[Official] G2 reviews

[Sandroidfan]

Here are couple of good ones I found. Right now it's only hands-on reviews, but hopefully in-depth reviews would come soon.

Anandtech
AnandTech | Hands On with the LG G2 - LG's latest flagship

GSMarena
LG G2 hands-on: First look - GSMArena.com

 

[BigCiX]

I want this on phone so bad but I'm waiting for news on the next Nexus.

 

[Orion]

I want this on phone so bad but I'm waiting for news on the next Nexus.

Well rumors say that the next Nexus will be based on this phone. Hopefully its true.

 

[Sandroidfan]

LG G2: An in-depth look at its impressive design, display, camera and software

 

[Sandroidfan]

LG G2 Hands On: Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5, you're on notice | Digital Trends Reviews

I'm not audio expert but quite intrigued by G2's Hi Fi sound feature. Also its OIS camera seems great.

 

[darkestred]

LG G2 Hands On: Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5, you're on notice | Digital Trends Reviews

I'm not audio expert but quite intrigued by G2's Hi Fi sound feature. Also its OIS camera seems great.

You won't notice it without high-end gear. Dac/amps and good phones. You may hear a slight improvement but its not going to be noticeable until you get good gear.

 

[tigmd99]

LG G2 Hands On: Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5, you're on notice | Digital Trends Reviews

I'm not audio expert but quite intrigued by G2's Hi Fi sound feature. Also its OIS camera seems great.

As you know, LG G2 audio output was reportedly great: uncompressed 24 bit 192kHz. This was talked about a lot at the LG event. Like you, I was somewhat excited by this because I love to listen to music on my phone. (I love my earphone Klipsch X7i.) Two problems with this:

1. Uncompressed 24 bit 192kHz downloads take up a ton of space...and with only 10GB or 22GB (16/32 GB models, respectively), your internal memory space is limited.

2. (biggie)...is this article I just read: 24/192 Music Downloads are Very Silly Indeed

And that article makes sense. In addition, even though LG audio chip may be nice, you still have other interferences and noise from other circuitry that will likely make a mess of things. It kind of like buying Yugo and then selecting an expensive headunit with the lowest THD. That headunit is great and all, but in a noisy Yugo environment, it is useless and no better than a Kmart $20 headunit.

Oh well.

 

[tigmd99]

This was also posted by a knowledgeable person on Sprint forum:

"
My scientific opinion is that the belief that the DAC on smartphone makes a difference is baloney. In particular, the Internet forum fascination with Wolfson DACs in portable devices has reached almost mythical proportions. But so many of those posters seem incapable of ruling out other factors, including amplification quality and, of course, placebo effect.

I have been studying digital audio for 20 years -- almost twice as long as I have been studying wireless. And as much as I wanted to believe that there are audible differences in competent, modern DACs, no one has been able to show that reliably using scientific testing methods. I am a longtime Stereophile subscriber, and I greatly enjoy the magazine, especially for its rigorous test and measurement reports. But some of the subjective prose from Stereophile writers, audiophile press in general, and forum posters is utter bullshit outside of their own readily convinced minds.

By the way, the info that I have is that the LG G2 is using an in house Qualcomm DAC.

AJ"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other words, don't hold your breath to hear much difference (if at all). I was initially hopeful that the components and chip to be higher-end...but I doubt that you will be able to hear much difference when compared to other high-end smartphones.

I remember that a site once tested Samsung and Apple audio output and both did extremely well with producing a flat response and very low noise. (At the time [iPhone 4S], Samsung made the audio chip for Apple I believe.)

 

[BigCiX]

So this phone has no SD slot. Not that it matters because my One X doesn't neither and I have plenty room left.

 

[Sandroidfan]

Official full reviews are starting to flow in.

LG G2 Review! Lightning fast, beautiful, and with a twist - Android Authority

LG G2 Review

 

[Sandroidfan]

Honestly I didn't have very high anticipation for G2 camera despite having OIS, but it seems outstanding!

Camera Comparison: LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, HTC One

 

[Sandroidfan]

GSMarena review. Battery life and camera samples are pretty impressive.

LG G2 review: Beautiful monster - GSMArena.com

 

[iowabowtech]

GSMarena review. Battery life and camera samples are pretty impressive.

LG G2 review: Beautiful monster - GSMArena.com

Glad to hear the positive report on battery life. My last 2 phones have had abysmal battery life so its high time I can run all day without having chargers stashed at various locations.

 

[tigmd99]

LG G2 display review: LG G2 takes on Xperia Z Ultra's Triluminos display, the GS4, HTC One and the iPhone 5: screen comparison

Good, but not perfect...actually just slightly above average.

I just don't understand why manufacturers, esp. when they celebrate how good they are with display technology, don't calibrate their displays better!! iPhone may have a small screen and low resolution, but their display is also top-notch in terms of clarity and colors. And Apple don't make their own iPhone screens...so, this is all about quality control!

 

[tigmd99]

On the other hand, G2 camera is top dog: Camera Comparison: LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, HTC One

Bravo on LG for making a winner!

 

[nj02vette]

LG G2 display review: LG G2 takes on Xperia Z Ultra's Triluminos display, the GS4, HTC One and the iPhone 5: screen comparison

Good, but not perfect...actually just slightly above average.

I just don't understand why manufacturers, esp. when they celebrate how good they are with display technology, don't calibrate their displays better!! iPhone may have a small screen and low resolution, but their display is also top-notch in terms of clarity and colors. And Apple don't make their own iPhone screens...so, this is all about quality control!

I didn't get the same conclusion reading that article.

First off, the comparison is among the top phones on the market. One can't look at a sports cars 2nd place performance and conclude it's only "average". Average in a pack of the best, maybe, but still quite above average compared to everything else out there.

Secondly, the only ding I see in the article is for color accuracy. From what I've read, LG does include other color profiles and the ability to customize.

 

[tigmd99]

I didn't get the same conclusion reading that article.

First off, the comparison is among the top phones on the market. One can't look at a sports cars 2nd place performance and conclude it's only "average". Average in a pack of the best, maybe, but still quite above average compared to everything else out there.

Secondly, the only ding I see in the article is for color accuracy. From what I've read, LG does include other color profiles and the ability to customize.

While maybe true, remember that the G2 is the flagship of LG...and its cost reflect such. Most people reading these forums want the top dog. Two issues from the review with the G2:

1. Brightness is around 400 nits. This is on the (lower) border of acceptability for outside viewing. iP5 has been rated above 600 nits! Why can't a display get bright when owner wants it? Why the ceiling? Battery conservation? If so, then that sucks. What is the point of GRAM or whatever it is if you can't read the screen in sunlight? Let the owner be able to crank it up when needed!

2. Color reproduction. Again, remember, this is LG...an expert in display technology. Why can't it tune the damn display before leaving the factory? They make the display! In contrast, both HTC and Apple source their display from other folks (LG being one of them). YET, they get the colors right for consumers without having to use profiles. Proper color reproduction/saturation is a great thing to have because it allows you to see colors that are meant to be seen.

I am just frustrated that is all. LG made a big deal about their 5.2" screen being the best...it can't even beat a one year old phone in what matters most (to me)! (Yes, screen size is great and all, but i use my phone outside a lot too.)

 

[nj02vette]

From the article you linked to. Emphasis added.

It's a relatively close battle in the so important brightness department between the LCD screens that we have here, but it can easily be seen that the humble 4" IPS panel of the iPhone 5 has a slight edge above the others. Being able to produce brightness of more than 500 nits, the iPhone 5 really is the champion here when it comes to outdoor visibility. Of course, you'd rarely want to view you display at such a brightness indoors when there's not that much ambient light present, but we all know how important it is to be able to read your handset's display easily when out and about.


Thankfully, the Z Ultra, the One and the G2 aren't far behind, as their maximum brightness of 400+ nits allows the to achieve some pretty good visibility as well. The Super AMOLED-powered Galaxy S4 is noticeably worse in this respect, which is to be expected with the significantly lower brightness output of AMOLED screens. While the GS4 isn't really unreadable in bright daylight, it does appear dimmer than the other four.

So it's slightly worse than the iPhone for brightnss, but not once did they complain about it saying it has pretty good visibility. The S4 is clearly inferior here due to the SAMOLED, and that hasn't hurt sales one bit.

I agree that color profiles should be more accurate, but once again the most inaccurate screen, the S4 hasn't seen too many complaints either. Another thing to note was that most review samples aren't running the latest software build. I seem to remember reading another review where the color accuracy was exemplary, although customizable and had other settings, like a cooler setting to mimic SAMOLED type displays (why anyone would want this ???). So this was just one review, and it was quite favorable.

As for flagship/top dog, you can pretty much say that the iPhone isn't the top dog in most every category, it just does many things very well. The combined whole is more important that the individual parts.

What I get out of that article is that the screen is one of the best available. It may not be the best in every category, but it's pretty darn good. So out of the 300 phones on the market right now, this screen comes in 2nd or 3rd. That's not too shaby if you ask me. I just disagree with the premise that the screen is "average".

To conclude.

All in all, it'd be extremely hard if we have to choose an overall winner. Each display tends to be a bit better then other four in some areas, and worse in others. Combine that with the fact that all of them are actually amazing (with some small exceptions), and it gets even harder to say who's the best.

 

[nj02vette]

I am just frustrated that is all. LG made a big deal about their 5.2" screen being the best...it can't even beat a one year old phone in what matters most (to me)! (Yes, screen size is great and all, but i use my phone outside a lot too.)

And that's perfectly understandable.

But brightness comes at the cost of battery, and perhaps that wasn't a tradeoff the LG engineers were willing to make. The smaller screen size of the iPhone takes much less power to make brighter. The G2's screen is 70% larger by area!

 

[tigmd99]

 

[tigmd99]

So out of the 300 phones on the market right now, this screen comes in 2nd or 3rd. That's not too shaby if you ask me. I just disagree with the premise that the screen is "average".

To conclude.

Why are we comparing 300 phones? If so, then LG Viper is near the top too! The point is that among top phones today, LG G2 display is the latest and it fails to impress. Finishing 2nd or 3rd place while being the new kid on the block is unimpressive, no?

Yes, Apple has that whole integration thing going on where everything gels together. That is software (and integrated hardware). Display quality is by itself. You either get it right or get it wrong. LG emphasized this G2 display...this is the latest and greatest...yet, fails to be class-leader. I don't give a crap about $50 smartphone (part of your 300)...i am talking about phones that i am buying or in the market for!

And that's perfectly understandable.

But brightness comes at the cost of battery, and perhaps that wasn't a tradeoff the LG engineers were willing to make (the smaller screen size of the iPhone takes much less power to make brighter).

Excuses excuses....

Fine. That is what AUTO brightness is there for! However, if i am outside on a sunny day, i want control over it! Yes, it will make my battery life shorter...but isn't that what the big battery and new battery tech are for? Isn't that what GRAM is for? But, ok, just put a warning about battery life and be done with it...let the owner crank it up to make it readable!

I am tired of my Note 2 washing out in sunlight! Anandtech previously noted that 400 nits is the BARE MINIMUM for readability outside. We are right there with the G2! Woooohoooo...NOT!

BTW, i am not trying to be mean to you...just my frustration at an otherwise great device!

 

[nj02vette]

BTW, i am not trying to be mean to you...just my frustration at an otherwise great device!

I don't take it that way. All is good.

But if you're waiting for a perfect device, than keep waiting.

As you said, the brightness is very important to you. But not everyone shares that requirement. Design is a lesson in compromise.

The point is that among top phones today, LG G2 display is the latest and it fails to impress. Finishing 2nd or 3rd place while being the new kid on the block is unimpressive, no?

No, I don't think it's that unimpressive. And that's where we disagree. The G2 might just have one of the best cameras and battery life on a Android phone. It also has some of the fastest internals. And in that article that you linked to, it basically gave all the flagship screens a tie, indicating that some excelled in one area, and lagged in another. But nowhere did it indicate what the screen was unacceptable in any area. Most reviews have been fairly impressed by the screen.

Just because the one metric to you is important doesn't mean the screen is suddenly lackluster. Perhaps more people find it important to have the higher PPI for reading?

No device, even the iPhone, had the best of everything when it came out. I understand you may be frustrated, but take a step back and look at it objectively.

I love myself a good car analogy. Take a sports car that has the fastest 0-60 time, fastest 1/4 mile, best braking, best lap time, and yet has a 3rd place lateral g measurement. Does that make it not a great sports car? All of a sudden is it "unimpressive", especially if it out handles 99% of the other cars out there on the road (even if your not in the market for those other cars)?

Now expand that to the LG G2. It appears to have one of the best cameras out there, at least in Android and Apple land. Battery life tests pretty much blow the competition out of the water. Hardware wise is probably the fastest thing out there. Display size/Package size ratio is unequaled. And it's display quality is maybe 2nd or 3rd best out of flagship phones (and 99% better than most every other phone out there).

Now tell me that unimpressive.

 

[nj02vette]

I am tired of my Note 2 washing out in sunlight! Anandtech previously noted that 400 nits is the BARE MINIMUM for readability outside. We are right there with the G2! Woooohoooo...NOT!

BTW,
This article compares the brightness of your Note 2 to the iPhone 5.

The G2 is going to be 2-3x as bright as the Note 2.

http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-57540240-85/screens-test-part-2-galaxy-note-2-vs-apple-iphone-5/

 

[Sandroidfan]

I have no problem with G2 screen putting out over 400 nits. That's plenty bright. Beyond 600 nits, your eye would be hurting probably. Keep in mind that most AMOLED screen tops below 300.

I think G2 is getting great battery life partly due to their "graphic ram" technology. It's saving power to screen when it's static.

 

[Scotty Pimmpen]

Has anyone seen any reviews of the Verizon version specifically? I can only dig up the photo on Verizon's site, but can't seem to find a ton on the form factor of Verizon's version.