LG G4

The best camera phone?

By Anca Gagiuc on Jun 24, 2015 in Technology

LG is on to something. After having its LG G3 crowned by TrustedReviews as 2014 Phone of the Year, the Korean manufacturer strikes again, unveiling its latest flagship phone – the LG G4.

Visually, the G4 doesn’t differ much from the G3, on the front side that is. It’s a 5.5-inch device with 2560 x 1440 pixel display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and volume buttons on the back. The G4 has a slight curve, subtle enough to go unnoticed by many, but with 20 percent less chances than the flat G3 to have the display break on impact, claims LG. Furthermore, the slim arc allows for a natural, firm grip.

There is one feature that makes enthusiasts want to get their hands on it: LG has decorated the back of the phone in leather, real leather, featuring an exquisite stitch. The materials and the processes used are the same as luxury handbags and LG expects to sell millions of it. These premium back covers are made of vegetable tanned full grain leather, the type that doesn’t harm any animals; and they come in brown, black, and red. However, the more conventional plastic backs are made available as well, with metallic or ceramic finish in metallic gray, ceramic white, and gold.

The back covers are removable and interchangeable, enabling access to a removable, monstrous 3,000mAh battery and Micro-SD Card slot that can add up to 2TB of storage space. It’s helpful to remind that Samsung’s Galaxy S6 has a 2,500mAh battery, while iPhone 6’s is a 1,800mAh battery. Also, Samsung has stopped offering the expandable memory, as well as the replaceable battery.

The G4 has a “Quantum IPS” panel – one that has the same color accuracy as displays used for color grading movies. It’s 25 percent brighter with 50 percent better contrast and 20 percent better color accuracy.

One major improvement, perhaps the one that puts G4 at the top, is the camera equipped with a new 16-megapixel sensor, brighter f/1.8 lens, and upgraded image stabilization. The improved aperture will result in less image noise; it is paired with a manual mode that allows experienced users customize shutter speed, ISO, white balance levels, and RAW image capture. The auto-focus now has a 3 axis optical image stabilization, launching the camera in 0.6 seconds.

The hardware in LG G4 includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB or RAM, 32GB internal storage, a giant 3,000mAh removable battery with wireless charging (requires Quick Circle Case), and Micro SD card slot. GPS navigation and location services are claimed to be more accurate than of other phones.

The software is Android 5.1 Lollipop with LG’s custom interface. Just as Samsung, LG announced it removed many of the superfluous apps. The smartphone comes with 100GB of free Google Drive storage space for two years; additionally, the native gallery, music, and file explorer apps have Drive integrated into them.

The LG G4 is now available for purchase. No details on pricing were disclosed, but it will launch on all major carriers. The device has already been named by tech lovers “the best Android phone ever made,” standing next to Samsung’s Galaxy S6. Summer will tell.