LG announces its new flagship G4 smartphone

LG has officially announced its next major flagship smartphone in its G series called the G4. The G4 comes with a hefty set of specs that are expected to make it a major player in the smartphone arena. The phone is set to launch on all major US carriers by the end of May or early June.

The G4 brings many great hardware and software advancements to the table that will make it a viable option for consumers when shopping for a new smartphone. The phone comes with a great display, processor, camera, plastic or leather backs, and apps. The phone brings many great specs to smartphone arena, but it has yet to be seen if it will be able to successfully compete against its top competitors that include Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S6.

Hardware

Display

The first thing one will notice when picking up the device and starting it up is the 5.5” IPS Quantum display boasting a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels with 538 ppi (pixels per inch). These high specs will make for brilliant HD display that will make the video watching experience great on the device. LG is calling their screen a Quantum display, which is actually an LCD display. LCD displays are a type of screen that are present on many smartphones currently on the market. LCD displays are known for producing down to earth colors that closely resemble those that we see every day. When holding the G4, users will notice that the display is slightly curved, which LG claims will reduce the likeliness of the screen breaking upon being dropped.

Camera

If there is one thing that cannot be overlooked when examining the G4, it’s the front and back facing cameras. The G4 comes equipped with a back facing camera that has a 16 megapixel sensor that will allow photography lovers to shoot clear and crisp photographs. The phone also comes with a front facing camera that has an 8 megapixel sensor that LG claims will allow people to take the “perfect selfie.” This camera will also come in handy when video chatting friends, perhaps on Skype, allowing for a clear streaming of video.

Body

The G4 will have two different types of styled backs. The first type consumers will be able to choose from is a plastic variant that will come in a variety of different colors. The second type of body style will be made out of genuine leather, which will also come in a couple of different colors. The leather variant of this smartphone definitely stands out when compared to other phones that stick to the more traditional plastic body. A leather phone is cool in concept, but it has yet to be seen if this type of material is good to use on phones. In order to prevent the leather from getting worn down, placing a case on the phone will probably be a good idea.

Software

Operating System

The G4 comes fully loaded with Android 5.1, more commonly known by the name Lollipop. The Android 5.1 OS on the G4 has been edited by LG in order to improve the look and feel of the Android experience. Since this smartphone comes with the latest version of Android, users will get to enjoy all of the latest features that are currently available on the new OS, in addition to the features that LG has added onto the phone.

Smart Notice

The G4 comes with a feature that is only exclusively available on LG smartphones called Smart Notice. This is an app that will provide users with information that their device feels is important to them at any particular moment. It can inform users of the current weather, give travel advice, display to users the features that are available to them on their device, and can do a variety of other tasks. Smart Notice is similar to a feature that is already baked onto every Android device called Google Now, which is a service that also provides information to users when it feels the information may be relevant. The Smart Notice and Google Now apps on these Android devices is basically the same the Siri feature on iPhones, which also provides information to users upon request.

Gallery

People that store a lot of photos on their phones are going to like the Gallery app on the G4. The Gallery app gives users the ability to organize photos into albums based on the time and location they were taken. These new capabilities will allow users to organize their photos in an intuitive manner that will make them easier to find when looking through the endless amount of photos most people keep on their phones.

Event Pocket

A killer feature that the G4 offers that cannot be overlooked is a unique calendar app called Event Pocket. This calendar will allow users to create events, and will suggest other events that may interest the user based on what they already have in their calendar. This feature will allow users to see what kinds of events are happening that are similar to the ones already scheduled on their phones. People that are always looking for things to do will enjoy this new and improved calendar app.

The G4 by LG is a great smartphone that offers great hardware and software advancements. With all of these cool new features, the G4 brings many great things to the smartphone arena. The G4 by LG has great specs, but so do other phones that are currently on the market. It has yet to be seen whether or not consumers will pick this phone over other top smartphones. Nonetheless, this smartphone is a great device that offers an alternative to the other phones already on the market.