LG G2

Available now
7th August 2013

LG have been struggling to keep up with the smartphone competition recently, with arch-rivals Samsung taking most of the initiative in the Android market.

The new LG G2 attempts to address these issues by leapfrogging the competition with more power under the hood.. and more power in the battery, to come up with something that on paper challenges or beats the best of the competition in every sense. It must also win the prize for the most compact handset name of all time.

At first glance, the G2 isn't much of a looker, but a closer look shows a very large 5.2" display with a remarkably thin bezel on the front, and on the back (underneath the 13 megapixel primary camera) is a combined volume key / power switch / camera key and application quicklaunch button - placed on the back of the handset (where the user's index finger is likely to be) rather than on the side.

Inside is a blazingly fast 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU (the first of its kind) with 2GB of RAM and either 16GB or 32GB of onboard flash memory. Inside is a big 3000 mAh battery (bigger that the one in the Galaxy S4) which features a novel approach to power density that packs more power in the same space as a normal battery. The LG G2 is an LTE capable device in addition to all the usual connectivity features.

On the back, the 13 megapixel camera features optical image stabilisation (something that only Nokia have done before), plus a 2 megapixel camera on the front. The display is a 5.2" 1080 x 1920 pixel IPS panel with 423 ppi, which is just about the largest panel you can fit while keeping the handset width down to 2.7" or less.

The audio capabilities on the LG G2 include a 24-bit 192KHz playback which can deliver better-than-CD quality music, although whether or not most consumers will notice the difference is debatable.

The operating system out of the box is Android 4.2.2 rather than the latest Android 4.3 (we guess that will be coming soon). There are some LG UX enhancements, including a "Guest Mode" which allows limited access to the phone (useful for children!), "Slide Aside" multitasking plus remote control capabilities. There are a number of other interface improvements designed to make the handset easier to use including "Answer Me" which allows you to answer the phone by just putting it to your ear. LG have often lagged behind rivals with UI enhancements, but the G2 looks like a significant step in the right direction.

All the usual features are here such as WiFi, 3.5G connectivity, Bluetooth, GPS and GLONASS. There's no mention of NFC or wireless charging on the LG G2 though, which is a bit of a shame.

LG say that they have spent a great deal of time talking to consumers to see what they really wanted from a smartphone, and the G2 certainly has some interesting features. The LG G2 will be rolled out in South Korea first, followed by North America and Europe plus other key markets in either black or white colours. No timeline or pricing was given, but the LG G2 must compete with the Samsung Galaxy S4 which retails for around €500 for the 16GB model.