Unexpected changes and unfulfilled expectations

Starting to review another representative of the top line of LG smartphones, it is worth noting right away that the model, which received the name with the fourth ordinal index, can only be called the flagship for its own line, but not for the entire family of smartphones from the Korean company. Still, the true flagship of the Korean flotilla, both in terms of most fundamental characteristics and in terms of the number of innovative ideas and finds, is the most powerful device with a curved screen called LG G Flex 2, released at the very beginning of the year. This notable smartphone has a more powerful, the most productive Snapdragon 810 hardware platform of the entire Qualcomm family, it boasts an innovative screen curve that repeats the curved shape of the case, and the case itself is provided with a completely unusual surface self-tightening technology in case of damage. In general, there are more than enough innovations, there is something to pay attention to, there is something to be surprised at. Against this background, the merits of the hero of today's review, the LG G4 smartphone, are not that pale, but in his case you have to look much more closely at long lists of official specifications, looking for differences from the previous version and wondering about the legality of awarding the next model a new ordinal numbers.

The first to catch the eye, of course, are the changes that have taken place in the design of the new representative of the line of top Korean smartphones. Most readers, of course, have already heard a lot about the fact that the LG G4 received genuine leather trim, many have seen promotional images of new items. I must say that this is the case when, upon a personal acquaintance, expectations do not collapse at all - the smartphone really looks just as impressive in real life as it does in advertising pictures. But it is worth noting that not all modifications of the novelty received leather upholstery; on sale, along with leather options, there are also more familiar glossy plastic ones, which immediately raises a logical question: is it possible that someone will choose a model with a glossy plastic case at the same cost with a rich variety of leather finishes before your eyes?

Be that as it may, the true flagship is not red by design alone. The maximum characteristics and advanced technologies for the top products of the IT market are of no lesser, and perhaps even greater importance, and in this regard, the hero of the review is not so simple. At least, there are much less striking differences from the previous model than one might expect, looking at the efforts of competitors, especially in the camp of first-rate manufacturers. Although the developers from LG themselves have a different opinion on this matter: the official press release is replete with numbers, by how many percent the screen has become brighter and more contrast, the camera is more sensitive, the platform is faster. They even calculated how much more reliable the curved case type is in relation to the flat one. The company is so confident in the success of its new product that a few weeks before the official launch of the product, 4,000 smartphones were given away for a test drive as part of a study of the opinions of ordinary independent users from 15 countries around the world, including Korea itself, as well as the USA, China , Turkey, India, France, Germany and the UK. Russia was not included in this list.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the LG G4 smartphone:

Now let's look at the characteristics of new items.

Key Features of LG G4 (LG-F500L)

	LG G4	HTC One M9	Nexus 6	Samsung Galaxy S6	Meizu MX4
Screen	5.5" IPS	5″ S-LCD 3	5.96" AMOLED	5.1″ Super AMOLED	5.36" IPS
Permission	2560×1440, 538 ppi	1920×1080, 441ppi	2560×1440, 493 ppi	2560×1440, 577 ppi	1920×1152, 418 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (2x Cortex-A57 @1.8GHz + 4x [email protected].5 GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0GHz + 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (4x Krait 450 @2.7GHz)	Exynos 7420 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.1GHz & 4x Cortex-A53 @1.5GHz)	Mediatek MT6595 Octa-core (4x Cortex-A17 @2.2GHz & 4x Cortex-A7 @1.7GHz)
GPU	Adreno 418	Adreno 430	Adreno 420	Mali-T760	PowerVR G6200
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32 GB	32/64 GB	32/64/128 GB	16/32/64 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	—	—	—
Operating system	Google Android 5.1	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 4.4
Battery	removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 2840 mAh	non-removable, 3220 mAh	non-removable, 2550 mAh	non-removable, 3100 mAh
cameras	main (16 MP; video 4K), front (8 MP)	main (20.7 MP; video 4K), front (4 MP)	main (13 MP; video 4K), front (2 MP)	main (16 MP; video 4K), front (5 MP)	rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	149×76×9.8mm, 155g	145×70×9.6mm, 157g	159×83×10.1mm, 184g	143×70×6.8mm, 138g	144×75×8.9mm, 147g
average price	N/A	T-12259334	T-11153512	T-12259333	T-11036319

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, 6 cores: 2×1.8 GHz (ARM Cortex-A57) + 4×1.5 (ARM Cortex-A53)
• GPU Adreno 418 @600 MHz
• Operating system Android 5.1, Lollipop
• Touch display IPS 5.5″, 2560 × 1440, 538 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• SIM cards: Micro-SIM (1 pc.)
• Support for microSD memory cards up to 2 TB
• Data transmission 4G X10 LTE (Cat 9 up to 450 Mbps)
• Wi-Fi Qualcomm VIVE 2-stream 802.11n/ac MU-MIMO (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, Infrared
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
• USB 2.0, OTG, SlimPort
• Camera 16 MP, autofocus, optical stabilization
• Camera 8 MP, front
• Gyroscope, proximity sensor, lighting, accelerometer, electronic compass
• Battery 3000 mAh, removable
• Dimensions 149×76×9.8 mm
• Weight 155 g

Appearance and usability

The most notable difference between the LG G4 and its predecessor is, of course, the design. While retaining the overall style and some features such as sharp corners and slightly rounded end faces, the body of the novelty, however, is quite different in appearance. Even at a cursory glance, the shape of the new product is much more similar to the curved LG G Flex 2 mentioned above than to the previous representative of the line, the LG G3 smartphone.

In fact, the body of the LG G4, like the display itself, has a slight bend, but it is much less noticeable than that of the LG G Flex 2. And yet, if you put the smartphone on a hard surface with the screen down, you will clearly see a small gap about a millimeter wide. According to the developers, this solution is not only a design element, but also provides 20% more reliability compared to flat smartphones in case the screen falls down. The anterior surface has a much less pronounced curve than the posterior. The back side is so sloping and rounded in the manner of a paperweight that because of it the smartphone sways on the table. Working with the LG G4 lying on a hard surface is decidedly inconvenient, with any touch on the screen, the body sways.

However, this very sloping back allows you to hold the smartphone in your hand with great comfort, especially considering its not so large dimensions. The screen of the LG G4, of course, is quite large, but at the same time, for its display size, the case has the smallest possible size with narrow bezels around the screen. For example, for the same screen size, the LG G4 is significantly smaller than the iPhone 6 Plus. True, this does not apply to such a characteristic of a smartphone as thickness: according to this parameter, the Korean device even sets a kind of anti-record. Its thickness reaches almost a centimeter at its thickest point, but due to the strongly tapered side edges, the feeling of excess thickness is significantly leveled.

As for the materials of manufacture, apart from the use of genuine leather in some modifications, otherwise there are no surprises: there was no metal, the case is entirely plastic, the wide sidewalls are very slippery, because they are made of glossy and very branded plastic.

Surely, the noble gleam of a matte bezel made of real metal would add more solidity and high cost to the product, especially in combination with natural leather trim, but Asian designers have different tastes: a shiny gloss attracts them with irresistible force, and nothing can be done about it. However, Samsung managed to make an effort on themselves, and they succeeded. The assembly itself does not cause any complaints, all the details are tightly fitted, there are no squeaks and cracks.

The basis of the lid is flexible plastic with a layer of handmade leather stretched over it. Vegetable-tanned leather is environmentally friendly and easily recycled. Promised that it does not contain harmful chemicals.

In total, 6 different colors of leather trim are used: black, brown, red, beige, yellow, and even, according to the official description, sky blue. In addition to the leather trim, there will also be other options for the sale of the back cover with even more beautiful names: snow-white ceramic with a pattern, gray metallic, stylized as hand forged, and glossy shiny gold.

The cover can be removed quite easily, hiding under it the only dual slot for a SIM card and a memory card, there are no other slots. The battery, unlike the G Flex 2, is removable here. In this case, only one SIM card is supported, but a modification with support for two SIM cards will also be released. The format is used not Nano-, but Micro-SIM, which can be considered a minus, since thanks to Apple and most global brands, all modern flagship novelties are already designed for Nano-SIM, and an adapter may be needed here.

On the back of the smartphone is a large camera window, framed by a thin ring. On the sides of it are an LED flash and a laser rangefinder to measure the distance to the subject of photography. The camera module is combined with the control buttons located here, on the back side. It should be noted that unlike the latest Apple and Samsung products, the LG G4 does not have a camera module protruding beyond the surface, but here we should not forget about the excess thickness of the LG model case. The LED flash can function as a flashlight, for this the smartphone has an appropriate application.

The purpose of the buttons remains the same: the central key fulfills the inclusion and blocking of the smartphone, and the other two, top and bottom, are responsible for volume control. The advanced features of the hardware button block have changed somewhat: now double-clicking the lower volume button activates the camera and initiates shooting. The buttons themselves are made under the metal, have a textured surface, are easy to find blindly. The keys have a moderately springy stroke and a distinct response, they are slightly recessed into the body, so accidental and unintentional pressing them is excluded.

At the bottom of the rear panel there is a slot for sound output from the speaker, a shiny chrome grille of a single speaker is visible through it, there are no stereo speakers. The speaker hole is not blocked by the table surface, since it falls on the bend of the case.

The front side of the smartphone is completely covered with protective glass, the surface of the panel under it is laser engraved, creating a textured effect, which makes the design complex and expensive. In the upper part above the screen in the glass there is a slot for the speaker grille. Nearby are the eyes of the front camera and sensors. There is also an LED event indicator that can shine in different colors - its functions are regulated in the settings section dedicated to sound notifications.

There are no touch buttons in the lower part below the screen, control is carried out using virtual buttons on the screen. The block of these buttons can be hidden or displayed when using applications, and individual settings can be made for each individual program. The combination of displayed buttons can be changed by rearranging in the appropriate settings section.

There are no connectors on the top end, it is given over to an infrared port designed to be used as a remote control using an appropriate program called Smart Remote.

Both connectors are located on the bottom end: an audio output for headphones (minijack) and a universal Micro-USB 2.0 that supports connecting devices in OTG mode. The connectors are not covered with covers and plugs, since the smartphone is not protected from water. There is no strap attachment on the case either. Wireless charging, unlike its predecessor LG G3, the device does not support.

Screen

LG G4 is equipped with an IPS sensor matrix without an air gap, combined with a protective glass. It uses a new type of display called LG IPS Quantum, which provides 20% improved color reproduction, 25% more brightness and 50% more contrast. It's also the first Quad HD display to feature Advanced In Cell Touch, which combines the LCD panel and touch sensor into a single layer for better color reproduction and touch sensitivity. The new display has been calibrated to DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) color standards pioneered by Hollywood's leading studios.

The screen dimensions are 68 × 121 mm, the diagonal is 5.5 inches, the resolution is 2560 × 1440 pixels. Accordingly, the dot density here is very high and amounts to 538 ppi. The width of the frame from the edge of the screen to the edge of the case is about 4 mm on the sides, 12 mm on the top, and 16 mm on the bottom. The dimensions of the frame on the sides have become, to our surprise, wider compared to the LG G3 and G Flex 2 models, and this is noticeable even at first glance. However, we can still say that a huge display with a diagonal size of 5.5 inches is inscribed in a fairly acceptable body size, when compared with most competitors.

In the display settings, you can enable automatic brightness adjustment depending on the ambient light. The multi-touch technology here allows you to handle 10 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using the proximity sensor. By double tapping on the glass, the screen can be awakened and also put back to sleep.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than the screen of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is LG G4, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen on the LG G4 is noticeably darker (brightness in photos is 96 versus 112 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the LG G4 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the screen layers (more specifically, between the outer glass and the LCD matrix surface) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but maybe a little worse than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was 465-480 cd / m² (depending on the heating of the device), the minimum was 3.8 cd / m². The maximum brightness is high, which means that, given the excellent anti-glare properties of the screen, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at a high level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is an automatic brightness control according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function depends on the position of the brightness slider. If it is at 100%, then in total darkness, the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to 3.8 cd / m² (too dark), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 205 cd / m² (normal), in in a very bright environment (corresponding to a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum of 470 cd / m² (which is what you need). Brightness slider at 50% - the following values: 3.8, 160 and 470 cd / m², at 0% - 3.8, 30 and 470 cd / m² (the logic can be traced). In general, the automatic brightness adjustment function works adequately, but in total darkness, the brightness may need to be manually increased slightly. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.

This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs (if you look closely) show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photos in which the same images are displayed on the screens of LG G4 and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m², and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. A white field is perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

Saturation in the case of the LG G4 is clearly too high. As additional tests have shown, this overestimation is achieved due to both wide coverage and a slight increase in color contrast. Also note that the red color has a slightly unnatural hue (visually it is noticeably better than in the photo). In addition, the images show that the contour sharpness is also increased to some extent. Apparently, this image processing is performed at a very low level programmatically, since its result is visible in all tested programs that display bitmap images.

Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but the contrast on the LG G4 screen has noticeably decreased due to a significant increase in the black level. And the white box:

The brightness at an angle at the screens decreased (at least five times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the LG G4, the brightness decreased slightly. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted strongly, but remains conditionally neutral gray in hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

With a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is not ideal, since the brightness of black in places noticeably increases:

Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1150:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 21 ms (11.5 ms on + 9.5 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 35 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the fitted power function is 2.30, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve slightly deviates from the power dependence:

This smartphone has a non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the brightness of the backlight in accordance with the nature of the displayed image. Therefore, a number of tests - determining the contrast and response time, comparing black light at angles - we carried out when displaying special patterns with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in full screen. Let us show the dependence of brightness (vertical axis) on time when switching from a black field to a white field in half of the screen alternately, while the average brightness does not change and dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness does not work (graph 50%/50% ). And the same dependence, but with alternate display of fields in full screen (chart 100% ), while the average brightness is already changing, and dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness does its job:

In general, such a non-switchable brightness correction does nothing but harm, since a constant change in screen brightness can at least cause some discomfort, reduce the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images and readability of the screen in bright light.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are not typical, but we have already seen them in the case of the Sony Xperia Z2 and other devices. The manufacturer indicates that this screen uses quantum dot technology to expand the color gamut, presenting this fact as an indisputable advantage. This is a marketing gimmick aimed at the layman who thinks that bigger is always better. In fact, it’s not better, because as a result, the colors of images (drawings, photos and films) oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is noticeably higher than 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is more than 10, which is considered a bad indicator even for a consumer device. It’s good that the color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue at the same time - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Due to the wide gamut, the colors are unnatural, this is exacerbated by a slight increase in color contrast, distorted color balance, unswitchable peaking and dynamic backlight brightness adjustment. As a result, not so much remains of the original image - but it is bright, clear and colorful.

To summarize: the screen has a high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. The automatic brightness adjustment function works more or less adequately, except that in complete darkness the brightness is too low. The advantages of the screen include the presence of an effective oleophobic coating, high contrast, the absence of flicker and the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen. Among the significant shortcomings, we rank the low stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the plane of the screen, the average color quality, as well as the non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of the characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of sound, LG smartphones have traditionally been nothing special, but the LG G4 sounds arguably better than its predecessors, the G Flex 2 and G3. There is also only one main speaker here, but it sounds extremely loud, quite clear, not without the presence of low frequencies, the maximum volume level does not cause complaints. Although the sound is not as thick, rich and saturated with shades as the leaders of HTC and Oppo, it is still very good. There are also no complaints about the sound in the headphones. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, no distortion was noticed, telephone conversations are more than comfortable.

To play music compositions, a proprietary player is used. In the settings of the standard audio player, it is possible to influence the sound quality using preset equalizer values ​​and additional controls. FM-radio did not appear, at least in the European version of the device.

Camera

The front camera in the LG G4 is equipped with a solid 8-megapixel module, has a lens with an aperture of f / 2.0 and takes pictures of very decent quality. You can use gestures and voice commands to control shooting, so you don't have to touch the screen. In addition, the shutter can be released with a button on the rear panel. The Gesture Interval Shot function is an enhancement of the original Hand Gesture Shot function and allows you to take four shots at two-second intervals, which increases the chances of taking a better photo in difficult conditions. The shutter is triggered by twice repeated opening and closing of the palm in front of the camera.

The main 16-megapixel camera is equipped with a completely new module, first used in the LG G4. The camera module features an f/1.8 lens with a 1/2.6" sensor, advanced OIS 2.0 3-axis optical image stabilization, dual multi-color LED flash, and ultra-fast laser autofocus. In addition, the advanced camera LG G4 is complemented by a color spectrum sensor: this sensor is designed to improve color accuracy by correctly reading the red, green and blue values, as well as the ultraviolet reflected by objects. The sensor uses this information to correct the white balance and flash color.

The settings menu looks exactly the same as in previous models. It is very simple and concise: there are only two stripes with pictograms, which are drawn too small and are not very well distinguishable in the bright sun. A new feature for the LG G4 is the manual mode, which gives experienced photographers more freedom to express themselves and allows them to control focus, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation and white balance from frame to frame. In addition to JPEG, you can now save your photos in RAW format.

The camera can shoot video in maximum 4K resolution, as well as shoot videos at 120 fps in 720p resolution. Sample test videos are shown below.

• Video #1 (33 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps)
• Video #2 (16 MB, 1280× [email protected] fps)

	The sharpness is good throughout the entire field of the frame, only in the upper left corner there is some blurring, which was not observed later when shooting.
	Good sharpness even in shadows.
	The colors of the sky and buildings are quite even.
	The camera works well with shadows.
	The numbers of almost all the cars in the picture are distinguishable.
	Good sharpness with almost no sharpening.

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench according to our methodology.

It should be noted that LG left the development of useless "chips", like "magic focus" and other dubious shooting modes, and focused on image quality. And this concentration has paid off: the camera shots are really some of the best among smartphones at the moment. Of course, we will definitely find something to complain about: a slight drop in sharpness in the corners of the frame, small residual noise in the shadows. However, to find fault, you have to study the pictures in great detail. In general, the sharpness is good (and in some places even very good) and quite natural, which is important. The sensor and optics perfectly work out small details, and the program carefully hides obvious flaws, which are mainly noise. The grain from the noise reduction is quite small, which allows you to work out fine details in the shadows.

The camera can rightly be called a flagship, which is fully confirmed by the laboratory test. Wishing for even better results from a smartphone camera is already perfectionism. But we, of course, wish: there is no limit to perfection. And you can wish for even finer work with noises, shades and details. Although in this form, the camera is perfect for various scenarios.

The camera has optical image stabilization, and its work can be seen both from the outside (the camera lens remains in place with a slight swaying of the smartphone) and from the inside (the image on the display with such a swaying moves much more smoothly than the smartphone sways). We saw similar work of the stabilizer in the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Samsung Galaxy Alpha, but there its results were almost imperceptible. But for the Samsung Galaxy S6, stabilization works no less clearly than for the LG G4.

Telephone part and communications

The state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hardware platform on which the LG G4 is based boasts all the most advanced networking and communication capabilities, including an integrated LG LTE X10 modem with a theoretical TD-LTE/FDD-LTE speed of up to 450 Mbps with integrated link aggregation technology LTE 3×20 MHz, and Qualcomm VIVE dual-band dual stream 2-stream Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac with MU-MIMO, and Bluetooth 4.1 supporting all possible profiles. There is also NFC support. As a standard, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. All international standards for data transmission over cellular networks are supported, including LTE FDD, LTE TDD, WCDMA (DC-HSPA+, DC-HSUPA), CDMA1x, EV-DO Rev. B, TD-SCDMA and GSM/EDGE. With a SIM card of the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone is confidently registered and works in LTE networks.

The navigation module works not only with GPS (with A-GPS), but also with the domestic Glonass, as well as the Chinese Beidou system (BDS). There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module, the first GPS and Glonass satellites are detected literally in a matter of seconds. Among the smartphone's sensors is a magnetic field sensor (Hall sensor), on the basis of which the much-needed digital compass in navigation programs works.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts, there is also support for continuous input such as Swype. For those who find it inconvenient to work with such a large screen, there is an opportunity to reduce the size of the virtual keyboard. By the way, within the framework of the proprietary QSlide technology, you can reduce in size and move any of the regular applications closer to the edge of the screen, but placing no more than two on one screen at the same time.

OS and software

The device uses the latest version of the Google Android 5.1 Lollipop software platform as a system. Also here for the first time appeared the latest version of LG's proprietary user interface, called UX 4.0. In appearance, the new version of the shell looks almost the same as before. At first glance, there were no major changes, but the developers themselves claim that the new version has many detailed improvements. For example, LG UX 4.0's enhanced Smart Notice with built-in Quick Help makes notifications about weather, travel and more even more personalized by analyzing the owner's daily routine and travel schedule. At the first meeting, the smartphone literally throws the user with a variety of tips. Along with the interactive information tiles that appeared with the advent of the fifth version of the Android OS, the screen is constantly full of some kind of pop-up messages, reminders, tips and notes. What's more, the Smart Notice widget automatically changes the background and text colors depending on which type of desktop is selected by the user.

In addition, there are less visible improvements, such as an improved calendar, an improved gallery, and an intelligent Ringtone ID function that automatically creates a unique ringtone for each caller in the user's list of favorite contacts.

All previous developments, embodied in previous versions of the proprietary interface, are also presented in the latest version of the shell. So, on the spot the ability to quickly view the date, time, incoming messages with a simple swipe down gesture without having to turn on the screen (Glance View). The leftmost screen of the desktop is given over to widgets with information individually configured for user preferences - LG Health, Smart Tips, Smart Notice, united by the common name Smart Bulletin (can be disabled in the settings if desired). It is possible to work in two-window mode, reduce in size and move windows with applications in QSlide mode on the working screen, the infrared port is supplemented with a special program for remote control of household appliances Smart Remote. The proprietary Knock Code lock modes and the guest mode have not disappeared anywhere, although unlocking with a fingerprint scanner would be more convenient than Knock Code, which has set its teeth on edge. The combination of virtual control buttons at the bottom of the screen can be changed and adjusted to your taste, support for gestures is implemented.

Performance

The hardware foundation of the LG G4 is a powerful 6-core platform from Qualcomm's new generation of SoCs, the Snapdragon 808. This 64-bit SoC, made using a 20 nm process technology, was introduced simultaneously with the flagship Snapdragon 810, which is currently the most powerful of the entire family SoC Qualcomm. In contrast, Snapdragon 808 has reduced the number of ARM Cortex-A57 cores to two, and four Cortex-A53 cores, like the older model. The same as the Snapdragon 810, there are also image processors (two), but they are 12-bit (the Adreno 430 GPU in the Snapdragon 810 has 14-bit). The Snapdragon 808 integrates an Adreno 418 GPU that supports OpenGL ES 3.1 and is estimated to be 20% faster than the Adreno 330 GPU. The memory controller supports LPDDR3 memory, and the LG G4 has a respectable 3GB of RAM. For the needs of the user in the device is available about 22 GB of flash memory out of 32 nominal. The memory can be expanded by installing microSD cards. The device also supports connecting external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port in OTG mode.

The LG G4 is the first smartphone based on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 platform. Again, with the Snapdragon 810, they are the highest performing single-chip systems in Qualcomm's portfolio. Earlier we already got acquainted with the capabilities of Snapdragon 810 on the example of LG G Flex 2 and HTC One M9, and it should be noted that in comparison with them, the results of Snapdragon 808 turned out to be almost the same. In the 64-bit version of AnTuTu, the scores reached 48K, but in the standard test, the resulting figure only reached 45K points. According to the test results, the owners of the latest Qualcomm platforms did not prove to be the undisputed leaders - the latest SoCs of the Samsung Exynos (7420) family, installed in the smartphones of the new Samsung Galaxy S6 series, turned out to be clearly more productive. Be that as it may, the hardware filling of the LG G4 smartphone is in any case powerful enough to cope with any tasks set by demanding programs and heavy 3D games. On the other hand, the fact that even the most powerful solutions from the Qualcomm Snapdragon family are inferior to the top MediaTek and Samsung Exynos platforms in the new season is an alarming fact.

Testing in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3 comprehensive benchmarks:

For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps). As for GFXBenchmark, the table below tests Offscreen - this is rendering an image in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen are rendering images exactly to the screen resolution of the device. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative in terms of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests are indicative of the comfort of the game on a specific device.

	LG G4 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 808)	HTC One M9 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	Meizu MX4 (Mediatek MT6595)	Nexus 6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)	Samsung Galaxy S6 (Exynos 7420)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	18372	20538	16691	23234	21204
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	25 fps	37 fps	21.7 fps	23 fps	30 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	35 fps	36fps	23.2 fps	29 fps	46 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	3340 (48 fps)	4092 (58fps)	4033 (58 fps)	3633 (52 fps)	4185 (60 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, do not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

LG once again pleases with the full support of codecs in mobile products: LG G4 was equipped with all the decoders that are necessary for the full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you can get by with the capabilities of a regular video player, and in any third-party player, for example MX Player, all formats will also be played, including the AC3 audio format.

Format	container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Regular video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280x720 3000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280x720 4000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920x1080 8000Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally

Video output features tested Alexey Kudryavtsev.

This smartphone has support for SlimPort adapters (or Mobility DisplayPort, video output is declared up to 4K resolution), connected to the Micro-USB connector and providing video signal (and sound) transmission to external display devices. To test it, we used the monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl. With this monitor and the SlimPort adapter we had, output was at 1920 by 1080 pixels at 60 fps. When the smartphone is in landscape orientation, the display of the image on the screens of the smartphone and monitor is carried out, if possible, in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in the screen boundaries and is an interpolated copy of the smartphone screen.

When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image on the monitor screen is displayed in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in height, and wide black fields are displayed on the left and right of the monitor screen.

HDMI audio is output and is of good quality. At the same time, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by the buttons on the smartphone case. A smartphone connected to the SlimPort adapter is charged, while the adapter must be connected to a power source via its Micro-USB connector.

The video output deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methods for testing video signal playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and a frame rate of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In this test, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The results of this (block titled "Smartphone screen") and the following test are summarized in the table:

The marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.

According to the frame output criterion, the playback quality of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without frame drops, with the exception of files with 50 and 60 fps, in which case one -Three frames are always skipped. This may indicate some kind of software flaws. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, however, on test worlds, it can be seen that the clarity is slightly reduced due to interpolation to the screen resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the highlights.

With a monitor connected via SlimPort, when playing video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the image of the video file is displayed on the monitor (the translucent navigation bar is removed after pressing the smartphone screen), and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen :

When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed on the monitor screen exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is also equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the highlights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the "SlimPort (monitor output)" block. The quality of the output is not higher than when outputting to the machine's own screen.

It turns out that the connection to external monitors, TVs and projectors using the SlimPort adapter can be used for gaming, watching movies (including Full HD resolution), web browsing and other activities that benefit from the multiple increase in size screen.

Battery life

The LG G4 received a 3000 mAh battery that is quite decent for a modern flagship, however, the device is equipped not only with a large high-resolution display, but also with a very powerful and demanding platform - the most energy-intensive elements of any smartphone. In addition, the platform is still quite new and, perhaps, not fully optimized. At least, under any load, a very noticeable heating of the case is felt, especially in the upper part of the rear surface. Below are thermal images of the back surface (top left in the image), obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in GFXBenchmark:

It can be seen that the heating is localized in the upper part of the device under the front camera - apparently, this is where the SoC chip is located. There are also a couple of very hot areas. According to the heat chamber, the maximum temperature was 42 degrees.

As a result, according to the test results, the test subject demonstrated a level of autonomy far from the record. Testing, as usual, was carried out in the most productive mode of operation without any restrictions, although the settings also have the ability to enable power-saving mode.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted more than 17 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous viewing of high-quality video (720p) with the same brightness level through the home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted more than 9 hours. In the 3D gaming mode, the smartphone showed a modest result, lasting only 3 hours. The time to fully charge the battery is just over 2 hours.

Outcome

As for the price of the novelty, it has not yet been finally determined for our market, but it is expected that it will be at the level of modern flagships (40-45 thousand rubles). The LG G4 is a solid smartphone, with no major downsides. Build quality, screen, sound, performance - all at the level. However, the thought does not let go that in everything you look at, there is a certain moment of unfinishedness, and in general there is a feeling of unfulfilled expectations. A spectacular leather upholstery appeared, but against the background of glossy plastic, the wow effect somehow quickly subsides; the latest, although not the top of the Qualcomm hardware platforms, was used, but constant overheating and fast battery consumption make us think about the justification for such a choice of developers. The camera is improved, but still falls short of the level of the best representatives of the market. The sound is not bad, quite good, but why is LG so stubbornly ignoring the issue of installing stereo speakers, if we are talking about an expensive flagship device that plays at the same (highest) level with the most equipped competitors? With regards to the same competitors: in the flagship LG smartphone there is not a single modern “chip” that characterizes truly top-end devices: no fingerprint scanner, no moisture protection, or even the previous model that was present in the previous model, but now for some reason the disappeared fast charging function, which is completely really amazing. As a result, it turns out that the LG flagship has nothing to brag about, it is a solid high-level smartphone, nothing more. So, special hopes are placed on the price at which the smartphone will be sold on our market - it will put everything in its place and determine the fate of the new product, which, against the backdrop of Samsung raising its head, Apple strengthening its position and the accelerating army of Chinese manufacturers, does not promise to be easy.

The release of the flagship G4 from LG made a splash. However, not everyone could afford such an expensive device, and the manufacturer found a solution. The “lightweight” version of the G4s went on sale. What will please the stripped-down model of the flagship you like so much?

Design

Appearance G4s is similar to its predecessor, except for small details. For starters, it has become slightly smaller, and the material of the device has also changed. In a simplified version of the flagship, plastic is used, not leather.

The changes had almost no effect on the style of the device. The design is very unusual and definitely stands out among the same type of mass. The arched shape attracts the eye and gives the smartphone elegance.

An interesting decision was the location of the controls. together with the power button are not on the side, but on the back of the device. At first, working with them will be unusual, but the location is very convenient.

The shape of the case adds convenience when using the phone. Although the size of the device is impressive, in the hand it lies like a glove. Adds comfort and low weight, only 139 grams.

External details turned out to be very catchy due to their unusual location. On the front part there is a display, a front camera, sensors, a speaker, and also an indicator. The upper part is reserved for the headset jack, and the lower one is for the USB connector. In addition, both ends have a microphone. The back side has become a haven for the camera, flash, volume control, power button, speaker, logo and autofocus.

Smartphone LG G4s received three colors. It did not do without the standard white, but added a variety of gray and gold colors. It is worth noting that the front part in all colors is black.

The back panel of the device is removable. Behind it are two slots for cards. Unfortunately, the user is faced with a choice, donate one SIM card in favor of a flash drive or refuse to expand the memory. Although, given the small amount of device memory, the owner will have to be content with one communication card.

Display

Smartphone LG G4s has an excellent screen. The diagonal has been slightly reduced from 5.5 to 5.2 inches, but this is almost imperceptible. The large display has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels and 423 ppi. The user, even with a detailed study, will not find flaws. Actually, the Full HD image is already an indicator of quality.

The matrix installed in LG G4s will also please. The color rendering characteristics of the display are not satisfactory. The only downside is the lack of a brightness sensor. The owner will be forced to configure this parameter manually. Despite such a trifle, the screen of the device does not fade in the sun. The matrix provides excellent for corners, although not expected otherwise.

Camera

In terms of shots, the predecessor far outperforms the LG G4s. The characteristics have changed very noticeably, namely, only 8 megapixels have replaced 16 megapixels. Surprisingly, the camera allows you to take good photos, but falls short of the prototype.

The resolution is quite familiar for 8 megapixels and is only 3264 by 2448 pixels. The situation is smoothed out by a lot of functions left over from the LG G4. For example, the device has improved color reproduction and color spectrum recognition.

The device has got five megapixels of the front camera. Of course, you should not expect much from the front camera, but it will do for self-portraits. With good lighting, you can achieve good quality pictures.

Hardware

Without a doubt, the “stuffing” will greatly please the owners of LG G4s. The characteristics of the processor are similar to some representatives of Samsung, namely the A7 model. The smartphone received a Snapdragon 615 chip that provides high performance. In addition, as many as eight cores were installed in the device, four of which have a frequency of 1.8 GHz, and the rest received 1 GHz each.

The RAM did not disappoint, which is 1.5 gigabytes in the device. Memory is enough for most needs of the device. Adreno 405 was installed as a video accelerator, designed specifically for devices with Full HD.

Unfortunately, there are also drawbacks to the LG G4s. The characteristics of native memory definitely do not meet the needs of most users. The phone was equipped with only 8 GB, but in fact only 5 GB is available. Naturally, there is the possibility of expanding up to 32 GB, but there is a problem here. The smartphone has only two slots, designed either for SIM cards or for a flash drive.

System

The phone is controlled by "Android" of the new version 5.1. Actually, the owner does not need to worry about updating. In addition, the smartphone has almost all the necessary applications for work. Most of the features of the system are hidden behind a proprietary shell, but the manufacturer's interface is also quite pleasant.

autonomy

Manufacturers pay a lot of attention to the design and functionality of devices, but sometimes they forget about the duration of work. This happened with the LG G4s, in which they placed a battery with a capacity of only 2300 maH.

The autonomy of the device is depressing, because with active use the device will last only 4 hours. This is an incredibly bad indicator for the middle class. The only solution to the problem is to replace the battery.

Equipment

The delivery set is standard. Along with the device comes a USB cable, documentation, adapter. As with most expensive devices, there is no headset. Perhaps, in addition to headphones, the user will need to purchase a cover for the LG G4s.

Price

Although the G4s was released as a cheap analogue of the flagship, the cost turned out to be impressive. You can become the owner of the device for 18 thousand rubles. In principle, not a particularly frightening price for the middle class with excellent "stuffing".

Negative Feedback

For some owners, the unusual placement of controls has become a problem. Instead of the usual sidewall, the power and volume buttons are located on the back of the device. It is quite difficult to get used to such a change.

Looking at the review compiled for the LG G4s, you can understand that the phone is incredibly dependent on the outlet. The small amount of battery is not at all suitable for such an advanced device.

An unpleasant moment was the need to choose between a flash drive or a second sim card. This is especially strange to observe in a device of the middle category.

Positive reviews

The smartphone has much more advantages than disadvantages. You should start with a powerful "stuffing". The only thing that fails is the memory, but otherwise everything is on top.

It is impossible not to note the solid screen. Large diagonal and high resolution will allow the user to enjoy the image.

The modern "Android" also stands out. The new version 5.1 greatly expands the choice of games as well as applications.

Outcome

In general, the budget version of the flagship was fully implemented. There are minor flaws, but they are not significant. The only downside is the constant need to recharge. Definitely, among the competitors, the LG G4s looks incredibly attractive.

The back panel of the smartphone LG G4 H818 is trimmed with natural leather, dressed using vegetable tanning technology. Thanks to it, the material becomes very smooth and pleasant to the touch and receives an original texture that gives the device a stylish and respectable appearance. In addition, the processing process does not use substances that can harm the human body.

INCREDIBLY CLEAR IMAGE
The 5.5-inch Quantum screen is made using IPS technology and equipped with a matrix that complies with the Quad HD resolution standard (2560 × 1440). Thanks to this, it is possible to achieve excellent image quality - both when watching videos and in three-dimensional games. In-cell Touch technology automatically adjusts picture settings in bright light for deep contrast in any environment.

HIGHEST PERFORMANCE CLASS

Thanks to a modern six-core processor with a high clock speed and a large amount of RAM, the smartphone can cope with any tasks assigned to it, up to running modern games, as well as video processing and editing.

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS

The phone is equipped with a 16-megapixel camera, with which you can take bright, contrasting and detailed pictures even in night street lighting or at dusk. The built-in color spectrum sensor automatically adjusts the photo settings according to the environment, which allows you to achieve natural colors. The use of laser autofocus and a professional optical stabilization system guarantees the clarity of the frame even when working with fast moving objects.

COMFORTABLE SELFIES

Taking beautiful photos with the front camera has never been easier. It supports gesture control. Due to this, the user can prepare for shooting or even take a few shots by placing the phone on a special tripod. The 8-megapixel front camera provides excellent detail.

RELIABILITY AND ELEGANCE

The curved case not only gives the device an original appearance, but also allows you to securely hold it in your hand even while walking fast.

CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION

The device is equipped not only with standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, but also with 3G/4G transmitters. Thanks to this, the user can access the Internet at speeds up to 100 Mbps from anywhere. At the same time, there is no need to limit the surfing time, because a full battery charge is enough for 20 hours of connection in 3G mode. In standby mode, the smartphone can work up to 434 hours.

LG G4- this is a new flagship on the back side, and an experiment on the other side. Moreover, this is not about the manufacturer's experiment within its line, but, perhaps, about the global formulation of the question for the entire market: what to do next?

The new Korean smartphone is one of the most stylish products of 2015, but it lags behind the competition in technical terms. This is noticeable to the naked eye, both when studying its specifications, and according to the results of work. However, do not rush to label the device as unsuccessful. In fact, everything is much more interesting than it seems.

Design

The most important and important component of a smartphone is its appearance. G4 looks very good, fits perfectly in the hand, pleases with natural leather on the back cover and delivers exceptionally positive emotions from its operation.

The software shell, coupled with the ergonomics of the case, make the smartphone native in just a couple of hours of use.

You take a novelty out of your pocket, and the feeling that you have been using it for several months. However, by no means do I want to say that the design of the device quickly becomes boring. Here it's just the opposite.

The front side is slightly curved and this feature, which is common to all new company smartphones: from Leon to the hero of today review.

The protective glass on the front panel perfectly protects the screen from the accumulation of fingerprints and dust. Must have for any modern device.

The back side is a separate conversation. Let's talk about kits first. In our country, the device will be sold in five variations. First, there are three models available with leather trim: light brown, black and red.

Initially, at the stage of pre-orders, it will be possible to choose only from two options: with light brown or with black leather on the back. The most interesting thing is, of course, the bright colors of the skin. However, the black cover also looks quite good. The red shade will appeal to the female half of humanity. The texture of the skin varies from model to model, but it is slightly dry to the touch - the surface, so to speak, is far from glossy. I am not an expert in this area, so I say what I see and feel.

Two more models will be available later: with a white or dark gray plastic back cover.

The first creates a strong feeling that the lid is made of ceramics. The protruding edges play interestingly in the light and even convey the coolness that is characteristic of real ceramics.

The latest modification is a dark gray model with an imitation of specially treated metal. An analogue of what we have already seen in . It does not bring any positive experience, just a cover, just plastic - in general, against the background of other modifications, this one looks boring.

Personally, I would choose between a light brown or a model with black leather trim. The first option looks stylish and bright, the second is restrained and noble. In any case, the presence of leather pleasantly warms the soul and gives the feeling that 40,000 rubles were not given in vain. By the way, the rest of the skin colors (turquoise, bright yellow, light gray), as well as the additional golden color of the plastic cover, will not be sold here, and in general they will be on sale around the world a little later.

If you will be in Europe or South Korea, take a device with such a cover there. Of the modifications not available on our market, I liked the most, as I said, the turquoise color. Not for boys, but girls will love it.

The dimensions of the device can be estimated in comparison with its competitors on the plate below.

	Length	Width	Thickness	Weight
LG G4 (5.5'')	148,9	76,2
LG G3 (5.5'')	146,3	74,6
Apple iPhone 6 Plus (5.5'')	158,1	77,8
Xiaomi Mi Note Pro (5.7'')	155,1	77,6
Samsung GALAXY Note 4 (5.7'')	153,5	78,6

As before, new cases will be available for the new items with the already familiar round window on the front. Many applications can be used without opening the case: listen to music, take pictures with the camera, answer calls and so on.

The back cover of the case fits very tightly to the body of the smartphone, so the accessory does not thicken the device much. Of course, this is a plus.

The control buttons, as it has already developed within the company's product line, are moved back. Their design, of course, has undergone changes, but this has not affected the convenience in any negative way. As before, it is convenient to manage your smartphone.

Carefully separating the battery cover from the case, you can study in detail how this leather insert, which takes about 12 weeks to create, is glued. Everything is simple. A layer of leather is glued directly onto the plastic cover, and the protruding edges are neatly trimmed. With a strong desire, the glued layer can be pry off and probably even torn off from the plastic. It is unlikely that this can happen naturally during the normal operation of the device.

But over time, the skin can easily rub off and, perhaps, in a few months you will receive a smartphone with a cover dotted with scratches.

In the photo above, I tried to reflect one of the scratches that appeared on the back cover. It does not catch the eye, but if you peer, the wear is noticeable. I wonder how LG is going to deal with users who will make claims about the quality of the leather cover and is it going to do it at all? In general, time will tell and, perhaps, an interesting precedent will be created.

Display

The smartphone has a screen with a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a resolution of QuadHD (2560 x 1440 pixels). The dot density is still the same 538 ppi familiar to us from the G3. The difference lies in technology. In its latest device, the manufacturer used a display built using Quantumm IPS (In-Cell touch) technology, which led to a 20% improvement in color reproduction, a 25% increase in brightness, and a 50% increase in contrast.

In practice, the display is good in almost every respect. In the sun it behaves perfectly even in direct sunlight.

Viewing angles are excellent, but the blacks are still not as deep as in the same one (on the right or top in the photo). The difference is noticeable only in direct comparison, in reality, it is not worth attaching importance to this. At least for most users.

Full Technical Specifications LG G4

All this material was written based on the results of testing the LG-F500L model with one SIM-card (version for South Korea). We will also sell the LG G4 H818P model with support for two SIM cards at the same time. Accordingly, the camera test, the performance results are relevant for a smartphone, which in fact may not have the final version of the firmware, which means that the indicators are not objective enough for the end user. However, let's start by comparing the characteristics of these two models on the table below (changes are highlighted in green):

	LG G3 (D855)	LG G4 (H818P)
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5 GHz (4 cores Krait 400)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 1.8 GHz (6 cores, 64 bits, Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57)
video accelerator	Adreno 330	Adreno 418
RAM	2 GB (3 GB versions available)	3 GB
Built-in memory	16 (there are versions with 32 GB)	32 GB
Memory card support	Yes (Micro SD up to 128 GB)	Yes (Micro SD up to 128 GB)
Display	5.5'', IPS+, 2560 x 1440 pixels (538 ppi)	5,5’’, Quantum IPS , 2560 x 1440 pixels (538 ppi)
Main camera	13 MP (f/ 2.4, sensor size 1/3.06'')	16 MP (f/ 1.8, sensor size 1/2.6'')
Front-camera	2.1 MP	8 MP (f/2.0)
Battery	3000 mAh	3000 mAh
OS	Android OS 4.4.2 (5.0 available for download)	OS Android 5.1 Lollipop
cellular	2G, 3G, 4G	2G, 3G, 4G ( cat6)
Wireless interfaces	Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, infrared	Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, infrared
Connectors		USB 2.0 (OTG), 3.5 mm audio output
Sensors	Accelerometer, digital compass, light sensor and distance sensor	Accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass, light sensor, distance sensor
SIM Form Factor	Micro	micro( 2x)
Water and dust protection	Not	Not

We cannot but rejoice that the company has allocated a two-terminal option for us.

In Russia, people are practical: work on one SIM card, another house, or calls and the Internet - an option for economical, practical citizens who, nevertheless, found an extra 43 thousand for a smartphone. Honored +1.

Performance

Everything is fine with this setting. Or rather, everything will be fine with the release of more stable and debugged firmware. Now on the test device (see model above), the animation of desktops, menus and everything else slowed down from time to time. The problems are clearly programmatic in nature, which, most likely, will be eliminated in the very near future. Again, LG understands everything, they try, they work to improve their products. The stability and speed of the G3 is another confirmation of this.

There are no problems in games. Dead Trigger 2 and Real Racing 3 did not sag even in dynamic scenes. As for system tests, the results are as follows.

We see that the Korean flagship of this year is ahead of most of the top devices from the past 2014, but some of them (or the Meizu MX4) were still too tough for him. It's time to ask yourself - what's the matter? Especially if you remember the result of the test in AnTuTu - more than 65 thousand points in a non-64-bit test.

Firstly, LG obviously does not use chemicals in tests, unlike their Korean counterparts, and the device is tested in exactly the same mode that can be available to the user. No additional accelerators are clearly provided. Secondly, we see that the company is shifting the focus from the maximum performance characteristics and giving the user something different, perhaps even more important - design and user experience. The absolute leaders in the latter are, of course, the guys from Apple. The company creates a product that is far from being a top-end product in terms of technical characteristics, but makes it (at least tries) as convenient as possible in communicating with the user.

And besides, the iPhone is fashionable, it is a status, and smartphones from Samsung or LG cannot yet boast the same charge. Nevertheless, LG is still trying to do something similar and offer the user a comfortable device, and not the maximum hardware, which most users did not ask for.

The manufacturer follows its own path, although it is parallel to the game played by Apple. Where and when these manufacturers will meet is a big question, the answer to which we will get in the coming years, but not in the current time period and, unfortunately, not on the example of LG G4 versus iPhone 6S. However, it's a start and it's great.

Camera

The front photo module has grown to 8 megapixels and has acquired a fairly large aperture at f / 2.0. As before, various gestures are available for remote control of the picture (release the shutter by clenching the palm of your hand into a fist), but now the arsenal of experienced selfists has also been replenished with the ability to take up to 4 frames in a row with different faces. Later, you can choose the best one or leave all the pictures at once.

What has changed now? Yes, in general, nothing. Camera capabilities have improved, algorithms have been optimized - but nothing radically new has been shown. We will talk in detail about the capabilities of the camera in a full-fledged LG G4 review, but for now, here's what was announced by the manufacturer.

The matrix has increased and now its dimensions are 1 / 2.6 ''. The installed lens received a constant aperture value of f/ 1.8. The stabilization function has also been improved (OIS 2.0): now the image is aligned along all three axes (X, Y, Z). The focusing speed has not changed compared to the G3 and is still the same 0.27 seconds, and an infrared light spectrum sensor specially installed next to the camera is responsible for the correct transmission of colors. Yes, as it turned out, this is not a dual LED flash.

The G4 shoots better than most of last year's flagships, but it's no match for the . The latter is good on all fronts and it will not be easy to compete with it, even for its future competitors this year, which have not yet been announced.

Examples of shots taken on the G4 in comparison with the Meizu MX4 Pro at hand (right) below.

Battery life

The short time during which I was able to test the device is certainly not enough for a full conclusion regarding the autonomy of the device. However, some results can be summed up now.

LG G4 will work at best for a day.

With active use, the device is unlikely to survive until the dark time of the day (we are talking about summer). You will have to put the device on charge every day, most likely you don’t have to expect anything else.

As soon as it will be possible to test the smartphone for a longer time, I will report more detailed results, but for now let's stop here. It's summer now, sunshine, warm bathing water and green parks here and there. Why not put down your smartphone (whether it be a G4 or whatever) for a while and go for a walk outside, for example, leaving all your electronic gizmos at home? This will clearly be more useful than collecting an extra hundred likes on Instagram and burned milliamps per hour of your smartphone. Manufacturers involuntarily hint at this to us.

Outcome

For the first time, a manufacturer besides, of course, Apple has focused not on the technical component of its most anticipated product, but has focused on design and user experience. It is not known for certain: maybe this year the Korean manufacturer simply failed to create a truly modern, technically sophisticated flagship that can compete with the same Samsung Galaxy S6. Or maybe LG just changed course and realized before others that you can’t go far with only the very best characteristics. Indeed! HTC, for example, produces some of the most technically advanced devices, but steadily loses the market. The situation with Sony is similar, close to their Taiwanese competitor. Samsung, on the other hand, creates the very best devices and also does not show any amazing sales figures for its flagship solutions year after year.

LG is actively experimenting with form, design, software and is not afraid to do it. For this alone, the company is to be commended. The new LG G4 came out very interesting. I did not see any breakthrough in terms of technical component, however, considering the design, leather materials and user experience in general, the smartphone turned out to be very successful. It is necessary to consider all this only together.

Price for models with leather trim is currently 39,990 rubles. The largest domestic retailers have already managed to slightly drop prices to a psychologically important mark. Of course, this is still a lot and the demand for the device will be very limited. The manufacturer is now faced with the task of conveying to as many people as possible who are able to give such money for a phone that the Koreans have a decent device, and it's time to try something new, not to dwell on the image created by Apple. The task is extremely difficult without the use of the most aggressive advertising campaign and, most likely, it will not be 100% completed, but I want to believe that LG will succeed.

Release date: early June 2015 Price: 39,990 rubles

Characteristics

• Class: flagship of the company
• Form factor: monoblock
• Housing materials: plastic, glass, replaceable covers made of genuine leather or plastic
• Operating system: Android 5.1 Lollipop, LG UX 4.0
• Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE Cat 9 (microSIM)
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (MSM8992)
• Processor: Quad-core 1.44 GHz (Cortex-A53) and dual-core 1.8 GHz (Cortex-A57)
• Graphics system: Adreno 418
• RAM: 3 GB
• Storage: 32 GB, microSD card slot (supports cards up to 2 TB)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1 (A2DP, LE), microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charge/sync, 3.5 mm headset, NFC, infrared port
• Screen: IPS LCD (IPS Quantum), 5.5”, capacitive, 2560x1440 pixels (QuadHD), 538 ppi, automatic backlight control, Gorilla Glass 3
• Main camera: 16 MP, f/1.8, sensor size 1/2.6", laser focusing, optical image stabilization in three axes (OIS), color spectrum sensor, LED flash
• Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0
• Navigation: GPS/Glonass (A-GPS support)
• Optional: FM radio
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, barometer
• Battery: removable, Li-Ion, 3000 mAh
• Dimensions: 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8 mm
• Weight: 155 grams

For several years now, LG has been producing excellent smartphones in the upper price segment. Naturally, the release of another successful expensive device does not at all mean an automatic increase in sales around the world, because the middle and budget segments play no less, and often even a greater role in sales. But when it comes to flagships, the South Korean company has shown steady progress in recent years, and the LG G4 is no exception. Released in 2013, the G2 was just an interesting smartphone with potential, in 2014 the company introduced the G3 with an excellent camera, performance and comfortable shell, that device lacked integrity in general, and there were problems with the quality of the display in particular (the "sharpness" effect). The new flagship of 2015, LG G4, is free from these shortcomings. Before us is competent work on bugs with the introduction of not only corrections, but also new ideas. What is attractive about the next top-end smartphone of the company and does it have disadvantages?

Design, body materials

If you look at the LG G4 from the front, it's easy to confuse the device with last year's G3. Although the difference between them in the details, of course, there is, in general, the devices are similar from the front. Then there are differences, and significant ones.

The main innovation in the design of the LG G4 is related to the body materials used, and here, it seems to me, there was a desire to catch up and overtake Samsung. When the latter introduced smartphones with plastic covers imitating a leather surface, LG probably began to consider similar solutions. Perhaps, it was this way that they came to a cover made of real leather, and not its imitation, perhaps in some other way, this is not so important. The important thing is that in the LG G4 you have the opportunity to choose those body materials that you like and will be comfortable. There are three versions of LG G4 - with a plastic cover, with a cover made of natural soft leather or natural rough leather. The first option for Russia includes models of white and dark silver colors: “white ceramics” and “titanium”, in which the cover is made of plastic. The second option is soft genuine leather in light brown or burgundy: "brown" and "red" according to the official LG naming system. The third is black, the cover is also made of leather, but rougher and, accordingly, more reliable and wear-resistant.

Personally, I liked the device with a yellow cover the most, it is bright, but at the same time, it uses rough leather, which is more reliable, in my opinion. In Russia, alas, this color is not yet available. Of the available ones, I liked two: black and brown. The first is more practical and reliable, the second looks very bright and beautiful, but the skin begins to wear off with prolonged use of such a smartphone. I've been using the brown cover on the LG G4 for about three weeks and I've started to get scuffs on the corners of the phone, and if you put it in your key pocket or scratch it in some way, the consequences can be more dire. If you decide to take the G4 with a soft leather cover, you need to carry and use the smartphone carefully. With models in black and with plastic covers, there is no such problem. Now I have a black LG G4, I sometimes carry it in my backpack pocket with various small things and I don’t notice any damage or scratches on the case.

With a strong desire, with LG G4 with a soft leather cover, you can do this, for three weeks my G4 in brown was a little rubbed on the corners, but no more

Another feature of the LG G4 is the curved body shape. The lid is curved up and down, if you can call it that, due to which the smartphone fits more or less comfortably in the hand with its rather big dimensions. The screen is curved along the body, here the bend is minimal and barely noticeable, you can see it convincingly by placing the G4 display on a flat surface. A slight bending of the screen, as LG notes, is not only a decorative effect, but also a practical one. If the glass falls on asphalt or other hard surfaces, the chances that the screen will break, the LG G4 is slightly less than in the case of a smartphone with a flat screen.

Let me summarize the design and materials. I like the direction LG is taking. Yes, I still can’t call the G4 ideal in terms of design, body shape and materials, personally I don’t have enough metal in the visible areas here (the body is actually completely plastic on the outside, except for the lid), but progress compared to the previous ones smartphones is obvious. LG is not afraid to experiment, in G3 it was an attempt to make plastic with a “metal-like” effect, and it was quite successful, in G4 these are leather covers. It is not known how the skin will behave with prolonged use of devices, but the very fact and desire of LG to try something new is commendable.

Assembly

Despite the collapsible design (removable cover, removable battery), the LG G4 is assembled well. The cover "sits" on the case with the help of fifteen grooves, does not play at all and does not stagger. At the same time, you can remove the cover in just a couple of seconds, and this does not require additional tools. The block with three keys on the “back” is also excellent. Separately, I would like to note the complete absence of gaps between the protective glass of the screen and the edges of the smartphone. In some flagships, there is such a gap between these elements, and dust clogs there, LG G4 is free from this drawback.

Dimensions

With the LG G2, the company demonstrated the ability to make a smartphone with very thin bezels around the screen, but then moved away from this practice - unfortunately, I think. In LG G3, the frames have become thicker, and in G4 the situation repeats itself, the thickness of the side frames to the left and right of the screen in the smartphone is approximately 4.5 mm. The margins at the top and bottom are not too big, but not minimal either, something in between. As a result, in terms of dimensions LG G4 is a typical representative of models with a 5.5-inch screen, not too huge, but far from compact.

To estimate the dimensions of the LG G4, I suggest you take a look at the list with the dimensions of the current flagships:

• Apple iPhone 6 Plus(5.5"") - 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm, 172 grams
• LG G3(5.5"") - 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm, 149 grams
• LG G4(5.5"") - 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8 mm, 155 grams
• Meizu MX4 Pro(5.5”) - 150.1 x 77 x 9 mm, 158 grams
• Samsung Galaxy S6(5.1”) - 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm, 138 grams
• HTC One M9(5"") - 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6 mm, 157 grams

As you can see, against the backdrop of the LG G3 with a screen of the same diagonal, the dimensions of the G4 even increased slightly, probably due to the curves and overall shape of the case.

Of course, I can’t call the new G4 very comfortable in terms of grip and use with one hand, for me personally, almost all devices with a diagonal above 5.2” are too large, and it takes time to get used to them. LG G4 is no exception, and here the problem is not in a particular device, but in the form factor of "shovels" with huge screens in general. To the credit of the manufacturer, it should be noted that almost everything has been done in the smartphone to somehow smooth out the dimensions. You can change the location or even the set of keys on the touchpad at the bottom so that frequently used buttons do not have to reach out. For example, I most often need the back button, and it is more convenient when it is on the right, and not on the left, as Android originally intended. You can add a notification curtain call button to the panel, for example, so as not to reach the upper area of ​​the screen with your finger (which is difficult to do on a 5.5-inch device). In addition to remapping and adding keys to the touchpad, it can be changed externally by choosing color and transparency.

Compared with Meizu MX4 Pro

Compared to Huawei P8

Controls

Like the LG G2 and G3, the next flagship of the company does not have hardware keys on the front panel, as well as on the ends. Three smartphone buttons are located on the back of the device in the upper area, near the main camera. I've gotten used to this key layout and find it very comfortable, but if this is your first time switching to an LG phone with buttons on the lid, it's going to take some getting used to.

You can unlock your smartphone (turn on the screen) in two ways - by pressing the power button on the back of the device or by double tapping on the display surface. At the same time, the system works perfectly. I have never had situations where the first two touches on the screen would not be recognized by the smartphone and I had to do two repeated taps.

The proprietary KnockCode unlock system also remained. In a square of four fields, you need to touch each field in a certain order; to unlock the device, you need to carry out this procedure twice in any area of ​​the display. This method is convenient in that it does not require you to enter numbers (they can be seen by someone else besides you during the input process), but also protects the device from random people.

The volume keys in the LG G4, like in the G3, are assigned actions for the standby mode. If you press the volume down button twice quickly in the state when the screen is off and the smartphone is locked, the camera will start, and if the volume button is up, handwritten notes will start. Unfortunately, it is still impossible to assign other actions to pressing these keys in standby mode, although I personally expected this feature to be added in fresh firmware back on the G3.

The gesture system that LG introduced in the G3 smartphone is also present in the new flagship, of course. The device has the following gestures:

• Automatically answer a call when you hold your smartphone to your ear (even if a Bluetooth headset is connected to the device)
• Muting the ringer volume when you pick up your smartphone from the surface of a table, shelf, or something else
• Switch to silent mode during an incoming call when you turn your smartphone over
• Stop the alarm or set it to sound again when you turn your smartphone over
• Pause video playback when you flip your smartphone

Now about the location of the elements and connectors. At the top there is an infrared port and an additional microphone. On the bottom there is a microUSB connector, a 3.5 mm mini-jack for headphones and a main microphone. The speaker, camera, and volume and power keys are located on the “back” of the device. The side ends are free from elements.

On the front side, in the upper part, there is a speaker, light and proximity sensors, as well as a light indicator and an 8 MP front camera eye. The light indicator in the G4 can be turned on or off for several types of events: incoming calls, missed calls and messages, charging, and notifications from third-party programs. A small feature: often the indicator flashes when you seem to have no missed events. In this case, you need to go to the Wi-Fi settings and uncheck the "Wi-Fi network notification" item.

The smartphone has a removable cover and a removable battery, slots for two SIM-cards of microSIM format and a memory card are located above the battery, to the left and right of the main camera module.

Screen

The LG G4 has a 5.5" IPS screen (IPS Quantum). Display resolution - 2560x1440 pixels (534 ppi). That is, the diagonal and resolution of the display in the new flagship are exactly the same as in last year's G3, but the screens are still seriously different in terms of characteristics. The fact is that the LG G3 display had one unpleasant feature - when you read text on a light, especially white background, you could notice the “sharpness” effect, as if the system was programmatically trying to make the letters clearer by adding halos around them. At that time, I personally practically did not notice this effect, because, firstly, for the first time I saw a smartphone with a display of such a high resolution and tried to pay attention to other things: image clarity, image smoothness, and so on. And, secondly, I rarely read texts from a smartphone, and it’s not so easy to see this effect just in the menu.

In the LG G4, this feature was removed, so in the end we get in this smartphone just a very high-quality display based on an IPS matrix. There is a good supply of brightness, viewing angles are maximum, even if you tilt the screen diagonally, there will be absolutely no distortion of the picture in color or brightness. Automatic screen backlight sometimes works to save battery power, that is, it sets the backlight level below the one you want to see, but during the day its work is quite correct. The color temperature is set up successfully, in my opinion, and from the shortcomings I will only note the inability to change it.

The screen is covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 3 and has an oleophobic coating, so that the few prints and marks that appear on the display can be easily removed.

Camera

The main camera of the LG G4 is a module with a resolution of 16 MP, a new optical stabilization system in three axes (OIS 2.0), a laser focusing system, a flash, an aperture of f/1.8 and a color spectrum sensor. This sensor is used to more accurately determine the correct color reproduction in the frame and is used to set the correct white balance and flash tone when it fires.

However, one of the main features of the new camera, as in the G3, is laser focusing. This type of focus refers to the so-called. active, here are ultrasonic and infrared, for example. The sensor near the camera module sends many rays to the focusing object for a short period of time, then they are reflected and returned back, then the system calculates the time required for the rays to travel the path, and based on this data, produces accurate focusing. The advantage of this system is the very high speed of operation - the LG G4 focuses on the scene literally in a matter of moments, even if it is a complex scene with many objects at different distances. In some situations, laser focusing does not work as accurately or correctly as you would like, so the G4 also has an additional contrast focusing system.

In addition to photography, the smartphone allows you to record video in maximum quality close to 4k (3840x2160 pixels), as well as video with an increased frame rate of up to 120 fps.

Briefly about the interface. The LG G4 has three shooting modes: easy, basic and manual. The first one is simple, there are no elements and information on the screen at all, you just touch the screen at any point, and the smartphone takes a photo.

The second is basic, with all settings displayed. In this case, to shoot, you need to press the key, here you can also change various parameters, from the resolution of the image to the shooting mode.

Finally, the third and most important mode is manual, it appears in LG smartphones for the first time, it was not there before. In this mode, you can shoot with automatic settings, but with the creation of two files at once: RAW (DNG extension) and JPEG, as well as in full manual mode. In the second case, you can adjust the white balance, exposure value (from +2 to -2), shutter speed (from 1/6000 to 30 seconds), ISO (from 50 to 2700) and adjust the focal length. In a word, this is a full-fledged manual mode, as detailed as it is now generally required in a smartphone camera. At the same time, the presence of such shutter speeds as 30 minutes and 1/6000 seconds is not even available in all digital cameras.

Now about the quality of the pictures.

Auto. In the "Auto" mode, it is optimal to shoot in the morning and in the afternoon, when the electronics reasonably set all the camera values ​​and allows you to get a decent result. The smartphone takes great pictures on a sunny day outside, even with a slight lack of light, somewhere in the shade, and so on, in some situations you can get just gorgeous shots.

If desired and skill (my skill is not too developed, but sometimes I was just lucky), on the LG G4 you can take pictures with a quite noticeable “bokeh” effect. Yes, the blurring of the background here will not be as artistic as when shooting with a good “portrait camera”, but it is there and quite felt, giving the frames depth and richness.

Sometimes depth and excellent detail can be obtained even on a seemingly completely simple and uninteresting scene, as here, for example:

In difficult situations, in the evening or at night, ideally you need to photograph in manual mode, and even better with a tripod, but in "Auto" you can get quite acceptable results, especially if you take several frames of each scene.

Shooting at night. Here, for example, shooting at night in the "Auto" mode, there is a lot of noise, but in general, the pictures are very good, for my taste.

Manual mode. This mode allows you to get very cool shots on your smartphone, subject to several conditions. Firstly, you understand that you will be shooting in RAW and then pulling up frames in “Photoshop” or somewhere else. Secondly, you know at least basic what settings are responsible for what, and you are ready to set all the parameters for almost every new photo. Thirdly, and most importantly, you are not in a hurry. The manual mode for the majority, of course, is superfluous, and if you use it without understanding the possibilities, then you will rather spoil the photos. However, if there is understanding and desire, you can take photography from your smartphone to a new level with the help of this mode, knowledge and sometimes a tripod.

The following are examples of handheld shots taken in manual mode. On the left are photos in JPEG, on the right are original RAW files converted to PNG, without any intervention or correction. If you want to download the original DNG files, they are available.

The smartphone has a panorama and dual shooting mode, when in one frame there is an image from two cameras at once - the main one and the front one. Burst shooting is enabled when you hold down the capture button. The shooting speed is fast, up to 99 shots can be taken at one time in continuous burst mode.

Examples of shots in different conditions

If you compare the camera in the LG G4 with the camera in the G3, the main difference comes down to the G4's manual mode and the ability to take photos in RAW format. The slight differences in auto mode don't mean that the G4's camera didn't get any better, but rather that it was already very good in the G3. In general, the camera in the LG G4 is versatile - it allows you to take cool, high-quality photos in good weather outside and more than acceptable in difficult conditions. And if you're willing to take the time to shoot in RAW using manual mode, the results will be even more impressive.

LG G4	LG G3

Video. The maximum recording quality is UltraHD (3840x2160 pixels), the standard is FullHD (1920x1080), in addition to recording at 30 or 60 frames per second, there is recording at up to 120 fps. In movie recording mode, tracking autofocus works. The quality of the recorded video is good, however, you can check out the sample videos yourself.

Front-camera. The front camera with a resolution of 8 MP and f/2.0 aperture allows you to take good shots, but nothing more. To be honest, I expected a lot more from the front camera in the LG G4, probably projecting the quality of pictures from the main camera onto it, but, alas, the front camera is completely ordinary here. During the day on a sunny day, the quality can be called acceptable, when conditions worsen or at night, the photos turn more and more into “soap” with very noticeable post-processing.

Offline work

The LG G4 has a removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery, exactly the same as the LG G3.

My LG G4 sample worked a full day, on average, until the evening or late at night. The load was as follows: an hour and a half of conversations, 10-20 text messages, Gmail, 3-4 hours of listening to music and about 1-2 hours of active use of the mobile Internet (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, browser). The difference in operating time under normal conditions between the LG G4 and last year's LG G3 is within the margin of error, with active use both smartphones sit down in the evening, with moderate use they work all day.

I can’t say that everything is fine, I personally expected progress from the new flagship just in terms of battery life, but LG, like other manufacturers, is in no hurry to move in this direction, unfortunately. As a result, LG G4, like Samsung Galaxy S6, Apple iPhone 6, HTC One M9 and other smartphones, works for one day under normal load, but no more.

In the power settings, you can turn on the "power saving" mode when the charge level drops below 5 or below 15 percent. In this mode, the brightness is reduced, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are turned off, vibration, auto-sync services and the indicator light.

platform, memory

The smartphone is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 platform (MSM 8992) with a quad-core processor with a frequency of 1.44 GHz (Cortex-A53) and a dual-core 1.8 GHz (Cortex-A57), graphics subsystem (GPU) - Adreno 418. The device has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB built-in, as well as a slot for a microSD memory card.

On the one hand, the choice of a non-top platform may seem strange, because we are talking about a flagship. On the other hand, problems with Qualcomm's top 810 chipset are no longer a secret, and just in light of this, LG's choice of a junior solution looks justified. The Qualcomm 808 platform provides a good level of performance, but it does not have the main drawback of the 810 - excessive heat under load.

Performance, tests

As for the overall speed of the LG G4, everything is fine here. Despite the use of a non-top platform, the smartphone runs smoothly, without delays and slowdowns. Of course, if you set out to find micro-lags in the process of flipping through screens or menu pages, this can be done by simply starting frantically scrolling the screens back and forth with maximum speed, but such a use case has nothing to do with real life.

Below are the test results of the LG G4 in various benchmarks.

Interfaces

The smartphone works in GSM, HSDPA and LTE networks. For LTE, there is support for all common bands and frequencies; in Russian networks of the fourth generation, the device works without problems. The smartphone has one radio module and two slots for SIM cards, I will talk about the implementation of work with two SIM cards a little lower.

USB. For synchronization with a PC and data transfer, the included microUSB cable is used. USB 2.0 interface. USB-OTG and USB-Host standards are supported - you can connect flash drives and other drives to your smartphone via an adapter, for example, a camera to transfer pictures from it to the device's memory.

Bluetooth. Built-in Bluetooth 4.1 module with support for A2DP, LE (low energy) and Apt-X profiles.

Wi-Fi (802.11а/ac/b/g/n). The LG G4 uses a dual-band Wi-Fi module, this interface works flawlessly. Like any other modern Android smartphone, the G4 supports the function of sharing mobile Internet via Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi router), as well as DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct standards.

NFC. The standard interface for any flagship based on Android since 2013 is also found in the LG G4. Enabled and disabled in the settings, in the "Sharing and connection" menu.

Work with two SIM-cards

In Russia, LG G4 version H818 is sold, this is a version of a smartphone with two SIM cards and a slot for a memory card. There is only one radio module in the smartphone, so when talking on the first SIM card, the second one turns out to be inaccessible, both SIM cards work in standby mode.

Both SIM-cards can work for data transfer, the active one is selected through the settings. You can also assign names to SIM cards and choose one of two color profiles for each, the notification curtain bar will be painted in it when an outgoing or incoming call from this SIM card is made.

Separately, I note the “smart forwarding” mode, with its help you can set up forwarding from each SIM card to another, so that if one call is unavailable, it will go to the second one, if it is available.

Navigation

The smartphone supports GPS / A-GPS and Glonass, it takes a minimum amount of time to search for satellites. There is no special navigation software in Android smartphones for a long time, and manufacturers usually limit themselves to the pre-installed Google Maps, LG G4 is no exception in this sense.

Software features and software

The smartphone runs on Android 5.1 with a proprietary interface LG UX 4.0. Most of the settings and the shell as a whole have not changed much compared to the UI in the LG G3. Of course, outwardly the new interface is stylized under Material Design, but in general, it is still the same familiar from the previous UI model.

Now I will briefly talk about the most interesting features of the interface.

Phone, address book. The smartphone has a convenient dialer with the SmartDial function, you can find a contact without switching to the address book, but simply by entering the first letters of the person's first or last name. However, there is also an address book here, with search and sorting.

During an incoming or outgoing call, the subscriber's picture is displayed in the center of the screen in a round window. In my opinion, the subscriber's image could have been made larger.

Messages. The standard message window is represented by a list of contacts with whom you are in correspondence. Inside, everything is as usual - messages in the chat format. For correspondence with individuals, you can choose the theme of the chat design - the background image and graphics of "clouds" of correspondence. An interesting feature of messages is the ability to configure the sending of an already written message at a certain time of a certain day.

Desktop. Icon grid on desktop screens, 5x5, also up to six icons can be placed in the bottom bar. Various screen flip effects are available on the desktop. You can also change the design of application icons and their size.

Lock screen. The lock screen displays new notifications and the time in one line, and a number of shortcuts are available in the lower area for quick access to applications. The set of shortcuts can be changed in the settings, and it will not necessarily be the same as the shortcuts in the bottom bar on the desktop.

The thing that upset me most about the LG G3 was the strange and illogical system of transitioning from notifications on the lock screen to the applications that generated them. For example, I get a notification about a new WhatsApp message, I click on it to open the program, but before I get into the program, I need to swipe again to unlock the screen. In LG G4, this system is back in place! And this despite the fact that in Android 5.1, to go from the notification card on the lock screen to the notification itself, you just need to double-tap on the card, and that's it. To be honest, I never got used to this stupid system, and it constantly annoys me.

The smartphone has a dual window mode, when one program is displayed at the top of the screen, and the other at the bottom.

Preinstalled software. The smartphone has a convenient file manager with the ability to view files by category or in the general storage, search and sort by criteria. A weather app with animated graphics when not running as a widget. Calculator, voice recorder, radio - all these programs are made in the same graphic style as the rest of the interface.

The QuickMemo+ application allows you to create text notes or handwritten notes.

Like the LG G3, it has a clock and weather widget with a Smart Notice notification bar attached to it. The idea is simple - in the form of short notifications, remind the user of important things: weather changes, calendar events, missed notifications, and so on. True, the functionality of Smart Notice is still limited to just a few types of notifications: weather and new events, as well as tips.

The LG G4 has an LG Health service that counts the distance traveled, the number of steps and the calories burned.

Conclusion

For almost a month of using the LG G4, I had no complaints about the quality of signal reception. The volume of the call speaker is slightly above average, despite the fact that one speaker is used. In most situations, it is well audible if you set the volume to maximum. The speaker volume is also at a good level, there is a small margin for conversations in noisy rooms. The vibrating alert is average in strength.

The official cost of LG G4 in Russia is 40,000 rubles (39,990), and here, of course, the company has become a hostage to the situation in the Russian smartphone market and price wars of retail chains. At the time of the announcement of the cost of the LG G4, its competitors were priced higher, the same Samsung Galaxy S6 cost more than 50,000 rubles, and today it is sold for an average of 35,000 rubles due to the price war waged by networks. As a result, LG's flagship, which was supposed to be cheaper with similar characteristics to competitors, costs on average exactly the same as the HTC One M9 at launch and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Duos after the price cut. However, it is possible to compare LG G4 with these smartphones only indirectly, after all, there is a big difference between 5"" and 5.5" diagonals, and, as my experience shows, they usually choose either among five-inch models, or among the so-called "phablets", where LG G4 with a 5.5 "" screen and it would be more logical to refer.

Yes, perhaps LG was expected to take a bolder step after releasing the successful, but in some ways controversial LG G3. However, the company chose a different path - to figure out what objective shortcomings were in the previous model, and first of all eliminate them. Something worked out, something didn’t, but in general, the new flagship of the company was a success. Perhaps someone will not like the idea of ​​​​genuine leather covers due to the probable wear and tear, but at the same time, no one bothers to opt for the G4 version with a plastic cover. The new smartphone has a high-quality display, unlike what was in the G3, the camera has also become better, and given that in the LG G3 it was one of the strengths of the device, in the G4, as you understand, the module is also one of the highest quality in terms of features and capabilities. Ranging from really working image stabilization and ending with a convenient and practical manual shooting mode with saving photos in RAW. Personally, LG UX confuses me, in terms of capabilities and the number of settings and options, this interface is simply excellent, but its appearance raises many questions. There was a feeling that the developers had a desire to translate the UI into Material Design, but somewhere in the middle of the process, inspiration or strength ran out, and as a result we have a strange mixture of MD and the style of previous versions of Android, plus pieces of the style of previous versions of LG UX. The result is something strange, I can’t say that the interface looks scary or ugly, but it doesn’t seem harmonious and solid, it’s just a set of different graphic solutions that they tried to bring together, but, alas, to no avail. There are also questions about the unlocking system, and I wrote about this above.

However, despite these disadvantages, I liked the new LG G4. Suffice it to say that now this is my main smartphone, while I can hardly get used to devices with screens larger than 5.2 "", but for the sake of a cool camera in the G4, a comfortable case with a genuine leather cover, lack of heat and an acceptable operating time, I'm ready to forgive the device some shortcomings.