When is the LG G4 coming out? We take a look at the rumoured and possible UK release date, price and specs of the upcoming LG G4 smartphone, which could be the first 3K smartphone.
LG is now a solid name in the smartphone market after a run of impressive flagship devices. So we're excited about what the firm will bring to the table next year. This article will be a hub for everything LG G4 related and we'll update it over time as more details emerge. Read: LG G3 vs G3 S comparison review
LG G4 UK release date: When is the LG G4 coming out?
Smartphone manufacturers like to be consistent (most of the time anyway) and LG has launched it's last two smartphones in May and August. That's a little different but going on a yearly cycle, we expect the G4 to arrive around the same time next year – April or May seem the most likely but MWC 2015 in March is also possible. See: What to expect from MWC 2015.
Although MWC is a possiblity, a report by The Chosun claims an an LG exec has ruled it out. "We rolled out the G3 in May last year so we do not plan to unveil the G4 at this year's Mobile World Congress and spend more time perfecting the new phone," they said.
Backing this up some more, a report from The Korea Times says that April is the month LG will opt for. "Samsung usually releases its new flagship model in the first quarter of each year, and Apple in the second quarter. We need some in-between time to make a bigger splash," said the source.
We know the LG G4 is coming eventually because the firm has filed patent applications in Korea for the LG G5, LG G6 right up to the LG G9. That should keep us going for a while.
Plus, while speaking with Trusted Reviews at CES 2015, LG namedropped the G4. "I don’t think we are going to be able to sit back and expect people are just going to fawn over the G4, or whatever the name will be, just because they liked the G3. I don’t think it works that way any more. I don’t think people are as loyal on the Android side as they are on the iOS side, so you really have to win every customer with your products," it told them.
See: LG G3 Prime and G3 Stylus smartphones pegged for IFA 2014 launch.
LG G4 UK price: How much will the LG G4 cost?
In terms of price, we're just speculating for now and going on previous devices, LG tends to undercut rivals although the G3 was less of a margin than the G2. As a flagship smartphone it will have a premium price tag but we hope LG can keep the tradition of making it cheaper than rivals. Our bet is on the £500 mark.
Read:Samsung Galaxy S6 release date, features and specs rumours.
LG G4: A 3K smartphone screen
A sapphire crystal screen is rumoured for the LG G4, but that's not the big news about its screen. Last year the G3 wowed us with its Quad-HD or 2K panel; this year the company is alleged to be taking things up a notch with a 3K screen. With a 1620x2880 screen, the G4 will have a sky-high pixel density of 601ppi (assuming it sticks with a 5.5in panel). Read: 5 things we want from the LG G4.
The rumour comes from MyLGphones.com, who was sent in the following screenshot from a tipster. It may or may not be accurate, but suggests an upcoming LG phone with the model name LG-VS999 will have a 3K screen. The LG G3 went with the similar model nameLG-S985 on the Verizon Wireless network.
However, MyLGphones.com has since reported that the South Korean model of the LG G4 has been confirmed to have a Quad-HD screen. Confusing.
The first is that the G4 will come with Android Lollipop, which arrived in late 2014, giving LG plenty of time to get the software preloaded.
We expect the device to come with the next generation of Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and most likely the 64-bit 810 chip unveiled in the LG G Flex 2 at CES 2015. However, LG has announced its own Nuclun processor which is rumoured to feature in the G4. The Nuclun is an octa-core processor with LTE-A Cat 6 network capabilities to allow for 4G speeds up to 300mbps (theoretically).
Read: HTC One M9 release date, price, specs rumours.
Although LG has opted against a waterproof design, this is becoming more expected in a premium flagship smartphone and Sony is now offering it on mid-range phones. We don't expect it but it's certainly a possible upgrade.
LG has announced a screen with a super slim bezel, even smaller than the G3's. The display has a 0.7mm bezel compared to the already impressive 1.15mm. This hasn't been confirmed for use in the G4 but it's perfectly possible. It's 5.3 in which is a little smaller than the G3.
We also think it's likely that LG will upgrade the camera and continue to offer a microSD card slot. According to GSMArena it will be a 16Mp camera with a resolution of 5312x2988 pixels.The screen is unknown as the G3 was the first to come with a Quad HD display so this is very likely to stay the same for the G4. If the resolution stays the same then hopefully upgrades will come in other forms such as better power efficiency and maybe even some kind of bendy or flexible feature.
ZDnet claims the LG G4 will focus on design and camera capability, and says that, according to LG, "design will continue to differentiate in terms of strategy".
We hope, by this point, that there will have been some kind of break though in battery tech rather than just using bigger cells and ultra power saving modes which rend the device almost useless. We're not holding out breath too much, though.
Keep an eye on this page for updates as the G4 launch draws closer.
