WHEN you hear the words ‘premium smartphone’ they probably conjure up images of a sleek glass and steel creation. I’m pretty sure stitched leather isn’t the first thing that springs to mind.
That’s something LG is clearly hoping to change with the release in New York this week of its latest flagship handset, the G4. And judging by the early reaction to the device, they may be on to something.
While it’ll also be available in ‘ceramic’ and ‘metal’ backed options, it’s the leather clad model that’s garnered the lion’s share of the media spotlight. And rightly so. It looks – and I’m told feels – gorgeous.
Of course, LG isn’t the first to introduce cow hide to the smartphone market. Motorola did it last year with its Moto X – if leather wasn’t retro enough for you, it was also available with a wooden back.
Alas, we never got to see the Moto X in South Africa, something I hope will change soon when new owner Lenovo lives up to its promise to reintroduce the brand.
Samsung had a brief flirtation with the medium, although its use of faux leather on its Galaxy S5 and Note 3 were not popular with critics.
But the G4 is definitely the most ambitious, high profile attempt to marry genuine leather with cellphone high tech. That doesn’t mean it’s a one-trick pony, though.
Also helping the G4 stand out is the fact that it’s subtly curved – think a toned down version of its quirkily banana-shaped G Flex and G Flex 2. LG says the shape makes it more durable and should increase the odds of the 5.5-inch Quad HD screen surviving a drop on a hard surface.
LG also made much of the fact that the G4’s back is removable allowing its owner to swap out the 3000mAh battery. Which is just as well because LG seems to have ditched the rapid charging feature I really enjoyed on the G3.
Emphasising the removable battery, along with the fact that on-board storage can be beefed up with an after-market SD card, was no doubt a dig at fellow South Korean company Samsung which abandoned both features with its latest flagship S6 and S6 Edge line despite their long-standing popularity with the Galaxy faithful.
Apple’s iPhone 6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S6 are, in my opinion, the best camera phones currently on the market – although I predict Huawei’s P8 will give them a run for their money when it goes on sale here in a few weeks.
LG is clearly hoping to be a contender too, claiming that its 16-megapixel laser auto-focus camera has been radically improved from previous models with a substantially bigger image sensor and a lens that lets in 80 percent more light for low-light performance that reportedly rivals some dedicated digital SLR cameras. I look forward to testing out those claims when review units land on SA shores.
Selfie fans haven’t been neglected either, with the front of the phone boasting an 8-megapixel snapper.
Less impressively, LG has opted for a Qualcomm six-core Snapdragon 808 processor with 3GB of RAM, rather than the more powerful eight core Snapdragon 810 processor used in the Flex 2, no doubt a response to the overheating issues that have plagued the 810 processor.
The G4 runs a customised version of Google’s Android 5.1 operating system.
Local arrival dates and prices haven’t been announced yet, but I’m hoping LG follows Huawei’s lead and brings in the G4 at a significant discount to Apple and Samsung flagships.
LG makes superb devices, but they really haven’t got the love they deserve from South African consumers. The twin enticement of plush leather and a keenly competitive price may just be the stitch in time that turns the tide.
Got any questions or comments? Send them to @alanqcooper on Twitter or email [email protected].