LG Mobile Philippines made a lot of effort to bring the LG G2 to the Philippines just weeks after its global announcement back in August. In a span of 47 days, the G2 was finally launched in the country. Check out our full review of the LG G2 below.
By this time, you would think LG would have decided how its flagship handsets would look like. Samsung has long settled with the looks of their Galaxy line, Sony with its Xperia and even Nokia is pretty much contented with the Lumia design.
LG on the other hand is still experimenting. On one hand, it would seem as if the company is still looking for a design identity (the Optimus 4X HD, Optimus G, G Pro and G2 have very little in common with their design).
On the contrary, LG’s approach in refining their handset design signature means that consumers will constantly get a new and refreshed look every time. It could land in their favor especially to the eyes of consumers that have been flooded with similar-looking Galaxy devices from Samsung for several years now.
Design and Construction.
In its effort to create a different user experience, LG made very bold moves with the design of the G2. Unlike most other handsets where the physical controls are found at the base of the front panel or around the edges, the LG G2 took the completely opposite direction.
The power button and the volume controls were moved to the back of the handset, just below the camera module. The new location might seem awkward and senseless at first but once you start using the device, it becomes very natural.
When you hold the phone in the normal portrait position, your index finger tends to rest at the back of the handset. This position fits the placement of the power button and the volume controls. The action becomes more natural in time.
The body of the G2 is entirely made up of some type of thin yet solid piece of polycarbonate material. The front panel is completely covered with thick glass panel without any physically buttons at the front so most of the area is solely allocated to the screen itself.
The back side is curved and tapers towards the edges. This curved shape allows you to hold the device firmly and comfortably with one hand. A thin glossy film wraps a diagonal pattern (much like the threads in a regular jeans).
There’s a thin silver trimming that runs around the sides that highlights the rounded shape of the device. The stereo speakers are found at the bottom end along with the micro-USB port and the 3.5mm audio jack.
Display.
The G2 sports a 5.2-inch display; it’s the one only of this size in its category but it looks like the body is no different from the usual 4.7 to 5.0-inch handsets we’ve tested before. This is because LG managed to shrink the chassis while increasing the surface area for the screen. The result a very narrow bezel and wider surface coverage for the display.
With a full HD 1080p resolution (1920x1o80 pixels), the handset offers one of the most impressive display quality in any smartphone in the market. That brings the pixel density of the screen to about 424ppi. High quality images and videos render quite nicely on the large screen. Same is true with web browsing.
LG uses a Tru-HD IPS+ display which offers better color reproduction, consistent and accurate colors, impressive viewing angles.
We zoomed in closer to the display panel using a magnifier as well as a macro lens on a dSLR and saw the pixels to be equally spaced, neatly packed and very bright.
OS, Apps and UI.
The G2 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jellybean and enjoys a lot of the recent improvements and enhancements introduced into the platform. As usual, LG added it’s own skin customization (called the Optimus UI) on top of the OS.
The UI has improved quite a bit from its previous iteration found in the Optimus G. We especially liked the enhancements on the lock screen as well as the option to re-arrange the soft menu buttons (see screenshot of menu arrangement below).
Aside from the trio of usual buttons — Home, Back & Menu, additional soft keys can be included like Quick Memo and the Pull Down Menu.
The keypad and keyboard layout are pretty simple and straightforward. The keys are spaced well apart but the size of the individual keys seem a bit smaller than we hoped it would. Nevertheless, the spacing and size of the virtual keypad/keyboard are just right for one-handed operation.
With the absence of the power button in the usual places where most consumers are familiar with, waking up the phone or putting it to sleep required a different action or gesture. This is where the double-tap becomes intuitive — tap the empty space of the home screen twice to turn off the display; tap it again twice to wake it up. This KnockON feature works most of the time but in some instances, we had to repeat the action to wake it up.
You can still use the power button if you want but the double-tap action seems to be more intuitive and natural. We have not encountered any accidental activation of this function when the device is stowed away in the bag or the pocket.
There are a few other gimmicky gesture functions we’ve observed but they seem to require a bit of getting used to.
Multimedia and Camera.
It’s obvious LG has put a lot of effort to make the multimedia features of the G2 more compelling. The large full HD display and almost edge-to-edge screen makes it a really nice movie player — compact yet large enough screen real estate.
The dual speakers found at the bottom end of the device are actually very loud, bass is just enough but the crispness and clarity with music playback is really good.
The 13-megapixel camera of the G2 is also pretty interesting as it’s probably among the first to offer OIS (optical image stabilization). To test this out, we took some time to take shots under low-light conditions and even almost no light sources except the subject.
[fancygallery id=”47″ album=”50″]
In the sample HD video below, we shot a lighted fountain at night and also recorded at 60fps (see at 0:19 seconds).
We will let the photos and videos above speak for themselves.
Performance and Benchmarks.
To demonstrate the sheer power of the LG G2, they’ve incorporated an option for superfast full HD 1080p video recording at 60 frames per second (see sample video above). The device is very snappy, fast and smooth we could not ask for anything more. The generous 2GB memory allows for a multi-tasking and simultaneous apps running in the background without taxing the system too much.
We ran our usual set of benchmark tools on the device and got an impressive set of results. The Quadrant score topped at 19,061 while Antutu Benchmark gave it an over-all score of 34,056, one of the highest we’ve ever tested (perhaps as high as the Note 3 and Xperia Z1).
Under Vellamo benchmark, we got a score of 2732 on HTML and 965 on Metal. As for NenaMark 2, we got a a core of 58.6fps.
Across all four (4) standard benchmark tests we do, the figures we got were on the top of the scale and is certainly an impressive one.
We normally just use NenaMark 2 to measure the relative speed on the graphics based on frame rates, we thought of running 3DMark as well to give a better appreciation how the Adreno 330 chip performs. Score with 3DMark puts it at 9,807 running on Ice Storm Extreme.
Call Quality, Connectivity and Battery Life.
The G2 does very well with call quality and messaging — voice quality is excellent, thanks to the active noise canceling mic; speaker volume is fairly loud, SMS conversation is swift and timely. We’ve never had any problems with voice and SMS in the two weeks we’ve been using it.
The device comes complete will all possible wireless connectivity — WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and LTE (where frequency band is compatible).
The LG G2 is compatible with Globe’s LTE network and as such, we’re able to enjoy super fast mobile internet speeds.
Our usual tests in areas where there’s LTE connectivity (The Fort and Makati City), we would clock as fast as 25Mbps downlink and 6Mbps uplink. We have yet to test the device with a Smart LTE SIM.
As for battery life, the built-in 3,000mAh Li-Ion battery surely added more hours to the handset. On a single full charge, we were able to last for more than a day’s worth of moderate usage, up until noon the following day.
We also did our standard battery bench and managed to get as long as 9 hours when playing a full HD 1080p video at 50% brightness and 0% volume. That’s pretty much the longest battery life we’ve seen on any Android handset.
Conclusion.
There’s no question that the LG G2 is the best smartphone LG has ever had. The powerful hardware, nice display, great camera performance and really good battery life makes this handset a pretty compelling one. As for the placement of the power and volume buttons, it’s an acquired taste. LG definitely has a winner in the G2.
The LG G2 is now in stores with a suggested retail price of Php29,990USD 511INR 43,324EUR 487CNY 3,722 or Php27,490USD 468INR 39,712EUR 446CNY 3,412 for straight or cash payment. It will also be offered by Globe for free under Plan 1799.
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)
What we liked about it:
* Good build quality
* Great performance
* Impressive display quality
* Very good camera performance
* LTE support
What we did not like:
* Power and volume controls need a little getting used to
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
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jim says:
nice
abuzalzal says:
Thanks for the review boss Yuga!
really attractive price point for what it does
eto na lang imbes Note 3 hehehehehe
wew says:
maybe the best smartphone on earth so far…dabes kasi wala siyang cons kahit isa…d ka na magrereklamo sa hardware dahil talagang maganda…kahit plastic siya di naman cheap tignan ung nilagay na con sa review eh nilagaya lang cguro ng yugatech para may con kahit isa lol hahahaha
deuts says:
Looks interesting?!
AsusFan says:
Yung 27,490 po ba ay 32GB variant or baka 16GB lang.
I inquired sa Kim****e and 16GB lang yung ganyang price range nila.
9/10 to for me… :-)
bry says:
nice specs and battery pero yung user interface ng LG rip-offed na Touchwiz
bajigjig says:
Review nyo naman yung Moto X. :D
Jay says:
At first glance I thought there was a cracked screen…..LOL
suigeneris says:
Can you dismiss the soft buttons or are they permanently on the lower part of the screen? This may cause problems when gaming.
FanBoy says:
Akala ko crack sa screen yung wallpaper lol
abuzalzal says:
Please care to verify kung Php27,490 talaga yung 32GB variant, thx.
g pro says:
Guys, I already asked the price of G2 in LG store. The cash payment is 26+ and 29+ if credit card. It’s not 27+.
The 26+ price is 32GB. The review is correct. The phone is really amazing. =)
ralph says:
note3/s4 killer \m/
www.kusina101.com says:
This is a tough phone to beat. kulang na lang ng shock at waterproof. kaya love ko pa rin ang nokia 3210 ko. kahit mahulog sa inidoro, patuyuin mo lang ok na ulit. nyahahaha!!
Dan says:
I just went to Globe a while ago and asked them if they’re gonna offer G2 soon, seems like have no idea about it.
hmm if the retail price is 26,490 at the LG concept store, i wish Kimstore would do a price drop to their G2 that is worth 26,305 hhihihi
Kami says:
I read a few reviews about LG G2 that the only con on this device is its new power and volume buttons. It seems that they dont seem to get used to it. They find the buttons to small. But nevertheless the phone is still a beast and can definitely compete with new android flagships.
I think, that was from cnet, t3 and tech radar among others.
But hey, given its price point, obviously its an excellent buy! :D
abuzalzal says:
Excellent Camera, top-flight specs, Gorgeous screen,Big battery, significantly Cheaper compared to other flagships.
G2 > Z1
Kami says:
Kakatawa how people all of sudden reacts how iphone/ios fanatics bashes android related articles when most iphone/ios articles are bombarded by ridicule from them.
Come on people, cant have a taste of your own medicine?
Stop coming clean!
Anyways, this phone is an amazing android phone. LG did awesome with this! PERIOD!
Oh wait. I hope software updates are already on the way, because if not, same fandroids will come bashing their own!
CHEERS PEOPLE! HAVE A HEALTHY CONVERSATION!
Kami says:
I just read a comparative test on various flagship phones’ camera. Here’s the link from cnet
http://asia.cnet.com/smartphone-camera-shootout-apple-iphone-5s-vs-htc-one-vs-lg-g2-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-3-vs-sony-xperia-z1-62222509.html
Point? Well that this LG G2 is at par with Iphone 5s.
So i guess i agree with abuzalzal that in deed its camera is excellent.
Im actually in love with the LG G2. If only its waterproof just like the Z1…
FanBoy says:
Kakukuha ko lang kaninang umaga! Hanganda! Si HTC Butterfly tuloy hindi ko nagamit buong araw! lol Exact price is Php 26,305.00 sweeeeeeeeet!
Gbreaker25 says:
Pa=review naman dyan ng Oppo N1 kung kailan release dito sa pinas..
TIA yugatech.. =))
Unggoy Ka! says:
@ewe
Sori sa late reply brad. Busy ako sa work eh, kaw san ka busy? Hahaha!
Your out numbered! And Your out scope!
Kung hindi mo maintindihan, google translate mo. Haha!
Loser? Lol! Big words dude. Are u describing yourself?
Hanap ka na lang links, marami ka nmang time, mukhang ultimate bum ka naman. Nyehehehe!
Pagsagot neto pagyayabang nya anung field ng work nya,in ur fantasy dude!
Kung me Like Button Dito, definitely hindi available yun sa mga post mo.
wew says:
tanga amputa ipagcompare banaman ang android at iOS base sa specs hahaha bobo nung mga nagaaway
jun says:
Naku ewan ko kung naiirita ka sa spec ng phone na naka post dito pwede manahimik k na lang di kami kasing babaw na tulad mu. Should i care about your iphone ? like hell NO!
ChateThekThew says:
????????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ????????? ??? ??????????? ????? ????????. ??? ????????? ????????? ? ?????? ?????: ????? ??? ????, ???????? ???? ????????? ????????? ??? ??????????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???????? ?????. ????????? ????? ?????????? ?? ??????.
jopes says:
Hi. Mobile dev guy here. I was fortunate enough to experience all mobile platforms, i had a blackberry z10, an iphone, and an xperia before. I also get to use a note 2 for quite some time, but i never really bought a phone that gave me that lasting satisfaction…
Except for the G2. I normally don’t share comments like these, but being a mobile guy myself, this is the perfect phone for me. Bought it right out of memoxpress without hesitation (bought it instead of the htc one i thought i’m gonna find in there). Best phone for its price point, probably at the moment.
mobiletech537 says:
the camera of Lg G2 is so Excellent, 13 megapixel, pwede na sa mga mahilig mag pa picture o mag selfie :D, and and when connecting in internet mabilis, very usefull gamitin. :D
cimone says:
ive seen this phone and all i can say is its ONE of kind bec. of its unique features.
angelu says:
seriously!this is the LG G2 that cost almost 27k .. this should be cost much more! 27k? it is not enough!, with this kind of technology, very first rear key, 13mp w. OIS (like dslr)etc. this should cost much more the launching price of samsung(s4) and apple(iphone).. but still consumer more likely the affordable one ^^ Thanks LG :)
bryan delen says:
got this phone,on it’s 2nd day of release here in Manila and well, by this time, this is the TOP ANDROID SMART PHONE today.
money well spent.
thecyberinsider says:
good features as i can see and also not overprice unlike other phones..
kevs says:
ang ganda nmn ng G2 astig!!!!!
tyn says:
good thing about LG G2 phone is the battery, some andorid phone’s doesnt have long battery life..
joy says:
“Learning from You,” that is, the end-consumer, is their key message. LIKE!
techy says:
The G2 is running Android 4.2.2 with the usual LG enhancements and custom apps included like QuickMemo, LG’s note-taking and doodle app, QuickRemote. LOVE!
stef says:
very stylish smart phone,i’ve read other articles about the LG G2 phone.all i can say is its very diff. and also not that over price.
mstechy007 says:
LG really study well when it comes to their new phone, from hardware to the new features of the LG G2..no wonder its they called the “BEST SMART PHONE”
even says:
instead of buying cash ill subscribe for the globe plan its only 1799 every month..i can download games and music fast bec of the globe LTE network.
vicky says:
good thing about LG G2 phone is the battery, some andorid phone’s doesnt have long battery life..
mark says:
rear is the new features for me and the OIS camera..
kent says:
its amazing how LG G2 performs, its very fast in terms of swiping and even if there are many apps that are running its still runs fast and no lags, i think its because of the SNAPDRAGON 800
overview says:
excited to get my LG G2 in Globe Postpaid Plan 1799… 13mp OIS Camera!! Excited much :)
vic says:
ive seen this phone and all i can say is its ONE of kind bec. of its unique features.
jay-r says:
the best features of g2 is the 3000mAh SiO+ Battery
mia says:
i want G2 guys cnu mgreregalo sa bday q hehehhe
katy says:
i just got my LG G2 yesterday and yes it is different from other smartphones out there :) super happy to have one ^^ one of my favorite is its 13mp OIS Camera!
carla says:
i love listening to music, G2?s HI-Fi sound playback is my favorite i also like its OIS Display .. hope to have one
toeknee says:
I like the streamlined bezel of the G2 further enhance the IPS pannel.Speedy snapdragon 800 CPU.the camera is great!
gilbert says:
wow LG is the most smartphone in the world hahaha promise…… especially G2
bigboss says:
LG is the world’s first flexible OLED panel for smartphones! o my Gosh! is this true? So it’s not just their rear key competitive advantage. Their Genius people!
imtheone says:
LG is the BEST..wow big screen
nica says:
the best high-tech phone in the world. thanks for LG
wowie says:
this is interesting..hope to see this in LG soon.
allan says:
LG really is the best smartphone in town! Now everything possible with LG G2!
thebull says:
the best features of G2 is the rear key…
chiz says:
the G2 is so cool! i mean where can you find a phone that does an audio zoom?! seriously with the sickest features this handset is a must-have!
cane says:
look! this phone is LG!..G2 has amazing specs, i want to have one!!
chiz says:
the best smartphone in the market! grab one!
davis says:
dinemo sakin to sa mall, O.M.G gustong gusto ku tlgang bumili.
jopes says:
I can’t help but feel privileged. This phone has been my bestfriend since last week. This is something that will stay with me for a very loooong time.
pjmigs says:
everything about this phone is amazing..
yabie says:
LG G2 was very unique smartphone ever, bcoz well G2 have a many specs and application also the most is the rear key that convieniet to use.
yabie says:
awesome….
timtam says:
great battery plus a 13mp camera with OIS… <3 <3
Tedd says:
Such a comprehensive review. Gotta love the rear key and the camera with the OIS
The huge screen is just amazing! The near zero bezel screen + the FULL HD Display.
che says:
Hi-Fi Sound!! <3 and its 13mp OIS Camera <3 <3 Super love it… hope to get one!! T.T
mangekyo says:
i think this is a very fast phone with snapdragon 800 i think its the best processor now
kriselda says:
haha nashock ako dun sa rear key button ang galing, may sense nga naman tas ung audio zoom cool!
Ace says:
cant wait to try the OIS camera, i bet it takes great shots during volleyball games!
NVM` says:
i hope my dad will buy me G2 as my graduation gift, its really cool and very innovative
haenim says:
unique Rear Key! i want to have one! :)
fanatic says:
this is a new innovation for smartphones, particularly sa feature ng camera ng LG G2 ang angas lg nung lens sumusunod sa moving object
eg says:
lol 14K lang daw ito noon sa GITEX Dubai :))
Emma Laqui says:
https://www.facebook.com/Emma.Laqui/posts/1020173*****35970:1 Selling brand new LG G2.
hara says:
Knock knock! just tap it twice and its going to wake up! cute!
kath says:
Full HD plus its Hi-Fi sound! watching movies would be nice if i use G2
Ey Jay says:
Where is the link to this 1399 promo they are talking about?
aj says:
i think using its rear key will be so cool!! :)
weee says:
nice specs and features :)
Kevin says:
may issue about the sapphire glass ng camera n2ng lg g2
http://www.tipidcp.com/viewtopic.php?tid=37474
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2498827
totoo ba to? gustong gusto ko tlaga tong phone na to bbli sana ko next week napaisip tuloy ako.
crazykid says:
Q: mga ser/madam, gusto ko mag-avail ng G2 kaya lang 2 months pa lang ako sa work. Worry ko kasi na baka i-deny nila application ko dahil di pa ko stable sa work. Possible kaya for my current state? (Di pa ko nakakapunta sa globe branch for inquiry.) Thanks!
JEd says:
better get the LG G2 with Yugatech’s Index finger Challenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsSode7AMNU
HarveyHarmandas says:
Another masterpiece of innovation by LG. Help me to have this amazing smartphone by simply watching this! Thanks You —> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21TwcqKHPwo
Carl Bytes says:
Best cellphone in 2013 and my best phone so far. Nice and beautiful 5.2″ screen in a 5″ body. Fast, great battery life and a lot of software customization. Reliable OIS camera.
Pick a Korean version so you can have an expandable memory and a removable battery and extend it’s lifespan for over 4 years. Tried an iPhone and S4 before.
Romar says:
Take some time watching my entry please :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWzck_b4DgU
deveerei says:
I have one. Wala namang scratch sa camera lens.
Yung speaker nga pala isa lang, hindi siya dual. Mic yung isa
lololovelola says:
Sir, gaano katagal ang lock-in sa Globe postpaid 1799?
Ben says:
@lololovelola
inalis na ata ng Globe sa phonekit nila ang LG. nung February first time kong nakita LG G2 sa list nila (P15,200 cash out for Plan 499 ang tanda ko). Dahil last week ng March lang narelease sa pinas tong model, malabong makakuha ng stocks ang Globe. Tamang tama sana kasi recontracting na ako that month, sabi ng CS nila wala silang stock. Ayun, binili ko sa mall tapos tinuloy ko recontracting na may free Cloudfone 503d as secondary. Few days ago magsusubscribe sana ako another Globe plan kaso nawawala sa list nila LG G2 T_T
abuzalzal says:
that bezel is so thin <3
maybe because they put the volume and power button in the back?
BULLSHIT. I hate buttons in the back.
hps 400 says:
Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iPad and
tested to see if it can survive a forty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My iPad is now
broken and she has 83 views. I know this is completely
off topic but I had to share it with someone!
west63rd.zendesk.com says:
You can make yourself energetically invisible by imagining that you are surrounded by indigo light.
A black diamond bangle pairs with nearly everything.
Color television sets emit more EMF than do black and white sets, yet even the black and white TVs have been associated with 2.
diego delos santos says:
hello yugatech. can you please help. i bought for my daughter lg g2 32gb ,model d802 last april 30, 2015. updated to lollipop around late dec 2015. then just two weeks ago the wifi and bluetooth brokedown. brought it to lg megamall service center and told me its the board that’s busted. aroung P13k plus to repair. i googled and found out that most of the lg g2 has the same problem after the updates to lollipop. can you assist. thank you very much.