Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums banner

LG G4 Opinions

5K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  Major Marshall 
#1 ·
I am interested in getting a new smart phone, nothing fancy; trying to hit a sweet spot of good performance/ dollar. I have a used deactivated Galaxy S2 that is only on wifi. I carry it around when I walk my dogs and bounce off the neighbours wifi to keep an eye on the weather radar as I am in a rural setting. Otherwise I just use it as a secondary tablet when the IPad is unavailable at home. It works well enough, but it is a little slow at times, and a bit small. I have read reviews on cnet, anandtech, verge,etc. and all say the LG G4 is a good competent phone, not the best but I don't need the best. It fits well in my hand too. I have an ancient cell phone for emergencies when travelling in my old car. I would use it mainly on wifi with the occasional phone call.
I figured I would wait until Black Friiday and maybe get it then, if Koodo has a deal like last year's one on the G3 through TMS (~$200.). I like the removable battery and expandable memory features too, and prefer android over Apple.
Opinions, suggestions, any other reviewers to consider?
Thx. M.M.
 
#3 ·
The G4 is not really a "nothing fancy" phone, though, not with that screen. Are you sure you are not asking about the Moto G line (I think the latest gen is 4, so it would be a "Moto G 4"). The LG G4 lists at $550 at Fido to buy outright (or $15/month tab on a 2-year plan). Whereas the Moto G is usually in the $200 range, give or take. If you really want an LG then there is the new LG X Power that's very comparable to the Moto G, specs-wise. With the G4 you have a screen that is roughly double the resolution in both directions, so 4x the number of pixels. That requires a bigger battery, more powerful processor -- all that drives the price up. Given your intended use I don't think you need a quad-HD screen.
 
#4 ·
All very good points to consider , and I agree with your observations. It is the LG G4 that I am interested in. The screen is probably more resolution than I need, true. I looked at the Galaxy S5 too- liked the water resistance, but not the 2gb Ram. I have not heard a lot of good things about it. I guess I figured that with the G4's 808 CPU/GPUs, Ram, it isn't a flagship phone, but it is still competent and won't be left behind any time soon. I am certainly not going to tax it's processing power. Plus the price seems reasonable, especially if there is a promo like last years LG L3 on Koodo/wow mobile ~$200. if I remember correctly. Right now it is ~$360 on a tab, with some additional promos.
Then there is the intangible: once I get it I will probably use it more than I can now imagine, and I would rather buy a little high now than low and have to upgrade later.
But... I am still open to suggestions.
Thank you.
M.M.
 
#5 ·
Is $360 the regular price or is that already a discount? There was a phone I saw recently that was discounted $190 from $550; it was $15/month on a tab for 24 months. I don't remember if that was the G4 or another phone. But the point is if it's already discounted from $550 to $360 it's not likely to be discounted much more later on.

I am looking for a phone myself and I am, frankly, disgusted by the prices. The OnePlus 1 came out at $200 USD (back when the loonie was pretty close to par) while the others were selling for $500 and up. And the spec on that phone were very comparable. Since then the OnePlus has been going downhill a bit (specs/build quality going down, price going up) but I can still pick up a OnePlus 1, second hand, for $200. If it's had a screen protector on since day one, and since you'll most likely use a cover, the only thing, really, to worry about is the battery. Replacing the battery is pretty straightforward, usually even for the models that aren't officially replaceable).

So that's where I'm at -- thinking of getting a higher-end 2 year old phone at a better price.
 
#6 ·
There are lots of LG G4s on eBay. The new ones are US$350 or more plus shipping. Lots of used ones for under $200 but the condition often appears to be questionable. Many are locked so an unlocking fee must be added into the final cost.

To get a new phone with decent specs for a good price try Huawei or Xiaomi. They are big sellers in Asia and don't carry the big markup that brands made for the North American market have. Some of their high end phones are 1/2 the price of comparable models from Samsung or Apple.
 
#9 ·
Just thought id give my 5 cents on the LG G3/G4 phones. If you are on a budget and need a phone badly for a decent price go for the G3 you can get it for $100 on a term or about $400 out right. This is what I decided to go with. I really went with the G3 not because I dislike the G4 but they wanted an extra $400 dollars for this phone if I keep the same plan or i can get it for less but id be paying out of my you know what for my monthtly plan fee. In my opinion if you can afford having a 85-90 dolar per month for your cellular plan to get this phone for cheaper and u really need the features and all the bells and whistles then sure go for it otherwise the G3 is stil has a l9t of the features performance and battery life but for less.
 
#10 ·
I picked up a refurb LG G2 about a year ago for $250. Fortunately, it was in very good shape. Put the previous phone's sim in it, got the unlock code from the vendor and it was good to go on a cheap plan. I needed the big bright screen and better specs since the phone that Bell supplied was almost unusable.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for all of your answers, which have given me lots to think about as alternative suggestions are all good phones worth considering I have done more research based upon those suggestions. I will probably get the phone on Black Friday, so there is plenty of time to weigh your opinions. Please keep them coming, much appreciated.
Thanks, M.M.
 
#13 ·
Regarding the Xiaomi, I've been doing a little more digging. The price I quoted was US. The better place to get it would be on aliexpress, from vendor Hong Kong Goldway. They offer DHL shipping for an additional $16 or so which gets you your phone in about a week (this was from a Toronto-area buyer). It'll be another $25 or so at customs but in the end you still get a phone for under $300. The phone comes with the MIUI firmware (it's a derivative of Android); the "global" version is "sanctioned" by Google so you can have google services on it (the Chinese version, not so much). Some people prefer to change that to Cyanogen Mod but for that you will need to unlock the bootloader.

Despite all that, I still like it and am planning on getting one for my b/d in a few weeks. I'll probably stay on MIUI at least for a while. Only complaint I heard about it is that it tends to shut down apps in background (battery saver mode?) but that probably wouldn't bother me too much.
 
#14 ·
What I really like about the LG G4 is the removable battery and the expandable storage. I don't think the Huawei or Xiaomi have both of those features. The LG G3 is nice too and certainly caught my eye, and started me thinking about getting a new phone. It is also on my list of phones to consider. Sometimes the phones are discounted ( down to $360 for the LgG4 on Koodo) plus a vendor gift card bonus, and occasionally a trade-in bonus too. That would be great.
I saw a tear down of a LG G4 on infixit.com and it was surprisingly easy.
I am learning a lot thanks to your suggestions.
Thanks. MM.
 
#15 ·
Easily replaceable batteries sound like a good idea but don't make a lot of sense for most people. Li-ion batteries typically last for 3 to 5 years under normal use. I had one last almost 10 years. It was replaceable but the batteries were no longer available and the phone, though still in good shape and very reliable, was obsolete. By the time the battery goes, most people will want a new phone. If not, there are ways to replace the battery in most phones. The only real advantage is the ability to replace the battery with a charged spare in an emergency. That can also be overcome with an external USB battery pack and some phones offer a quick charge option and longer battery life. I'm not saying the G4 is a bad phone, I'm just saying I wouldn't buy it on the basis of the replaceable battery option.
 
#16 ·
With most smartphones the battery is good for about 2 years, after which time it doesn't hold the charge nearly as long as it used to. Standby time is fine but a modern smartphone is very rarely in that mode for long.

Now, all that said, most batteries are fairly simple to replace. Pop the cover, remove a few screws and a couple connectors and that's about it. Just check youtube for a video for your particular brand and you can easily get the correct battery on eBay or amazon. In some case you will be able to get a bigger battery (may need a different back-plate to accommodate the larger battery).
 
#18 ·
Charging any phone under a pillow, even with an OEM battery, is a stupid thing to do. It will lead to overheating and possible fire or explosion with any make of battery.

A smartphone battery that only lasts 2 years must be subject to very heavy use, most probably with a quick charger. Quick charging shortens battery life and is more likely to cause a fire or explosion. A good quality Lion battery is good for close to 1000 full charge/discharge cycles, at least 500. That's a full discharge, with Lion batteries it takes two 50% discharge/charge cycles to equal a full discharge/charge. If the phone is fully discharged and charged at least once every day, that might lead to a 2 year battery life. A more typical 50% daily cycle would yield a 3 to 6 year battery life. That of course, would be with a high quality battery and moderate charging current. I wouldn't put it past some phone makers to use shorter life batteries to save a few cents in manufacturing costs, even with high end, high priced phones.
 
#19 · (Edited)
You can generally find customer reviews and pick a vendor who sells the right stuff. My first "smart" phone was the BlackBerry Bold and after 2 years I started noticing the battery time being quite short. After 3 years it would go from 60% to "Not enough to turn on radio" in 10 minutes. Ironically, it was a replaceable battery si I was just lazy :)
 
#20 ·
Just saw a deal posted on RFD -- Virgin Mobile has the LG G4 available for $0 on a 2-year gold plan ($55/month and up). In addition when you get it at the Mobile Shop inside a Loblaws or SuperCenter store you get 250,000 PC points (worth $250 in groceries) and and additional 100,000 PC points (but that is limited to this weekend). Their lowest "gold" plan is 500 minutes (anytime, Canada-wide) + 500 MB or unlimited talk and no data; both plans include unlimited evenings/weekends. The $350 in groceries, over 24 months, brings your phone plan down to $40.42/month and you get a very good phone "free". I have not checked this out myself yet (I'm out of town right now anyway). There will probably be another similar deal soon.
 
#21 ·
Just did a quick check with PC Tel. They have their $44 unlimited talk plan where the G4 is "free" with an $8 top-up (which saves you $3/month over the Virgin pan). You get 175,000 PC points. With the $3/month savings x 24 months you save $72, plus the 175,000 PC points almost matches the 250,000 points with Virgin. In other words, very comparable. Now, what I was actually finding interesting is that this $44 plan drops $6 if you bring your own phone. So add $8 for the LG or drop $6 for your won -- that means the phone costs you $14/month over 24 months, or $336. And you get $175 in free groceries. Not a bad deal.

Now, I was looking at getting a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 for around $280 all in and then get a cheaper plan. Other than the fingerprint reader and all-metal construction, the G4 is a better phone in all other ways (same RAM and storage, better camera, much better screen, Gorilla Glass 3, NFC). It has a smaller battery which is a shame. I believe you can get a 6000 mAh battery but that requires a different backplate (makes the phone thicker). Guess I can always get that later if/when the battery starts showing its age.

Decision, decisions.
 
#22 ·
That deal on the LG G4 last weekend was pretty good, but I'm sure Virgin makes all back on the plan. I would not use it all up per month. Public Mobile has better deals for talk text and data, but it is byob I believe. The boot loop issue on the LG G4 is a concern too. As far as the battery goes, if it is a concern, just buy an extra one with the phone and charge it periodically. ExDilbert is right.
Reconsidering the Galaxy S5...
 
#23 ·
I was "introduced" to Public Mobile when I was trying to find a better plan to my McGill-bound son. They had this provider listed on one of the student help pages. They were recently bought out by Telus (?) so they are no-longer independent. I was using one of those websites that lets you compare plans from different providers and they had a very good deal listed for Public, but when I went to Public's own website there was no such deal. Their best/cheapest plan is $70 for 90 days for a text-only service, and there there are $15 plans around that do that (e.g. PC Tel at Loblaws). I also saw a $15 text-only plan at Rogers but can't find it now; maybe it was a mirage.

Virgin's $55 is not that bad considering that you got a $360 phone and $350 in groceries. That $55 is fairly competitive for what the plan gets you. The PC Tel one was the same for just $3 less (but did not have the option of adding 500 MB by dropping the unlimited to 500 minutes).

I've learned a ton over the last week or so but I think I'm even more confused than before (being better informed is not always what you think it means). For example, there are various variants of the LG G4. The one for the Canadian market is 812 for which there is no unclocked bootloader. What do you care, you ask? Well if you wanted to install CyanogenMod (a very popular open-source mod of Android) then you need an unlocked bootloader and to root your phone which, apparently, you cannot do with the Canadian version. Except that other sites say it can be done (but not as straightforward as for the US variants).
 
#24 ·
Yeah, I hear you about being confused from info overload. I am not tech smart for phone specs, and figuring out all the pro/cons of certain plans is confusing. A bit of talk, text and data (maybe) is all I would need. Public Mobile is probably right for me. I am considering LG G3 or GS5 on kijiji for ~$125. or LgG4 for~$250. and go byop from there. I will have to decide whether the G4 is worth the extra money over the G3/GS5. I do want the extra storage and replaceable battery though.
 
#25 ·
Most batteries are very easy to replace even if they are not officially replaceable. After reading this thread I started looking at the G4 in more detail and I really like what I see. I'll probably eventually get one, but more likely from the US, as I'll want to try CM on it and that's difficult on the Canadian variant (you need an unlocked bootloader and for the Canadian variant there is only one for an older Android version, so you would have to try to downgrade it first; some claim you can't do it).
 
#27 ·
I read somewhere that LG finally admitted there was a h/w issue that caused some phones to go into a boot loop. They should be able to fix it. But you're better off getting a unit with a manufacturing date of October 2015 or later. As for warranty, it doesn't really matter if you are getting a second hand unit (not sure I'd buy a brand new one from the US).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top