Updated: LG G4 release date, news and rumors

LG G4 release date, news and rumors

The LG G3 is a phone that hugely impressed us, but there are a lot of things which could have been improved and some areas, such as battery life, in which it was even a step down from the LG G2.

Times are a-changing too and while the LG G3 is still a fairly recent phone it becomes that little bit more dated with each passing month and every new flagship release.

So it's not hard to think of ways that the LG G4 could be better. If you're reading LG, take the following suggestions on board.

Update: The LG G4 could skip MWC 2015, with the Korean firm instead opting for a standalone event sometime in May.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? LG's next flagship smartphone


• When is it out? Perhaps May 2015


• What will it cost? It will command a high, flagship price

LG G4 release date

Before we get to that though one thing we can do is take a guess at when the LG G4 might release. The LG G3 was launched in May, so given that LG has so far taken to releasing one flagship a year we'd expect the LG G4 will arrive in or around April or May 2015.

Having said that the LG G2 launched in September 2013, so LG has been a little inconsistent with its dates so far and some rumors even suggest we'll see the new phone at MWC 2015 in March, so that it's better able to compete with other flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S6.

May still seems a likely bet though, with another set of rumors pointing towards a later launch away from the hustle and bustle of MWC in Barcelona.

LG G4 specifications

A recent batch of leaks suggest that the LG G4 could be a powerful handset. They apparently confirm that the LG G4 will sport the new Snapdragon 810 processor, despite reports that Qualcomm's chip is facing delays.

The leaks also claim that the LG G4 will have a healthy 3GB of RAM and the camera will be boosted from the 13 megapixel resolution of the LG G3 to 16 megapixels.

The LG G4 also looks like it will run Android 5.0 Lollipop straight out of the box, which is good news if you want a handset that comes with Google's latest mobile operating system.

LG G4 news and rumors

We've already started to hear some rumblings in the technology underworld linked to LG's next flagship smartphone.

It could be goodbye bezel on the LG G4, as the South Korean firm has launched a display with a super slender 0.7mm of fat around its perimeter. The screen in question measures 5.3 inches, which is a jot smaller than the 5.5-inch G3, and we'd prefer this smaller size as it would be easier to handle.

The LG G3 has 1.15mm of bezel either side of the screen, so this new display could make the G4 look visually stunning.

LG is apparently also preparing a fleet of bendable phones for 2015, following in the footsteps of the LG G Flex, and links are being made between this and the rumored G4.

In fact LG quietly took the covers off a three sided smartphone at CES 2015 in Las Vegas - could this be our first glimpse at the LG G4?

We may well see some camera improvements, as G4Games reports that LG has unveiled a new 20.7MP sensor, which could be headed for the LG G4. The key question though is how the brand will use this new technology after the snapper on the G3, which should have been awesome, was woeful compared to the competition.

The company has also unveiled an own-brand octa-core processor, so that might be used in the new phone. If not we'd expect to see a Snapdragon 805 or Snapdragon 810, as they're likely to be the processors of choice in 2015's flagships.

With the arrival of the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015 and its Snapdragon 810 processor, rumors that the LG G4 will sport a 64-bit chip have also been given a boost.

There are reports that Qualcomm's 810 chip is facing delays, which could push back the launch of the LG G4 - although the chip maker has recently said progress is good with the latest iteration on Snapdragon.

Beyond that we can speculate that the G4 will probably have at least a QHD screen, given that the LG G3 has one and we'd imagine LG will pack it with 3 or 4GB of RAM, while Android 5.0 is all but guaranteed.

There is a suggestion that the LG G4 may pack a stylus in its body, but we'd be surprised if LG put this on its core flagship device. It's probably something that will arrive with a varient, like the LG G3 Stylus.

LG G4 what we want to see

While we're fleshing out the details of what will be coming with the LG G4, here's what we want to see when we do:

A metal chassis

The LG G3 sure does a good job of looking metallic, but that's all it is, an effect, and as soon as you pick up the phone the illusion is broken, so much so in fact that it actually winds up feeling cheaper than the LG G2.

So we really hope the LG G4 will go the whole hog and have a shell crafted from actual metal. Even Samsung's sticking metal in its phones now so LG really can't afford not to.

We'd also appreciate it if they gave the G4 a unibody rather than having a removable back, as it's likely to feel more solid and premium as a result.

Improved battery life

The LG G3 had good battery life, but it was actually slightly worse than the G2's battery and that's not a trend we like to see. There's steeper competition here now too, with Sony in particular doing well with the Xperia Z3 and the Xperia Z3 Compact, both of which have a whole lot of juice.

A battery saving mode

Battery saving modes are all the rage these days, whether it's Sony's Stamina mode, HTC's Extreme power saving mode or Samsung's Ultra power saving mode, but the LG G3 doesn't have one.

Now it already does a good job of conserving battery on the fly, by adapting the display and slowing down the processor when the extra horsepower isn't needed, but it would be great if the LG G4 went even further and had additional options that could be toggled as needed, just to squeeze even more juice out.

More power

More power is an obvious wish and an increasingly redundant one as most high end phones are levelling out and delivering near faultless performance. But the LG G3 actually did noticeably lag at times.

Maybe that's down to the QHD display, maybe it's just down to poor optimisation, but whatever the reason we really hope LG sorts it out and gives us a faster phone in the LG G4.

A slicker interface

LG could also afford to do some more work on its interface. The G2's was a cluttered nightmare and the G3's was a big step in the right direction, but still not as slick as it could be.

In particular we'd like to see improvements made to Smart Notice. This sits below the weather widget on the home screen and gives you tailored advice and suggestions, for example it might give you more details on the weather or suggest you add someone to your contacts if you call them a lot.

The problem is it just doesn't work that well, often providing irrelevant advice, so LG should make it smarter or ditch it, we already have Google Now after all.

A better camera

On the whole the LG G3 has a pretty great camera, complete with optical image stabilisation and a laser autofocus. But while it performs well in bright light it's not so good in low light, relying on software to unconvincingly smooth over noisy shots, rather than taking good photos to begin with. So hopefully the LG G4 will improve in that area.

Recent rumours have suggested that we'll be getting what we wished for, with the LG G4 coming with a 16 megapixel snapper.

We'd also like to be given more manual control. The LG G3 is great if you just want to point and shoot, but there aren't many options for those who want to adjust the exposure or ISO for example.

A superior screen

This one might seem strange, after all the LG G3 is already QHD, but we're not talking about more pixels. Rather we'd like to see improved performance from the pixels that are already there. In particular the LG G3 suffers from a noticeable loss in brightness when not viewed square on, so if LG can sort that for the G4 we'd be pretty happy.

Water and dust resistance

While not exactly a headline feature, water and dust resistance are undeniably nice things to have. We have to wonder how many people ever actively make use of the fact that they can submerge their smartphone, but knowing that it can survive a little water gives us some peace of mind.

Here in England it rains all the time and sometimes we'd actually like to be able to use our phone while outside, without first crafting a makeshift shield from whatever else we happen to be carrying / wearing at the time.

Knock Code Improvements

We love Knock On – the ability to wake up your phone with a tap, but Knock Code, which takes things further by letting you also unlock your phone with a series of taps, just doesn't work all that well.

The main problem is that if you touch the screen when picking the G3 up it registers that touch as the first tap and causes the pattern to be interpreted incorrectly. We're not quite sure how LG can get around that so it's a good thing we're not designing the G4, but hopefully LG has a solution because a feature which doesn't work is just an annoyance.

Front-facing speakers

With support for high quality audio the LG G3 already does a great job when listening to music through a good pair of headphones, but its speaker isn't so hot either in terms of positioning or quality.

For the LG G4 we'd like to see dual front-facing speakers, like those on the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z3. It's a much more logical place for them, especially when you're watching something or playing a game. If LG can make the sound crisper and richer too then all the better.

• We're looking ahead to the Samsung Galaxy S6 too.

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