Hands on with the LG G4: Hot leather, sweet camera
We’ve seen plenty of new Android phones since the start of the year, and now comes time for LG’s big move: the launch of its much-leaked new flagship, the LG G4.
Samsung grabbed big headlines when it released the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge — its best smartphones ever — so LG has its work cut out for it if the company wants to stand out. After a first look at the LG G4, though, the company's designers did a good job of finding ways to offer things you can’t get from other phones, Android or otherwise.
Real leather.
It’s not unheard of. Samsung has use leather-textured plastic on its phones for years, and Motorola offered a version of its Moto X in leather, too. But for the LG G4, this isn’t fake leather or some hard-to-get option. LG fully expects to sell millions of leather-clad G4s, although it’s offering more conventional plastic backs, too, with either metallic or ceramic finish.
In my hands-on time with the G4, the leather back felt great. Running my fingers over it, it was certainly more pleasing to the touch than plastic or even metal, and LG points out that it won’t be as affected by temperature extremes. Fair point.
LG is using what’s called “vegetable tanned leather,” a type that happens to be used by many luxury brands, too. As the name suggests, it’s a type of leather doesn’t harm any cows. So there’s that.
The G4’s screen has virtually the same specs as last year’s mode, the LG G3: It's 5.5 inches diagonal, with Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440). But LG says it focused on improving the visual experience in other ways. The G4 is the first smartphone to deliver 98% of the digital cinema initiative (DCI) color standard, LG claims, meaning it’s capable of rendering color with incredible accuracy.
The screen also has a slight curve to it. It’s not nearly as pronounced as the arc on LG's main curved phone, the G Flex 2, but it’s there. LG says the subtle curve makes the G4 twice as durable as competitors.
LG's other big area of focus with the G4 was the camera. The main upgrade
is the extra-wide aperture, which has an f-stop rating of 1.8 — much
better than the G3 (f/2.4) and even slightly better than the Galaxy S6
(f/1.9). That should give the camera better performance in low light.
Helping reduce motion blur is the improved optical image stabilization (OIS). LG says it’s using a more advanced module than what you’ll find in the OIS systems of other phones like the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which should translate into fewer blurry photos, especially in situations with less-then-ideal light (i.e. indoors).
Color accuracy in photos was a huge priority for LG. Thanks to a new, larger sensor and smarter algorithm, LG’s camera analyzes the entire image as well as individual pixels. The camera can understand, for example, what’s an object and what’s a reflection. It can even discern textures, like concrete or glass.
Pro photographers will love the level of detail in the manual controls: You can take shutter speed down to 1/6,000th of a second, and ISO goes all the way 2700. Even white balance gets the pro treatment: Instead of the usual presets (daylight, fluorescent light, etc.), there’s actual color temperature. And yes, you can shoot RAW with this thing.
On the inside, LG powers the G4 with a Snapdragon 808 processor, which isn’t quite as powerful as it’s brother, the Snapdragon 810 found in the LG G Flex 2. However, the G Flex 2 turned out to be a slowpoke despite its supposedly advanced chip. LG appears to have learned from that experience and instead worked hard to optimize the G4 specifically for the 808. It did a good job: I found the G4 to be a nimble beast, quickly launching apps and switching between them like a boss. It seems every bit as fast as LG claims, out of the box at least.
So my first impression of the LG G4 is that it looks good, literally and figuratively: The phone performed well, and the leather certainly got my attention. But it’s secret weapon is definitely the tricked-out camera. You’ll come for the chic look, but stay for the killer photos.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
source : mashable
We’ve seen plenty of new Android phones since the start of the year, and now comes time for LG’s big move: the launch of its much-leaked new flagship, the LG G4.
Samsung grabbed big headlines when it released the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge — its best smartphones ever — so LG has its work cut out for it if the company wants to stand out. After a first look at the LG G4, though, the company's designers did a good job of finding ways to offer things you can’t get from other phones, Android or otherwise.
The G4 is LG’s top of the line, and it shows. Not only does it have killer specs, but LG has also gone out of is way to deliver a three-years-in-the-making feature: LG is decorating the back of the phone in leather.The G4 is LG’s top of the line, and it shows.
Real leather.
It’s not unheard of. Samsung has use leather-textured plastic on its phones for years, and Motorola offered a version of its Moto X in leather, too. But for the LG G4, this isn’t fake leather or some hard-to-get option. LG fully expects to sell millions of leather-clad G4s, although it’s offering more conventional plastic backs, too, with either metallic or ceramic finish.
In my hands-on time with the G4, the leather back felt great. Running my fingers over it, it was certainly more pleasing to the touch than plastic or even metal, and LG points out that it won’t be as affected by temperature extremes. Fair point.
LG is using what’s called “vegetable tanned leather,” a type that happens to be used by many luxury brands, too. As the name suggests, it’s a type of leather doesn’t harm any cows. So there’s that.
The G4’s screen has virtually the same specs as last year’s mode, the LG G3: It's 5.5 inches diagonal, with Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440). But LG says it focused on improving the visual experience in other ways. The G4 is the first smartphone to deliver 98% of the digital cinema initiative (DCI) color standard, LG claims, meaning it’s capable of rendering color with incredible accuracy.
The screen also has a slight curve to it. It’s not nearly as pronounced as the arc on LG's main curved phone, the G Flex 2, but it’s there. LG says the subtle curve makes the G4 twice as durable as competitors.
Camera advances
Helping reduce motion blur is the improved optical image stabilization (OIS). LG says it’s using a more advanced module than what you’ll find in the OIS systems of other phones like the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which should translate into fewer blurry photos, especially in situations with less-then-ideal light (i.e. indoors).
Color accuracy in photos was a huge priority for LG. Thanks to a new, larger sensor and smarter algorithm, LG’s camera analyzes the entire image as well as individual pixels. The camera can understand, for example, what’s an object and what’s a reflection. It can even discern textures, like concrete or glass.
Pro photographers will love the level of detail in the manual controls: You can take shutter speed down to 1/6,000th of a second, and ISO goes all the way 2700. Even white balance gets the pro treatment: Instead of the usual presets (daylight, fluorescent light, etc.), there’s actual color temperature. And yes, you can shoot RAW with this thing.
Android patriot
LG has pretty much given up on “skinning” Android in favor of working more closely with Google. Chrome is the only browser pre-loaded, and G4 buyers are treated to 100GB of Google Drive storage with purchase. LG even claims the G4 is the most accurate Android phone with Google Maps.On the inside, LG powers the G4 with a Snapdragon 808 processor, which isn’t quite as powerful as it’s brother, the Snapdragon 810 found in the LG G Flex 2. However, the G Flex 2 turned out to be a slowpoke despite its supposedly advanced chip. LG appears to have learned from that experience and instead worked hard to optimize the G4 specifically for the 808. It did a good job: I found the G4 to be a nimble beast, quickly launching apps and switching between them like a boss. It seems every bit as fast as LG claims, out of the box at least.
So my first impression of the LG G4 is that it looks good, literally and figuratively: The phone performed well, and the leather certainly got my attention. But it’s secret weapon is definitely the tricked-out camera. You’ll come for the chic look, but stay for the killer photos.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
source : mashable
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