It's hard to create a flagship smartphone that stands out from the oversupply. When you go into a shop and see the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, iPhone 5s, Nokia Lumia 1020, Moto X and others staring back at yous, specifications and features blur together, making a decision to purchase 1 more hard than ever before.

LG G2 - $570 (unlocked)

  • five.2", 1920 x 1080 Truthful-HD IPS+ LCD brandish (424 ppi)
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC
  • 2.3 GHz quad-cadre CPU, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM
  • 32 GB internal storage
  • thirteen MP photographic camera, BSI sensor, f/2.Ten lens with OIS, 1080p 60fps video
  • iii,000 mAh, eleven.4 Wh battery
  • LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/due north/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
  • Android 4.2.two 'Jelly Bean'
  • 143 grams, 9.1mm thick

What has LG done to make that purchasing decision easier? They've jam-packed well-nigh every feature yous can imagine into the G2, from a powerful Qualcomm Snadpdragon 800 SoC and a 1080p display, to an optically stabilized camera and finely tuned software. LG has conspicuously thrown everything they can into this device, and on paper it looks close to a consummate handset parcel.

Even though the G2 may come with a solid listing of specifications, a listing doesn't reveal how well the features work together, or how fluid the feel is going to be. Is the LG G2 going to be that ideal competitor to the feature-rich Galaxy S4? Or has LG spent too much time packing in specs and not enough fourth dimension on refinement?

The LG G2 (AT&T model LG-D800) used in this review was kindly provided by Negri Electronics. No matter where yous are in the world (including Australia, United states of america, and abroad), Negri will provide you unlocked smartphones and tablets kickoff and for very competitive prices.

Design

Permit's start with the most interesting aspect of the LG G2'south design: the strangely-positioned rear buttons. Rather than having the power and volume buttons in their usual positions around the edge of the handset, LG has placed them below the camera on the back panel. The idea is that past removing the buttons from the edge, the display can stretch as far as possible to either side of the device, delivering minimal bezel.

The thinness of the bezel to the left and the right of the brandish is impressive, and allows the v.2-inch display to fit into a body that'due south effectively the aforementioned size of 5-inch devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S4. Nevertheless by moving the buttons to the rear of the device, information technology takes a couple of weeks after you lot first utilize the G2 to adapt to the odd positioning; without fail yous'll go to press the side or peak of the device to turn it on, and not be able to find a button to practice then.

After you've adjusted to the unusual positioning, it actually becomes really comfortable to use. LG has placed the button in exactly the right spot on the rear console and then that it doesn't require an awkward hand position to access, and I had no issues trying to find the push without having to see it. For those people who find it abrasive to access, LG has packed a software feature that allows you to double-tap the display to plow information technology on.

The front end of the LG G2 appears swish, with a unmarried piece of toughened glass protecting a dominating brandish. Next to the speaker grill on the top console there's a front end-facing camera, sensor array, and the ever-useful notification light. Combined with a smoothen drinking glass panel, the border-to-edge display and the lack of a rim effectually the front panel, the display is an absolute pleasance to use.

The back of the G2 is fabricated of smooth plastic with diagonal highlights, which is disappointing in ii ways: the plastic panel is a major fingerprint magnet, while it too looks and feels a little inexpensive. It doesn't appear as cheap as the Galaxy S4'southward design, simply when you have a well-crafted front panel, it's a little bit of a letdown when the back hasn't received the same polish.

The handset is comfortable to hold thanks to the curved design. LG wasn't all that interested in breaking slimness records, with the device measuring 9.1mm thick, only it's unlikely you lot'll experience the size in your hands, or intendance. Through keeping the device this size, LG has managed to pack in an xi.4 Wh bombardment, and in virtually cases information technology's preferable to have a large battery rather than a 6mm thin telephone.

All the ports on the G2 are constitute on the bottom edge, with the microUSB port in the middle and the 3.5mm headphone jack to the left. Interestingly there are two speaker grills on this panel too, although at that place's only a speaker behind one of them; the other one is fake, included only for pattern reasons. The top edge has a small-scale IR LED to facilitate the TV control functionality, forth with a microphone.

Information technology'southward non the nicest design I've seen for a flagship smartphone, but the LG G2 is ergonomic and functional, with the large display fitting snugly into the front end panel with minimal bezel. Surprisingly, the rear buttons are easy to employ, and information technology makes an interesting change-up to the standard smartphone layout.

Brandish

Each year, smartphone display technologies reach new milestones. In 2022 nosotros saw the introduction of 1080p, alongside meaning improvements in both AMOLED and LCD panel quality. The G2 features a 5.ii-inch Truthful-HD IPS+ TFT LCD console produced by LG with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, for a pixel density of 424 pixels-per-inch; it'south undoubtedly a quality display.

LG's v.2-inch IPS brandish used on the G2 occupies 74.v sq. cm, which is approximately 76% of the device's front panel. The 0.2" size increment compared to the Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z'due south displays is noticeable, and through occupying a meaning portion of the device'southward front you get the illusion that the display is even larger.

The device features on-screen buttons for home, menu and dorsum which reduces the effective screen size to 4.9" diagonally in almost applications. When watching videos, though, the total 1080p display is purposed, and compared to the Galaxy S4's low control buttons, the G2'due south are in a comfortable position at the bottom of the display. Interestingly you can change the layout of these buttons in the settings, choosing to add in a fourth to pull down the notification console or launch QuickMemo. I was a little disappointed that yous couldn't add in an app switcher push, just this can still exist accessed through long-pressing the home button.

The True-HD IPS+ TFT LCD panel is brilliant, vibrant and color-accurate, making images pop without falling into the trap of oversaturation. The brandish exhibits strong, even black levels, with but very slight backlight drain forth the pinnacle edge; this allows the console to take superb contrast, with untinted whites also adding to the bundle.

The True-HD IPS+ applied science delivers impressive viewing angles, with only slight dips in effulgence (and no colour amending) when viewing the display at angles other than the normal. This is helped by very few layers betwixt the LCD crystals and the drinking glass, which also makes the display appear as if it's role of the glass layer, rather than sitting far beneath information technology. The screen also features a polarization layer for increased visibility in straight sunlight. Generally speaking I was impressed with how the display tin be seen outdoors.

The pixel density of the 1080p display is admittedly fantastic, and it helps make images and text on the screen expect equally skilful every bit paper. At 424 ppi yous won't exist able to define individual pixels without some sort of magnifying glass, with the brandish having awesome clarity and no jagged edges to speak of. Also, as the LCD panel uses a standard RGB subpixel matrix as opposed to a PenTile matrix seen on AMOLED displays, the G2's console looks a notch crisper than, say, the Galaxy S4's brandish.

Comparing the G2's brandish to other flagship smartphone displays, I'd put it very close to the peak. It certainly has meliorate viewing angles than Sony'southward eIPS LCD (Xperia Z), information technology's brighter than Samsung'south Super AMOLED (Galaxy S4), it's more than vibrant than Nokia's AMOLED (Lumia 925) and larger, just slightly less color accurate than Apple tree's IPS LCD (iPhone 5s). I still charge per unit the Super LCD iii panel used on HTC's devices as the all-time I've seen, simply the wide strengths of the LG's True-HD IPS+ console make it a very solid inclusion in the LG G2.