LG hopes high with forthcoming G4 smartphone

Sharath Kumar

SINGAPORE: LG Electronics may be way behind its Korean rival Samsung Electronics in mobile market. But former is hoping to turn its fortunes with its new flagship LG G4 which is already being described a rival to Samsung's new Galaxy S6 or even Apple's iPhone 6 models.

LG will launch its new smartphone on April 28 (or April 29, depending on time zones) in New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul.

The new hope in LG comes with advanced features that it has been able to integrate into G4. Frankly speaking LG has upgraded camera functions, overhauled design and added a number of smart features to the phone, which even the top players in mobile world have been unable to bring in there smartphones till date.

It has already confirmed the G4 will be powered by a customized Android "user experience" (UX), "LG UX 4.0."

According to LG officials, the UX 4.0 interface will offer more personalized experience. Quick Shot, a photography feature, allows users to double click the volume button on the back of the phone to start the camera.

Expert Camera Mode is another new feature of LG UX 4.0, which will allow the user to take a picture just like using a DSLR camera by means of three shooting modes.

The G4's camera comes with a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and an aperture of f/1.8 limit, which means more light on the camera sensor and better image quality in low-light. It will reportedly come with a "color spectrum sensor" as well.

The details of the G4 were recently leaked online, with some claiming that it was done as part of a marketing strategy.

The G4 has leather back cover with unique stitching down the middle, and it implies the company has put the selling point in its design as well as the camera.

Other leaked information has indicated a removable 3,000 mAh battery that may attract users who are not familiar with Samsung's new built-in batteries. It looks like users will be able to swap out the back plates that range in color from black to baby blue.

An SD card slot feature will give more storage options to customers. The G4 will have 5.5-inch Quad high-definition (QHD) display, and use Qualcomm's less-powerful mobile application processor, Snapdragon 808.

Industry sources said the G4 will be less expensive than its competitors, but the company hasn't confirmed yet.

Analysts point out that the current circumstances are different from those when the company launched its predecessors, the G2 and G3 models.