LG's biggest rivals - HTC and Samsung - revealed their new flagships for 2015 at Mobile World Congress. The HTC One M9 looks like a repeat of the One M8, while the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge look more radical. Many might look to LG to offer a third path, and the company is already making the right noises to build anticipation for the G4.
LG has made some official statements, and leaks are starting to appear, so we're separating the wheat from the chaff to get you prepared for launch day.
LG G4 release date
LG announced the G3 in May 2014 and the company appears to be following the same release cycle with the G4 after an invite has appeared for an event in late April.The save the date for 28 April has the words: "See the Great. Feel the Great." Both with capital "G" letters to hint at what we can expect to see and feel. The invite also appeared to tease a brown leather finish, which suggested the G4 may be more premium than some leaks have revealed so far.
LG G4 display
Rumours have suggested we may finally see a handset with a truly bezel-free display, meaning the LG G4 could arrive with an edge-to-edge display that, if it's at least as good as the G3, will be 2K.LG recently showed off a 5.3-inch panel that has a Full HD LCD panel, but more crucially, a 0.7mm bezel. That makes the bezel narrower than the thickness of a credit card. The technology, which completely seals the edges, is called Neo Edge, according to LG. It was an early example of the screen, so if this appears in the G4, we'd expect the unit to be upgraded in resolution and size. LG's strength has been putting a large display into a handset that's still fairly compact, and we would expect the LG G4 to have the same aims.
Other speculation previously came from a user agent profile that appeared online for a phone thought to be the LG G4 sporting a 1620 x 2880 resolution screen and there were also a set of leaked images claiming to be early press renders hinting at a curved display. Not as curved as the G Flex 2, but more subtle like the LG Magna.
More recently however, LG has taken the interesting approach of announcing the screen it will be using in its new LG G4 flagship smartphone ahead of the launch of the phone at the end of this month. The company's display arm, LG Display, has confirmed that its new shiny screen is a 5.5-inch QHD LCD that delivers a "Quantum Jump in Color Gamut and Brightness".
It will also have as improved touch sensitivity and a richer and more accurate colours, with a 120 per cent colour gamut, exceeding the 100 per cent gamut offered on conventional panels for mobile devices. The QHD display has 1440 x 2560 resolution, four times higher than HD resolution (720 x 1280), and the number of pixels per inch is 538ppi.
The new screen also promises a 50 per cent higher contrast ratio and a 30 per cent brighter screen than "conventional QHD LCD panels". That should make it better for viewing when in bright outdoor conditions. There was no details on the bezel or whether the display will be curved, so while we know the size and resolution, the rest remains a mystery for now.
LG G4 design
LG has yet to commit to metal unibody design in the way that Apple and HTC have, with Samsung more recently joining the metal party. Will the LG G4 be metal? It doesn't look like it.LG's build has favoured lightweight and the company's skill is fitting a lot into a compact package - just look at the G3 as an example. We can't help feeling that the G4 will stick to plastics, stick to removable batteries, and stick to being light in weight, many of which its main competitors have now moved away from.
The @OnLeaks photo of what's claimed to be the G4 shows a plastic design like the G3, including removable rear case. It shows that "metallic" finish, which is actually just for looks, rather than being real metal. That said, a recently revealed official video highlighting what we can expect from the LG G4 camera shows a different lens to the one in the press shots so keep an open mind for now.
The invite for what is expected to be the LG G4 launch on 28 April also shows a brown leather background, suggesting a more premium finish could still be on the cards, or perhaps a couple of finishes will be available for the new flagship.
LG G4 specs
One thing that's near certain is that the LG G4 will have a 64-bit chip. With the LG G Flex 2 launched, we feel pretty certain that LG's next handset will stick to the same sort of specs.That means you can expect the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, which is 64-bit and supports Android 5.0 Lollipop. The G Flex 2 has 2GB of RAM, which would probably be sufficient in the G4, but there's always a chance that LG want to compete on the spec sheet with the likes of the SGS6 and HTC One M9, with 3GB.
A set of specs leaked to Greek website Techmanics suggested as much, and it seems reasonably believable.
LG G4 camera
The laser autofocus and optical image stabilisation of the G3 should make it to the G4, but we'd also like to see a higher resolution and 4K video at 60fps.Rumours suggest a 16-megapixel sensor will be used on the G4, meaning a slight bump over the G3 which has a 13-megapixel snapper. It's a relatively minor change, but the G3 camera is a pretty good performer already, so we have high hopes. Expect a top selfie camera too of at least 5-megapixels as that's fast becoming the trend.
An official teaser video gives an indication of what the rear camera of the LG G4 will look like, as well as detail that we can expect an f/1.8 aperture. Many smartphones offer apertures of f/2.2 or f/2.4 so LG's new flagship should theoretically be better at night shooting as more light can reach the sensor. The teaser video also plays on the theme of better night shooting so it's safe to safe we can expect an improvement in terms of camera for the LG G4 over its predecessor.
Additionally, LG has confirmed there will be three camera modes on the LG G4 thanks to a new user interface. The modes will consist of simple, basic and manual to "meet the needs of all types of photographers, from amateurs to expert shutterbugs". Simple Mode will do all the hard work for you, while Manual Mode will have a range of options for you to play with.
LG G4 software
A Korean teaser video for the fourth generation of LG's UI has appeared online, revealing some of the features you can expect to find on the LG G4 when it is announced.
LG's UX 4.0 will be layered over the top of Android 5.0 Lollipop and it will introduce several proprietary features including Quick Shot, that allows you to take a picture with a double of the volume button on the rear, without having to turn the display on first.
The calendar has been improved, while the camera will offer three user modes and there will also be an improved Smart Notice feature on the new interface that promises more personalised notifications for weather, travel and other factors. Additionally, LG has said UX 4.0 will offer greater customisation in terms of the gallery, where users will be able to create event-specifc albums based on location and time each image was taken.
LG G4 release date, rumours and everything you need to know
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