After months of leaks and rumours, LG has finally – and officially – taken the wraps off of its latest flagship smartphone, the LG G4 at launch events in London and New York.
The most striking thing about the phone, and the feature most likely to win over smartphone shoppers looking to set themselves apart, is the vegetable-tanned leather LG has used to coat versions of the phone aimed at the “premium” market.
The good folks over at Android Authority, who got some hands-on time with the phone, say “the material has a great feel and greatly enhances grip, though not everyone will like the central seam”.
LG will apparently offer the phone with a plastic exterior as well, without the price premium. Other commenters weren’t quite so enthusiastic about LG’s design choices, however, with one posting “Plastic and leather, just make wallet LG”.
Leather aside, the phone’s hardware has been finalised, and LG has gone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 chipset, a bit of a surprise given the Snapdragon 810’s proven performance track record and its inclusion in so many other flagship phones.
But while LG isn’t talking reasons, Android Authority’s Bogdan Petrovan says the prevailing theory is LG chose the 808 because of the 810’s known overheating issues.
That likely means a quick phone that may not beat everyone else’s numbers, but one that will remain cool to the touch no matter the processing load. As far as trade-offs go, it’s a pretty good one.
Other confirmed specs include Android Lollipop 5.1, LG’s own UX4 user interface tweaks, a microSD card slot and a removable battery (two features missing from Samsung’s Galaxy S6), a generous 3GB of system RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
Smart Snapper
Smartphone photographers will also appreciate the 16MP rear-mounted camera and its f1.8 aperture that lets in more light than other smartphone cameras do, as well as LG’s new laser-assisted focus and a colour spectrum sensor that is intended to do a better job of choosing colour settings based on the available light.
The end result promises to be really good smartphone photos captured by the G4, but of course the proof will be in the actual snapping.
Screen-wise, you’re looking at a 5.5-inch QHD display with a resolution of 2 560×1 440 and a pixel density of 538ppi. In non-geek terms, that promises gorgeously sharp visuals in everything from web browsing to photo-viewing to games.
The phone is also apparently slightly curved, although not so much that it resembles LG’s G Flex range.
Here’s the official spec list:
- Chipset: Qualcomm®Snapdragon™ 808 Processorwith X10 LTE
- Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440, 538ppi)
- Memory: 32GB eMMC ROM, 3GB LPDDR3 RAM / microSD slot
- Camera: Rear 16MP with F1.8 Aperture / OIS 2.0 / Front 8MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh (removable)
- Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Size: 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 – 9.8mm
- Weight: 155g
- Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21 Mbps (3G)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.1LE / NFC / USB 2.0
- Colours: [Ceramic] Metallic Gray / Ceramic White / Shiny Gold /[Genuine Leather] Black / Brown / Red / Sky Blue / Beige / Yellow
Other: Manual Mode / Gesture Interval Shot / Quick Shot
LG has really pushed the boat out on this one, and the G4 seems – on paper, at least – to be a thoughtfully-designed phone with the right compromises in the right places.
As for South African pricing and availability, there is no info on the phone at this time. We’ve asked LG’s local representatives for details, and will share it when it becomes available.
[Source – Android Authority, Image – LG]
