LGElectronics G4 5.5 inch UK SIM-Free Android Smartphone - Grey

Having searched and researched thoroughly for the best phone that I could get for under £300, I finally decided to go for the LG G4. It was the camera and the screen quality that probably swayed me but after having the phone for a few days, I can say that I am very happy with my choice.DESIGNI purchased the plastic back version of the phone as I knew that I would get a case anyway and saw no point personally in paying extra for the leather back. The phone design looks nice with a slight curvature in the back of the phone. The power and volume buttons are located at the back which I wasn’t sure if I would like that, but after a few days I have to say I love it. With my previous phone, I would accidentally press the volume buttons on the side whilst on a call sometimes but now I don’t have to worry.DISPLAY & UIThe display is for me one of the best features of the phone in addition to the camera which I will get on to. You will notice the stunning 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution as soon as you switch on the phone. Everything looks nice and crisp with a nice colour ratio. The phone has a staggering pixel density of 538 ppi which again aids in the stunning quality of the display. The UI is a bit bland and the icons were a bit big for my liking, however this is not a problem for me as I just installed Nova Launcher as soon as I got the phone and it really does make a difference. I would highly recommend Nova Launcher to anyone buying this phone (or any other phone).CAMERANow this for me was one of the main reasons for buying the phone. I can’t be bothered to carry a camera with me, so wanted a phone that can produce excellent camera images to take precious pictures of my family, and I must say, I was not disappointed. The camera quality with the 16 MP camera is absolutely superb with clear and crisp pictures, by far the best quality from any phone that I have used. When I first started taking pictures, they were not what I expecting, but a few minor adjustments quickly fixed that. Firstly to get the highest resolution images, you need to select the 16:9 camera option to get the full 16MP quality. The other options all use lower resolution. The camera also has automatic and manual camera mode - to get the most out of the camera and to adjust things like shutter and ISO, you need to select the manual option. Whilst taking pictures in my living room which hasn’t got great lighting, it took as long as 3 seconds after pressing the button for pictures to actually take. To remedy this and any lag 1) Switch to manual mode 2) Turn off the flash where possible 3) Reduce the ISO and Shutter from the camera options (only in manual mode). After these small tweaks, pictures were almost instantaneous when pressing the button without any compromise on picture quality.BATTERYFinally to the battery life which is key to any phone. The phone comes with a very respectable 3000 mAh battery which is what you would expect from a phone of this power and display. Considering the pixel density and quality of the phone, the battery life is actually quite good, but a few tweaks can really improve this further. I would recommend downloading LG Access Lock App from the play store. This allows you to individual control the permission for most apps on your phone. You would be surprised just how many apps unnecessarily use location which can drastically reduce your battery life. By disabling those permissions, particularly ones that use location, you can really enhance your battery life, even when your phone is asleep (wakelocks). You can also disable any unwanted apps under the Settings>Apps option. I would highly recommend this for any apps that you don’t use. Lastly, you can enhance battery further by selecting GPS (can't use this if using smart settings) under Settings> Location. This is the best option out of the 3 options to preserve your battery (battery saving option uses more battery for some reason) .CONCLUSIONFor me, the best value phone at the price and would highly recommend it. An amazing screen display and camera – Okay user interface (get Nova) - Oops... almost forgot to mention the call quality :-). The sound quality quality through the phone and speakers is very good (and loud) – Audio through headphones is good but not great in my opinion, would advise getting app such as Equaliser FX to improve the quality. Also, it is definitely worth getting a screen protector and a case for extra protection.

Edit: After 10 months my G4 suffered the "bootloop" issue, which essentially bricks the first phone. This happens to every G4 eventually apparently, so don't buy a G4. LG customer service was practically non existent, so I can't recommend buying any LG at this point. Try your luck with a refund from amazonRight, I suppose I should start by saying that I don't often write reviews unless a product is exceptionally good or it is especially poor. With the G4, it is definitely the former. I change phones often (not just android, but most of the time) and always purchase flagships so I feel like I can write a review from a well-rounded perspective.I should start with the price, as it is undoubtedly a HUGE pull factor. For £300 sim free, this phone cannot be beaten, full stop. The one plus may be cheap, but having owned one I can tell you that it does have shortcomings that mean the G4 is the better package (lower quality screen, mediocre camera, slightly buggy OS etc...). Some more expensive phones might look slightly better than the G4 (s6 edge, HTC one m9 etc), but they are mostly substantially more expensive and are no better technologically and require sacrifices to be made (eg no removable battery, no sd card support). The iPhone 6 plus and 6s plus are practically double the price of the G4 (don't kid yourself and buy a 16gb iphone, honestly...) and suffer all of the sacrifices I listed above. They are, however, good phones and if you have to use iOS and are happy to pay a couple of hundred quid extra for that software package, fair enough. In that respect, a direct comparison with the G4 is a bit pointless. But having owned one before, you should know that the G4 feels just as fluid and Android simply has so much more possibilities (for example, streaming apps; how much value does it add to be able to stream any HD movie for free, especially when you can cast it to your TV using a chrome cast?).Right, back to the G4 itself. LGs software has improved massively over the last year or so; there is hardly any bloat and it feels extremely fluid. I strongly recommend installing nova launcher (or any launcher) as they look much better than any manufacturer's android overlay. They are also far more customisable and there is practically zero speed or battery penalty at all. Honestly, installing one will perfect your Android experience. They are also free and extremely easy and instant to set up. However, if you stick with LGs offering I can still guarantee that you will like it.In terms of hardware, everything is as good or better than anything else on the market, regardless of how much extra it costs. The s6 may have very slightly more power, but having used both phones I can tell you that it is not noticeable. The G4s QHD screen is spectacular; everything is perfectly crisp and it makes me smile every time I unlock my phone. Again in comparison to the s6 (I keep comparing it to the s6 as it is a stunning phone, it and the G4 are leading the pack so the what better phone to compare it to...). I should mention, however, that battery life does take a hit because of all those extra pixels. However, this is also the case with every android flagship with a 2k screen. However, the G4 is the only flagship this year that you can just throw in a spare fully charged battery on the move. I can't even begin to tell you how handy it is to have an instant full recharge on the move.The ability to add an sd card is a massive plus. It will be even better when android marshmallow comes out (should be before Xmas for the G4 - faster than with any android phone bar the nexus range) as it allows you to format the card so that it will seamlessly integrate with your phones memory in that it will be like you purchased a 96gb G4 if you buy a 64gb sd card. Again, the G4 is the only flagship phone this year that allows for sd card expansion. How much does it cost to buy a 128gb S6 then!?! This is a clear win for the G4 if you like to store lots of HD photos, movies, games and record 4k videos etc. And with this multimedia powerhouse, you will want to...The camera is spectacular. I am an avid photographer and although it won't completely replace my dslr, it gets surprisingly close shots a lot of the time - it is stunning. It is as good or better than any other phone on the market. It is neck and neck with the S6's camera but the G4 distinguishes itself with its amazing manual mode which if you are a photographer like me, is priceless. You really can get some stunning shots using it. Regardless, it's automatic point and shoot ability is breathtaking.The only negative aspect of this phone that I can conceive is that it is slightly bigger and feels less premium than other phones such as the s6 and iPhone. However, I think it still looks and feels fantastic (especially if you buy the leather back - next on my list) and those phones will crack and look ruined if you drop them. This will bounce off the floor with some minor scratching most likely. This means that I don't feel like to use a case with this phone, whereas with the others I would. I can guarantee you that a naked G4 looks better than an s6 or iPhone in a case.Battery life is similar to any other flagship phone; it is acceptable but isn't spectacular. It can last a day's heavy use and you can always throw in a spare battery...To wrap it up, the G4 is as good as or better than any phone on the market and is cheaper than all of the phones that get close to it. Other phones may look slightly better but they don't have expandable memory or an sd card. If you are a power user, this phone is your only option. If you buy it you will not be disappointed, of that I am certain.(It also performs perfectly as an actual phone; call quality is perfect)