The successor of the LG G3 was released in April with an interesting change in appearance. However, the manufacturer relied on the same floating arc design, but the rear cover received a new design pattern, the camera has superior imaging capabilities and the battery is more efficient.

Design

We really liked the LG G3, which was a premium-looking smartphone with a brushed metal casing, thin bezels featuring a QHD display – first introduced on this device. The successor didn’t have any significant changes when it came to the shape of the phone, as it has the same floating arc design, only it’s a bit taller and thicker, but the display has the same size. The bezels are extremely thin and the metallic band below the screen was replaced with a black one. However, the chassis shows a slight curvature, but it’s not as curved as on the G Flex and the screen is completely flat. What’s interesting about the LG G4 is that it has two variants of patterns: the addition of genuine leather cover was a great idea, especially because it can be replaced once the material deteriorates. Also, there is vertical stitching running down the middle and there are six color options from that you can choose from. The other variant of the LG G4 has a plastic back with a 3D diamond pattern, but doesn’t have the same “wow” effect. Luckily, the battery is removable and you will have access to the microSD card slot, to expand the internal memory.

Display

In 2014, LG surprised us by using the first QHD panel on its flagship model, but the successor didn’t receive a better display, as it retained the same resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels with a pixel density of 538ppi. So, what’s changed on the new display? LG improved the color quality and in direct sunlight the content is more visible. The type of display used on the LG G4 is IPS Quantum Display with N-Type Liquid Crystals, and compared to the predecessor, it offers 25 percent more brightness.

Hardware

For some reason, LG opted for Qualcomm’s 64bit Snapdragon 808 chipset, which came before the Snapdragon 810, but it’s still very powerful paired with 3GB of RAM. The processor consists of a dual-core Cortex-A57 clocked at 1.82 GHz and a quad-core Cortex-A53 clocked at 1.44 GHz, and the graphics are Adreno 418.

Likewise the LG G3, the successor handles SD cards up to 128GB and it has only one variant of internal memory whose capacity is 32GB. The previous model was released in two versions: one with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM and the other one offered 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory.

Camera

The LG G4 received a 16MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture lens, offering a much better mobile camera performance than its rivals such as the iPhone 6 Plus or Samsung’s Galaxy S6. The new camera can deliver better quality photos taken in low light conditions and the images are more detailed in normal lighting. If you’re selecting the Auto mode, you will have access to all kinds of controls: manual focus, shutter speed, ISO etc. If you’re good at editing photos and you’re using Photoshop, then you can save the file in DNG raw format and have fun with it later! If you like taking selfies, then the 8MP front shooter will have you jumping for joy!

Battery

The problem with QHD panels is that they put pressure on the battery life, because of the high resolution and vibrant colors that we are now use to. The LG G4 has the same battery capacity of 3000mAh, as the previous model, but it supports QuickCharge 2.0 and in less than 30 minutes, you will charge it up to 80 percent. According to GSMArena, the phone will last 20 hours if talking continuously on 3G.

Software

The LG G4 runs on Android OS this platform comes packed with too many features and useless bloatware. Many manufacturers developed their own UIs, to beautify the interface of their phones, so Samsung has the TouchWiz, HTC came with Sense UX, OnePlus used CyanogenMod etc. LG tried to modify Google’s Material Design and made the iconography and fonts clearer and prettier. The LG G4 comes with a feature that allows you to wake the phone by double tapping the display, it has a built-in IR Blaster and it gives you the possibility to have multiple open applications on your home screen. You’ll like the Gallery application, which has been revamped.

Unlock the bootloader

Starting with this new model, the users will be able to unlock the bootloader, and the first LG G4 model to support unlocks will be the H815, which will be available in Europe. However, if the owners unlock their devices, they will lose the warranty, they must make sure they know what they’re doing, because it’s not that simple to Root a phone and install custom versions of Android.