South Korean electronics manufacturer LG has established itself in the competitive smartphone industry, and buzz has been building around its latest flagship smartphone, LG G4. In addition, Android 5.0 Lollipop updates have been rolled out for LG G3 and LG G2 smartphones.
According to a report from Chris Smith of BGR, the LG G4 is set to launch worldwide on April 28 and be available for sale the day after. The prices are expected to be much higher than even the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus; special preorder deals for the LG G4 in South Korea could cost as much as $825.
"Prices are yet to be confirmed, but will stay within that range," an LG official said. "The comparison target is Edge because the best camera, natural leather, etc. are used."
According to Kim Yong-joo of ETNews, the exact price of the phone would be revealed on April 29. However, it could be priced between $795 and $908, especially when it is compared with the prices for Samsung Galaxy S6 32 GB and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32 GB.
Smith reported that the price for the LG G4 is for an unlocked, unsubsidized version. However, LG hasn't revealed any pricing rates for any country, including its home base of South Korea.
"Being unable to test the product with hands, experiential marketing is impossible," a Korean telecommunication company official said. "Whether such mysticism marketing where the design is not fully revealed will work or not is the key."
According to a report from PC Pro, there will be two versions: a standard one with a plastic rear and a more expensive version with a premium leather case. The pricing would make LG's new flagship device more expensive than its main rival, the Samsung Galaxy S6.
"While this seems like huge gap in price for two devices that are essentially the same phone, the newest leak has credibility thanks to LG traditionally undercutting the flagship smartphone market," PC Pro wrote. "With the LG G4 launch set for tomorrow afternoon, we won't have long to wait to see if these leaks are accurate."
PC Pro reported that the existence of a leather version for the LG G4 has been teased in press invitations and videos. Other leaks about the smartphone's specs have also come out.
"The leak also detailed the LG G4's specs, which include a 5.3in, 1440 x 2560 pixel Quad HD screen, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 13-megapixel rear camera, 3,000mAh removable battery and microSD slot," PC Pro wrote. "It will also measure 75.3 x 8.9 x 149.1mm (WDH)."
According to PC Pro, the LG G4 is expected to run on Android 5.0 Lollipop with LG's custom skin on top. Information has also leaked out about the smartphone's camera.
"LG has already confirmed the LG G4's rear, main camera will have an f/1.8 aperture camera," PC Pro wrote. "The leaks from 13 April suggested it will have a resolution of 13-megapixels, although earlier reports had suggested 16-megapixels. Either way, we expect it to be fairly impressive, given it's the star of the first LG G4 teaser video."
LG noted that the Quad HD LCD display will provide "richer and more accurate colors with a 120 percent color gamut, exceeding the 100 percent gamut offered on conventional panels." LG also claimed that the G4 had a pixel density of 538 dpi, which was "50 percent higher than conventional QHD LCD panels" and was 30 percent brighter "without any increase in power consumption."
"The LG G4's display will feature 'Advanced In-Cell Touch,' which will apparently enable the screen to sense touch and respond to commands even if it has water droplets on it," PC Pro wrote.
According to PC Pro, the LG G4 will be unveiled on April 28 at simultaneous events being held in London, New York and Tokyo.
As for LG G3 and LG G2 owners, the company has released updates to both devices in the form of Android 5.0 Lollipop. Alex Dumitru of Android Geeks noted that based on the changes, this was a major update for LG G2, particularly for owners on the Sprint network.
"Besides the Lollipop-specific goodies such as Material Design, Android Runtime (ART), dynamic status bar, lock-screen notifications, multi-user support on phones, Smart Lock, Screen Pinning, improved battery statistics, battery saver mode, redesigned notifications bar and quick settings, new Overview section, or search functionality within the Settings app, the new update also brings tweaks for LG's custom skin and native apps to make them follow the Material Design guidelines," Dumitru wrote. "According to Sprint's changelog, the new update also brings updated FM Radio software."
Dumitru added that the software update "is being released in batches." LG G2 users will be notified when the software is available to download on their device.
"Tap the notification, choose 'Download now', wait until the download is completed, then select 'Install now.' Your LG G2 should reboot and flash the new firmware," Dumitru wrote.
Dumitru noted that users can check for the update manually.
"Go to Settings > System Updates > Update LG Software > Check now," Dumitru wrote.
According to Cory Gunther of GottaBeMobile, LG has also pushed the Android 5.0 Lollipop on LG G3. However, some users have experienced problems updating to the latest Android software.
"With Android 5.0 Lollipop on the LG G3, users will notice a few changes immediately," Gunther wrote. "The lockscreen has been completely tweaked and redesigned, as have the notifications in the pulldown drawer. These are better than ever and expandable, but the lockscreen actually lost features with the Android 5.0 update, something many owners aren't too happy about."
Gunther added that some LG G3 owners have found other problems with the update to Android 5.0 Lollipop.
"Usage varies from each user, but we're hearing horror stories of devices getting extremely hot, running slow, apps crashing, and even device reboots," Gunther wrote.
Gunther then provided a link to the LG software update tool for those who wanted to upgrade their device. However, for those having problems updating the LG G3, he recommended using the drastic option of a "factory data reset" as a quick fix.
"On the LG G3, head into settings > tap the general column and the top, and scroll down to Backup & reset and select this. It will remind you to have all the backup sync options checked, and it's a good idea to check and let most of those sync first," Gunther wrote. "At the very bottom is the factory data reset. Tap this, follow the instructions and do a factory data reset."
Gunther warned users not to wipe the micro-SD card, given that it "likely isn't a part of the problem."
