News Update Hands On : Getting To Know The Nexus 5 And Nexus 6

Google's new Nexus phones are here -- and they make quite the first impression.

It's that time, Android fans -- yes, oh, yes: Time to get to know Google's newest Nexus devices.

This year, we've got not one but two saucy seductresses competing for our affection: the smaller and more modest LG-made Nexus 5X and the larger and more premium Huawei-made Nexus 6P. The devices have a fair amount in common, to be sure, but they also have their own unique flourishes and personalities.

Nexus phones are not the kind of devices you take lightly, so I'll be taking my time and spending several days with both of these beauts before reaching any conclusions. (Like most reviewers, I received the two devices together Friday morning.) For now, here are the first things I've noticed as I've been getting to know the Nexii o' 2015:

The size:

It may seem obvious, but size is a huge factor (so to speak) with both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P -- and it's going to be an enormously important variable for anyone deliberating between these devices.

In fact, size was the very first thing that crossed my mind when I pulled the Nexus 5X out of its box. In what's becoming an increasingly rare phenomenon with smartphones these days, the phone is actually really comfortable to hold -- no asterisks, rationalizations, or "not that bad, considering..."-style statements required. It's just a sensible size that fits naturally in your hand. It's also surprisingly light.

The Nexus 6P -- well, it falls into that "not that bad, considering..." category. It's not as comfy or ergonomic as the 5X, but as far as plus-sized smartphones go, it's -- you know, really not that bad. I'm able to get used to it pretty quickly. For perspective, the 6P is relatively close in size to Samsung's Galaxy Note 5, only about a quarter of an inch taller, a hair wider, and a quarter of an ounce heavier.

As for how the two fare in different types of real-world use -- glamorous situations like trying to use them single-handedly while carrying a flailing baby or seeing how they feel in your pocket while flailing your own limbs at the gym -- that's precisely the kind of thing I'll be thinking about as I carry each one around over the coming days.

The materials:

No two ways about it: The Nexus 6P is one nice phone. It has an aluminum (or aluminium, if you prefer) body and strong textured buttons on its side. Whereas size was the first thing that struck me upon handling the 5X, quality is what jumped out at me as soon as I grabbed the 6P out of its packaging. This thing looks and feels premium through and through.

The Nexus 5X certainly doesn't seem cheap at first impression -- far from it -- but it does come across as noticeably more mundane in construction. Its plastic back looks nice and has a pleasant warm feel in the hand, but "premium" probably isn't the word you'd use to describe it. The same goes for details like the side buttons, which are somewhat recessed and noticeably less firm-feeling than the ones on the 6P.

Remember, though: The 5X starts at $379 off-contract. The 6P starts at $499. These phones are in different classes by design.

The software :

More than anything, Nexus devices are designed to showcase the software -- and there's a reason: A pure Google Android setup really is a treat to use, more so than ever with the shiny new Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS that ships on both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. You're getting Google's unadulterated vision of how Android should look and work -- and that truly makes you appreciate just how great the OS has become when you don't have manufacturers and carriers meddling around and (more often than not) mucking things up.

And while Nexus phones are typically less loaded with features than other Android devices, Google has started to implement its own versions of some of the more useful enhancements -- like a quick way to get to the camera (double-tapping the power button) and a Moto Display-reminiscent system for seeing notifications at a glance (much more on that soon).

That's just the start :

Man, there's a lot to discuss with these new Nexus devices. From how their under-the-hood differences affect day-to-day use to how their very different displays stack up in various conditions -- not to mention the all-important question of how well they both fare with photography, especially given Google's grand promises in that department -- we've got plenty to consider.

The big question, of course, is how all the qualities come together and what each phone is like to use in regular life. More than anything, that's what I'll be working to answer as I live with these bad boys over the coming days.

Both devices make fantastic first impressions. Now the true test begins. Lots more thoughts and impressions -- and my full real-world review -- are on the way.

Posted by Unknown Monday, October 19, 2015

Update New Product Lauch : LG Launches ‘World’s First 4K OLED TV’ In India Starting At $57923

LG has launched the world’s first 4K OLED TV in India. The 55-inch variant is priced at Rs 3,84,900 while the 65-inch model at Rs 5,79,900.

The new LG OLED 4K TV features a transparent stand and the back cover is free of fasteners and holes. In addition, the TV also features 3D and Harmin Kardon sound technology. 3D glasses are bundled with the TV.

The company’s curved TVs are based on LG’s proprietary WRGB technology that boasts 33 million colour sub-pixels (about 27 million more than a conventional full-HD tv) to offer better colours and contrast ratio along with deeper blacks. The display offers a 5.9mm thickness as well.

The TV also has a maximum response time of 0.001ms (1000 times more than conventional LCD TVs) for blur free viewing, claims the company and the TV is also powered by webOS smart TV platform and LG’s magic motion remote that also supports voice recognition. In terms of connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi, Miracast, MHL and Intel WiDi.

Howard Lee, Director-Home Entertainment, LG India, said of the new range, “Once again LG has proved that it is a frontrunner when it comes to innovative technology. With the LG 4K Oled TV, we promise consumers in India the ultimate immersive cinematic experience. Time and again we have initiated ground-breaking innovation and raised the bar not only for ourselves, but for the industry as well. This latest Oled TV underscores LG’s commitment to bringing the best in home entertainment to our consumers.”

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, August 26, 2015

News LG Handset Released Update : LG G4 And G4 Stylus Prices Slashed In India

LG today announced price reductions on the LG G4 and G4 Stylus in India. The LG G4 is now made available at Rs 45,000 (for the Leather back variant) and Rs 40,000 (for the Ceramic white variant), the LG G4 Stylus will be priced at Rs 21,000. Launch prices for the LG G4 and G4 Stylus in India were Rs 51,000 and Rs 24,990 respectively.

With this move, LG aims to offer consumers a chance to buy its products at festive prices. More so, this looks likes a competitive strategy to take on some of the similar offerings but other smartphone companies.

Mr. Amit Gujral, Marketing Head, LG Mobiles, India said, “This festive season we wanted to give consumers something to cheer about. The G4 and G4 Stylus are our best offerings in India this year and we have received a phenomenal response to these smartphones till now. With a further revision in prices, we are extending the availability to more and more people to enjoy the superior immersive & innovative experience these phones offer.”

The G4 sports a 5.5-inch display with 2560 x 1440 pixels of resolution, same as its predecessor. The device boasts of Slim Arc design, which means it has a slight curve, but not as much as the G Flex. This subtle curve will ensure the display is less likely to break upon fall. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM. It will be available with 32GB onboard storage, expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB.

On the camera front, the G4 comes with a new 16-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 lens and improved image stabilisation. It gets a new ‘color spectrum sensor’ with more accurate color and white balance. For selfie lovers, it comes with an 8MP front camera. The device runs Android 5.1 Lollipop along with a layer of LG’s custom interface. It uses something that LG calls ‘human-centric UX’ 4.0, promising a more intuitive experience. A 3,000mAh removable battery completes the package.

On the other hand, the LG G4 Stylus, sports a 5.7-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixels of resolution. Needless to say, it accommodates a rubberdium stylus for taking notes. The G4 Stylus runs Android Lollipop and gets its UI from the 2015 flagship G4 that features UX 4.0.

The 4G LTE variant comes powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB RAM. It gets a 13-megapixel rear snapper and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The 8GB onboard storage is expandable via microSD card. Finally, a 3000mAh removable battery completes the package.

LG G4 detailed specifications:

 

LG G4 Stylus detailed specifications :

 

Posted by Unknown Sunday, August 09, 2015

Update New Handset Announce : LG G4 First Impressions: Snapdragon 808 SoC, Handcrafted Leather Back, 16MP Camera And More

LG launched its latest flagship phone – the LG G4 – at the NSCI Sports Complex in Mumbai which was relatively packed by media persons and guests, despite the heavy Mumbai rains. LG G4, which was first announced towards the th LG phones since the G2, is on the rear side. The power/standby button in the centre is surrounded by the volume rocker buttons. Just above this is the camera which we will come to later. On the front, you have a 5.5-inch IPS Quantum display and just like we have seen with the G3, the bezels are thin at the top and bottom thereby giving a higher body to screen ratio. 

LG G3 had a beautiful design and the LG G4 just builds upon it. The slim arc aesthetic around the edges, paired with the hand-crafted leather back, gives the phone a good grip, something we felt was missing in the LG G3 with its slippery grip. According to LG, it uses vegetable tanning on the leather which helps keep the quality immune from future damage by either moisture or hot weather. The stitched centre with the G4 embossing on the bottom right hand corner adds a bit of class to the already good looking phone. Apart from a leather back, you also get a plastic back cover. There are three colour variants with the plastic as well as leather backs and they are removable.

The button placement, which has become a standard with LG phones since the G2, is on the rear side. The power/standby button in the centre is surrounded by the volume rocker buttons. Just above this is the camera which we will come to later. On the front, you have a 5.5-inch IPS Quantum display and just like we have seen with the G3, the bezels are thin at the top and bottom thereby giving a higher body to screen ratio.

Display : 

LG G4 has a 5.5-inch Quad HD display which gives you a high 535 pixels per inch. The colours appear vibrant and there was no pixelation whatsoever even on close observation. The text also appears crisp, without any dithering on the fonts. According to LG, this is an IPS Quantum display which tends to improve on the contrast ratio and vibrancy of the display over competition. We will have to check that for ourselves when we test the phone. But overall, the display looked quite good.

Chipset, RAM :

Powering the LG G4 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset which has a dual-core ARM Cortex A57 and quad-core A53 with processor with 64-bit support and also houses Adreno 418 GPU. This chipset is one-tier below the Snapdragon 810, but during the brief time that we used the phone, the response was buttery smooth despite the custom skin, application launches were quick, camera launched quickly and so on. So hopefully there should be little to no issues with lag, but we will have to use it in real world cases, run the relevant benchmarks and put the phone through the rigmarole of tests to arrive at a final conclusion.

The processor is paired with 3GB of RAM which will be more than enough for all your tasks as well as heavy apps. The LG G4 comes with 32GB storage and out of this around 20.4GB is available to the user, but LG has added in a microSD card slot in case you feel the capacity isn’t much.

OS, connectivity :

LG G4 comes with Android 5.1 OS and naturally you will get LG’s custom UX 4.0 skin atop the Android OS. The iconography and the flat design theme is the same as was seen on the LG G3 and its variants. But swiping to the left most home screen will get you to the Smart Bulletin screen. This basically has a lot of LG specific app data such as pocket calendar, Music settings, LG health, Quick remote and so on. Once set up, you can access data relevant to these apps in the Smart bulletin run down or else you can also get it as part of Smart Notice which will send you birthday reminders, appointment data, weather alert, LG health notifications and so on. If this sounds familiar, then it is. Hint: Google Now.

The phone comes with Qualcomm X10 LTE chipset for 4G LTE SIM cards. It has a dual SIM configuration. Apart from this, you get Wi-fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS and the regular set of sensors in addition to the colour spectrometer sensor.

Camera :

If there is one thing that was talked about the most, then it has to be the camera. A 16MP camera with laser-detect auto focus feature graces the rear side of the G4, present just above the volume rocker buttons. On the left hand side of the camera you have a laser AF port and on the right hand side, you have the LED flash unit and a colour spectrum sensor. According to LG, this infrared-sensitive colour sensor ensures that the colours seen by the camera are accurate under most lighting situations. Considering the lighting around the demo zone was terrible we did not really get to experience this. We will need to hold our thoughts on this till we see it in action.

The laser auto-focus ensures that the AF acquisition time is minimal. As we had noticed with the LG G3, the AF speeds on the G4 are also quite fast. In the dim lighting, the LG G4 was still able to capture focus quickly. It will be interesting to put the camera through its paces. The rear camera also comes with optical image stabilisation chops along three axes. On the front face you have an 8MP camera for selfies and it supports gesture based shooting. Making a fist closing and opening gesture for instance clicks four selfies in a second.

The camera user interface is the same as we had seen with the LG G3. You get the manual mode as well in case you want to tweak the settings yourself. You can also save the manual mode pictures in the RAW format. Apart from this, the video camera is capable of shooting 4K videos.

Battery :

LG G4 offers a 3000 mAh Lithium ion battery which is removable, something that we don’t generally see with flagship devices these days. We did not see any dedicated power saving mode apart from the battery saver feature which is present on most Android 5.0 handsets.

Conclusion :

The LG G4 looks and feels every bit the flagship device that one expects. Although the design playbook hasn’t changed much from its previous flagship iterations, the hand-crafted leather back will surely attract a lot of prospective buyers. LG G4 comes at a steep Rs 51,000 price point, which was somewhat expected considering the LG G3 had also launched around Rs 48,000. Will the G4 justify the price point, and does its camera have the armour to knock the socks of that of its competition? We will have to reserve that opinion till we get our hands on a review unit and spend a considerable time with this flagship device.

Posted by Unknown Sunday, June 21, 2015

News Handset Release Update : LG's New Windows Phone, The Lancet, Only Costs $120 Off-Contract

 Summary:Yes, you get what you pay for. Still, the Lancet includes HD Voice calling while Windows Phone runs capably on lesser hardware.

 I almost did a double-take when I saw the price of the new LG Lancet Windows Phone. The handset is specific to Verizon and costs either $5 a month on the carrier's Edge plan or $120 in full, without a contract.

Surely, this is a bare-bones phone, right? Almost, but not exactly.

No, the LG Lancet won't compare with flagship devices costing hundreds more. But it's no slouch either because as I found it with a $40 Lumia 520, Windows Phone runs fairly well on limited hardware.

 The Lancet is the first Windows Phone that supports Verizon's Advanced Calling 1.0; a fancy marketing term for HD Voice calling. It runs Windows 8.1 so it also includes Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant software and everything else Microsoft has packed inside its mobile operating system.

The phone has a 4.5-inch display with a minimally acceptable 854 x 480 resolution, so don't expect immersive HD video playback. Inside is a 1.2 GHz quad-core chip and 8 GB of storage with half of that available to for use. The Lancet does have a microSD card slot, so you can add an addition 128 GB of storage capacity.

LG chose an 8 megapixel image sensor for the rear camera while a VGA front-facing camera should be enough for basic video chats. Expect 18.5 hours of run-time on the 2100 mAh battery, says LG.

Again, there are far better Windows Phones on the market. None of them have HD Voice on Verizon's network though; at least not yet.

Actually, Verizon customers don't really have many Windows Phone choices to begin with. A quick check of the carrier's online storefront shows three, including the new LG Lancet. Both of the other options are old devices with full retail pricing of $499.99 and $599.99. And the Lumia Icon, one of the better Windows Phones for Verizon, is no longer offered.

For $120 off-contract, the Lancet might be worth a look if you use Verizon's network and don't mind a relatively low resolution display and meager but capable chip to power the phone. It's no flagship Lumia of course. For that you'll have to wait. And you'll likely have to pay far more to get it.

Posted by Unknown Saturday, May 16, 2015