LG G4 review: The big smartphone with a removable battery AND a microSD card slot

Update, 09/05/2016: The successor to the much-loved LG G4 – the LG G5 has now gone on sale, complete with all-metal body, dual rear cameras, and a clever system that will allow users to not only replace the battery and add storage via microSD card but also to expand the phone’s capabilities via a range of add-on modules. You can read our full review of the new LG G5 here.

In the meantime, though, the LG G4 still represents a good buy. You can now purchase it for less than £300 SIM free, and it remains a quick, slick smartphone with plenty to recommend it. To find out what makes it so good, read our original review below.

A few years back, the LG G4 would have been one of a number of major smartphones to have both a microSD slot and removable battery; these days, it’s a very rare thing indeed. Of all the major smartphones launched in 2015, only the Samsung Galaxy S5 Neo, the Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL can match its flexibility.

That simple fact alone will be enough to persuade hordes of potential buyers to bump this flagship smartphone to the top of their shortlists, regardless of the rest of its abilities. Luckily, however, the LG G4 is no one-trick pony; it has plenty else to recommend it.

LG G4 review: Design

The LG G4’s design doesn’t break much new ground – at least in terms of its size and shape. It’s a 5.5in smartphone and it’s not a particularly slim or light one at that. The rear of the phone is gently curved, which means it fits in your hand nicely. The volume and power buttons reside in the centre of the rear panel, just below the camera lens – just like its predecessor, the LG G3.

The overall dimensions haven’t changed much. The LG G4 is slightly taller and slightly wider than the G3, at 149 x 75 x 8.9mm, but these aren’t differences you’ll notice with the naked eye.

Turn it on its side, however, and the differences begin to reveal themselves. First, the G4 sports a “Slim Arc” screen that gently curves from top to bottom – a bit like LG’s G Flex models, except the curve isn’t quite so extreme.

The most dramatic new “feature” introduced by LG, perhaps inspired by the Motorola Moto X (2014), is to the material used in the design. You will, perhaps, have already seen the brown, leather-backed edition in the teaser material released by the company.

Well, that’s a standard (albeit premium) finish on the G4, and it isn’t available only in brown. There’s a whole range of different colours, all of which look very fetching, with precise, close stitching running down the centre and the G4 logo debossed into the leather in the bottom-right corner.

There’s even differentiation in the type of leather used, depending on the colour, with a smooth, close-grained briefcase finish on the brown and burgundy versions, and a coarser more open grained leather used on the pale blue, black, and light tan models.

Slightly less interestingly, the LG G4 also comes in plastic, in a fetching range of shades including a glossy “ceramic” white and titanium grey, with a subtle diamond pattern moulded into the shell.

We suspect most people choosing an LG G4 will go for the leather finish, which feels very nice indeed and looks great; the black version in particular is fabulous.

LG G4 review: Specifications and performance

It wouldn’t be a flagship launch without a specifications bump, so it’s hardly a surprise to see an improvement on that front. But at least LG is doing things differently from most of the competition, utilising Qualcomm’s six-core, 64-bit 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 SoC, which is backed by an Adreno 418 GPU, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.

Other specs include dual-band, dual-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi with support for MU-MIMO, Cat9 4G with download speeds of up to 450Mbits/sec, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC. What you don’t get is any kind of waterproofing or wireless charging as standard, although you can add the latter via an optional replacement back.

Those six cores are split in a dual-core/quad-core arrangement, running at frequencies of 1.8GHz and 1.44GHz respectively. On paper, and in testing, this delivers a mixed bag of results.

In the Geekbench single core tests it’s not that far behind the competition, but when it comes to multitasking, rival phones of a similar size stretch out more of a lead. In fact it lags behind all the market leaders at this screen size and above, including the 5.7in Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Google Nexus 6P, and the 5.5in iPhone 6s Plus.

It’s the same story in the GFXBench Manhattan benchmark, which tests the capabilities of the phone’s Adreno 418 graphics chip. In this test, it once again lags behind the major competitors at this screen size.

 

Of all the 5.5-5.7in phones launched in 2015, then, the LG G4 is the slowest. That‘s not to say this is a huge problem, though. Indeed, the LG G4 feels perfectly responsive in daily use, and I haven’t yet found a game that fazes it.

Elsewhere, battery life is an improvement on last year’s G3, both in terms of its capacity and according to the results in testing. Streaming a 720p video in flight mode with the screen set to a brightness of 120cd/m2 drained it at 6.3% per hour, while audio streaming over 4G drained it at 3.6%.

That can’t quite match the Samsung Galaxy S6’s figures of 6% and 2.8%, but it’s better than the HTC One M9 (9.7% and 2.6%). And with a user-replaceable battery, it’s more flexible than both.

LG credits the phone’s improved efficiency to a number of changes, not least a more efficient display. The G4 uses what LG calls “N-type liquid crystals”, which it says allow the light from the screen’s backlight through the structure of the liquid crystal more easily.

Reading between the lines, the benefit here isn’t intended to be extra brightness – the LG G4’s top brightness of 476cd/m2 is far from most eye-searing I’ve measured – rather a reduction in the amount of power needed to power the display to that sort of brightness in the first place.

Another of LG’s claims is that the screen is capable of producing a wider range of colours than other phones, in accordance with the DCI (digital cinema initiatives) standard, rather than sRGB or Adobe RGB. In practice, the G4 covers 97.9% of the sRGB colour gamut, which is highly impressive in itself, while producing a richer tapestry of greens and reds.

Colour accuracy, however, is tougher to assess, since even with the automatic brightness adjustment turned off, the display still adjusts the intensity of the backlight depending on what’s displayed onscreen. To the eye, though, the LG G4’s display has plenty of impact, is as crisp as anyone needs, and the colours really leap from the screen.

LG G4 review: Cameras

Smartphone cameras have been really moving on of late, and LG appears to be keeping pace here, upping the resolution to 16 megapixels from the G3’s 13 megapixels, and the aperture to f/1.8, outdoing the f/1.9 aperture on the Samsung Galaxy S6’s rear camera in the process.

What this boils down to is that there’s more light hitting the sensor. More light means you can use faster shutter speeds and/or lower ISO sensitivity settings. And this means sharper pictures that are lower in noise.

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LG doesn’t stop there, though. It has also improved the optical image-stabilisation (OIS) system as well, adding “Z-axis feedback” this time around. The laser-assisted autofocus from the G3 also remains in place, helping the camera produce sharp photos quickly, not to mention a new “colour-spectrum sensor”, which is used to set white balance and flash temperature correctly.

With near-identical core specifications to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge’s camera (16-megapixel, f/1.9, 1/2.6in sensor, OIS, phase-detect autofocus), the G4 ought to deliver a decent-quality snap, and that it certainly does. In daylight, photos are crisp and well exposed – the autofocus system really helps when shooting from the hip, and in terms of general quality, it’s a match of the Samsung phone.

In low light the G4’s camera beats the S6’s in some respects, delivering a sharper, less noisy image, but in testing the LG didn’t always choose the correct white balance. Under fluorescent strip lights, for instance, white and light grey shades were tinged with yellow. So much for the colour spectrum sensor.

If you use the phone’s impressive manual mode, however, and set the G4 to shoot in raw (DNG format) and JPEG, you’ll be able to rescue those images, as well as maintain fine control over shutter speed, white balance, ISO sensitivity, exposure compensation and focus. There’s even an auto-exposure lock facility so you can make sure the settings don’t change from one shot to the next. It’s just a pity that LG doesn’t extend this level of control to video capture, which remains automatic-only.

The front camera, as is the current trend, is now a high-resolution, 8-megapixel unit, and there’s a host of enhancements to the camera software. You can now double-tap the volume-down button when the phone is in standby to launch the camera and take an instant shot. 

There’s also a rather gimmicky – and fairly pointless – “gesture interval shot” selfie mode that, simply put, lets you take a sequence of shots two seconds apart by opening your hand and clenching your fist in front of the camera a couple of times.

LG G4 review: Software

Naturally, there’s also the usual raft of improvements to LG’s UI overlay. The biggest is the new Smart Bulletin service that, with a swipe left from the homescreen, brings up a card-based view presenting notifications from a small handful of preselected apps, such as LG’s Health app, the calendar, the QRemote app and a few others. You can customise the view by dragging elements around and switching the various services on and off, but turning it off is probably the best thing to do with this.

LG has also upgraded the gallery app. It now has a feature called “Memories”, which organises photos and videos into event-driven albums – a bit like Google Photos does with its Stories feature, only offline. Of potentially more use is the “Timeline” feature, which allows you to view all the pictures you’ve taken in a given day, month or year, presenting a stream of tiny thumbnails in one or several large blocks.

LG’s smart suggestion system has also been improved with the ability to learn from your “lifestyle and usage patterns”, but I’m still not convinced by it. It seems to mainly present weather-based advice, such as “It will rain today starting in the afternoon. Gusty Winds. Be careful on the road.” This particular gem was delivered on a day when I’d travelled by train to work.

Elsewhere, owners of newish Volkswagens will appreciate the addition of support for its MirrorLink entertainment and navigation system; Google’s Docs, Sheets and Slides apps come preinstalled; and you also get 100GB of Google Drive space, free for two years, when you first sign in to the service using the LG G4.

LG G4 Android 6.0 Marshmallow update

At the end of 2015, LG began rolling out its update to Android 6.0 Marshmallow in Europe – so keep an eye out if you don’t have it already. It should be arriving in an over the air update very soon.It’s an update that doesn’t change much from a visual perspective – LG’s Android skin looks much the same as it did when the phone first launched – but it does add a bunch of new features that should make living with the phone easier. I’ve listed these below: 

This is an update that doesn’t change much from a visual perspective – LG’s Android skin looks much the same as it did when the phone first launched – but it does add a bunch of new features that should make living with the phone easier. I’ve listed these below: 

• Doze mode: puts the phone into a deep sleep when it isn’t in use, shutting down unnecessary background tasks and checking for notifications less often. The aim here is to save on standby battery consumption.
• Improved permissions requesters and management: apps now ask for permission to phone resources (such as the camera, GPS or calendar) on an as-needed basis, so you don’t have to accept a long list of prerequisites before you’ve even had a chance to use the app. It’s also now possible to switch individual permissions on and off so you can prevent certain apps from accessing your phone and contacts.
• Now on Tap: hold the home key down for a second or so and up pops a selection of search results based on text the software has found on-screen.
• Silence and Do not disturb modes: With Marshmallow, the ability to silence the phone completely has been brought back, and there’s now much easier-to-understand Do-not-disturb mode.

LG G4 review: Verdict

We’re not bowled over by the software improvements, but that doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for the LG G4. It’s incredibly hard to be different in the smartphone world, and yet by being bold, LG has managed to pull it off.

Critically, it hasn’t compromised on performance, battery life or camera quality, and by retaining both a microSD slot and a removable battery, the G4 will appeal to a whole tranche of customers to whom flexibility is most important.

Contract prices aren’t cheap right now. You’ll be paying at least £35 per month for a free phone on contract, which is around the same as you’ll pay for an S6. However, reasonable SIM-free prices – starting at £500 for the plastic-backed edition, ramping up to around £520 for the leather one – suggest that, eventually, contract prices will wind up a notch or two below Samsung’s flagship.

So, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 remains the price-no-object smartphone of choice, the LG G4 is best option for everyone else. It’s a highly impressive smartphone, and one that – refreshingly – does things a little differently.

LG G4 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The LG G4 is a better all-rounder than any other Android phone bar the Samsung Galaxy S6 right now, but there are a couple of rivals that offer something a touch different and, therefore may be worth considering instead.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Price when reviewed: £600

On the Android side, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 runs the LG G4 incredibly close for the crown of best big-screened smartphone. Its high-DPI, 1,440 x 2,560 pixel screen is 0.2in larger than the LG G4’s, and although the phone itself is a touch larger as a result, image quality is slightly superior to the G4.

The Note 4’s battery life and performance are better as well; where it can’t live with LG’s handset is camera quality. The LG G4’s wider aperture and OIS help it deliver excellent shots in all conditions, and although the Note 4 is certainly no slouch in this department it’s not quite at the same level. I’m also of the opinion that LG’s Android overlay is a mite less intrusive than Samsung’s.

The feature that might persuade you to head in the direction of the Note 4 is its pressure-sensitive stylus. This allows you to create handwritten notes and sketches, clip screenshots and enter text via handwriting recognition. Plus, the Note 4 also has a heartrate sensor on the rear.

You can read the full Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review here.

Google Nexus 6P

Price: £449 inc VAT, 32GB

 

The current king of all phones is the Google Nexus 6P. Manufactured by Chinese telecoms giant, Huawei, the 5.7in 6P is a triumph of elegant design, combined with potent hardware and streamlined software. It’s quite simply the finest smartphone money can buy, and the best thing about it is it doesn’t cost the earth. A mere £449 will net you this stunning piece of hardware – nothing else comes close. Click here to read our Nexus 6P review

	LG G4 specifications
Processor	Six-core (dual 1.8GHz and quad 1.44GHz), Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
RAM	3GB
Screen size	5.5in
Screen resolution	1,440 x 2560, 538ppi (Gorilla Glass 3)
Screen type	IPS
Front camera	8MP
Rear camera	16MP (f/1.8, phase detect autofocus, OIS, 1/2.6in sensor size)
Flash	Dual LED with colour spectrum sensor
GPS	Yes
Compass	Yes
Storage	32GB
Memory card slot (supplied)	MicroSD
Wi-Fi	802.11ac (2x2 MU-MIMO)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.1 LE, A2DP, apt-X
NFC	Yes
Wireless data	4G, Cat9 (450Mbits/sec download)
Size (WDH)	75 x 8.9 x 149mm
Weight	155g
Operating system	LG UX 4.0 (based on Android Lollipop 5.1)
Battery size	3,000mAh
Price and availability
SIM-free price	Plastic back, around £500; leather back, around £520
Contract price	From free on a £35/mth 24mth contract