LG went to considerable lengths to point out that its new flagship G4 isn’t just another “hunk of metal and glass” at its launch event in New York on the 64^th floor of One World Trade Center.

Every flagship phone is ambitious by design, pushing the envelope wherever it can and testing the waters with various features that are supposed to make life better. “Innovation for a Better Life” is the tagline describing what the G4 is supposed to be, referencing the notion that a new phone like this shouldn’t just show off new technologies, it should actually have tangible benefits to its users.

LG’s pedigree in that regard has been suspect, mostly from a UI perspective. The messiness of the G2 was dialled back with last year’s G3, and it appears that iterative philosophy has continued on with the G4. On the hardware side, little has been overhauled or revamped, though some of the changes appear to have an immediate impact, especially where the camera is concerned.

First impressions

Does the phone feel better than the G3? It really depends on which one is being held. I felt the models with the leather back to be very nice, almost like running fingers across the arm of a good leather jacket. Of course, leather is a subjective thing for many people — something I’ve come to learn over the years — so where one may consider genuine leather to be the best, it’s full-grain that requires the most work.

Those who work in textiles know this all too well, though LG didn’t bring anyone up on stage who could provide proper context. If this is, in fact, the same leather preparation luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Coach use, then it requires closer scrutiny.

Given that the G4 has a removable back, which thankfully doesn’t feel flimsy, clipping on the leather should be easy to do once they come to Canada. I’ve been told by an LG Canada rep that consumers can expect them to be available at launch in early June, except there’s only the black leather variant will be available in the Great White North at first.

The ceramic backings are an interesting mishmash of plastic and metal compounds, but no one will be fooled here. The only one that felt more like metal was the Shiny Gold version. The Ceramic Craft (white) was smooth, yet slippery, while the Ceramic Craft (dark) offered a little more friction.

The familiar buttons on the back are one of the main physical differentiators for LG’s flagships. Double-pressing volume down launches the camera from sleep in only 0.6 seconds. It’s a quick draw that can prove useful in a pinch, though I’m on the fence. Simply testing it out in the hands-on time I’ve had with the device has forced me to contort my hand in a way that is not how I would naturally launch and snap a photo. Double-pressing the button again snaps a photo, which I only found immediately useful when shooting straight ahead at a lower angle, or when taking a selfie. And, for obvious reasons, the gesture only works when the screen is off; on the Galaxy S6, double-tapping the home button from any screen accomplishes the same task in a meaningfully better way.

Camera

The camera deserves a fair share of attention, if only because it promises so much. Adding manual controls that can rival others is great, as is the way low-light and colour reproduction are handled. The demos at the event were impressive, pitting the G4 against the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 in a three-way dance over low-light and colour supremacy. In one box was a remote controlled train on a track shining with green and red lights. Shooting at a shutter speed of 1/4, the G4 easily captured the best image, whereas the iPhone couldn’t catch the lights at all.

It will be interesting to see how the G4 measures up in low-light freehand shooting. Propping up the device on a tripod or flat surface undoubtedly helps focus and avoid jittery hands for sharper composition, but I suspect that even the improved optical image stabilization won’t be enough to avoid blurry images when night falls or the light dims. Mind you, shooting in RAW certainly helps the cause when getting the right shot. With thorough testing, we’ll soon know what we’re really dealing with.

Where the iPhone 6 uses a f/2.2 aperture, and the Galaxy S6 a f/1.9, the f/1.8 of the G4 portrayed a dramatic difference. Even compared to the S6, the results were demonstrably better on the G4, although we never got to see those images loaded onto a computer to see how much of a gap there truly was between the two. That will be another point of contention we will need to dig into.

The first batch of test shots were especially promising. The laser focus is quick, with depth of field that is very impressive for a smartphone. The wider aperture helps when shooting in macro, and it’s evident that the manual controls (with a major assist from a real-time view of what the results would be per setting) are substantial in scope and effectiveness. We’ll know more once we try shooting a variety of different scenes using that mode.

Display and battery

Despite having the same resolution as the G3, this new IPS Quantum Display is unquestionably brighter and richer than its predecessor’s. Icons have also received the full Lollipop treatment, falling more in line with the flatter designs that manufacturers have been leaning toward the last two years.

The battery was at half a full charge when I took it out of the box, and after having downloaded all my apps and Google backup data, I noticed a loss of over 20% two hours later. This was with 55% brightness and with Auto turned off. Interesting initial results, but too early to tell if it’s a sign of a larger issue. LG claims battery life should “easily be all day” but only further testing will prove how accurate that is.

Wrap up

LG has crafted what feels like a great phone, and looking at the screen is easy on the eyes. The camera may be the trump card that sets it apart from others because it appears to have the goods to take a run at everyone else in the field.

After all, this is how many average users measure a phone’s prowess. LG has made no secret of positioning the G4 as a handset that does the things users care about — screen, battery, camera and UI — as well or better than anything else on the market. A full review is coming, but time will tell if that point of view will be validated or not.