LG G4 Hands-on and First Impressions

Thanks to a series of leaks and tons of announcements from LG so far, it came as no surprise that the all-new LG G4 was revealed this morning. Live in New York City LG took the stage at the beautiful World Trade Center One Tower to unveil the new LG G4, and now that we have a few moments with the device, here are some first impressions. The spoiler looks and feels great in the hand, and the leather is beautiful.

The LG G4 has a sweet new genuine leather hand-stitched leather back (on select models), an impressive new 16-megapixel camera, a big and beautiful 5.5-inch display, and more. We knew all of this before the announcement, but now that we’ve got it, here’s what we think.

Last year the LG G3 was a good smartphone that had a lot to offer but fell short in a few areas. With fierce competition from Apple, HTC and Samsung, we knew LG would bring something good. While they haven’t made any major changes to the design, this is a brand new smartphone that all buyers should consider, and the best LG smartphone to date. The G4 is all about the camera, ease of use, and vegetable-tanned leather. Here are our first impressions.

Everything we didn’t like about the LG G3 has been completely revamped and improved with the G4 this year. The screen, camera and design have all changed. And while the overall aesthetic is nearly the same, there’s a lot to see (feel and do) with this phone. LG needs to compete with the aluminum Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, leather Moto X and more, and they did exactly that with the G4. They think they have a winner on their hands and we’ll have to agree by now.

The biggest difference between the new LG G4 and older models and other devices is how it feels in your hand. There are three plastic versions that US carriers will likely have; White, Silver, and Black all feature ceramic-infused plastic designs, but it’s the six new genuine leather rears that catch your attention. The camera and leather are the highlights of this phone, not to mention a simpler and cleaner version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, and it’s a versatile package that should captivate a large number of buyers when it launches.

In hand the LG G4 is nice, light but not cheap. Something all LGs know. Maybe the bright and vibrant new display is diamond-encrusted plastic or that fancy vegetable-tanned leather. We’re not sure, but we like how it feels in the hand. My first words were “ohh, that’s nice” which is something I rarely say about a smartphone these days as I have it all.

A different texture comes to the fore according to the skin color you buy. Textured rough leather on the back for Black, Light Blue, Yellow and Beige. The back is smooth for Maroon and Tan. Personally, smooth ridges feel the best. I want a smooth back with blue but beggars can’t be picky. They all look and feel great, and buyers will be delighted with any color they choose.

You have a unique design that looks and feels great with leather. It feels tougher in the hand than the Moto X, which should be more durable, but we’ll have to see how it holds up with the test of time. When you hold it in your hand, it is neither cold nor hot, it is much more beautiful when you hold it.

Of course, these are just numbers and we’ll have to spend more than a few minutes with him before we say more. So far the G4 is promising and runs extremely smoothly on Android 5.1 Lollipop device. Buttery smooth, even. Having top-of-the-line features is important, but having a device that’s smooth, stable, and has good battery life is crucial. LG claims the new Snapdragon 808 is more efficient as is the screen, so the same 3,000mAh battery will provide much better all-day battery life than last year’s LG G4.

The G4 has a great look and feel, a nice camera, a micro SD card slot and much more. This is one of the best phones to date and should compete nicely with the Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9. We’ve had zero issues or lags so far, and we’re pretty impressed with the interface. The G3 is similar to the Android 5.0 update, but works much better and has many important Android 5.1 fixes that Google rolled out in March. All other LG devices are on Android 5.0 or Android 5.0.2 Lollipop.

With the G4, LG added a new “spring design” to the phone’s shape. This means there is a slight curve or arc on the screen. It’s nothing like the Galaxy S6 Edge or LG G Flex 2, but it has a small curve that protects the screen when face down and makes it even more comfortable to hold if leather isn’t enough. We cannot stress enough how comfortable this device is in our hands. I really like what LG has done this year.

The other star of the show is LG’s impressive new camera. At the top of the page is a link with more details, examples and videos showing how it compares to the iPhone and Galaxy S6, and LG has a winner here too.

LG introduced laser autofocus on the G3 last year, and that has of course carried over to the G4. This time around, the 16-megapixel is 40 percent larger than what the G3 offers, paired with a 1/2.6-inch sensor, f/1.8 lens, and a second-generation optical image stabilization system (OIS). Now the camera’s OIS can handle twice the vibration as well as 3D movements.

Working great in low light, the F1.8 aperture lens is fast, fast, and both laser autofocus and optical image stabilization promise to deliver stunning images. Our first impressions are positive, but we’re not yet sure if this is any better than the Galaxy S6. Advanced controls for ISO, Shutter Speed, and more certainly do, but the result can be a mixed bag. We’ll update after we spend more time with the camera.

The design has the same nifty little bezels around the 5.5-inch display, and unfortunately there’s only a single speaker at the back. We were hoping for front-facing speakers but this year didn’t, so there’s at least one thing we can look forward to from the LG G5 in 2016.

A few things that don’t make an announcement on stage, as they focus on the skin and camera, are Samsung-like specs. A new LG Health app aims to track fitness, followed by Smart Settings, Quick Remote, and Q-Slide are still here, just as they were last year.

All said and done The LG G4 has a lot of competition these days and they hope all the effort will be enough for this new camera, Quantum HD display and genuine leather materials. Time will tell, but our first impressions are extremely positive. Give me the wireless charging and the blue skin on AT&T and this may well be my next smartphone. For those who don’t want a big Nexus 6 or the tiny 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 without a micro-SD slot, LG offers the G4. It has a bigger screen, better design, has a micro SD slot, and runs the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop. Nothing to dislike, at least not yet.

LG hasn’t announced a release date, but we’re hearing from late May to early June. They also haven’t revealed which carriers will offer what when it comes to colors and leather, but they’ll likely all be available in some form. We just got the LG G4, so stay tuned for lots of additional coverage, comparisons and more in the near future. If you have any questions, drop us a comment below and we will do our best to answer them all.