Rating:
Typical Price:
£479.99
Pros:
Excellent Display; AWESOME Camera and Features; Decent Improvements To Battery Performance; Powerful; Battery is Removable; SD-Support as Standard
Cons:
Plastic back panel looks a bit naff compared to leather option; bit of a fingerprint magnet; bigger and heavier than a lot of its peers
Verdict:
The LG G4 might not be the loudest and jazziest thing in the world but it is a solid handset that does everything you’d expect and a whole lot more. Pick one up and use it for a week or two and you’ll know what I’m talking about. This handset, like its predecessor, is one of the best Android phones money can buy right now.
UPDATE: The LG G4 is still a fantastic phone and if you’re looking for value then you might want to take a look at just how cheap this handset can be picked up for. Amazon is retailing the LG G4 at a variety of price points – the lowest being £279.99 for a refurbished unit.
If you’re on a budget and want a phone that can hold its own, this is a great option for 2017. Worried about Android updates? Don’t be – just install a custom ROM and get out of the frankly broken OEM-lead update cycle.
There is a lot to be said for buying old flagships. Like a second-hand high-end motor, you get A LOT of value for a fraction of the price of a new model. Yes, it’s not brand new, but when you’re saving money and still getting tons of value who cares?
The LG G4 was a super solid handset when it launched, and not much has changed. The handset looks great, performs like a champ and has a brilliant camera on the back for snapping pictures and shooting 4K video.
I recently did a piece about the LG G5, which is now also quite a bargain, lamenting who that particularly handset, for reasons unknown, failed to sell in big quantities. I loved that handset just like I loved the G4, but if you’re after a serious bargain in 2017 the LG G4 makes for a stronger case as it’s around £100 less than the G5.
We loved this phone when we tested it… and now that it’s available for under £300, well… we like it even more!
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The LG G4 needs ZERO introduction because it follows on from the LG G3, which was one of THE big releases of 2014. Not only was the G3 the first to market with a QHD display, it was also the first to put the power/unlock and volume rocker on the back of the handset. Beyond this the G3 was a tour de force of specs and hardware, cementing LG as one of the best Android manufacturers in the game.
The LG G4 has a lot to live up to, therefore, and seeing as the G3 had already done a lot of firsts — QHD panels, buttons around the back — the G4 kind of had a tough act to follow. Like a lot of handsets in 2015, though, the G4 was more evolution than revolution, a means of taking what came before and improving the core experience and performance — sort of like what Apple does with its “S” updates.
I loved both handsets and this is why I am so pumped about the impending launch of the LG G5 — the handset’s landing on February 21 (the very same day as the Galaxy S7). New handsets means cut prices on older handsets, though, and this means that once the G5 is out in circulation there will likely be HUGE price cuts to the RRP of the LG G4, so if you’re after a bargain later on this quarter could be the right time to start looking, as Samsung, HTC and LG all have new gear out.
UPDATE: The LG G5 is now official and has been out in the wild for quite some time. The LG G5 was one of my favourite phones of 2016, just as the G4 was the year before, but for some reason punters simply aren’t interested in the LG brand. After a bad 2015, LG once again posted awful 2016 financial results — and this is truly tragic because its phones are some of the best on market.
According to analysts, the company's Mobile Communications branch posts losses of between $110 and $112 million for this year's second quarter, after worse than expected sales of the company’s G5 flagship. According to analysts, notes Phone Arena, “LG’s home appliances and television sets keep the company's profits up. It's still the world's second biggest TV maker by share (Samsung being first), which is a good thing to be in the wake of the UEFA Championship cup. Additionally air condition and premium-grade house appliance items were also highly sought after this past quarter.”
In the meantime, why not familiarise yourself with the LG G4 which was easily one of 2015’s finest handsets.
LG G4 Review: Design
The LG G3 was one of the most successful handsets of 2014. It was the first with a QHD display and boasted some of the thinnest bezels ever seen on a handset. For this reason and more it was very popular with users; I personally know several iPhone loyalists who jumped ship to pick up this phone, so the impact the G3 had on the space cannot be understated. It was a BIG deal.
LG hasn’t really done anything too drastic to the design. There are changes but they’re rather conservative. The buttons are still on the back of the device, the bezels are still uber slim, and the only real change is that the handset appears to have grown something of a forehead, though this is no bad thing. It still handles exceptionally well for a handset with a 5.5in display.
The chassis of the G4 is ever so slightly curved as well; it’s not G Flex-curved, but there is a slight arch to its construction which LG says makes talking on it that little bit easier. To be honest, I didn’t even notice it until someone in the office pointed it out… still, it’s a nice subtle feature that is clearly intended to make the end-user’s experience of using the G4 that little bit better.
The big deal re: design on this handset isn’t the front of the device, however, as all the action –– so to speak –– takes place round back. LG has come up with a bunch of very fetching leather back panels that can be switched around, owing to the G4’s removable back panel, or, if you prefer, one of the slightly duller, tacky-looking plastic setups.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering: YES, the battery can be removed and, YES, it DOES take SD-cards.
The bog standard plastic back panel, the one we got on our review unit, is pretty rubbish, not really all that much to look at. However, the leather setups, as you can see below, really are very cool. I know Samsung has already done something similar with its Note range, but I don’t care. I think LG has done a much better job tying the leather panel into the handset’s overall aesthetics. It sure as hell won’t be to everybody’s tastes, but that’s why LG made the back removable –– to give you picky beggars a choice.
The plastic back panels are available in the following colours: Metallic Gray, Ceramic White and Shiny Gold, while the leather setups come in the following: Black, Brown, Red, Sky Blue, Beige and, last but not least, Yellow
LG G4 Review: Display
HTC could learn a lot from LG, especially with respect to display technology. The LG G4 uses a QHD panel just like its predecessor, but rather than simply sticking with what came before –– a la HTC –– LG has actually made some very impressive improvements to the LG G4’s QHD panel.
The screen is incredible, as QHD panels usually are. But compared to last year’s model this 2560 x 1440 resolution (538ppi) setup still impresses, as LG has improved colour quality, performance in direct sunlight and, generally speaking, just tightened everything up quite a bit. You can tell this is a second-generation QHD panel, it smacks of second-generation improvements; small things you might not notice at first like its improved performance in direct sunlight, for instance, but things you will almost certainly appreciate when comparing to last year’s model.
The G4 uses a IPS Quantum Display and N-Type Liquid Crystals, which, granted, sounds like something out of an Asimov novella. But this is not just marketing guff, dreamt up by some intern fresh out of marketing school. No –– this stuff is why the G4’s display is perhaps one of the best QHD panels on market right now, with 25% improved brightness over its predecessor and 98% of the DCI colour gamut present and accounted for.
And if none of that makes sense, well, just take our word for it when we say the LG G4’s display is BONKERS good. Seeing is believing, though, and we’d strongly recommend checking one out in store to see just how good it actually is in real life.
The handset itself is pretty big by 2013 standards. But nowadays its 149 x 76 x 9.8mm chassis doesn’t feel too out of place, though it is quite a bit larger than Samsung’s Galaxy S6. Still, this is a sort of phablet device, depending on your definition, so size should not be an issue to anyone interested in this sort of device –– most Android handsets are in the 5.5in-6in range these days, anyways.
LG G4 Review: Software –– A Look At The Best New Bits
Android overlays are, at the best of times, overkill. Often they look rubbish, are packed with useless bloatware and do little in the way to add anything useful to the mix (i.e. nothing you can’t get using a third-party application of your choosing). Things aren’t as bad as they used to be, however, as more and more OEMs woke up to the fact that most consumers would prefer a nice, stock Android UX.
Samsung has stripped down TouchWiz to its bare bones, Motorola has switched to stock and HTC, who’s Sense UX is one of the more polished setups, has ensured everything is so well optimised using its overlay isn’t actually all that problematic. Sony’s needs A LOT of work and LG’s, like TouchWiz, has improved quite a bit in recent times.
In terms of how it looks, well, I guess it is fairly inoffensive. LG has attempted to jazz many of its elements with Google’s Material Design to varying effect. The iconography and fonts are nice and clear, infinitely preferable to Sony’s now archaic-looking overlay. It also features a bunch of me-too applications that track steps, health and the like –– everybody’s into health these days, you see.
I really do like the Knock on feature (whereby you double tap the display to wake the phone) and the built in IR Blaster, which is simple to use and extremely easy to set up. I had everything connected to it in my flat in under five minutes and working inside the QRemote application, bar Apple TV which, for obvious reasons, did not want to work.
Other useful features inside the new LG software include the ability to have multiple applications open on the home screen, just as you can on Samsung gizmos. This is a very useful feature but one I seldom use. Still, it is definitely worth mention because I know a lot of people really like this feature inside TouchWiz. The Gallery application has been revamped also and is now one of the best gallery solutions I’ve used on Android. It’s simple, easy to navigate and, most importantly, has excellent, well sign posted sharing options.
LG G4 Review: Specs & Hardware
Like the best of your friends, the LG G4 comes to the party armed to the teeth and ready for action with a wide array of updates, tweaks and refinements to core specs and hardware, though the most notable update of all is the camera –– more on that later though.
Inside you’ll find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 chipset, the cousin of the now, largely more prominent Snapdragon 810. Like the 810, the 808 is a 64-bit chipset and it is insanely powerful. These parts of reviews always feel a bit like overkill these days, as 99.9% of high-end phones are rocking truly phenomenal processing power and masses –– 3GB of RAM, in this instance –– of memory. The end result of all this, as you’d imagine, is a very similar experience across a variety of not very similar handsets.
To me, the Galaxy S6 broke new ground with respect to smoothness and general UX performance, surpassing anything Android-based I’d tested before. The LG G4 isn’t far behind though; it is a marked improvement on last year’s model and everything feels better as a result. I did run into some lag during the first few hours of usage but whatever caused this seemed to disappear pretty much straight away because it was smooth sailing from there on out.
The handset I tested shipped with 32GB eMMC ROM and can handle SD cards up to 128GB, a HUGE USP in today’s Android market now that Samsung has finally ditched removable batteries and SD-card support from its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 EDGE handsets.
Basically, if you're in the market for a top of the line handset, but don’t want either the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 EDGE, then you’d be hard pressed to find a better Android setup than the LG G4. It has everything you could want and a whole heap more besides. Take note, HTC. THIS is what the HTC One M9 should have been like.
LG G4 To Get Unlocked Bootloader
Well this is an interesting development. According to reports LG will allow users to unlock the bootloader on its handsets, starting with the LG G4.
The word comes via an official post on LG's "LG Developer" website, where the firm revealed the European LG G4 will be the first model to support the unlocks, this is model H815. So if you own that particular device and want to unlock it, you can go to the page and follow the instructions. That said, you should make sure you know what you're doing as unlocking it does void the warranty.
"We value your opinion. We have heard your opinions from the open developer community. Starting in 2015, LG will allow customers to unlock the bootloader for certain releases of LG smartphones," reads LG's statement.
"This will allow you to participate in Android development using LG hardware. Please be advised that this feature is intended for developers only. Therefore, we strongly recommend not to unlock the bootloader unless you fully understand what you are doing."
As well as allowing developers to directly create and test apps on LG's hardware, the bootloader unlock also means users can Root the phone and install custom version of Android, for example, getting a stock experience if desired.
LG G4 Review: Camera
LG wants to be numero uno of the mobile space when it comes to cameras. The company has invested untold millions into its imaging technology in a bid to surpass Apple and Samsung as the biggest name in mobile camera performance and nowhere is this more obvious than on the LG G4. The camera is AMAZING, perhaps even the best point and shoot setup we’ve used all year, including the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S6.
It’s a 16-megapixel sensor paired with f/1.8 fast aperture lens and it shoots pretty incredible stuff, even in less than expert hands. Even the front-facing shooter is an impressive 8MP, indicating once again LG’s desire to be the last word when it comes to mobile phone cameras.
The key here though, is the f/1.8 fast aperture lens which lets in a lot more light than many of the G4’s competitors. This results in better shots in low-light as well as more detailed shots in normal lighting. The G4 does have a bit of a nasty habit of over-processing stuff, however, which is more noticeable when you pull images from the phone to your PC, but only the most hardcore of photographers are going to notice this, so do not be too alarmed –– it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Speaking of pros, the LG G4 camera does something rather special: in Auto mode, you’re given access to every conceivable control from manual focus, to shutter speed, to ISO to aperture value, which, providing you know what you're doing, allows for some seriously impressive shots. And if that wasn’t enough, you can even use DNG raw file format for some serious fun inside Photoshop. No other handset on market really does anything quite like this and, once again, we can see why LG has included it –– it wants to dethrone Apple as the go-to camera phone for professional photographers, and the only way it is going to do that is to give photography buffs what they want: CONTROL!
LG G4 Review: Battery
Battery performance is a funny thing to test, as it is so subject to user habits. But battery life is a big deal, always has been, always will be. Thing is –– the LG G3 wasn’t all that great, and a lot of this had to do with its QHD panel. Has the company made any improvements this time around, or are we looking at the same issues this time around too? Great display, rubbish battery life?
Samsung set the bar exceptionally high with the Galaxy S6; it used a gorgeous QHD panel but via some form of black magic or voodoo managed to improve battery life by a HUGE margin over 2014’s Galaxy S5 –– it’s also worth noting it did this while using a relatively teeny battery. As I said: witchcraft.
The LG G4 uses a 3000 mAh removable battery and, thanks to an update, it now supports Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 2.0 as well, meaning you can charge it from flat to around 80% in 30 minutes or less –– such a good feature. Actual battery performance is pretty damn respectable too, though not quite as good as the Galaxy S6 –– but, then again, not much else is.
During my two weeks with the LG G4 it never let me down, never once was I out late and realised it had died. It can do, at a push, 1.5 days with medium usage. Ramp things up to heavy, however, and you can, if you really try, run the battery down in a single day. If you are a heavy user, therefore, it is almost certainly worth topping up the handset around 4PM if you know you’re going out in the evening.
How does it compare to other handsets? Well, if I had to rank it in order of the handsets I’ve tested during the past 12 months, I’d say it is better than the Nexus 6 and HTC One M9 but not quite as good as the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S6. Again, though, this is a BIG improvement on what came before, as last year’s G3, while impressive, was pretty pants when it came to battery life.
LG G4 Review: Verdict
LG has once again hit the ball out of the park. The LG G4 isn’t just a decent update to an already very good phone, it is now vastly improved with vastly superior imaging capabilities, improved battery performance and a beautifully refined display, which illustrates profoundly just why QHD, power hog that it is, is very much here to stay in flagship Android handsets. Once you’ve used a display this good you could never go back to a 1080p setup, it just wouldn’t feel right, which makes me all the more sad because now I have to go back to my iPhone 6 Plus…
I wasn’t too interested in this device prior to its launch, nor was I all that interested when it came through the mail to my flat. But now, after a couple of week’s worth of testing, I am completely besotted with this thing and love pretty much everything about it –– all that’s missing is a leather back panel, get me one of them and you’d have a zealot on your hands.
So who is the LG G4 for? Simple: anybody and everybody. If you’re bored of Apple, get this phone. If you’re bored of Samsung and don’t want either the Note 4 or the Galaxy S6, get this phone. Long standing HTC user that’s now grossly depressed about the HTC One M9? GET THIS PHONE.
It might not be the loudest and jazziest thing in the world but it is a solid handset that does everything you’d expect and a whole lot more. Pick one up and use it for a week or two and you’ll know what I’m talking about. This handset, like its predecessor, is one of the best Android phones money can buy right now.
LG did GOOD!
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