LG G2 in the flesh, first impressions

Last week, we revealed that the LG G2 is set for Philippine release on September 25. We totally forgot to share about the short encounter we had with the actual device but we’re hoping to get another encounter here at IFA.

One of the first things you will notice with the LG G2 is that it does not have any physical buttons or ports at the front and around the sides. Well, except for the micro-USB charging port at the bottom end.

You will also notice the 5.2-inch display with a very narrow bezel and occupies almost the entire front surface, except for a small area at the top end where the front-facing camera and sensors are situated as well as the LG logo on the other end at the bottom.

The re-positioning of the power button and the volume controls right smack in the middle of the back side actually makes good sense and pretty much ergonomically optimized. Powering the device and adjusting the volume controls require a one-finger operation by the index finger and the action is very natural that you get used to it right away and you’d seldom miss the buttons.

The double-tap to wake-up function is also spot on. No need to look for the power button to wake up the device or turn the screen off — the double-tap with wake it up or turn the display off.

The Quadrant score of 19,730 is the highest we’ve ever seen and tested, more than 50% higher that the 12k score of the Galaxy S4 which it aims to compete with.

LG G2 specs:
5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 Tru-HD IPS+ LCD display, 424ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
2.3GHz quad-core MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
Adreno 330 GPU
2GB RAM
32GB internal memory
WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, WiFi Direct, DLNA
Bluetooth 4.0 A2DP
GPS w/ aGPS support
NFC
HSPA+, 4G LTE 100Mbps
13 megapixel camera with LED flash, OIS
Full HD 1080p video recording @ 60fps
2.1Mp w/ front-facing camera
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
Li-Ion 3,000mAh battery
143g (weight)
138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm (dimensions)

So aside from the Optimus G Pro which is the marketed as a phablet, the LG G2 will be the flagship device. We still don’t have the detail on suggested retail price but we’ll soon find out at the local launch on September 25 (our guess is that it would match the price of the G Pro at Php27k if not just below Php30k). Also watch out for our full review by then.