You're LG. You've made an excellent phone in 2014's LG G3. You've got a design language that stands out, and stands on its own. So what do you do in 2015? You certainly don't stop what's working, and that's the case with the new LG G4, just unveiled in New York City and London.
If you've seen or used the G3 at all, you're going to be pretty familiar with the G4. Same overall look and feel. But the devil is in the details, and LG's done some great stuff with the little things this year.
Start with the display. It's still 5.5 inches, but LG has brought over its quantum dot technology from television sets to make colors pop even more and be even more realistic. There's also a slight curve to the front of the phone now. Not anywhere near as much as the LG G Flex 2, but it's there. It's subtle.
The two phones are roughly the same size, and they've pretty much got the same feel to them. But there's a cool new polygon scheme on the removable plastic battery cover that makes the phone a little easier to hold, and it looks a little more futuristic, too. (It's also nice to see something other than faux brushed metal.) The gray version is done up in a sort of metallic scheme, but it still feels quite plastic. The white one has a ceramic paint job. But, really, it's going to be the leather back that stands out the most.
The rear buttons have kept things in order — volume up and down flanking the power button. You can now double tap the volume-down button to fire off the camera faster than ever before — 0.6 seconds, LG says — and take a picture just as fast. And that camera ... you're going to have to see it for yourself. (We'll have plenty more on that to come.)
Is the LG G4 going to be a must-upgrade from the G3? We'll have to see. But it's going to be a very tempting proposition either way.
