LG is definitely no stranger in the smart device ecosystem. The electronic giant has produced one of the greatest Smartphone in the year 2013: the LG G2.
The Android powered phone is arguably one of the best devices in the world with specifications that surmounts most of the phones one can ever think of. One of the most impressive lists of specifications of the phone is Qualcomm’s latest and ultrafast Snapdragon 800 processor which makes up the heart and soul of the device. Its 13MP camera also boasts of the best Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) of all Smartphone available.
The phone has a completely new design giving it a unique, distinct look and feel in the hand. The G2 has an unusual design with the physical control buttons behind the phone, just below the Main Camera and LED flash as compared to the conventional buttons appearing on the sides of most devices. Let’s take a quick rundown on the LG G2 review.
Design
The LG G2 is a good looking phone with great feel in the hand. The phone weighs 143g, has a 5.2 inch display with a Gorilla Glass screen that protects it from light scratches. The front of the phone does not have navigation keys, the navigation keys are positioned on the display screen.
LG did a great job with the G2, the control buttons have a completely different arrangement, the On/Off button which used to be on the top or right side and the volume button on the left side are being placed at the back of the phone.
I know this arrangement seem strange to a lot of people but one easily gets used to the arrangement after using the phone for about a week. Getting the phone powered from sleep mode by reaching for the power button might seem a lot of stress, but LG has compensated for that by simply double-tapping the screen.
The headphone jack and speakers are positioned at the bottom of the phone and the battery is non-removable.
Display
The G2 has a massive 5.2-inch IPS LCD display screen with 1920×1080-pixel, and pixel density of 423PPI, providing it with crisp and sharp images.
LG has included its Navigation keys (Home, Back and Menu) controls on the screen itself, making them always lit and nearly always accessible. There keys are customizable, meaning you can change the arrangement.
Hardware
The G2 has a 13MP camera with LED flash, geotagging, optical image stabilization, Time catch shot, smart shutter and panoramas. It also has a 2.1 MP front facing camera. The rear camera is capable of dual recording and can record 1080p full HD video with moving and still objects looking very sharp, thanks to the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) of the camera which made it easy to take shots and videos while on motion without giving blurry images or videos. Both cameras can also record simultaneously.
The phone has a 3,000mAh non-removable battery with talk time of about 18 hours and standby time of 29 days. Battery life is good and would take one throughout the day under light and normal use. There’s 2GB of RAM onboard that provides slick multi-tasking support, 4G LTE connectivity along with Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth are connectivity options.
There is a 32GB internal storage for the G2 but and its is non-expandable, meaning there is no micro SD card slot.
Software and features
The device runs on Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean and powered by a superfast 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, this makes the device very fast during use. Numerous Google apps like Youtube, Google maps, Gmail are available on the phone.
LG also added more widgets and features to the G2. It has a new user interphase and gesture control such as the Slide Aside which allows user to pull up and access three apps of one’s choice.
There is also a ‘KnockOn’ feature that allows you to wake the handset from sleep mode by simply double-tapping the screen, this double-tap also put the phone back to sleep.
Quick Remote enables the LG G2 act as a universal remote by using the Infrared at the top of the phone to control TV, Home theater systems and projectors
Guest Mode is a privacy protection setting that launches when a guest unlocks the phone by drawing a wrong pattern. This feature allows you to control sensitive apps and other areas of the device you don’t want others to access.
In conclusion, a discouraging element of the phone is the absence of microSD card slot but considering every aspects of everyday usage such as navigation, readability, processing, camera and battery, the LG G2 is a powerful device and it delivers an outstanding performance.