The brand new LG G4 was announced this morning, and LG is directly targeting Apple and Samsung with its new camera inside the smartphone. It has an enhanced 16-megapixel F1.8 lens and the most advanced smartphone camera controls such as shutter speed priority makes this single camera capable. Here we compare it to the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 in a few areas that many will be excited about.
One of the many areas where the new LG G4 is better than last year’s G3 is the camera, and it’s not only better, it’s improved at a rapid pace. They’ve upgraded the lens to a 16-megapixel F1.8 shooter, improved the sensor by 40%, and added just enough control to make this camera a camera that can almost replace your DSLR. Below we show you the new quick launch feature and shutter speed options.
The F1.8 aperture means you get fast photos that look great even in low light conditions, while still getting as much detail as possible. This means that the new camera boots up incredibly fast, takes great photos no matter the situation, and can even take long exposure images at night for some truly unique photos that can’t be paired with the Galaxy S6 or the new iPhone. Let’s have a look.
The brand new LG G4 comes with a capable camera, a powerful 6-core processor and features a new handcrafted genuine leather design that comes in six different color options. Add that all to the same impressive device from previous years, the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop and more, and this should be a phone on any buyer’s radar.
One area that LG is making a lot of fuss about, in particular – and with good reason – is the new rear camera. While the front camera is great at 8 megapixels, what completes this deal is the 16 megapixel F1.8 aperture rear camera with optical image stabilization, laser autofocus and advanced controls. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 camera launches extremely fast with a double tap of the home button, and LG has a similar feature highlighted in our video below.
As you can see, the LG G4 can instantly launch the camera AND take a photo in less than a second. It actually takes 0.07 seconds to be accurate. This works incredibly well, but sometimes it will need to focus first, which invalidates the “under a second” claim. Still, it worked nearly every time in our tests and was faster than the Galaxy S6. You will never miss that precious moment anymore.
But wait, that’s not all this camera can do. A faster lens and larger sensor, enhanced OIS and laser autofocus, plus real settings and controls. Unlike any Android smartphone around, LG lets you take complete control of the camera. In the video below, we increased the ISO to let more light in in dark situations like night, added an 8-second shutter speed (something other Androids and iPhone 6s can’t do), and captured a picture of a moving device. The result is a long exposure image with stunning colors and outstanding detail. You can see the railings of the train, the details are clear and the lights are really necessary. You need to see (and use) to understand, but the hands-on example below will give you a better idea of what to expect.
Both the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 simply capture the motion picture, and photos become lousy in the dark. And this is tuned by LG, and while a few things can make both devices capture a better image, shooting with a moving subject at night is no easy task. However, the LG G4’s advanced camera and DSLR-type controls make capturing great images a breeze. We’re pretty impressed with it and can’t wait to try it ourselves.
And as a good measure, we took a couple of extremely quick photos with the LG G4 using stock settings right out of the box, with no user input required, and below are a few examples for those who want to see how good it is. It could be the camera.
The LG G4 has a 5.5-inch Quad-HD display, a great new camera, a massive 3,000mAh battery and a micro SD slot to expand storage, and it runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box. It has a lot to offer and should start hitting carriers in late May or early June. Stay tuned for more details, hands-on, videos, comparisons and more.
