LG has also added another neat control trick that lets you skip hitting that power button to bring the phone back to life from standby, with a double tap trick on the screen. Basically, you just tap the screen twice to wake it up, with the phone returning via your passcode screen if that’s how you set it up.
You have to tap pretty hard, though, and we found it worked best when the phone was lying on a table.
The screen that you’re tapping on is larger than what we found in the Optimus G, and much better too.
Completely different, this one is 5.2 inches and supports the resolution of 1920×1080, also known as Full HD. With these two factors in play, LG has provided a pixel clarity of 423 pixels per inch, 100 pixels higher than what Apple provides in the much loved Retina-grade screens found on the iPhone 4S, 5S, and 5C.
Eyes-on, it’s a lovely In-Plane Switching (IPS) display boasting vibrant colours and decent viewing angles. Also, there’s quite a lot of brightness here, making it more than usable outdoors in sunlight.
Android’s version was 4.2.2 in our review handset, which isn’t the latest, but good enough for most, and includes LG’s own overlay, which offers an insane amount of customisation.
Practically everything here is modifiable, including what the notification LED lights up for, the arrangement and colour of the Android on-screen soft-buttons at the base of the screen, and even the level of vibrating haptic feedback, depending on the type of alert you’re receiving.
It’s a very customisable device, and we can’t stress this enough. Android has always offered a reasonable amount of flexibility, and you’ve pretty much been able to change the on-screen keyboard and look of the homescreens, however, LG’s G2 takes it to a place we’ve never seen before.
For many people, this will be exactly what they want. Others might see this amount of customisation as too much, and they can always just leave it alone.
We are, however, delighted to see that you can change the icons and shortcuts in the dock, which is something Samsung still seems to struggle with in this region, especially in the 2013 Galaxy phones.
Over on the multimedia front, LG has provided a 13 megapixel camera to work with on the back and a 2.1 megapixel unit on the front.
Most of the features for the rear camera appear to come from a lot of software integration, and include scene modes, ISO control, colour effects, voice-activated shutter, and, thankfully, the ability to turn off your shutter sound, which some smartphones require you to leave on.
Images from the camera are sharp and on par with other devices out there, and while it won’t replace a dedicated camera any time soon, we found the G2 was more than capable of creating some impressive shots.
The video mode includes with the typical 1080p 30 frames per second setting, and while the G2 doesn’t have the 4K capture ability found in the Samsung Note 3, it does sport a Full HD 1920 x 1080 60 frames per second mode, for people who like to add a slow-motion effect a bit later on.
LG’s music app comes with a neat feature, though, and that’s the ability to play lossless audio.
It’s a feature we haven’t seen advertised on any smartphone prior to this one, and means that people with a library of 24-bit audio files supporting as much as 192kHz can actually play back those files on the go.
You don’t need to convert tracks to a lower quality MP3 or AAC file, and can literally load up the device with high-end audio, which works a treat.
We tested it with audio from Milt Jackson, Robin McKelle, Mel Torme, The Dear Hunter, and Muse, and the clarity was completely noticeable in the FLAC versions we ran through the smartphone.
Also of note is that the native music player has a few built-in sound presets, though if you’re listening to lossless audio, you’re probably looking for the sound the way it was recorded and meant to be heard. We’re told that if you use a 24-bit file – which can come in at around 100MB per song – you won’t have access to the equaliser settings at all, though.
LG has also provided micro-apps for you to run over the top of everything else you’re doing.
Called “QSlide Apps,” these are similar to the apps that launch from the Galaxy Note 3’s Air Command, and let you run pint-sized versions of the calculator, web browser, and more, all of them sitting above what you’re normally doing, with you able to control how transparent they are or aren’t.
So this is the phone that rumours say the Nexus 5 will be based on? Pretty solid parent, especially if they add what it got wrong like more storage.
Happy with phone in most areas except battery – it only lasts me just over 12 hours.
Can not wait to get this phone. Here in the UK, just waiting for my NHS discount to come through and I will be getting a great deal. I don’t mind the 16Gb storage, I only use about 10Gb MAX. but usually only 8Gb. Also the battery is the best. The Samsung S4 battery only lasts 6/7 hours with the mobile data on. My friend unplugged hers at 8am and we met in town for a few hours. By the time it was 2pm the battery was in the orange zone and that was after turning mobile internet off. It has too much and can not handle it. But no complaints so far on the LG G2 from the 02 and carphone store my friend works at. No complaints or returns. But the Samsung has been returned lots due to poor battery and issues with it expanding when it gets hot and over heating issues. Obvious which is the safer option and most reliable option is the LG G2.