An exciting day for LG fans!
LG finally took the wraps off of their newest flagship phone at a very conservative press event. No fashion runway, no choir, no stage. They let the device speak for itself, while detailing the new tech and design elements moving forward.
The G4 will follow in the design footsteps of the G3 and the G Flex. The screen will now feature a subtle curve, not as radical as the Flex, but offering a more ergonomic experience than the G3. As we’re still using a near-phablet 5.5″ screen, the slight bend should help with one handed use, and lining up with the contours of the human face.
The screen is still a QHD (2560×1440) resolution affair, but LG is focusing on the quality and brightness of the display, over trying to cram in more dots. We’ve complained in the past that LG screens can be harder to read outdoors when compared to Samsung and Nokia, and it would seem the G4 will address that issue. They claim their IPS Quantum technology will be 25% brighter with increased contrast and color accuracy.
It’s still incredible to see a screen this large on a phone this small. As with our LG G3 vs iPhone 6 Plus comparison, you’ll get a higher resolution panel, and the same screen size as Apple’s phablet, in a phone just a touch larger than a Galaxy S6. Happily LG will be addressing overall build quality. The G3 felt a little cheap in the hand compared to aluminum and polycarb phones. The G4 will come in two build options: plastic back and leather back. Each option will come in two color choices. While LG has always crammed bleeding edge tech into their phones, they haven’t always felt like the “premium” devices their price tags commanded.
The camera also gets a significant touch up. We recently commented on our G Flex 2 camera review, that LG really doesn’t have any room to improve the quality of their camera without stepping up to a larger sensor. The G4 moves LG from a one third inch sensor to a 1/2.6″ sensor, closer to those found in Sony, Samsung, and Lumia phones. This, when paired with a larger f/1.8 aperture should radically improve the photographic qualities of pics and videos, namely better low light support and softer background blur to better isolate your subject. All welcome improvements.
We’ll also see a return to camera controls and full manual shooting modes with RAW output for people who want to really get into some photo editing. Of course UHD video will still be on tap, and the OIS system will be upgraded with a wider field of movement for shake compensation.
Happily none of these upgrades to the tech or the design and style come at the expense of Android “lifestyle” features many folks enjoy like removable batteries or MicroSD card storage expansion.
We still don’t have word on pricing or ship date, so be on the look out for carrier announcements coming soon!
I’m liking it, adding this to my pool of device that may be able to replace the Sharp AQUOS Crystal
Damn. I never did get to play with that Sharp. Looked like a really nice mid-ranger.