Ashwin Rajagopalan
Just a couple of months ago, LG showed off the G Flex 2 at its Annual India Tech show in Delhi. But the big bang launch was reserved for the LG G4, the Chaebol’s much-vaunted flagship for 2015. It was once again Amitabh Bachchan (who has become the talisman for LG’s flagship smartphones since the G3) who took the wraps off this device in Mumbai. The G4 joins Samsung’s S6 (And Edge) and the HTC One M9+ in the battle for Android supremacy at the top of the price pyramid. The G4 might be late to the flagship party but LG will be hoping that it can still make a huge impact.
The first thing you will notice about the G4 is the striking resemblance to its predecessor (The G3). It’s slightly curved; LG calls it ‘Slim arc design’ – you won’t notice it like the G Flex 2, the G4’s contours are less obvious and allow you to grasp the device more effortlessly. LG’s rear key (power key and volume rocker) that first debuted n the G2 is now here to stay. We totally dig the leather (thankfully not faux leather) rear cover that adds a classy touch. There’s also a ceramic back option. The 5.5-inch IPS Quantum display (2560 x 1440 pixels) is seriously sharp packing an incredible 534 pixels per inch (PPI). We were impressed with the ‘true to life’ colours suggesting that LG’s colour accuracy claims are not unfounded.
At 155 gms, the device has a reassuring heft and with a 72.5 percent screen to body ratio there is not a lot of wasted screen real estate. It is power packed and we noticed absolutely no stutter during our first brush. The G4 is propelled by a 64-bit, hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor (1.8 GHz) and 3GB of RAM. The device comes with an internal memory of 32GB and support for Micro SD cards up to 128GB. There’s also 100GB of free Google Drive storage (for two years). While we couldn’t test the 3000 mAh battery; the battery is removable giving it an edge over other flagships like the S6 and the M9+.
LG is mighty proud of its laser focus camera that is designed for the ‘quick draw’. The 16MP shooter on the G4 goes one up (actually 3 megapixels) on the G3 and also features a colour spectrum sensor on the rear – a first for a smartphone. The primary cam is clearly going to be one of the selling points for this device – at least on the evidence of our initial tests. The front cam gets a serious leg up – going from 2.1MP to 8MP – clearly there are more selfies being clicked in 2015 than in 2014. There’s a cool gesture interval shot that snaps four selfies (with one gesture) with a one-second time lag allowing you to strike a different pose each time.
The LG G4 has the ammo for the big battle brewing on planet Android. It’s a worthy successor to the G3, while LG has pushed the envelope on the hardware front it has chosen to stay in its comfort zone in the design department. At Rs 51,000 it’s almost in the price zone as the other premium Android flagships. Let the games begin!
Quick specs
Key hardware: 64-bit Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (1.8 GHz) with 3GB of RAM
Display: 5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixels (~534 PPI pixel density)
Storage: Internal 32 GB with support for Micro SD Cards up to 128 GB (also 100 GB of Google drive
storage free for 2 years)
Camera: 16MP primary shooter / 8MP front Camera
SIM: Dual SIM
Networks: 3G/4G LTE
Battery: 3000 mAh
Price: Rs 51,000
