**** Official LG G4 Discussion Thread ****

[Marketing]

^^I bought myself a dash micro incase the lack of a micro sd slot on my s6 causes me problems though I doubt it will tbh and apparently the s6 is getting RAW with the next update.

Yeah it is getting RAW, I believe - just the lack of micro SD with 20mb RAW files looks like a disaster waiting to happen Dash micro is a possibility, actually, albeit a little inconvenient.

Apart from the storage options, the two phones are virtually neck and neck. The S6 would be better for me given my tiny hands, but - as I say - 32gb is really not enough anymore and 64gb is priced too high for me

 

[Scottland]

Yeah it is getting RAW, I believe - just the lack of micro SD with 20mb RAW files looks like a disaster waiting to happen Dash micro is a possibility, actually, albeit a little inconvenient.

Apart from the storage options, the two phones are virtually neck and neck. The S6 would be better for me given my tiny hands, but - as I say - 32gb is really not enough anymore and 64gb is priced too high for me

Try both out, despite being bigger the G4 has better ergonomics (for me at least).

 

[konicky]

Very tempted to get this myself. The capability of taking photos in RAW, alongside having expandable storage makes it very attractive.

Bear in mind that the RAW output won't be like that of a DSLR where often all you need is a bit of sharpening. All sorts of software shenanigans go on inside a smartphone in order to get an acceptable JPEG out of the tiny sensor and optics!

 

[mahius]

BATTERY LIFE DETAILS!

TLDR Great battery Battery seemed great until real world use

I'll also add that this phone is very fast and responsive. Apps opened up almost instantaneously and there was no noticeable lag of any sort. I'm happy with that.

Very tempted to get this myself. The capability of taking photos in RAW, alongside having expandable storage makes it very attractive. If the S6 didn't cost so much for a 64gb version, I'd probably get one instead of the G4.

Currently using a three year old flagship with a non-removable battery... about time I upgraded!

Same here. I was looking forward to the S6, but the lack of expandable storage and the ridiculous price killed any chance. The great performance, expandable storage and apparently great battery life led me to buy this phone at a more reasonable cost.

The sad thing is, my 128GB microSD (Samsung EVO brand btw) I ordered from Amazon is taking appallingly long to arrive, so I've got no expandable storage and my music screams to move off my terrible Windows 8 tablet. Especially since WMP has given up on all of my playlists. And I won't put in the measly 32GB one from my S4, it doesn't hold all my music.

I miss the user interface from the S4, still haven't got used to the G4's UI quite yet. Especially as the back and menu buttons are switched around from the S4. Except the menu button just takes you back to the home screen, like pressing the middle button on the S4. There doesn't seem to be actual 'menus' on the G4. Something that annoys me a tad. The right side button on the G4 is equivalent to holding down the middle button on the S4, shows you list of current running apps/windows and lets you close them or go to them. That lack of menu button is a tad annoying, but just another bit of the UI I'll have to get used to.

What kind of battery life are you guys getting?

BATTERY LIFE TESTED!


So the battery on the G4 is shocking ...ly good. (Disappointing for actual use).
To compare it to the battery of my Galaxy S4, the G4 has a bathtub compared to the S4's sink. It takes longer to fill, but also takes longer to empty. That's what my initial tests seemed to suggest

It did take a disappointingly long time to charge via USB connected to a USB port, but the phone did pop up saying that it can be charged faster via the mains. Unfortunately I don't have any spare sockets. I did charge it with the charging cable for my S4 though, why bother unpacking the one that came with the G4?

The first thing I tested was battery depletion from idle. I put both the G4 and S4 at 100% with Wi-Fi on to receive notifications and vibration (for the notifications). The G4 seemed to have quicker update time, partly because I selected so in the settings trying to make it the same as the S4. And the vibration was more powerful/louder. Thus the G4 was vibrating more and more often. Occasionally I'd check both phones to dismiss the notifications and such, a bit more on the S4 though.

Despite all that, by about 3 or 4 hours the S4 had gone down to 94% and the G4 remained at 100%. It was at 100% a few hours later still when I decided to test battery life playing music. I should have charged it back up to max, but the phone said said 100% so technically it was fully charged.

I remember LG claimed that this phone had such good battery usage that it could handle continuous music playback for some number of hours above 40. So I attached my Audio-Technica over-ear headphones (noise-cancelling, works both ways to an extent), put a song with decent bass on repeat and slept on it. Almost 11 hours later the battery read 86%. I check to see if the song was still playing and it was. Calculating the full capability, the battery should last over 60 hours of continuous music playback! I love it!

Next I tested video, after charging it back to 100% of course. I put on a 10 hour music video streamed from Youtube, with the headphones still attached. About a couple hours later, the phone was at 74% battery. Not bad, that would give it at least 7 hours of continuous video playback.

The only thing I haven't tested is battery usage while reading. This is partly because I don't have my microSD card yet to put PDF files/books onto. But so far, I'm impressed.

Edit: Actual normal use is the opposite. In just a few minutes of fiddling around in settings, battery usage dropped to 98 from 100.

 

[Marketing]

Try both out, despite being bigger the G4 has better ergonomics (for me at least).

Given both a very quick go, unfortunately they both helpfully had the huge security bits on the back which made actually holding them incredibly challenging

Bear in mind that the RAW output won't be like that of a DSLR where often all you need is a bit of sharpening. All sorts of software shenanigans go on inside a smartphone in order to get an acceptable JPEG out of the tiny sensor and optics!

Oh, yeah, definitely - still would be better to have the option than not having it! Makes using Lightroom much more enjoyable.

Same here. I was looking forward to the S6, but the lack of expandable storage and the ridiculous price killed any chance. The great performance, expandable storage and apparently great battery life led me to buy this phone at a more reasonable cost.

Pretty much the same issue for me. I'll probably go for a 64gb micro sd, unless there is a cracking deal on a 128gb model.

Relating to the rest of your post on charging, I believe the device has Quickcharge 2.0, so you should see pretty dramatic speed increases via mains.

 

[Christmas themed thank]

Were these tests performed via WiFI? That would significantly reduce the battery drain.

What we need is a real world test, i.e. use the phone reasonably heavily throughout the day on mobile data only and tell us the screen-on time.

 

[Scottland]

Relating to the rest of your post on charging, I believe the device has Quickcharge 2.0, so you should see pretty dramatic speed increases via mains.

Doesn't come with a quick charge charger though

 

[Warp279]

Yeah it is getting RAW, I believe - just the lack of micro SD with 20mb RAW files looks like a disaster waiting to happen Dash micro is a possibility, actually, albeit a little inconvenient.

Apart from the storage options, the two phones are virtually neck and neck. The S6 would be better for me given my tiny hands, but - as I say - 32gb is really not enough anymore and 64gb is priced too high for me

Whats the disaster?
Just get a dual usb and you can transfer files with ease.

Spoiler

 

[dl8860]

BATTERY LIFE TESTED!

This is insane. Are you sure your model hasn't come with a nuclear reactor attached? I almost don't believe you. Was the screen on for that entire 10 hours music video?

 

[mahius]

Relating to the rest of your post on charging, I believe the device has Quickcharge 2.0, so you should see pretty dramatic speed increases via mains.

I thought it required an additional purchase for appropriate charging cable or something. I.e. no QC 2.0 out of the box.

Were these tests performed via WiFI? That would significantly reduce the battery drain.

What we need is a real world test, i.e. use the phone reasonably heavily throughout the day on mobile data only and tell us the screen-on time.

All tests did use Wi-Fi, read the post. I know it's long but I did mention Wi-Fi was on. I didn't use mobile data, for 2 reasons, firstly I moved the SIM back to the S4. Secondly and most importantly, I get terrible signal for mobile data/connection in my flat. Most of the time I can't make phone calls unless I'm near the window. Anyhow, I understand your concern on the real-world test thing. I'll test it tomorrow since I won't be leaving home for any reason today and thus can only use Wi-Fi today.

This is insane. Are you sure your model hasn't come with a nuclear reactor attached? I almost don't believe you. Was the screen on for that entire 10 hours music video?

Once again, read the post. I said after 2 hours of video playback, the battery was 74%. I didn't take it to the full 10 hours since if the battery dies before 10 hours, I wouldn't know how long it lasted. And of course the screen was on for all of the playback, otherwise the video wouldn't be playing.

So, I'll get back to everyone after proper use over the next few days. I'm moving out and will be going on a long drive or few. I would stream via Soundcloud (using mobile data) for the journey(s) but the connection often cuts out during the long stretch of the M4 and ends up resetting the file, playing it from start. And I can't put it back to the right place while driving, I don't want to crash while trying to fiddle with a phone. But that's on the S4, perhaps the G4 won't do that. At the very least data will be on and the phone would be used as normal. Expect more info either on Sunday or Monday.

 

[dl8860]

Ah apologies, didn't read carefully enough. Still great numbers though, I hope it lasts for you and isn't just a honeymoon period.

 

[kona786]

So I've got my LG G4 and I'm very impressed. Its a huge upgrade from the moto g. The screen is out of this world. I've been playing with it all day. Nest phone ever, much better than the S6.

Much better than the S6? In what way?

 

[kona786]

Imo screen is much better on the S6.better colours, brightness and white point.

And the video camera and mic is also miles better on the S6. Also the better GPU in the S6 will only help on the long term.

IMO the camera and replaceable battery/sd slot are the G4's main strenths. I also like the curved round back design.

 

[Scottland]

Personally I felt like the S6 was quicker, but you'd be hard pushed to notice much difference. Battery seems better than the S6 to me.

The camera itself is probably about the same all things considered, but manual mode is far better than Samsung's.

 

[NeedAUsername]

It ha a better screen. It feels better. It has a better spec, i.e. the battery and memory card.

Overall I have nothing to complain about. You are best off just going to a phoen shop and comparing the two side by side.

The whole 808 vs 7420 argument is a load of rubbish. I've been using the phone and there has been no lag at all.

No chance its better than a SAMOLED screen. SAMOLED is superior. The Exonys is faster. You could notice lag in apps or games that use a lot of power. Won't be enough to power all the pixels and performance will suck bad like the G3. The benchmarks are already in favour of the S6.

 

[IvanDobskey]

I like the look of the g4 but to say it's better than the S6 is just wrong.

It has a couple of advantages, namely the removeable battery and sd slot. So I guess if you can't do without those it is better for you.

But I'd say the S6 is better built, has a better screen and a faster processor.

 

[mahius]

So I've been using it properly as I should have. I still have all the original plastic on the side same as sharp910sh. It may just be the dodgy connection and constantly losing network/gaining it, but battery life from actual use is rather unsatisfactory. I spent about an hour last night fiddling with settings and such while music and multiple apps were running in the background. Battery went down to 92. That would make it roughly ten hours of intense use, perhaps less depending on my time estimation. Maybe my expectations are high, but time will tell.

I've also had some annoyances with some of the apps like email and alarm, staples of my daily use. Alarm doesn't allow for vibration only and the email app is just too fiddly, I can't easily select and mark all emails as read. I guess in these two cases, I'd have to download more superior third party apps. But this was never required on the S4, whose default apps (bar a few like the browser) were good enough.

I must also reiterate how this phone is almost impossible to use with one hand for folks with small hands (e.g. this morning when I was still in bed and wanted to check the time).

Oh and I did mention the lack of a proper menu button before, turns out that the right button must be held down to access the menu in most apps. Of course, some apps like the built in email don't really need it.

I'll also add in a thought about the 1440p screen resolution. Some folks have said such a resolution is unnecessary on a smartphone and I used to disagree. But having actually now used a 1440p phone for a while, it doesn't actually add much and I feel like it reduces battery life (which is otherwise great when the screen is off).

I feel like an overexcited child caught up in the hype. Initial impressions of the phone were good, but having used it, I'm not liking it. I'll give it a chance over this weekend. Otherwise I may factory reset and return it as I have all the original packaging and I've been very careful with the phone, so as not to get any marks on it. Apologies to all those who I might have misled. Hopefully this phone can redeem itself over the weekend. Or it may be soon replaced with the Xperia Z3+ whenever that releases. I feel like such a fool for my indecision. Hopefully the phone redeems itself over the weekend.

 

[Christmas themed thank]

Did LG fire all their battery engineers after the release of the G2?

 

[lmfy2k]

thanks for the feedback mahius

@AlecR, looks that way mate!

 

[Rimsy]

battery life from actual use is rather unsatisfactory. I spent about an hour last night fiddling with settings and such while music and multiple apps were running in the background. Battery went down to 92. That would make it roughly ten hours of intense use, perhaps less depending on my time estimation. Maybe my expectations are high, but time will tell.

Maybe? I'm not sure if you're on a wind up here but loosing 8% after using ANY phone for an hour is phenomenally good...