Review: LG G2 Smartphone

Don’t be confused when you unpack the G G2 smartphone and can’t find the ‘on’ button. Traditionally, the button is at the side, or on top the handset. Not so with the G2. In its wisdom, LG has decided that the switch should be located on the backside of the unit along with the volume up and down buttons. Why? They say it’s more ‘natural’ for it to be there. I’ll reserve judgement, because although I did find it unusual, I would…

By Mike Wheeler

Don’t be confused when you unpack the G G2 smartphone and can’t find the ‘on’ button. Traditionally, the button is at the side, or on top the handset. Not so with the G2. In its wisdom, LG has decided that the switch should be located on the backside of the unit along with the volume up and down buttons. Why? They say it’s more ‘natural’ for it to be there. I’ll reserve judgement, because although I did find it unusual, I would have to use the handset for a week or so to see whether it was genuinely annoying or just something I would eventually get used to.

LG has never been my first choice when picking handsets – HTC and Samsung devices have had the wood on other mobile phones over the past four years – more because I like the feel in the hand, and to be honest the functionality is more suited to what I like.

The G2 sits comfortably and feels light – I’m not too sure if I should use the word ‘cheap’ in the same sentence as light – maybe it’s because I’m used to the heft of my Samsung Galaxy S4. However, the build does feel solid enough.

So what’s under the hood? LG has gone for the 2.26Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, which in theory means speed, speed and more speed. Turns out in reality it does, too. When flitting from app to app, and loading websites, it goes a treat, which is especially handy when in a rush. It is complemented by a 1080×1920 IPS display, ideal for playing games like the addictive Candy Crush or Clash of Clans.

And the battery life? Not too bad. We played with it on and off for a day – made a few calls, played some games, surfed the net – and it came out with about one fifth of the battery left.

It comes with the what seems to becoming the increasingly standard 13 megapixel camera, which is placed higher up on the back of the G2 due to the aforementioned buttons being on the back of the device. The operating system is Android 4.2.2.

Overall, this is a nice little handset that won’t make too many waves, and will keep the likes of Nokia, HTC and Sony honest. Not quite up there with the Apple or Samsung yet, but getting there.

Pros: Light, super-fast processor, good battery life, nice display

Cons: Not too sure about start and volume buttons being on the back

RRP

TBC