall look and feel of the LG G4 without the fancy backplates is that of a serious and rather safe-looking smartphone.

That’s not to say it is unattractive or dull, but when you look at how far competition has gone in terms of design, materials and innovative features, its easy to mistake the LG G4 as boring by comparison.

Thankfully, using the LG G4 for a week proved that it was a true flagship with some upside in performance.

Purring under the hood is a 1.8GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor which is just a few notches below what many consider a top of the line processor.

That said, LG says that the Hexa-Core processor and RAM are more than sufficient and I agree. 

The LG G4 is speedy and offers lag-free performance even when running more demanding games and apps as well as more complex camera and video features. Battery life is quite good, requiring a charge every other day with moderate use.

The new UX 4.0 user interface which runs atop Android 5.0 Lollipop is very much in tune with the Material Design look and feel and what once was one of the most visually nauseating overlays has been somewhat tamed and made more palatable.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t have preferred Pure Android, specially running on the high-end processor and 3GB of RAM but, LG's UX 4.0 isn’t bad and is quite unobtrusive.

Swipe to the left and you’re presented with LG’s vision of a home screen called Smart Bulletin including a Health app, access to a calendar, music, smart setting controls and the ability to hijack any variety of remotes for your different devices plus a series of Smart Tips to help you make the most out of your new device.

LG has placed a lot of importance on functionality and ease of use and while their solutions might at times duplicate what popular apps offer, there is a sense of a cohesive effort here.

LG's apps don't seem to have a particular enterprise focus. Unlike Samsung's recent releases that highlight security as well as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) functionality and business-focused functions, the LG G4 seems happy catering purely to consumers.

The other LG-focused apps are actually not obtrusive at all and are hotlinks to websites leading to various services. I don’t know if non-Korean LG G4’s will carry other apps or carrier specific bloatware.

There are a few irritants with the UI. Like how when using the camera, it seems almost impossible to invoke the soft control buttons below without inadvertently taking photo but this is easy enough to live with. 

One issue I've had with LG smartphones is the company's inability to provide software updates for its older devices. It happened to me when I bought and used the LG Optimus G which, to my knowledge, was frozen in history in terms of Android OS updates. The recent news that the LG G2 isn't receiving the Lollipop update in Canada, does little to raise my enthusiasm for the LG G4's future prospects.

The software as it stands does have some niceties. 

Double tapping the rear volume button makes it possible to take pictures quickly. The camera software is good but nowhere as fast to deploy as an iPhone 6 or a Galaxy S6.

One would really have to spend some time with the LG G4's camera to really learn all the features and from what I have seen , it takes crisp shots with nice bokeh which is quite amazing to see on a smartphone.

Conclusion

 

The LG G4 offers users one of the best displays in the market, ample power and versatility as well as great call quality plus some useful features and applications that one won’t find somewhere else.

LG has evolved its G line nicely and while design is a bit conservative, the leather cases and customization options are sure to attract that segment of buyers that want to stand out.

Flagship pedigree, a great new camera, and an agreeable size and outstanding display make the LG G4 worth checking out. The prosaic styling and slight difference in look and feel from its predecessor, stifles some of my excitement for the LG G4. Again, I haven't had time with the Canadian variant, so my views are largerly derived from the pre-launch Korean models.

The smartphone landscape has changed dramatically in the past two-years, and while updated specs, a nice camera and increase power alone would have been big selling points for the LG G4 a year ago, the competition’s focus on premium materials, new display technologies and thinner and lighter profiles this year, make the LG G4 feel a little old school.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Comments

[Glenn]

LG does not support their phones past 14 months. Where other brands will provide system updates for over 2 years LG Canada has repeatedly abandoned their "flagship" phones in a shortened production cycle. For better support and compatibility look at any other manufacturer. Going with LG means your phone is obsolete even before your contract has expired and you are forced to upgrade just to receive new software features.

http://mobilesyrup.com/2015/06/03/lg-g2-will-not-receive-lollipop-update-in-canada/