Table of Contents
Connectivity –
Connectivity is one of those no-brainer sections for any smartphone manufacturer. The funny thing however is the fact that there are still a few smartphones out there that are lacking in a section such as this. Is the LG G4 decked up or does it fall short ?
Lets find out -The LG G4 comes with a complete connectivity package. You have 4G/LTE connectivity, in supported regions. If your region doesn’t support 4G yet, don’t fret, once it does , your LG G4 will be able to use it to the fullest.WiFi 802.11ac is no surprise at all. I mean , where is the sort in smartphone is it doesn’t support something as fundamental as WiFi , right?
Anyway, you can connect to any router there is , plus you also get Bluetooth 4.1 for faster Audio streaming.If you are into Wireless content streaming, then you also have DLNA and Miracast ( Which basically mirrors your phone screen on your TV or any compatible display ).Lastly, you have the very nifty IR port , which will allow you to control your TV , Audio devices, DTH devices and even Air conditioners from your device. I have used the IR ports on various devices, but I must hand the win to the Q Remote that comes with the LG flagships.
So, if I was describe the connectivity package of the LG G4 in one word it will be – Perfect.
Performance –
If you look at the quick spec list above, you will see that the LG G4 comes loaded with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset, while its sibling, the G Flex 2 comes with the newer 810 chipset. So, the question is, why didn’t LG equip their flagship with the top dog of mobile chipset, and instead gave it the second best ?Well, to tell you the truth, I feel LG did the right thing by doing this way because , while it may be true that the Snapdragon 810 is definitely better than the 808, performance tests have revealed that the 810 has temperature issues, which lead the chipset and in effect, the entire device to heat up , which degrades the performance of the device in the long run. The 808 may be a subdued version of the 810 but it will give a consistent performance going forward, and its still a visible upgrade over the LG G3. Technically speaking, the Snapdragon 808 is built on the big.LITTLE architecture, where we have two Cortex A-57 cores in the big cluster , and four Cortex A-53 cores in the LITTLE cluster. We also get the Adreno 418 GPU, which is one of the best in the market, but when it comes to rendering QHD, it might have its work cut out. I am not saying it can’t render QHD, I am saying that there may be times when it will feel slightly overwhelmed.When the phone was taken through the routine performance benchmark tests, there were times when the Snapdragon 808 absolutely smoked the Snapdragon 810, but that was mores due tot he inefficiency of the latter than the brilliance of the former. However, when it came down to performing against the Galaxy S6 and its newly refurbished Exynos Chipset, The G4 stood no chance.So, when it comes to commenting on the performance package, all I can say is that, if you are someone who doesn’t like going too much into details about the performance benchmarks, and is only bothered about zero lags and a decent gaming experience, you can happily go for the LG G4. However, if you really want the best performing phone in the market, I would suggest that you consider the Galaxy S6 over the LG G4.
Camera –
At the time of release, the LG G4 boasted of having the most advanced mobile camera in the world. However, when their neighbours, Samsung released the S6, the fight got real. Anyway, the LG G4 comes loaded with a powerful 16 MP rear camera sensor , complete with Laser Autofocus, and Optical Image Stabilisation. To get a better picture, lets see what the G4 has over its predecessor, the LG G3.For starters, the G4 comes with a bigger 1/2.6″ sensor, which is positioned behind a wider f/1.8 lens, which is credited of letting in 80% more light than the G3. next thing that the company upgraded was the Optical Image stabilisation ,which now works around 3 axis instead of 2 in the G3. The Laser Autofocus feature has been brought back along with a new Colour Spectrum sensor, which basically detects ambient light for more accurate white balance.While the hardware has been given a very big revamp, the software is not far behind. The UI has been further simplified, and now features three primary modes – Simple, Basic and Manual. The first is plain old point & shoot with no options at all , then Basic gives you the usual phone camera options and finally, Manual gives you full control of the capable camera. The new camera comes with the 16:9 aspect ratio, which means that you end up covering more area horizontally , but not vertically. Also, LG has drastically increased dynamic range on the device, which means you don’t necessarily have to go for the 100% zoom tactic. However, if you really want to see the true prowess of the new camera, wait for night to come and whip out your G4 for some good old low light photography. Going a bit more technical, what happens is that the mare sensor takes the noise reduction levels all the way down, resulting in a lot of visible noise when you hit 100%. What happens due to this is that the G4 ends up preserving a hell of a lot more of detail than the G3, which is a big Plus.Another thing to note is that if you had a G3 and you wanted to do some low light photography, you would have to resort to the in built Night mode. However, if you have a G4 and you want to carry out the same task, you don’t need the Night mode at all. The camera acts off its own and shoots at 1/10s shutter speed, while the OIS keeps things stable.Next up, Selfies. Smartphones these days are being used for selfies than anything else, and thats why, it has become imperative for smartphone manufacturers these days , to cater to this whim of Users. The LG G4 shines here as well. The 8MP selfie snapper is one of the best join the business, and clearly outclasses the 2 MP shooter that came with the G3. Better Dynamic range, better details capture and better lighting settings means only one thing – Enviable Selfies.
