What's good
- Beautiful display
- Great camera
- 1080p video at 60 frames per second
- Plenty of power to age well
What's bad
- No microSD card
- Non-removable battery
- Materials feel cheap
- Weak loudspeaker
Much like it's predecessor, the LG Optimus G, the G2 pushes the specs of Android devices to the max. With a 2.3-gigahertz quad-core processor, 5.2-inch 1080p display, 13-megapixel camera and 2GB of RAM, the phone is ready for anything you might throw at it. Coupled this power with a sleek design and the phone is certainly near the top of the pack for next-gen smartphones. GSMArena described the phone best as a “beautiful monster.”
Packing all of these features into a light, compact smartphone required LG to break the mold when it comes to case design. To keep the phone as thin as possible, the power and volume buttons were placed on the back of the phone. While this takes a little time to get used to, it works quite well. A combination of long presses and short presses provide a variety of shortcuts to phone features. Hubert Nguyen of Ubergizmo said, “It is not as strange as it may appear. Unlike most smartphones today, it is a completely ambidextrous system so lefties will be happy.”
Another useful feature is Knockon. Tap the screen twice and the phone wakes up. Speaking of screens, the 1080p IPS LCD display is stunning and does not suffer from the outdoor visibility issues of many of its AMOLED counterparts.
Unfortunately, there are a few concerns to keep in mind about the G2. Though the curves and case design of the phone are pretty, the phone has a cheap, plastic feel when handled. The high-gloss case and screen are prone to fingerprints and smudges as well. While the 3,000-mAh battery offers respectable battery life, it is not removable. For the power users out there, this means carrying a phone charger with you and hunting for charging ports.
Brian Klug of Anandtech summed up the G2 well when he said, “It's built on a great platform, with great battery life and includes a number of design decisions that show honest to goodness innovative thinking on LG's part.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Daniel Schuster, NotebookcheckWere it not for the hardware keys on the backside of the device, you would be surprised to learn that the G2 and its mini-version were from the same product line.
- Good Housekeeping team, Good HousekeepingThough it doesn’t do anything exceedingly novel, the LG G2 is a solid phone that performed among the best on many of our lab tests. With top-notch processing power and an eye-catching 5.2” display that is great for consuming media, the G2 is a solid Android choice.
- Mike Norris, BitBitByteYou see, if all you care about is stock Android and timely updates, the LG isn’t the best phone for you. If, however, you’re also looking for other things such as battery life, a camera that doesn’t suck and some (at times) genuinely useful software additions, the LG G2 is quite th...
- Mike Norris, BitBitByteThat title will either resonate well with you or get discarded as a load of B.S. You see, if all you care about is stock Android and timely updates, the LG isn’t the best phone for you. If, however, you’re also looking for other things such as battery life, a camera that doesn’t su...
- Chris P., PhoneArenaAs I'm readying my Nexus 4 for its upcoming return to service, I couldn't help but return to this piece one last time for a proper conclusion. Whether you'll like a certain phone or not is predicated upon a confusing myriad of intertwining and sometimes downright conflicting collection of factors. A...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the LG G2 user manual here.
LG backs up the G2 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your G2 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact LG support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find LG's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- LG G2 Quick Start Guide (PDF)
- LG G2 Manual (PDF)
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