LG G4 Smartphone Review

The design of the G3 certainly impressive, and LG have made a few adjustments to make the G4 even more attractive and well-built.

For one, the rear casing has been modified slightly. Obviously the leather version is going to be new and different, but even the metallic grey model has changed, too. The phone's back is still made of plastic, with a brushed metal finish – but with a twist. It is now spotted with little diamonds with ribbed edges – meaning you can rub your finger over the back of the case and feel these little diamonds standing out from the plastic.

While it looks nice, it serves a practical purpose – the LG G4 is now very easy to grip, as it practically sticks to your hand like glue. A well thought-out move from LG.

The G4 is also slightly bigger – despite keeping the same 5.5-inch display as its predecessor. It is thicker at 9.8mm, longer at 148.9mm, and wider at 76.1mm – all of which gives it a screen-to-body ratio of 72.5%. This is only slightly less than the 75% ratio of the G3 – but it is still noticeable. The G3 greatly impressed with its slim bezels and ability to cram a large display into a relatively small space. The G4 is still a piece of impressive workmanship, just less so than its forebear which is perhaps slightly disappointing.

The new 16MP camera also comes with a slight cost – a protruding silver rim. This is very, very slight, however – it is not nearly as noticeable as the level to which the iPhone 6 camera protrudes, for instance. Still, for those of you who insist upon a completely smooth back, the G4 is not for you.

The rest of the design follows the general pattern of the G3 and the G2 before it. The on/off switch is still found at the back of the phone – which does take a while to get used to but actually feels more intuitive when you are accustomed to it. The back also has the same arced design, which is quite aesthetically pleasing and also does a good job of hiding the fact that the G4 is not the thinnest phone on the market.

As for the usual connectivity stuff, the microUSB port is bang in the middle on the bottom edge, with the 3.5mm jack just to its left. The volume buttons are either side of the on/off switch on the back of the handset.

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