LG announces the G2 -- life's good for Android users
While LG has slowly made a name for itself in the USA with such devices as televisions and washing machines, the company has also released smartphones to much lesser fanfare. The South Korean company has a small and quiet following in the Android community, but it is far outmatched by the likes of Samsung, Motorola and HTC. Today, the company hopes to change this by announcing the LG G2 -- an interesting new smartphone with an unfortunate ho-hum name.
The most intriguing new aspect of the G2 is something LG calls "Rear Key". Basically, the volume and power buttons have been moved from the side of the device to the rear. This is truly innovative outside-the-box product design -- my mind is officially blown!
According to the company, this new smartphone "...shifts the paradigm in smartphone design by placing all the buttons on the rear of the device, making this the first smartphone to be completely devoid of side buttons. The unique Rear Key concept came from the realization when studying users that the larger the phone became, the more difficult it was to properly access the side keys. Moving the main buttons to the back of the phone gave users more control since this place was where individuals’ index fingers are naturally located. Researchers found that moving the buttons also resulted in fewer dropped phones when adjusting the volume while talking". In other words, there was science and thought put behind the button-relocation; it is not just a gimmick.
Android users love specs, and this new smartphone brings the goods, as seen below:
- Processor: 2.26GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon 800 featuring quad Krait CPU
- Display: 5.2-inch Full HD IPS (1080 x 1920 pixels / 423 ppi)
- Memory: 32GB / 16GB
- RAM: 2GB LPDDR3 800MHz
- Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS / Front 2.1MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh
- Size: 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9mm
- Colors: Black / White
While the smartphone has a massive 5.2-inch Full-HD display, it has a tiny bezel which minimizes the overall size of the device. LG says that it "...upped the ante by incorporating a 5.2-inch Full HD display in the LG G2, the largest display designed for one-handed operation in today’s popular 2.7-inch width smartphone category. In addition to the expansive viewing experience, LG’s innovative Dual Routing technology reduced the phone's bezel to a mere 2.65 mm on the side edge. And with proven IPS technology, the LG G2 offers superior graphics, accurate colors and clear images without any distortion".
Specs aside, LG has also chosen to improve on the things that smartphone users do most with the following features:
- Answer Me -- Automatically answers the call after lowering the ringtone when the phone is raised to one’s ear.
- Plug & Pop -- Recommends options or related features to choose from when the earphone or USB cable is detected.
- Text Link -- Allows information embedded in text messages to be selected and easily saved in a memo or calendar and searched on a map or the internet.
- QuickRemote -- Not only can LG G2 be used to remotely control popular home entertainment devices, it can also learn from conventional remotes and be customized to operate multiple devices with flexible layouts and keys.
- Slide Aside -- Enables easier multitasking by simply “sliding” open apps off to the side using a three-finger swipe.
- Guest Mode -- Protects owner's privacy by displaying only pre-selected apps when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern.
Sadly, the device will launch with Android 4.2.2 and not the recently released 4.3. However, it is a very safe bet that such a device will see an upgrade to the newer version soon enough. Either way, the handset looks like a beast and consumers should not be deterred by a lack of Android 4.3.
Speaking of consumers, all of them in the USA can get excited -- the phone will launch on all 4 major US-carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile). In fact, LG says the smartphone "...will be rolled out in over 130 wireless carriers in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea followed by North America, Europe and other key markets".
Will you be buying the LG G2? Tell me in the comments.