LG G4 Review

For its first year the G4 was an easy phone to like. LG skipped the overheating Snapdragon 810 for the six-core 808 with 3 GB of RAM, which was slower than the Galaxy S6's Exynos but ran without drama. The 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum panel curved gently and was brighter and more colourful than the G3's. The camera was the best LG ever shipped: 16 MP behind an f/1.8 lens with laser autofocus, an improved optical stabiliser and a colour spectrum sensor for white balance, plus a manual mode with shutter, ISO, focus and RAW capture that most rivals did not offer.

The battery was 3000 mAh and removable, there was a microSD slot, and the stitched genuine leather backs looked better than any glass of that year. Android 5.1 came under LG's heavy UX 4.0 skin, and Marshmallow was the only major update it ever got. Then, from late 2015, G4s began freezing on the LG logo and rebooting forever. LG admitted in January 2016 that a loose contact between components was to blame, replaced main boards under warranty, and watched many of the replacements fail the same way.

A US class action covering the G4, V10, G5, V20 and Nexus 5X ended with LG paying owners 425 dollars in cash or a 700 dollar rebate. The phone launched at 199 dollars on contract or about 600 outright, and its name became shorthand for a flagship that dies.