LG has unveiled its latest and greatest flagship here in an event in New York, which the company has been teasing since the last few weeks on various social networking websites. The G2 is also going to be the first phone from LG that drops the Optimus brand name, and will be simply known as the LG G2. 

Design

For LG, the G2 also marks a first for many new things including placement of the hardware volume keys and power key at the back of the device, and the shift to on-screen navigation keys. The G2 is perhaps the first Android phone in my memory that does not have any physical buttons on its side. Only the nano-SIM card slot is present on the left side of the device. LG says that it decided to shift the buttons to the back because the ever increasing size of devices made reaching buttons at the side or top difficult. The microUSB port and the 3.5mm audio jack are present at the bottom of device.

Design wise, the G2 looks similar to the Optimus G Pro minus the capacitive keys, nearly zero bezel space and a slightly smaller display. The handset is also made from plastic, and not aluminium or any other premium material. However, the use of plastic should help in keeping the weight of the G2 down, and also increase its durability. The dimensions of the G2 are also pretty impressive at 138.5mm x 70.9mm x 8.9mm.

Hardware and Connectivity

On the hardware front, the G2 packs the latest and greatest available including a Snapdragon S800 chip from Qualcomm clocked at 2.26GHz, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, and a microSD card slot. The front of the G2 is dominated by a 5.2-inch True HD (1080p) IPS display, which is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. LG says that it uses GRAM (Graphic RAM) on the display to reduce power usage and increase battery life. All the important sensors like Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Gyro, Infrared sensor and Temperature etc. are also present.

All the usual connectivity features that one expects on a high-end Android handset nowadays are also present. This include Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, A-GPS, and LTE Advanced. There is a 3000mAh non-removable battery with a higher density than competing batteries for maximising battery capacity.

Software

Out of the box, the LG G2 runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with LG’s custom skin on top of it. While LG’s custom skin won’t win any beauty awards, it does pack in a lot of software features and enhancements. All the enhancements that were previously seen on the Optimus G Pro like Smart Screen, Smart Video, Quick Cover, Quiet Time, QuickMemo and QRemote are also present. Long pressing the volume buttons at the back of the device will launch the QuickMemo and Camera app respectively for quick access and speedy operation.

Some new features on the G2 include Answer Me, Plug & Pop, Guest Mode and Slide Aside.

Answer Me – Using Answer Me users can automatically answer a phone call by simply bringing the device to their ear. The phone will automatically lower the ringtone volume and pickup the call when you bring the screen near your ear during an incoming call.

Slide Aside – This new gesture from LG enables for easier multi-tasking. It allows users to slide apps from the screen by using a three-finger swipe for better multi-tasking.

QRemote – As seen on the Optimus G Pro, using QRemote G2 owners can control any device like AC, TV or even their cameras directly using their phone via QRemote. A QRemote widget will also come up on your lock screen, whenever you connect your device to your home Wi-Fi network.

KnockON – Another unique feature of the LG G2 is the ability to wake up the device from sleep or lock it by double tapping on the screen.

Guest Mode — “Protects owner’s privacy by displaying only pre-selected apps when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern.”

Camera and Audio

At the back of the LG G2 is a 13MP camera with Optical Image stabilisation. The use of OIS will make sure that the G2 is able to deliver some stunning images even in low-light situations. The presence of an LED flash should also help in extremely dark situations. The camera is also capable of multi-point AF, Super Resolution, HDR videos, and more. The camera lens uses a sapphire glass instead of tempered lens for extra protection. The G2 is also the first Android device that can capture Full HD videos at 60FPS.

On the front is a 2.1MP snapper for all your video calling needs, which is also capable of recording videos in 1080p videos.

LG states that the G2 is the first phone to feature 24 bit/192kHz Hi-Fi playback to provide studio like sound quality. The loud speaker also packs in more punch, even though there are no stereo speakers on the G2.

Availability and Pricing

The LG G2 will be available on all the four major carriers in the United States. Worldwide, the device will be available on more than 130 carriers in the next eight weeks, starting with South Korea and followed by North America, Europe and other major markets.

LG will announce more details about the pricing and availability of the G2 in key markets over the coming weeks.