LG G4 rumor roundup (updated 4/14)

During CES 2015 LG brought us a new flagship device, the LG G Flex 2. Featuring bleeding edge specs and improvements to flexibility and self-healing when compared to its predecessor, the G Flex 2 is a stunning device to say the least — even if its performance isn’t quite as good as we initially expected. Of course, that doesn’t mean LG is standing still when it comes to pushing the bar forward.

With just a little more than two weeks left before the LG G4’s unveiling, we are now starting to have a clearer picture of what to expect from the LG G4, though there’s certainly still quite a few things we don’t know. Let’s jump in and take a look at some of the most prominent rumors, as well as some of the confirmed details relating to the LG G4.

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DESIGN

Since the arrival of the LG G2, LG has been incorporating the rear-button power/volume design into just about all of its devices. With the LG G3, LG took this iconic design and infused some major refinements into the aesthetics while also introducing a metal-looking plastic back that gave the phone a more premium look.

A few weeks ago, LG decided to start teasing the G4 with an official launch date announcement that gave us a hint at what the material device could be made of: leather. The launch date teaser photo didn’t bear a whole lot of detail, but we received some more clarification when the company began talking about the G4’s camera. In this teaser, we were given an image that could turn out to be the back of the G4. Now, it’s unclear whether LG will incorporate genuine leather like on the Moto X (2014), or faux leather like on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Over this past weekend, popular leaker @evleaks tweeted a link to an unannounced LG Korea product microsite that contained plenty of juicy pics of the G4. Since then, the site has been taken down, but we’ve provided all of the pictures of what’s supposedly the G4 (shown above). According to all of the rumors and speculation we’ve seen thus far, the alleged press images of the new handset are very believable. The phone’s back shows off the teased leather material that we saw in LG’s G4 unveiling invitation, as well as a few variants that look to feature a similar plastic back to the G3. In addition to the images, the website also had a spec list. Almost all of the specs listed were the exact same as the G3’s, so it appears that they were just placeholders. And because of this, even though the images look legitimate, we should take this leak with a grain of salt.

DISPLAY

A few rumors from a couple weeks ago hinted that LG could potentially launch the device with a curved display like on the G Flex 2, but just like when it came to the device’s build materials, LG gave us some clarification on the display. The company announced its new 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2560×1440 that would launch on the G4. Despite the obvious similarities with the Quad HD display on the G3, LG says that this new display is a “quantum jump in terms of key features, including color gamut, brightness, contrast ratio, touch function, power consumption and thinness.”

So, it’s confirmed that the G4 will feature a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with Quad HD resolution. For folks who envied the G Flex 2 for its unique curved display, perhaps you’ll have to wait for next year’s G5.

LG G4 SPECS

According to The Korea Times, the G4 will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 SoC, rather than the 810. Additionally, a recent GFXBench listing points to an 808 SoC. Now, GFXBench listings should always be taken with a grain of salt (they’re very easy to alter), so we’ll just need to wait and see exactly which chipset LG decides to use.

There’s no telling exactly why LG would use the 808 over the 810, but some recent speculation entertains that LG maybe waiting until the launch of its ‘higher-end’ smartphone to use the more powerful 810. Additionally, the Snapdragon 810 has had some reputation issues, due to claims of overheating.

Aside from this, there’s really been little talk about the sensors and other features that might be featured in the device. While LG avoided the fingerprint scanner craze so far, with more players coming onboard that train, perhaps LG will finally join the likes of Samsung and others.

CAMERA

Outed in an official teaser video, the G4 will have a 16MP rear-facing camera with an f/1.8 aperture and an 8MP front-facing camera. As you might know, the lower the f-number, the greater the aperture opening is and the more light can reach the sensor for each shot. This is extremely important for taking low light shots. In fact, the 16MP camera will be able to take in 80% more light than the G3’s camera.

For comparison’s sake, the new Samsung Galaxy S6 has an f/1.9 aperture, the HTCOne M9 has an f/2.2 and the iPhone 6 has an f/2.2 aperture as well. Aside from the camera software features, this is turning out to be one heck of a camera.

A few details have been released from LG regarding the camera software, so head down to the next section to check those out.

SOFTWARE FEATURES

LG has released a teaser video for its new UX 4.0, the human-centric UI that aims to make your software experience simpler and easier. Judging from the video, we know that UX 4.0 will have two new features – manual focusing for the camera and improvements to the Smart Notice application. The screenshot that we’ve provided shows off a home screen that is much more flattened than past iterations of the software, with inspiration taken from Google’s Material Design guidelines for the color palette.

A few other added features are also getting updated in UX 4.0, including Smart Bulletin which aggregates information from multiple apps onto a single page, including information from LG Health, Smart Tips, and the improved calendar app.

For more information on what we can expect in the G4’s software, take a look at the YouTube video above.

THE LG NOTE

Back in early December a trademark filing showed up for a G Pen and G Scrawl, and while the descriptions were pretty open-ended and vague, there has been speculation that the G Pen could be a special stylus designed to better compete with Samsung’s S Pen from the Note series. As for G Scrawl, it seems plausible that this could be some kind of software feature that works in conjunction with the G Pen.

We’ve heard a few mutterings from LG employees about the company’s plans to launch a new phone that will “stand above the G series”. According to a report out of Korea, the LG Note will supposedly launch sometime in H2 of 2015. While the name seems like a blatant copy of Samsung’s Note line, LG has already filed for the trademark at the Korean patent office.

We may not see the LG Note launch alongside the G4, but we have a good feeling the company is planning to release a new phablet line sometime in the future.

RELEASE DATE AND POSSIBLE PRICING

Just over a week ago, LG began rolling out official invites for the G4 unveiling on April 28th. Events will take place on the 28th in New York, London, Paris and on April 29th in Seoul, Singapore, and Istanbul.

The invite bears the tagline “See the Great. Feel the Great.” with a “G” in the same font as LG’s G series logo.

Turning to pricing, again there’s not really anything concrete to report. Still, it’s worth mentioning that the LG G3 debuted at pretty aggressive pricing for a high-end flagship device so we wouldn’t be too surprised to see the LG G4 follow suit. This means a $500 – $650 launch price wouldn’t be too unexpected.

WRAP UP

Now that the majority of this post consists of official facts, all that’s left to do is wait until the 28th to see the device. We created this post to serve mostly as a first stop for those looking for news on the LG G4 as it evolves, so be sure to check back over the next few weeks as we find out more about the upcoming LG G4.