Outside of the basic performance measurement, there are some cool extras that definitely grabbed our attention, and will likely get yours, including the simultaneous multitasking that brings the G Flex in line with Samsung’s Galaxy phones for running two apps at the same time in split screen.
Also included is the playback for 192kHz 24-bit audio through FLAC files, just like it was on the G2, though beware because these music files aren’t small and will eat into the storage quickly.
And things like the knock to wake up are still here, which is easy to activate but still requires a good solid knock, as well as an LED around the power button at the back to indicate when you have messages or when a camera timer is going off, and even the TV remote control.
But the LG G Flex is a first-generation idea, not just for LG, but also the world, since smartphones that are properly curved are a new thing, so it’s not surprising that some things don’t feel as high end as the idea and the price associated with it.
And one of these is the screen itself, which unfortunately isn’t as high end as the one that appears on the nearly identically spec’d G2 smartphone, which LG released a few months ago.
There’s nothing wrong with the screen, mind you. The colours are great, the contrast is excellent, and there are solid angles across the board. It will be clear for everyone, and with a 6 inch 720p display, the pixels clarity of 245ppi doesn’t make it a totally Retina bust for the iPhone, but is still excellent altogether.
That said, it’s not Full HD 1080p, which is something flagship Android devices have had all of last year, and even a Windows Phone, too.
With a thousand dollar price tag attached to this phone, the lack of a Full HD panel might surprise some, though given the screen is the first curved one on the market, we’re not totally bothered by it, and you shouldn’t be either.
One thing that may bug you, though, is the lack of expandable storage. We criticised the same issue on the LG G2, and it’s repeated here, bringing only 32GB of storage for your music, apps, games, photos, and videos, with no way of upgrading.
The bigger size of the G Flex may also not be to everyone’s liking.
Sure, it’s curved, but it’s also massive, and caters specifically to people who want the phablet style of handset, which LG in this country has never really had much of a hand in.
Now it does, and what a hand it is, with small hands likely to feel less at ease gripping the handset, while the bigger hands in our office loved it.
Really, it’s going to come down to picking it up in store and seeing if it’s for you, and combined with the controls on the back which can take some getting used to, really it’ll be that first few minutes with the phone that tells you if it’s ideal for you.
Conclusion
The first curved handset is indeed an interesting beast, bringing a creative solution to a problem that is beginning to plague handsets.
While every other manufacturer is leaning hard on protective glass coatings such as what Corning provides and mineral strengthened glass, the plastic OLED panel is a creative use of an idea that could seriously make everyone think twice. Combine that with a screen with solid colours and a phone with great performance, and you can see that LG has produced one of the most intriguing phones we’ve ever seen.
It won’t be for everyone, and part of that reason is the size — it’s just so big — but if you’re in the market for a big phone, and you want something that should survive even your hectic life, this is one phone worth checking out. Recommended.
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