Thin and convenient LG G FLEX2 – Review of the updated smartphone. Thin and convenient LG G FLEX2 – Review of the updated smartphone LG G Flex 2 review

Detailed testing of the first smartphone on the most powerful Qualcomm platform

After releasing their first curved smartphone with an unusual body shape, LG G Flex, which became more of a demonstration of the company's new capabilities than a real mass product, the Koreans announced its updated version a year later. First presented during the CES 2015 exhibition in the American city of Las Vegas, new smartphone LG G Flex 2 has absorbed all the best that was inherent in its predecessor, while at the same time correcting all its negative aspects. The display dimensions have decreased, but the screen resolution has increased and reached the optimal FHD, which certainly benefited the new model. But most importantly, the LG G Flex 2 became the first mass-produced mobile product in the world to run on the latest and most advanced Snapdragon 810 hardware platform from the market leader, Qualcomm.

The smartphone is not only very powerful and productive, but also takes full advantage of all the other advantages of the new platform: the new 20 nm manufacturing process, reduced power consumption, the most advanced network capabilities, and the Qiuck Charge 2.0 fast charging function. In terms of the number of new technologies collected in one device, the LG G Flex 2 smartphone turned out to be so advanced that it attracted the closest attention of all market participants and managed to win many awards, including from the organizers of the CES 2015 exhibition in Las Vegas.

At one time, we introduced readers to the main characteristics of the new product in a report from the exhibition, but now it’s time to conduct the most detailed testing of all the capabilities of this largely extraordinary mobile device.

Video review

To get started, we suggest watching our video review of the LG G Flex 2 smartphone:

Now let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.

Key Features of LG G Flex 2 (LG-F510K)

	LG G Flex 2	Nexus 6	Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	Meizu MX4 Pro	Huawei Ascend Mate 7
Screen	5.5″, P-OLED	5.96″, AMOLED	5.1″ Super AMOLED	5.5″, IPS	6″, IPS
Permission	1920×1080, 401 ppi	2560×1440, 493 ppi	2560×1440, 577 ppi	2560×1536, 546 ppi	1920×1080, 367 ppi
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (4x Cortex-A57 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A53)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (4 cores Krait 450 @2.7 GHz)	Samsung Exynos 7420 (4 Cortex-A57 @1.9 GHz + 4 Cortex-A53 @1.3 GHz)	Samsung Exynos 5430 (4x Cortex-A15 @2.0 GHz + 4x Cortex-A7 @1.5 GHz)	HiSilicon Kirin 925 (4x Cortex-A15 @1.7 GHz + 4x Cortex-A7 + i3)
GPU	Adreno 430	Adreno 420	Mali T760	Mali T628-MP6	Mali T628-MP4
RAM	2 GB	3 GB	3 GB	3 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32/64 GB	32/64/128 GB	16/32/64 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	microSD	—	—	—	microSD
operating system	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 5.0	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 3000 mAh	non-removable, 3220 mAh	non-removable, 2600 mAh	non-removable, 3350 mAh	non-removable, 4100 mAh
Cameras		rear (13 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP)	rear (16 MP; 4K video), front 5 MP)	rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP)
Dimensions and weight	149×75×9.4 mm, 154 g	159×83×10.1 mm, 184 g	142×70×7 mm, 132 g	150×77×9.0 mm, 158 g	157×81×7.9 mm, 185 g
average price	T-11883628	T-11153512	T-12259971	T-11852174	T-11036156
LG G Flex 2 offers	L-11883628-10

SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (MSM8994), 64-bit platform, two clusters of four processor cores: ARM Cortex-A57 with a frequency of 2.0 GHz and ARM Cortex-A53
GPU Adreno 430 @600 MHz
operating room Android system 5.0.1, Lollipop
Touchscreen P-OLED 5.5″, 1920×1080, 401 ppi
Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
SIM cards: Micro-SIM (1 pc.)
Map support microSD memory(up to 2 TB)
Data transfer 4G LTE Advanced Cat 6 (up to 300 Mbps)
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac MIMO (2.4/5 GHz), point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 4.1 (Apt-X), NFC, IR port
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
USB 2.0, SlimPort
13 MP camera, autofocus, optical stabilization, 4K video
Camera 2.1 MP, front
Gyroscope, proximity sensor, light sensor, gravity sensor, electronic compass
Battery 3000 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions 149×75×9.4 mm
Weight 154 g

Contents of delivery

LG G Flex 2 goes on sale in a very small, almost the size of a smartphone itself, cardboard box with thin internal compartments to accommodate a limited set of accessories. A minimum of inscriptions and the absence of different colors make the packaging quite strict and stylish.

The accessory kit consists of a compact charger with fast charging function (output current 1.8 A), Micro-USB connecting cable, LE530 branded headphones and paper documentation. The equipment is modest, but we can only thank the manufacturer for high-quality headphones. However, it is still unknown whether the headphones will be present in the box for copies supplied to the Russian market.

Here it is worth mentioning the gratifying fact that even despite the unusually curved shape of the case, an additional accessory has been created for the LG G Flex 2 - a book-case with a round QuickCircle window. The case, of course, is sold separately; it is not included in the standard package.

Appearance and ease of use

The design of the new smartphone has remained virtually unchanged compared to the previous curved G Flex device. The LG G Flex 2 still has the same display curved along the short end, the curve of which follows the entire body, and the curve of the G Flex 2 body is steeper than its predecessor: its radius is 650 mm on the front side and 700 mm on the rear side. This ergonomic design is said to bring the microphone closer to the mouth for better speech transmission and reduced external noise. Also, the increased bending radius allows you to comfortably hold the smartphone in your hand and carry it in your pocket. Perhaps even in the rear, since the body is quite resistant to minor deformations.

As for the materials of manufacture, it is, of course, mostly plastic: hard and glossy, and this is perhaps one of the most serious shortcomings of the LG G Flex series. Like the first model, here the plastic has an unusual “self-tightening” coating that can independently remove small scratches on the body. However, if the body did not have this shiny lacquered coating, then there would be much less scratches on it. It’s much easier to use practical, rough, textured plastic that doesn’t get dirty, doesn’t get scratched, and is securely held in the hand - but no, you must first create a easily soiled gloss and then “heal” it. The developers promise that the time it takes for scratches to heal on the coating of the new smartphone has been significantly reduced compared to the previous one, but real tests prove that scratches that are slightly deeper than those caused by pressing with a fingernail are not healed, just as they were not healed. With a couple of scratches that we carefully made on our test unit, the device lasted more than two weeks, and they never healed. So this is all more likely a marketing gimmick than useful in real life functionality.

The smartphone turned out to be quite large, although for its display size the body has the smallest possible dimensions with very narrow frames around the screen. Due to the curvature of the back wall, the device fits well in the hand, but the glossy and slippery coating does not allow us to talk about a reliable grip on the palm. The back wall is slightly sloping, the side edges are narrowed, due to this the device fits comfortably in a pocket. True, the sharp corners here are completely unnecessary; they could be given a much greater rounding. Sharp corners make the body wider, which makes the smartphone take up much more space in your pocket and sometimes presses unpleasantly into the skin.

The back cover is entirely plastic, has a fairly thick profile, is unusually hard and inflexible; it is securely attached to the body using several latches. The lid can be removed quite easily; for this purpose there is a small ledge for hooking with a fingernail. The side frame is made of metal, but also painted in the same color as the body, and even varnished, which makes it just as slippery and sticky. In general, the assembly does not cause any complaints, all parts fit tightly, there are no creaks or cracks.

Under the cover there is a single dual slot for a SIM card and a memory card; there are no other slots here, and the battery is also non-removable. Only one SIM card is supported; for some reason the format is not Nano-SIM, but Micro-SIM, which can be considered a minus, since thanks to Apple and most world brands, all modern flagship new products are already equipped with Nano-SIM support; here you will have to use an adapter.

On the back of the smartphone there is a large square camera window framed by a thin ring. On either side of it there is an LED flash and a laser rangefinder for measuring the distance to the subject of photography. Like all previous top-end LG smartphones, the button block here is also located on the back side. There are no protective edges on the buttons - like the LG G3, none of the keys protrude beyond the body, so accidental presses from contact with the surface are excluded.

The purpose of the buttons remains the same: the central key turns on and locks the smartphone, and the other two, top and bottom, are responsible for adjusting the volume. Expanded capabilities of the block of hardware buttons provide additional functionality in control: a long press of the top button launches the Qmemo application, the bottom one calls the camera from sleep mode, and a long press of the central button activates taking photos or videos.

A little higher, at the top end, you can see the IR port, which serves to emulate a remote control when controlling household appliances. A program with built-in operating profiles for various brands of televisions, audio systems and other equipment is already installed on the smartphone.

At the bottom of the rear panel there is a slot cut for sound to exit from the speaker, covered with a metal grille. The speaker hole does not overlap with the surface of the table, since it falls on a bend and does not reach the surface.

The front side is completely covered with protective glass Gorilla Glass 3, which was given a curved shape using special technologies. It is also reported that thanks to the efforts of the LG Chem division, this protective glass, past additional processing, has become even 20% stronger. In the upper part above the screen in the glass you can find a slot for the speaker grille. Nearby you can see the peephole of the front camera and sensors. An LED alert indicator is also located here, shining in different colors - its functions are regulated in the corresponding settings section.

There are no touch buttons below the screen; they have moved to the screen. The block with virtual buttons can be removed and returned back with a gesture, and it is also possible to rearrange the buttons in a more user-friendly sequence.

At the bottom end there are both connectors: an audio output for headphones (minijack) and a universal Micro-USB 2.0 that supports connecting devices in OTG mode. The connectors are not covered with covers and plugs, since the smartphone is not protected from water. There is also no strap mount on the case. Wireless charging, unlike the same LG G3, the device for some reason does not support.

As for the ability to choose the color of the smartphone, then, as you may have already noticed, this time another one has been added to the gray, so that the user now has a choice of two different color options: silver (Platinum Silver) and garnet red (Flamenco Red).

Screen

LG G Flex 2 is equipped with a P-OLED (Plastic OLED) touch matrix, protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The screen dimensions are 68x121 mm, diagonal - 5.5 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. Accordingly, the point density here is 401 ppi.

The width of the frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is about 3 mm on the sides, 12 mm on the top, and 16 mm on the bottom. The frames are traditionally extremely narrow for the flagship LG G series; the developers once again managed to fit a huge display with a diagonal size of 5.5 inches into fairly acceptable body dimensions.

In the display settings, you can enable automatic brightness adjustment depending on the ambient light, as well as use auto-brightness, which is adjusted using image color analysis to save battery power. In addition, in the screen mode settings there are several profiles that regulate color balance. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor. By tapping the glass twice, you can wake up the screen and put it back to sleep.

Detailed examination using measuring instruments conducted by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth (and curved) surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - LG G Flex 2, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen on the LG G Flex 2 is a little darker (brightness according to photographs is 102 versus 106 for the Nexus 7) and does not have a pronounced tint. The ghosting of reflected objects on the LG G Flex 2 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the LG G Flex 2 screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, noticeably better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When the white field was displayed in full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 330 cd/m², the minimum was 49 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when outputting white on half the screen and black on the other, the maximum brightness with manual adjustment increases to 340 cd/m². As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be at a fairly good level (there was no opportunity to test it). For conditions of complete darkness, the minimum brightness is too high - it is too bright for the eyes and energy is wasted. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the settings slider. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values for three values of this setting - for 0, 50 and 100. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness in any case decreases to 49 cd/m² (bright), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) brightness is set to 53, 72 and 125 cd/m² (dark - dark - just right), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) - increases to 330 cd/m² regardless of slider position. This value is equal to the maximum for manual adjustment. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. There is no significant modulation at any brightness level. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that the modulation amplitude is minimal (its frequency is 58 Hz, which is equal to the screen refresh rate), and as a result there is no visible flicker. However, we note high level minimum brightness, noticeable unevenness of the color tone of the white field at minimum brightness and visible unevenness of the color tone at the level of individual pixels in the case of dark gray fills. It may be that without modulation it is not possible to obtain a sufficiently wide dynamic range of brightness. But the screen does not flicker.

This screen uses a P-OLED matrix - active matrix organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are half as many green and red subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBB. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 blue subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 green (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. Most likely, the manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the blue subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower (we’ll check this later).

Updated. Consider a microphotograph of a screen with a superimposed scale:

The distance between lines 4 and 5 is 1 mm. This gap fits approximately 8 spaces between green (or red) subpixels and approximately 15.5 spaces between blue subpixels. In the first case we get approximately 203 dpi (8*25.4), in the second 394 dpi (15.5*25.4). That is, the “401 ppi” indicated in the characteristics refers only to the blue subpixel resolution.

The screen is characterized by excellent viewing angles, although white color, when deviated even at small angles, acquires a slight blue-green tint, but black color is simply black at any angle (if nothing is reflected in the screen). So black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent (at least at high and medium brightness). For comparison, here are photographs showing LG G Flex 2 screens (profile Standard) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 200 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

Note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture (profile Standard):

Color reproduction is good, however, the color balance of the screens differs slightly and the colors of the LG G Flex 2 are clearly more saturated. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Standard in the screen settings, there are three of them.

What happens when you select the two remaining profiles is shown below.

Bright:

Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.

Natural:

Saturation is lower in places (bananas), higher in places (tomatoes) than in the case of the profile Standard, the color contrast is still a little too high. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Standard). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of the LG G Flex 2 the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness (measured strictly perpendicular to the screen plane), the LG G Flex 2 screen visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness and contrast of the LG G Flex 2 is noticeably higher at an angle. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the turn-on edge there may be a small step approximately 17 ms wide (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 58 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back (blue graph - when adaptive adjustment is turned off, red - when adaptive adjustment is on):

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to trains trailing behind moving objects, but in this case we did not see them; apparently, the step always remains so unexpressed. Note that in any case, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high clarity and even some “jerky” movements.

For all three profiles, a gamma curve constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray revealed a slight dip in the shadows - the first gray point (shade 255, 255, 255) is indistinguishable in brightness from black. However, in the highlights, all shades with a given step are distinguished. Depending on the profile, the index of the approximating power function ranges from 2.08 to 2.24, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, and only for the profile Bright the real gamma curve significantly deviates from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen. This image dynamism increases when you select the option Automatically adjust brightness. In this case, on the graph of brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis), when moving from black to white and back, almost immediately after switching to white, a falling section appears, that is, the brightness of the white field begins to decrease, and then stabilizes at a certain level ( see graph above).

Color gamut in the case of a profile Bright very wide:

When selecting a profile Standard The coverage decreases slightly, but for some reason only in the red and yellow areas:

When selecting a profile Natural the coverage is compressed even further, almost to the limits of sRGB:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Natural with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. In this case, not a single profile has correction to the sRGB boundaries, which is further aggravated by a significant increase in color contrast

The balance of shades on the gray scale is not ideal, but, in general, acceptable. The color temperature is above 6500 K, but still, in a significant portion of the gray scale, this parameter does not change very much. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) across most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, but changes quite noticeably:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can in most cases be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a fairly high maximum brightness and has very good anti-glare properties, so the device can most likely be used outdoors even on a sunny summer day without any problems. Unfortunately, when using the device in complete darkness, even the minimum brightness is slightly higher than a comfortable level. The mode with automatic brightness adjustment works more or less adequately, but it does not reduce the brightness in the dark to an acceptable value. The advantages of the screen include a very good oleophobic coating, as well as an acceptable color balance. At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include increased color gamut and increased color contrast. However, overall the screen quality is high.

Sound

In terms of sound, the LG G Flex 2 is no different from the LG G3: the smartphone has only one main speaker, it sounds quite clear and relatively loud, but without a noticeable presence low frequencies, and the maximum volume level is not prohibitive. The sound in headphones is also decent, but nothing more - the smartphone is far from the real market leaders in sound, such as solutions from NTS or Oppo. This is not a musical decision. IN conversational dynamics the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable, no distortion was noticed. In the settings of the standard audio player, it is possible to influence the sound quality using preset equalizer values. There is no radio in the device, but the smartphone can record telephone conversations from the line: just press the appropriate button during a call, and the sound will be recorded from both interlocutors. In the future, you can listen to recordings of your telephone conversations from the my_sounds folder in the smartphone’s memory.

Camera

The front camera in the LG G Flex 2 is equipped with only a 2-megapixel module with an f/2.1 aperture; it takes pictures with a size of 1920x1080, and also shoots video with the same resolution (1080p). Accordingly, the quality of selfie shooting is not bad, but modern Chinese smartphones top-level cameras are often equipped with 5-megapixel modules with much more advanced shooting quality. However, there are also traditional and popular in Asia means for decorating one’s own self-portraits. To do this, there is a slider, by moving which you can make yourself “porcelain” skin. It is possible to take a double shot - shooting is carried out simultaneously with both cameras. As in the case of LG G3, a strange feature of the front camera was noticed: with all standard settings, the image gives off greenish tints, and nothing can be done about it. You can use gestures and voice commands to control your shooting, so you don't have to touch the screen. In addition, the shutter can be released using a button on the rear panel.

The main 13-megapixel camera is physically equipped with the same module as the LG G3. The software may have been even more optimized, but in the case of the LG G3, the camera took excellent pictures, and here this is also in perfect order. In addition to advanced optical image stabilization (OIS+), the camera also features laser focusing. Like the LG G3, this technology used here to measure the distance between the camera and the subject with a laser beam. The settings menu is very simple and concise: there are only two stripes with icons, which are drawn too small and are not very visible in the bright sun.

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 4K, as well as shoot videos at 120 fps in 720p resolution. Examples of test videos are presented below.

Video No. 1 (67 MB, 3840×2160@30 fps)
Video No. 2 (45 MB, 3840×2160@30 fps)
Video No. 3 (22 MB, 1280×720@120 fps)

	Sharpness is generally good. In the center you can see noises entangled in the branches.
	The camera works well with shadows.
	For distant shots, the sharpness drops a little.
	The color of the sky is quite even.
	Good sharpness in distant shots. The shadows are well done, although the noise on the asphalt is very blurred.
	You can make out the license plates of nearby cars if you wish, although they are heavily overexposed.
	The branches are a little soapy, but overall the sharpness is good.
	There is no sharpening on the wires, but noise reduction artifacts are visible.
	In HDR mode, clarity improves slightly, but there have been better examples.
	The dynamic range does not expand very much.

Auto mode	HDR mode

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

Before us is another “flagship”, but unremarkable camera. However, that’s why we won’t call it a flagship.

At first glance, everything is fine, but upon closer examination there is still a fly in the ointment, and a rather large one. Despite good optics, the details in the images are blurry in places, and in the close branches of the trees you can see either chromatic aberrations or confused noise. The camera does not work very accurately with noise, although overall it is acceptable. The camera's dynamic range is narrow even in HDR mode, and it doesn't always select exposure well. But these are all nitpicks, and the real problems begin when the lighting deteriorates. If you look at the shadows, you will notice that the noise reduction eats up a lot of detail. At poor lighting Even more details are lost. The reason for this is, perhaps, a weak sensor, which sometimes fails to cope even where the cameras of ordinary smartphones are quite capable of working acceptably. So, in room lighting, the camera can’t even properly process the text.

In terms of resolution in the center of the frame, the camera is slightly inferior even to last year's flagships, although on average everything is not that bad. But the dependence of resolution at the edge of the frame is very unpleasant. In addition to the low average value, the flash performance is also disappointing. And it’s not that she’s weak, it’s just that the camera doesn’t know how to control her. Many photos of the stand with flash turned out overexposed. The graph shows the values of images with more or less even exposure. In this case, the edge of the frame still remains “non-working”.

In this form, the camera is suitable for documentary and perhaps even art photography, but only in good lighting.

Telephone and communications

The most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 hardware platform, on which the LG G Flex 2 is based, boasts all the most advanced networking and communication capabilities: here is support for 4G LTE Advanced TD-LTE / FDD-LTE Cat6 (up to 300 Mbit/s) with integrated LTE 3x20 MHz channel aggregation technology, and dual-band dual-stream Qualcomm VIVE 2-stream Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac with MU -MIMO, and Bluetooth 4.1, supporting all possible profiles. There is also NFC support. Can be arranged as standard wireless point access via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. All are supported international standards, including LTE FDD, LTE TDD, WCDMA (DC-HSPA+, DC-HSUPA), CDMA1x, EV-DO Rev. B, TD-SCDMA and GSM/EDGE. With a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone is confidently registered and works in LTE networks.

The navigation module works not only with GPS (with A-GPS), but also with the domestic Glonass ( Chinese system Beidou (BDS) is not supported in this case). There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module; the first GPS and Glonass satellites are detected literally in a matter of seconds. Among the smartphone sensors there is a sensor magnetic field(Hall sensor), on the basis of which the much-needed digital compass in navigation programs works.

The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing phone number search is carried out immediately by the first letters in contacts, and there is support for continuous input such as Swype. For those who find working with such a large screen inconvenient, there is an option to reduce virtual keyboard in sizes. By the way, within the framework of proprietary QSlide technology, you can reduce in size and move any of the standard applications, be it a video player or a file manager, closer to the edge of the screen.

OS and software

The device uses the latest version of the Google Android 5.0.1 Lollipop software platform as a system. Accordingly, a convenient function for displaying alerts in the form of pop-up interactive tiles has also appeared here. The proprietary Optimus UI shell is installed on top of the system. Its interface is exactly the same in appearance and capabilities as in the LG G3. The design of all user interface elements is minimalistic, icons are drawn flat, without shadows.

It is possible to work in two-window mode, reduce in size and move windows with applications on the working screen in QSlide mode, an infrared port has been added special program For remote control household appliances. The proprietary Knock Code blocking modes and guest mode have not disappeared. Using the Kill Switch function, you can remotely lock your smartphone in case of theft. Implemented our own voice control and gesture support. The combination of virtual control buttons at the bottom of the screen can be changed and adjusted to your taste.

Performance

The LG G Flex 2 hardware platform is based on the latest and most powerful of the entire family of Qualcomm single-chip systems - Snapdragon 810. This 64-bit platform, made using a 20 nm process technology, was officially presented at the very beginning of the year at CES 2015 in Las Vegas simultaneously with the LG G Flex 2, and it was on the example of this smartphone that the new platform was demonstrated at presentations by representatives of Qualcomm itself.

The new generation of 64-bit processors, designed for use in flagship devices, is designed to provide increased performance, energy efficiency, as well as improved multimedia capabilities and enhanced connectivity.

The new SoC includes four powerful 64-bit ARM Cortex-A57 cores, which are complemented by four simpler 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores, providing high power efficiency or performance depending on specific applications. The powerful modern video accelerator Adreno 430 is responsible for processing graphics in the SoC. Volume random access memory The smartphone is, contrary to expectations, only 2 GB; in this regard, many modern flagships with 3 GB of RAM are ahead of the review hero. For the user's needs, the device has about 23 GB of flash memory out of 32 nominal (there is also a smartphone version with 16 GB). Memory can be expanded by installing microSD cards, the volume of which can reach 2 TB, which does not sound quite familiar, and such cards will not be found on sale for a long time. The device also supports connecting external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port in OTG mode. That is, the owner of the new LG G Flex 2 smartphone certainly should not feel a lack of memory.

According to the results of testing in complex tests, the owner of the latest Qualcomm platform did not prove to be the undisputed leader - SoCs of the Samsung Exynos family (7420 and 5430) installed in smartphones Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and Meizu MX4 turned out to be more productive, and the previous one Samsung model Galaxy Note 4 was also able to defend its position on the top step of the pedestal.

Thus, all three top smartphones on Samsung Exynos family platforms turned out to have higher results than the hero of the review. But this only applies to complex tests, and in tests where the graphics subsystem is involved, the Snapdragon 810 with its Adreno 430 GPU has no equal. In graphics benchmarks, as well as in all browser tests, the new product on the top Qualcomm platform confidently outperformed all opponents with the Android OS, including the new record holder Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and came close to the Apple A8 (iPhone 6 Plus).

In any case, the LG G Flex 2 smartphone is one of the most powerful and productive smartphones modernity. It can easily cope with any tasks assigned to it, including the most demanding games - in this regard, the Adreno 430 GPU has no equal at all (in smartphones). The hardware capabilities of the LG G Flex 2 will be relevant for a long time; the power reserve is huge, especially considering that the platform on which the device is built is completely new and its time is just coming.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps). As for GFXBenchmark, the Offscreen tests in the table below are rendering images in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen involve rendering images exactly to the device’s screen resolution. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests are indicative from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.

	LG G Flex 2 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 810)	Nexus 6 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 805)	Apple iPhone 6Plus (Apple A8)	Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge (Samsung Exynos 7420)	Meizu MX4 Pro (Exynos 5 Octa 5430)	Huawei Ascend Mate 7 (HiSilicon Kirin 925)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	Maxed out!	9088
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	24102	23234	17954	22267	18043	13749
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	46 fps	23 fps	52 fps	30 fps	17 fps	17 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	46 fps	29 fps	45 fps	46 fps	25 fps	16 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	3613 (52 fps)	3633 (52 fps)		4156 (59 fps)	3019 (43 fps)	3737 (53 fps)

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.

LG once again pleases with full support for codecs in mobile products: LG G Flex 2 was equipped with all the decoders that are necessary for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you can make do with the capabilities of a standard video player, and any third-party player, for example MX Player, will also play all formats, including the AC3 audio format.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	plays normally	plays normally

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

This smartphone supports SlimPort (or Mobility DisplayPort) adapters that connect to the Micro-USB connector and provide video (and audio) transmission to external devices display. To test it we used a monitor ViewSonic VX2363Smhl. When using this monitor and the SlimPort adapter we had, output was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at 60 frames per second. When the smartphone is landscape-oriented, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens if possible in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed within the boundaries of the screen and is an exact copy of the smartphone screen.

When the smartphone is in portrait orientation, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in height, and wide black fields are displayed on the left and right of the monitor screen. Audio via HDMI is output and has good quality. In this case, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is adjusted using buttons on the smartphone body. The smartphone connected to the SlimPort adapter is charged, and the adapter must be connected to a power source via its micro-USB connector.

The video output deserves special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In this test, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Smartphone screen

720/60p	Fine	few
720/50p	Fine	few
720/30p	Fine	No
720/25p	Fine	No
720/24p	Fine	No
SlimPort (monitor output)

720/60p	Fine	few
720/50p	Fine	few
720/30p	Fine	No
720/25p	Fine	No
720/24p	Fine	No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. With the exception of files with 50 and 60 fps, in which a couple of frames are skipped due to the non-standard screen refresh rate (58 Hz). When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution, but for some reason the picture is cropped at the top by a couple of pixels. On test worlds, the peculiarities of alternation and the number of subpixels appear - the vertical and horizontal worlds look like a grid through a pixel. The brightness range displayed on the screen is close to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows several shades do not differ in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed. In general, you need to think carefully about using the screen of this device to watch movies - the colors are too saturated, there is a blockage in the shadows, and the movements are jerky.

With a monitor connected via SlimPort, when playing a video with a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while only the image of the video file is displayed on the monitor (the translucent navigation bar is removed after a few seconds), and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen:

When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “SlimPort (monitor output)” block. The output quality is no better than the screen of the smartphone itself.

It turns out that connection to external monitors, TVs and projectors, carried out using the SlimPort adapter, can be used for games, watching movies (including in Full HD resolution), displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in size screen.

Battery life

LG G Flex 2 has a 3000 mAh battery that is quite decent for a modern flagship, but the device is equipped not only with a large high-resolution display, but also with a very powerful and demanding hardware platform - the most energy-intensive elements of any smartphone. In addition, the platform is still completely new and, perhaps, not fully optimized, since it still demonstrates completely non-standard results in our standard tests. So, the reading time in the FB Reader program and the time of playing videos over a Wi-Fi network unexpectedly turned out to be almost the same - we double-checked it several times. This is atypical: usually in read mode everything mobile devices last much longer than when watching a video. Testing in game mode also ended in an unusual way: despite having a powerful video subsystem and the hardware platform as a whole, the smartphone, despite everything, demonstrated a record-breaking operating time. Probably, with the release of more optimized software and new firmware, something will change, but for now the situation is this. As for the case heating, it does occur, especially during games, and once the test benchmark even refused to work due to overheating.

As a result, according to the test results, the test subject demonstrated a very tolerable, but far from record level of autonomy. The new product definitely cannot be called very economical, but the battery charge should be enough for one day of light. Testing, as usual, was carried out in the most productive operating mode without any restrictions, although in the settings there is also the possibility of activating an energy-saving mode.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
LG G Flex 2	3000 mAh	11:00 am	10:00 am	5 h. 30 m.
Nexus 6	3220 mAh	18:00	10:30 a.m.	3 hours 40 minutes
Honor 6 Plus	3600 mAh	20:00	10:00 am	4 hours 30 minutes
Oppo N3	3000 mAh	16:40	11:40 am	3 hours 15 minutes
Meizu MX4 Pro	3350 mAh	16:00	8 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 30 minutes
Meizu MX4	3100 mAh	12:00 pm	8 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 45 minutes
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro	4000 mAh	13:20	8 hours 40 minutes	4 hours 30 minutes
Huawei Mate 7	4100 mAh	20:00	12:30 pm	4 hours 25 minutes
Vivo Xplay 3S	3200 mAh	12:30 pm	8:00 am	3 hours 30 minutes
Oppo Find 7	3000 mAh	9:00 a.m.	6 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 20 minutes
HTC One M8	2600 mAh	22:10	13:20	3 hours 20 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S5	2800 mAh	17:20	12:30 pm	4 hours 30 minutes

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for only about 11 hours, and when continuously watching videos in high quality(720p) with the same brightness level through home network The Wi-Fi device lasted about 10 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone showed simply a record result, lasting as much as 5.5 hours. The capacious battery charges very quickly, the full charging time is only about 1.5 hours, and 50% of the total volume is charged in 40 minutes. The device supports proprietary technology Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, but for fast charging you must use the included charger.

Bottom line

In conclusion, it can be noted that the LG G Flex 2 is truly top-end in terms of its main characteristics. flagship smartphone With maximum performance, a high-quality large screen, an excellent camera and the most advanced network capabilities to date, provided by Qualcomm technologies, which are implemented in the latest SoC of this developer. The sound and battery life are at the usual level; in this regard, the smartphone did not turn out to be outstanding (not counting its longevity in games). But, of course, these characteristics are not what make the hero of this review unique. First of all, we should note its curved shape - there is simply no alternative to the new LG smartphone. The only competitor can be called samsung smartphone Galaxy Round, but it is curved in a different plane and is poorly represented in retail. However, we will discuss this issue later, when an update is released for the Samsung series. Among other features of the LG G Flex 2, it is necessary to highlight the fact that it is the pioneer of the newest and most powerful of all Qualcomm single-chip systems, which means that close attention is focused on it. From an unusual exhibition sample for demonstrating the latest technologies, which for the most part was the first product in the series, G Flex smartphones by the second generation turned into completely serial products, suitable and even recommended for daily use. The price of the new product, of course, is steep, but the smartphone has not yet been announced for the Russian market, and whether it will be officially sold here at all is still unknown, so it’s too early to talk about the price.

Last year, around this time, an unusual LG G Flex smartphone with a curved body and the same curved OLED screen was introduced. So it’s not in vain that we are returning to this topic, because LG may very likely show the updated LG G Flex 2 smartphone. This is confirmed by several leaks, which we will talk about and, in the end, we will definitely know the characteristics of the device, the approximate release date and price.

There are already quite a lot of rumors that LG will continue to work on the G Flex line and this is also confirmed by @evleaks: “LG G Flex 2 will appear in the first quarter of 2015 and it will have more unique features than self-healing plastic.”

If you are interested in this news, then soon you will see new smartphones with curved screens. Yes, exactly smartphones, since the race between LG and Samsung is still ongoing. I note that Samsung is also working on a curved phone, and this does not apply to the Galaxy Note Edge.

LG G Flex 2 release date:

Judging by the information that was leaked online thanks to evleaks, LG will present the G Flex 2 in the near future at the beginning of 2015, and with several other smartphones at once. So we are waiting for some big announcements.

Specifications LG G Flex 2:

As we have already said more than once, the LG G Flex 2 will also be a smartphone with a curved screen, but we are already being told about an angle of 90 degrees. Such data even baffles us, since it is difficult to imagine a screen curved at a right angle. It will be an OLED display with a resolution of 720p and a pixel density of 245ppi. The diagonal of such a screen can be 6 inches, which is why the design may cause surprise.

Other features of the LG G Flex 2 already relate to hardware specifications: quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with a frequency of 2.26 GHz and 32 GB internal memory, which will be enough to install any applications.

Speaking of the camera, the LG G Flex 2 will have a 13-megapixel main camera, but not a word is said about the front camera, and it may not even be there. There is no specific information about this.

The most surprising thing is that the smartphone will also receive a 3500 mAh curved lithium-polymer battery.

Now we need to talk about those characteristics that are obtained from another source and this time we are talking about completely new specifications. Again, Evleaks suggests that LG will install a Qualcomm MSM8994 processor and this will be the first smartphone with Android Silver. This is a Snapdragon 810 processor and it's already 64-bit, so we definitely won't see it before the first quarter. But there are already positive data about the screen - LG will upgrade it to at least Full HD resolution. The smartphone will also support 4G LTE.

LG G Flex 2 price:

It is unlikely that at least a preliminary price for this smartphone will appear in the near future, but if we talk about its predecessor, the price may be authentic. On the other hand, due to difficulties in production (design, curved screen), the price will be very high.

Salute, Muskovites!

I needed to replace my old Chinese phone with MT6592 with something more serious, but I wanted to keep it to a minimum amount. The main criteria were a 5.5-5.7” screen, good camera, powerful SoC and cost<250$. Идеальным кандидатом был Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro, однако…

While considering alternatives to the above-mentioned smartphone, I came across the LG G Flex 2, which I had wet thoughts about a little over a year ago, exactly after its announcement. Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM, excellent 13MP camera, P-OLED screen - just a fairy tale, not a phone! But in every barrel of honey there is a fly in the ointment. And sometimes a whole bucket.

Let me make a reservation in advance that I have owned the device for 3 months already, so I can express an objective opinion.

There are several versions of the second Flex, and they differ not only in modem frequencies.

Comparative characteristics

It turned out that only the H950 model has 3Gb RAM... Well, that means we’re ordering that one :).

For lovers of mail fetish

The parcel reached Khabarovsk within 15 days. Track number - QR15973858.
The parcel arrived in a TaffGard Extreme package

TaffGard Extreme

Content

Appearance of the device

Front view

Back view

Sticker on the box

Hardware platform

- SoC Snapdragon 810 (4x1.5GHz a53 + 4x1.9GHz a57 + Adreno 430)
- 3Gb RAM (LPDDR4)
- 32Gb ROM
- 5.5" P-OLED (1080x1920)
- 13MP camera with laser autofocus, dual LED flash (diodes of different colors) and optical stabilization
- 3000mAh battery
- Bluetooth version 4.0
- WiFi b/g/n/ac 2.4/5GHz
- NFC, FM radio, OTG

Software platform

Depending on the date of manufacture. The phone runs either Android 5.0.1 or 5.1.1 together with the LG UX3 shell. For the H955 and F510 models, an update to Android 6.0.1 is already available, which brings LG UX4 and several improvements and additional functions, but for the H950 model the update will be released (tentatively) only in 3 months.
Differences between UX3 and installed UX4 mod (incomplete)

There are proprietary LG UX goodies, namely QuickMemo+ - a “drawing tool” based on screenshots (ala a quick graphic notepad) and SplitWindow - a mode for splitting the screen between two applications (“and we don’t need Android N!”). Also worth special mention is the smart case inherent in all the latest LG devices - QuickCircle.

Screenshots

Below are screenshots of LG QuickCircle widgets

You can either choose from pre-installed watch faces (including a watch face that displays the current weather), or you can set your own using third-party software.

Below you can see those widgets that I considered necessary to leave.

Music can be displayed from any application (stock music player, VK music, etc)

A voice recorder is always at hand - an indispensable thing for studying (as an option, for recording PD).

All possible widgets for the case (including widgets from third-party software)

Screen

Watching videos on such a screen is a pleasure. POLED pleases with rich colors. But the screen is far from perfect.
The main complaint about the screen is the insufficient brightness range. The minimum brightness at night hurts the eyes, and the maximum brightness will not allow you to comfortably use the phone in direct sunlight - you will have to look for shade or cover the screen with your palm. Many people write about the “paper texture” of the display in gray tones and the yellowness of white - I didn’t notice this, no matter how hard I tried. Viewing angles are maximum, but due to the peculiarities of OLED technology, white appears a little green at an angle.
The color space can be adjusted with three presets in the settings menu, similar to the color settings on Samsung SAMOLEDs.

Sound

This is a subjective section, because everyone perceives sound differently.
The speaker is beyond praise - I can hear my interlocutor just fine under any conditions. The maximum volume level is excessive, there is no distortion or wheezing. (for reference, because of such a high-quality speaker, some people even edit the Android sound config so that the sound comes out in stereo from the conversational and “loud-speaker” speaker ala HTC and its BoomSound :))
The “loud-speaking” speaker is also decent - high volume level, imitation of volume and bass, no “Chinese tweeters” effect.
But there's some nonsense with the microphones. On video, the voice is recorded just fine, even at a great distance from the device and external noise. But during a call, audibility for the interlocutor is not always sufficient. In speakerphone mode the situation is even worse - sometimes you have to raise your voice very loudly for the other person to hear you.
As for the sound from the headphones, the sound is decent, but nothing particularly outstanding. (“For everything else there is Viper4Android”)

Assembly and usability

After 3 months, the phone did not begin to creak or crunch. Surprisingly, not a single significant scratch appeared on either the case or the screen. “Meaningful” in this context—discernible without close scrutiny.
The curvature of the smartphone feels unusual.
1) It is more convenient to place it on your head during voice calls, since it follows its shape. For the same reason, it is convenient to carry it in the back pocket of jeans. But there is one BUT. Since there is an unlocking function by double tapping on the screen, cases often arise when the phone lives its life in your pants :).
2) The rear speaker will not be muffled if you put the phone on your shoulder blades.
3) Some of my friends who had a chance to touch the device thought that because of its shape it was comfortable to hold in the hand. Indeed, the smoothed side edges of the back cover help to hold the smartphone more confidently in your hands, but the curvature itself, in my opinion, does not provide any advantage in terms of grip.
Exactly like the first LG G Flex, the back cover “is made of special plastic. able to recover from light scratches.” Despite the fact that I still don’t see any obvious scratches on my device, the guys from xda and w3bsit3-dns.com complain that the plastic is completely ordinary and not at all scratch-resistant. Regular glossy plastic.

Connection

Reliably catches 2G and 3G everywhere, because Russian frequencies are supported... “By eye” - somewhat better than Redmi 3.
Despite the lack of support for LTE band 20, communication in this mode is more than reliable. The spoiler contains screenshots of SpeedTest. I think that the speed can be higher, it all depends on the congestion of the operator’s network.

Camera

Main camera:
Video: 4K@30fps, FHD@60fps, HD@120fps
Photo: 4160x3120 (4:3) or 4160x2340 (16:9)

Front camera:
Video: FHD@30fps, HD@30fps
Photo: 1920x1080 / 1280x720.

A standard camera does not have manual settings (ISO, shutter speed, ....). Available features include HDR and voice command shooting. There is support for Camera2 API.

Camera interface

You can look at examples of photographs on the Internet. My camera shoots exactly the same way. I just want to note the strong processing of photographs with sharpening - some people love it, and others - ME.

Gaming Performance

But here everything is not so simple. I won’t show hackneyed games like Asphalt 8 - as a rule, they work perfectly even on a calculator with maximum graphics, so I’ll use NFS No Limits as an example. After 5-10 minutes of play, the average fps dropped to 23 frames per second (with drops of up to 17), and a noticeable slow-mo effect appeared in the game, which greatly spoiled the perception of the game.

Battery life, heating and stability

Unfortunately, the 3000mAh battery is not enough.
Time battery life directly depends on how much you use the smartphone screen. It would seem that POLED screen technology should save battery power, but this is not the case.
In maximum load mode (downloading applications + continuous benchmarking + maximum brightness), the phone will last 3 hours - this is an average. At the same time, the processor temperature remains around 75 degrees, the battery temperature is 43 degrees... Once I managed to “heat up” the battery to a fantastic 53 degrees, while the processor warmed up to 77. But despite the huge temperature indicators, not a single application crashed. If you use your smartphone in a more gentle mode, then it can easily survive the daylight hours. But SOT (screen on time) will still not be more than 4-5 hours. Although more is not required from the phone.

Additional Information

Qualcomm QuickCharge 2.0 fast charging function is supported. The phone charges from 0 to 100% in 1 hour 20 minutes. When charging, the phone gets noticeably warm.

Fly in the ointment No. 1

Having ordered my first Flex and received it two weeks later, I was quite upset - the phone came with Android version 5.0.1, and there was practically nothing to please about it: terrible heating, constant application crashes, terrible battery life, constant microfreezes, terribly slow camera. What can I say, even the standard launcher crashed every couple of minutes, etc. And as it turned out, the fault was not only not the latest Android, but also my inattention and stinginess. In the end, the phone had to be returned.

In details

At the time of purchase, I did not pay attention to the fact that the seller is located in Hong Kong, and the H950 model is intended for the American operator AT&T. I think you probably already guessed that they sent me a Refurbished (refurbished) phone. And this nuance “excellent” showed itself when trying to update the firmware to 5.1.1 using LGFlashTool - I got this.

Firmware result

Yes, I just received a brick that was not even detected by USB. Attempts to resurrect the brick using JTAG at the service center were also unsuccessful - there is no complete memory dump for this model.

After quite a bit of arguing with the seller regarding the return/replacement, I received a refund after confirming that the phone had been sent “to its homeland”. Let the seller restore it himself :).
However, the desire to buy Flex only intensified, so this time I decided to order directly from the States. Direct delivery was difficult, so I had to use an intermediary. Fortunately, it was not only the phone that needed to be ordered.

Fly in the ointment No. 2

“On paper” the phone looks quite decent, but if it were devoid of shortcomings, it would cost at least one and a half times more.
It's all about the SD810. The processor is powerful - this can be seen in the benchmarks. Under ideal conditions (low ambient temperature) Antutu >80k, and the drawdown in Epic CItadel with maximum graphics quality is about 10fps with an average at the start of the test of 59.4 fps. But in real life, the “feelings” of the device are completely different. It's all about the heat. Even when using it for everyday tasks (browser + telegram + calls), it can warm up quite well, but as for games... They run just fine!

Out of the box, the phone uses a thermal config that horribly throttles the processor when it exceeds a certain temperature (about 50 degrees, which is negligible for this processor), while the device gets quite hot, and the performance is average, despite the great results in synthetics. Antutu – 76300 points. At high temperatures, 2 a57 cores remain “alive”, but their frequency is not encouraging.

Finishing

Want more "real" (rather than synthetic) performance?
Craftsmen of the above-mentioned thermal config, now at any processor temperature, one a57 core will not turn off and will remain operating at maximum frequency. But the device will heat up about the same under load, because instead of 2 x a57 cores at low frequency we get 1 at maximum. The indicators for synthetics have fallen (Antutu – 66911), but the “user experience” is much more pleasant.

Need more performance gold?
No question, we’ll install a processor for the governor and use it together with the thermal config. The result is 77218 points in Antutu and much smoother operation, but, of course, there will be even more heat. The cores are now not turned off under any conditions, they are throttled only at extremely high temperatures

But what if you really don’t like the LG UX3 and want to “switch” to the UX4 (albeit a very stripped-down one)? Please have a special FPS indicators after the treatment procedure

UPD: Having applied, namely the governor “SooSoolR4”, I got the following results.
In “six-core” CPU mode (2 a57 cores disabled) 79305
With the “eight-core” CPU operating mode (all cores enabled) 80504.

Fly in the ointment No. 3

Here you have to throw a stone at LG. The thing is that on all variants of this device the bootloader is locked, as a result of which there are no custom firmwares, no custom kernels, nothing... And at the same time, you can kill the device when flashing it with half a kick. This spoils the impression very much.
There were great hopes that after updating to 6.0 it would be possible to unlock the bootloader, but this feature was not delivered. LG's motives are clear - the LG G Flex 3 is on the way, they need to somehow sell the LG V10 and G5, but the feeling of deception does not leave.
Yes, when announced, the G Flex 2 was not positioned as a “flagship”, because it was preparing for the announcement of the LG G4 (the difference between the announcements is 3 months), and the smartphone was rather positioned as an “elegant solution for enthusiasts,” but due to the overheating SD810, the phone did not gain popularity among ordinary people, and LG’s policy regarding the bootloader completely killed the potential of this device in the eyes of red-eyed people.

Bottom line

The smartphone is quite controversial.
On the one hand, it offers tasty characteristics coupled with an excellent camera at a reasonable price and a pleasant appearance
On the other hand, its limitations (both in hardware and software) cause mixed feelings when using it and impose certain restrictions. If you use it as

If I again had a choice between buying the G Flex 2 or the aforementioned Redmi Note 3 Pro, I would probably choose the latter. Availability fastboot mode very captivating (although it would seem that this is a vital option for any smartphone). But the experience gained from using this device will definitely not be superfluous.

First review - judge strictly, criticize.

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LG G Flex 2 is, oddly enough, the most affordable way obtain current technical specifications for 2015. It has top-end filling and an interesting design, but also many nuances that potential owners should know about in advance. In today's review I will talk about key features and actual operation of the device.

What? Where? For what?

It was 2015, a difficult time for the consumer device market. The crisis of ideas has led to some manufacturers actively starting to experiment with design and materials. Glass and metal have not surprised anyone for a long time, so a variety of inventions were used. The Koreans, for example, distinguished themselves in their new flagship G4 by covering the back cover with leather. Samsung is turning corners, and Chinese companies are trying to completely get rid of the bezels around the display.

I wouldn’t be surprised that in the next round one of the leading market players will release a phone with a body made of real carbon fiber or, who knows, Kevlar. This will be the number!

As a result, each manufacturer is ostracized as best he can. Some come up with new design solutions and later try to justify their use. Other companies throw an entire class of devices onto the market and pretend nothing is happening. If anyone doesn’t understand, we are talking about Apple’s branded Watch. Users have allegedly been ready for this for a long time and really want to pay at least $350 for an incomprehensible contraption. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that dozens of videos are being released along the way explaining what it is and what it is eaten with.

In general, the situation is interesting, including the example of one manufacturer and its specific product, namely. The smartphone was released in 2014 as a symmetrical response to the Galaxy Round - something similar, but from Samsung.

Both devices were prototypes, but subsequently each manufacturer went their own way. Samsung creates special, curved versions of its flagships and positions them as premium versions of its main models. Another Korean company decided to bring a curved screen to most of its new devices: this is the G4, and even the budget line, including and. All clear. We tried it, liked it, and implemented it wherever possible.

However, a logical question arises: why did LG release a sequel in the form of G Flex 2, if new flagship is it also curved?

Frankly speaking, after using the device for a week, I did not find an answer to this question. They let me out and that's fine. The main thing is that it has cool filling and a reasonable price. But first things first.

Design

Nothing radically new for the second “flex” from the point of view appearance didn't offer. It has the same dark gray plastic, a noticeably curved body and big screen. The diagonal of the latter, however, decreased from 6 to 5.5 inches, which led to a more comfortable grip. The previous model is just a shovel, but our hero is... just a shovel. This is roughly how you can describe ease of use.

I have long been accustomed to different-sized phones, tablets and lampshades, so the G Flex 2 did not cause me any rejection, but rather the opposite. The device is really convenient to use, especially when surfing the web or watching movies.

Above the screen, in addition to the standard set of elements from various sensors and a front camera, there is also an LED indicator. The latter lights up in sleep mode and signals the receipt of any notification or missed event. The thing is convenient, but if desired, it can be disabled from the menu. Some users find such indicators annoying.

Both dark and bright red models will be available for sale. Both are very glossy and play well in the sun. I suspect that the scarlet variation will look more impressive than the usual one. Fashionistas will love it.

The back cover is covered with a special, self-healing coating, which the Koreans mentioned back in the winter at the presentation. The point is that even if you rub the back of your smartphone with the sharp end of a key, after a while all the resulting scratches will magically disappear.

Of course, this is all just a marketing ploy.

I will not pretend to have an expert opinion, I will only tell you what I saw myself. The phone was already sent to me for testing with a scratched back cover. Moreover, the damage was not deep at all, but the most ordinary ones that occur during normal operation and are visible for the most part only in the light. Nothing has disappeared anywhere, so it is inappropriate to talk about any super protective layer here.

Let's return to ergonomics. These are the real advantages of a curved body that I was able to identify. Due to the concave design, the smartphone fits more ergonomically in the front pockets of trousers or jeans. There is clearly nothing sticking out or protruding as is the case with regular, straight phones, as if you had a brick in your pocket. The next advantage is that it is convenient to pick up the phone with your fingers if it lies face down on a flat surface. The back protrudes noticeably and is easy to grab.

I guess that's all. I no longer found anything useful in the “crooked” design. During the conversation, I personally was not able to feel how cool the smartphone curves around my cheek. Maybe they are too sunken and it’s time for me to switch to flour?

In general, for some categories of citizens there will be another plus - this is the wow effect that the smartphone causes in others. “What is he? Curved?", "Wow! Cool!” - this is approximately where the audience around you will be limited. And by the way, you still have to live with a telephone. Moreover, you can live quite well with the G Flex 2. Well, it's curved, great. Go ahead.

Display

Compared to its predecessor, the screen diagonal has decreased and the resolution has increased to full Full HD. It would have been like this a long time ago! As a result, the pixel density has increased to 403 ppi, which means that the fonts now look great, the icons are not pixelated, and everything else is fine.

However, I was lying. Not everything here is as great as it might seem at first glance. As in the first version of the smartphone, it uses a display with a P-OLED matrix, that is, it is a truly curved substrate made of LEDs, touch glass, etc. In reality, this had a negative impact on the uniformity of the picture, which is especially noticeable on monochromatic background images.

The entire screen area is dotted with small vertical stripes and this can be compared with the image produced by e-books built on the basis of electronic ink.

The matrix has memory and for some time can even retain the remnants of the previous picture. It doesn't look very good.

In the new product under review, due to the smaller pixels, this is not as noticeable as it was in last year’s model, but still the banding of the display is visible and there is no escape from it. This is the peculiarity.

I must apologize to the readers for not giving an example of a photograph with such screen behavior. The thing is that for inexplicable reasons the smartphone’s display burned out and we only managed to take basic photos of the device, but there was no time left to capture the critical moment discussed above.

Secondly, the second negative point is the following. In direct sunlight, a distinct and very unpleasant yellowness of the entire screen appears. Perhaps this is how the anti-reflective layer or oleophobic coating manifests itself. In the shade or indoors, under normal lighting, this behavior does not appear. There is no example for the same reasons.

The display itself is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It has an oleophobic coating that does an excellent job of protecting the surface from fingerprints.

However, another unpleasant moment emerged. On one of the sides it is noticeable that the glass of the screen sticks out slightly and seems to be not glued to the end - there is a weakly noticeable, but still play and gap. Most likely, this is a defect of a specific sample that came to us for testing, but for peace of mind, I still recommend that you carefully check this point before purchasing.

Viewing angles are good, but with a number of caveats. At right angles the display is slightly yellow. This is noticeable even without comparison with the screen of any competitor. When deviated, the yellowness goes away, but a slightly bluish tint appears. Everything can be seen in the photo below, where our hero is located on top, and below or on the right in the pictures Asus Zenfone 2.

Of course, in the settings you can try to select other color palette settings, but this does not affect the overall picture.

If you slide your finger down on the sleeping screen, it’s as if you are pulling a dark curtain behind you, from behind which information with the date and time peeks out. For some reason, the background of this screensaver is boring and gray, but on the same LG Spirit it looked much more impressive, as if you were peeking through a crack where the sun was shining brightly. Just wow!

LG Spirit: Show time and date in standby mode

Specifications LG G Flex 2 (H955)

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 processor with a frequency of 2 GHz (64 bit, 8 cores: Cortex-A57 and Cortex-A53)
Adreno 430 video chip
RAM 2 or 3 GB (about 850 MB free)
built-in storage 16 (7.23 GB actually available) or 32 GB
map support Micro memory SD up to 128 GB
P-OLED 5.5" display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (403 ppi)
main camera 13 MP
front camera 2.1 MP
battery 3000 mAh
Connectors: Micro USB 2.0 (OTG supported)
Android OS version 5.1.1
sensors: light and proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic compass
Dimensions 149.1 x 75.3 x 9.4 mm
weight 152 g

Wireless interfaces:

2G, 3G, 4G (LTE Cat 4)
Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
GPS, GLONASS
FM radio, IR sensor

As it became clear from the specifications, two versions of the smartphone will be available: with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory or 3 and 32 GB, respectively. It is not known for certain which model will be sold here. I think that, according to tradition, our market will not be marked in any special way and we will have a modification with lower characteristics.

In addition, it is unclear where as many as 8 gigabytes of the built-in storage went.

Performance

What can you expect from a device with top-end hardware and a well-optimized shell? That's right - maximum performance.

And for the most part, this is true of the G Flex 2. However, sometimes, rarely, it still happens that the device freezes when launching some applications. Moreover, this could even be a transition to an incoming SMS from a locked screen. The background image of the SMS chat hangs for a couple of seconds and only then the rest of the utility interface is loaded. In a good way, this should not happen, since the smartphone has a truly powerful hardware installed.

Everything about toys is great. Any, even the heaviest 3D games are initially launched on maximum settings graphics (except for Dead Trigger 2), and already in the game there are no drops in frame rate. Tested on Real Racing 3, Asphalt 8 and Dead Trigger 2.

Does a curved screen add any flavor to the gaming experience? Probably not. The uneven front side is only noticeable at an angle, and virtual battles are completely addictive. It becomes somehow not up to the shape of the display.

Front-camera

There is a 2 megapixel module here, so the photo resolution does not exceed 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is quite a bit by modern standards, when even mid-priced devices have cameras of 5 or even higher megapixels.

However, there is advanced functionality for selfie lovers. When an open palm enters the frame, the system automatically and, by the way, recognizes it quite well. To release the shutter, just clench your palm into a fist. From now on you will have 3 seconds to prepare for the photo. It's simple.

Main camera

At the back is a 13-megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization and laser autofocus. We have already become acquainted with the set of these components in, so I will not repeat ourselves.

The picture quality is good, but far from maximum. In my opinion, the camera lacks clarity and more correct exposure recognition. In some places the photos turn out to be overexposed, and in some areas, on the contrary, darkened. In short, the quality of the images is at the level of top-end devices of the past, but not this year, where the bar has been raised very high.

The originals of the presented photographs can be downloaded in one archive from here.

Additional modes include shooting from two cameras at once, creating panoramas and activating the HDR mode. Moreover, the latter function can be configured in such a way that the system will independently use this algorithm according to its mood. In general, it’s convenient - I activated it once and my head doesn’t hurt.

Video shooting

I have allocated a separate section for this function, because there is something to talk about in detail. The smartphone can shoot both Full HD and Ultra HD video. The resolution of the latest videos is 3840 x 2160 pixels at a theoretical 30 frames per second. However, in practice, videos are recorded with some noticeable stutters or, to make it more clear, frame drops. Everything is clearly visible in the example of such a large video below. On average, a video contains up to 27 frames per second and no more.

Additionally, the device can record slow-motion videos at a speed of 120 fps. The resolution in this case is already 1280 x 720 pixels and again, all this is only on paper. In fact, the quality of the videos is simply terrible and the real resolution stopped somewhere at the VGA level, although it was stretched to the HD level. An example of a video is again below the link in our Youtube channel. Unfortunately, the service does not allow you to play truly slow-motion videos. To do this, you need to open the file directly on your smartphone or in some special player. In my case it turned out to be QuickTime.

Perhaps in future firmware versions all these shortcomings will be eliminated, but now everything is presented only in this slightly crude form.

Battery life

I’m already quite tired of including this item in reviews, because no matter how technically sophisticated a smartphone is, it has a built-in battery that gives a maximum of up to two days of battery life. All this is true for the G Flex 2. Under a heavy load, the device will last a day, under an average load it will last about 35 hours and no more. Nothing criminal, but nothing outstanding either.

All this suggests the need to purchase a portable battery. Reviews of these accessories can be followed here or via this link.

Conclusion

On this moment It is impossible to buy LG G Flex 2 in official retail. In the gray channel of the market, a phone can be purchased for a price of 27,500 rubles - this is on average. This offer makes the smartphone very competitive despite the existing shortcomings and nuances in operation. Judge for yourself. Is it now possible to buy any of the modern flagships with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor for less than 30 thousand rubles? I think no.

When a new product enters our market, it is unlikely that it will cost less than 40,000 rubles. It just so happens that prices in Russia are traditionally slightly higher than, for example, in European countries. In addition, the device should in no way compete with the current flagship. And from this point of view, the price even at 40 thousand looks underestimated.

The second generation of a truly curved smartphone essentially does not offer anything new, except for an increased display resolution and powerful hardware inside. The design is very close to its predecessor, as is the functionality.

Unfortunately, the hero of today's review cannot boast of a screen and is equipped with a weak front camera, and, in addition, has problems with recording videos. If the last drawback will most likely be eliminated in new firmware versions, then the first two nuances will have to be faced in any case.

Despite the pleasant price tag, I bet that the device will not become a noticeable player on the market. Still, most people are suspiciously cold towards this kind of experiment. It was so with the first generation, and it will be so with the G Flex under the symbol “2”. One gets the impression that the manufacturer himself does not have high hopes for the device. Otherwise, the second “flex” would have been on store shelves long before the release of G4.

Release date unknown Price: 27,500 rubles (gray market)

Previously, we already had the opportunity to get acquainted with the predecessor of the current guest - LG G Flex. In general, I was left with a pleasant impression of the device, since it captivated me with its unusual design and the presence of interesting features. But a number of shortcomings were also recorded, which, apparently, have been corrected in the G Flex 2.

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New model was presented at CES 2015. And it became clear that they had thoroughly worked on it, since technically the gadget had reached the modern level. For example, the processor and software have been updated, the display resolution has been increased, and a slot for a memory card has appeared. It should be interesting, besides, LG talk about their brainchild like this: “Perhaps the best curved smartphone.”

In order to test this statement, let's begin a sequential study of G Flex 2. However, to carry out traditional comparison It will be difficult to find curved smartphones from other manufacturers other than the Samsung Galaxy Round.

The device will be available in two versions: with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of built-in storage, or with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of built-in storage. LG models are officially supplied to the Russian market and therefore come with local support. There are dark silver (Platinum Silver) and red (Flamenco Red) body colors. There are also several versions for different operators: LG H955 (EMEA), LG LS996 (Sprint), LG H950 (AT&T), LG US995 (U.S. Cellular).