Hello reader!
I have been trying to write this review from last few weeks but couldn't because of my busy schedule. But finally today I took out the time to do this review & inform you with the recent launch from LG mobile phone before its gets old & a new LG phone hit the market.
LG has rolled out alot of high-end smartphones in the last one year. From the LG Optimus 4X HD, to the Optimus G and the Optimus G Pro, they all boasted the latest specs at the time & the only phone LG released that came close to getting them some much needed marketshare, was the ol’ Nexus 4.
Yes! Today's review is about the new kid on the smartphone's block, LG G2. I got to use this a couple of weeks ago & damn! for the first time I was really impressed with LG's phone. The newest flagship phone tries to beat other Androids in the market by boasting a much stronger battery life, a much improved display, larger screen, a much faster processor & tons of new software features thrown in.
The Design:
- New & improved sleek cellphone design from LG.
- Plastic constructed body.
- Weights about 143 grams (5.04 oz) & body measuring 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm (5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches)
- Thin bezels & new button-less screen/bezel look to fit better in your hand.
- New pattern of Volume keys & Power/screen-lock buttons to be used more comfortably with index finger.
- Has LED Flash with 13 Megapixel OIS camera.
Display:
- The 5.2 inch advanced IPS LCD display.
- Resolution of 1080×1920 pixels (423 ppi) and a standard RGB matrix, which results in a very sharp, clean looking screen, with great viewing angles.
- Color reproduction is solid.
- The screen is very bright, which means it’s very legible in daylight as well.
- Home, Back & Menu control options are located on the screen.
Camera:
- The LG G2 boasts a 13 Megapixel rear camera.
- The first Android phone to include manual focus.
- Includes optical image stabilization module, 9 multi-point auto-focus.
- 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second.
- A sapphire glass for superior protection with a anti-fingerprint coating.
- Gives you option of different picture moods like Panorama, Dual shot,
Battery Life:
The LG G2 boasts a 3000 mAh battery, which can very easily last you can entire work day of heavy usage.
Under moderate usage, you might even get around two days of battery life, which is more than I can say for any other of today’s flagship phones, apart from the Galaxy Note 3.
The solid battery means that the G2 has a bit of thickness to it, but honestly we prefer battery life over a super thin profile. And it’s not like the added thickness makes the LG G2 harder to hold or use at all.
Hardware:
The LG G2 boasts the most powerful Qualcomm processor that’s currently available on the market, the Snapdragon 800.
It runs on a quad-core 2.2 Ghz Krait 400 cpu with Adreno 330 graphics, which all together means that the G2 can handle anything you can throw at it. The latest 3D games run smooth and quick, and there is no visible lag or slowdowns around the system, which means that the G2 is a pretty great performer.
Apart from that, there’s 2GB of RAM, and either 16 GB or 32 GB of internal memory, depending on your region. Unfortunately, LG chose not to include a microSD card slot or removable battery (or back panel) on the G2.
In term of connectivity, the G2 features LTE (depending on your region), HSPA+, 3G, 2G, Wifi, A-GPS, Glonass, NFC, DLNA, MHL and an infrared port through which you can control your TV or Home theatre system, using LG’s QuickRemote app.
Software:
The LG G2 runs Android 4.2.2 out of the box, heavily customized with LG’s UI on top. LG’s UI itself is highly customizable as well, which the manufacturer says is a much appreciated feature.
It should come as no surprise that the UI on the G2 looks very TouchWiz-like. You can tell what LG is going for these days. There’s lots of bright, vivid colors, and very dramatic animations, which all together make for an interesting experience. Thankfully it all flies smoothly on the Snapdragon 800 chip.
There are useful features built-in in though, like the ability to schedule a text message to be sent at a certain time, and there’s built-in smileys as well.At the end of the day, while the messaging app can be eccentric, it definitely gets the job done.
Coming to typing, the onscreen keyboard is pretty good, aided by the huge 5.2 inch display. The portrait keyboard is easy to type on, spacious and has a separate row of numeric keys whereas the landscape one isn't that comfortable.
Multimedia:
Moving on to multimedia, I’m not a huge fan of the built-in music player but it looks alright, and does an okay enough job.LG’s music player supports lossless audio, which should come as great news for some folks out there who want “studio quality” 24 bit / 192 kHz audio over 16 bit / 44.1 kHz.
Extra Features:
LG has also thrown in a whole bunch of software features with it’s flagship phone to dazzle consumers right out of the box. Some of them include:-
Knock On :- By far the most used feature on the G2, at least for me, was the ability to double tap on the screen to wake the phone and turn on the screen. You can also double tap on any dead space of the screen to screen-lock the phone and turn off the display. This comes in very handy if you can’t get used to the rear power keys.
Answer Me :- This is a simple little feature which basically allows your G2 to automatically answer a phone call if you just pick up the phone and hold it up to your ear. In case you hate pressing the answer key.
Guest Mode :- This allows for you to set two different lockscreen patterns, one for you and one for guests. The guest lockscreen pattern basically takes you to a new user profile for the phone, where you can restrict certain apps or prevent app purchases. It works well enough and can come in pretty handy if you have kids that like to lay around with your phone.
Slide Aside: - This is a clever feature of the G2, where you can swipe to the left with three fingers while you’re in an app, to place it into a saved state. You can put upto three apps into a saved state, and then access them at any time just by swiping right with three fingers. It isnt very comfortable to use, but it definitely helps with multitasking.
Text Link:- The G2 can also automatically check for links in text that you’re reading, on a webpage, etc, and can suggest appropriate apps to open them. For example, if you’re reading an email invite to a meeting, which has time and date information, the G2 will automatically suggest you use the calendar.
Capture Plus :- This allows you to capture everything on a page, not just take a screenshot. This allows you to save an entire web page, for example. I’m not entirely sure how useful this one is, but here it is.
And lastly, there’s Quick Remote :- LG’s quick remote is a clever little universal remote app for the G2, that makes use of it’s built-in IR-blaster. The G2 can learn patterns from any other IR remote controls, so you can program it to act as your garage door opener, air condition remote, all in addition to the usual TV controls.
What I liked:
- The thinness & bezel free design.
- Battery life <3
- Improved display.
- Incredible power
- Guest mode :-P
What I didn't like:
- New buttons location.
- No Micro SD slot or battery removing.
Final Verdict:
One of the most powerful Android phones on the market right now, the LG G2 may not have the looks of its rivals -- its button placement could annoy some users -- but it has a fantastic display, superb battery life and a lightning-fast processor for quick & smooth operations. With the G2, LG has done a really, really great job, and it admittedly came as quite as a suprise to me. Overall a good phone for normal to heavy load use. There was so much I was shocked by & if you end up buying one please change the default ringtones ASAP :-P
Availability:
Available at leading smartphone dealing shops & showrooms.
Price:
Costs around 2200+ (Please check the market for latest prices)
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