LG is an unpredictable entity in the smartphone game.
Prior to 2013 everyone thought that LG was pretty much out of the smartphone game, then came the G2. Following hot on the heels of the G2 came something a bit more…unusual. LG surprised everyone (yet again) when they released the G Flex. The G Flex was definitely a noticeable device (I had to endure many “Are you happy to see me or is there something in your pocket” jokes) not only due to its shape but also due to the sheer size of the device, and that was one of the problems with it. At 160.5mm in length, with a 6 inch screen, the original G Flex was just too cumbersome to carry around. While the curve lent itself to the phone sliding into your back pocket, the size of it made it uncomfortable. Reaching your hand across the 720p display was virtually impossible for someone with small hands.
While it was certainly a capable device, the G Flex seemed more like a great idea than a fully realized smartphone. The concept was interesting but the execution was somewhat lacking.
That was 2014.
In 2015 LG is proving that they are clearly living up to their ethos of learning from you.
The G Flex 2 is the phone that the original G Flex should’ve been.
The screen size was reduced to a far more comfortable 5.5 inches and the display was bumped up to a full 1080p as opposed to last year’s somewhat disappointing 720p.
LG has also improved the self-healing coating on the back of the G Flex 2, now the everyday scuffs and scratches will disappear in 10 seconds (at room temperature) as opposed to the 3 minutes it took for the original G Flex to recover from those little accidents.
The G Flex 2 also includes some of the best things introduced in last year’s G3 (laser auto focus, OIS+, gesture shot) while bringing a few new party tricks, my favourite of which is Glance View.
Glance View allows you to check out the things that you don’t really want to have to unlock your phone for such as the time or checking to see how many times your boss called while you were on lunch. Notifications can be checked by simply sliding your finger down from the top of the curved display, even while the phone’s display is locked.
One of my other favourite things is fast charge. If you’re like me and you LIVE on your phone, then battery life is always a concern. The G Flex 2 is the first LG device (and the world’s first device with a curved battery) able to go from 0% to a 50% charge in 38 minutes.
Did I mention that the G Flex 2 is the world’s first device to use the Snapdragon 810 processor with a 64-bit octa-core CPU? Or the fact that it comes with Android Lollipop right out of the box?
This device is clearly more than just muscle and snazzy party tricks. With its curvaceous body, gorgeous display and head turning god looks, the LG G Flex 2 is everything that I had wished the original G Flex had been. The question is, do you NEED a curved phone?
LG says that the curve is inspired by the shape of your face and that the curve brings the mic closer to your mouth for better voice pickup which results in better voice quality on calls. The curve also feels more natural than the flat phones we’ve gotten used to. All of that might be true, but it still doesn’t answer the question of whether or not you need a curved phone.
At the end of the day, that decision is up to you. The G Flex 2 was an amazing device to play around with, swiping between screens and opening and closing apps was a breeze. Not only is it a beautiful phone, it’s also a phone that seems to be more than capable of handling anything you throw at it.
The G Flex 2 will be released in South Africa in April 2015 with a RRP of R10 499 (according to LG, this price has not been finalized yet) and will be exclusive to Vodacom.
If this is the shape of things to come then carry on LG, we’re loving all the curveballs you’re throwing our way.
We’ll give you a more in depth review once we get our hands on a review device from LG, in the meantime, check out the G Flex 2 specs below and have a look at the LG Product Story video :
LG G Flex 2 specs :
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 810 processor with 2.0GHz 64-bit Octa-Core CPU
- Display: 5.5-inch Full HD Curved P-OLED (1080 x 1920 pixels / 403 ppi)
- Memory: 16/32MB eMMC ROM / 2GB DDR4 RAM / microSD slot (up to 2TB)
- Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS+ with Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP
- Battery: 3,000mAh (embedded)
- Operating System: Android 5.0 Lollipop
- Size: 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1-9.4mm
- Weight: 152g
- Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21/42 Mbps
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X) 4.1, NFC, SlimPort, A-GPS / Glonass, USB 2.0
- Color: Platinum Silver, Flamenco Red
- Other: Gesture Shot, Gesture View, Glance View etc.