LG G4 Philippines Price Starts at Php 31,990 : Complete Specs, Key Features, Design Check

Most of the rumors that we've gotten over the past few months about the 2015 flagship smartphone of Korean electronics company LG Mobile have turned out to be highly accurate as we saw the official announcement of LG G4 last April 28, 2015.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

"We are thrilled to globally introduce the outstanding LG G4, letting consumers see and feel optimal greatness in a smartphone," said Mr. Jay Won, LG Mobile Philippines Vice President. "From the design to the camera to the display to the user experience, the LG G4 is undoubtedly the most ambitious phone LG has ever created, promising world-class performance and no disappointment."

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Design

As you can see in these images (in photos posted in TP's previous rumor round-up entries), the LG G4 is available in handcrafted, full-grain leather in three attractive colors. The natural, vegetable-tanned leather is not only environmentally-friendly but also luxurious as opposed to the faux-leather polycarbonate material that other smartphones have. Other material options for the LG G4 back cover are pure Ceramic White with 3D patterns, artisan-forged Black Titan (Metallic Gray) and lustrous Shiny Gold.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

According to LG, "The comfortable elegance of the LG G4 is a refreshing change from the uniformly flat, full metal designs that have been become standard across the industry. The LG G4’s design is defined by the Slim Arc, which runs along its entire body, highlighted by a display with a subtle curvature. More than just a design accent, Slim Arc offers more durability than a flat smartphone in face-down drops and gives the smartphone a more comfortable and secure feel in the hand."

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Display

The LG G4 sports the same size and resolution as last year’s G3, with a 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) resolution with a slight curve to it, almost too subtle that I bet some users might not even notice it.

Despite having similar characteristics as its predecessor, the G4’s screen now uses its IPS Quantum Display technology, LG’s new screen tech. It is said to be 50 percent higher in contrast and 50 percent brighter compared to regular LCDs which translates to having better outdoor visibility. Not to worry though, the higher brightness is compensated by the new screen tech, and is said to be a very energy efficient one, according to LG.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Camera

The camera is said to be one of the G4’s best features, coming with an f/1.8 aperture and a 16 MegaPixel sensor. The usual LG goodies are there, such as the laser autofocus, and OIS 2.0. The specs sheet of the camera screams nothing but awesome – higher resolution shots which capture 80 percent more light.

In addition to that, LG’s G4 is the first smartphone to feature a color spectrum sensor, a component that recognizes ambient light and objects. Truer whites can be easier determined for a more accurate color balance that doesn’t need any tinkering from the WB settings. Other features include saving in RAW format, as well as a manual mode that lets the users adjust the shutter speed, ISO, white balance and more.

As for the front-facing shooter, LG has opted for a larger 8MP wide-angle camera, a huge upgrade from the former’s 2.1MP setup. As a result, the front facing camera can facilitate selfies a lot easier, with the front-facing light and gesture controlled shutter also improved to make capturing selfie moments a lot easier.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Battery and Storage

Since LG also hails from South Korea, its biggest rival is Samsung, and I think LG wins this part by a long shot. Putting it in simply, the LG G4 has a removable battery and a microSD card slot. Whereas Samsung decided to go with a non-removable approach, LG did the exact opposite. The G4 has a removable 3,000 mAh battery, while internal storage is at 32 GB. The microSD card, on the other hand, is capable of up to 200 GB of storage capacity but it doesn’t end there – anyone buying the phone gets 100 GB of Google Drive space for free. Now that’s a lot of storage space!

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Processor and RAM

The LG G4 is a powerhouse. However LG opted instead for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 for their 2015 flagship instead of the Snapdragon 810, coupled with 3 GB of RAM. Don’t fret, the 808 is a very capable processor but the 810 really did have a rough start ever since its announcement earlier this year, with overheating issues, and even Samsung using their own Exynos line for their Galaxy S6. The main reason behind the choice, according to Qualcomm’s marketing head Tim McDonough, is that LG’s decision had a lot to do with cost since the 808 is cheaper to produce. The Snapdragon 810, on the other hand, was the first one to be produced, which is why LG included the SoC in the G Flex 2. In addition to that, McDonough states that “the decisions on which chipsets to put on which handsets come from over a year ago”.

According to McDonough, both chipsets are “very much cut from the same cloth”, but the 810 has 8 cores while the 808 has 6. As for the GPU, the 810 contains the Adreno 430 GPU, which is more capable for ultra-HD scenarios compared to the 808’s Adreno 418.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines
LG G3 from 2014 and its successor, the LG G4, respectively. All photos in this post are courtesy of PocketNow.

As for the software, the G4 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with LG’s custom interface on top. The OS was created with Google users in mind, making Google’s suite of productivity apps bundled in with the software, with Chrome as the default browser. Furthermore, other native apps like the gallery, music, and file explorer apps have Google’s Drive directly integrated into them.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Release Date and Pricing Information

LG Mobile hasn't issued an official word about the exact price and release date of the LG G4 in its key markets around the world including the Philippines. However, trusted sources have disclosed that the battleship smartphone should hit store shelves in various territories sometime in Q3 2015 with SRP of $649 US for the Single-SIM versions with plastic back cover and $699 for those that flaunt genuine leather.

LG G4, LG G4 Philippines

Based on that information, our TechPinas Guesstimate for its local release is also within the third quarter and for its price, we're putting it in the range of Php 28,000 to Php 30,000 for the variants with plastic back plate and Php 31,000 to Php 33,000 for those that feature genuine leather. Stay tuned for updates regarding the availability of this 2015 flagship model in the Philippines, TP Friends!

Update as of May 28, 2015: LG G4 has just been officially launched in the Philippines via an exclusive event at the Solaire Resort, which TP graced. LG G4 Genuine Leather variants sell for Php 32,990 per unit and are available in Brown, Black, and Red. LG G4 Metallic Finish variants, on the other hand, sell for Php 31,990 and are available in Shiny Gold, Black Titan, and Ceramic White. All official LG G4 models that will be released in the country upon launch have Dual SIM capability.

#TPWriterFellows Batch 1 Member and DLSU student, Nico Aguila is the self-proclaimed 'official' tech support guy of his friends. He's always ready to give you tips and tricks with Android devices and even gives you advice on which phone or tablet you should get whether it be running on Android, iOS, or Windows Phone operating system. Nico sees TechPinas as the best tech website in the Philippines and also as his safe haven when he reads tech news that is happening in the country. When he graduates, Nico plans to find a stable job in tech, have a family when he can, and of course, expose his future kids to technology and TechPinas so that they'll enjoy great bonding times together.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name LG G4
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category High End (Flagship Level)
Dimensions148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8 mm
Weight 155 grams
Available Colors Leather Brown, Leather Red, Grey, White, Gold, Leather Black
Operating System Android 5.1 Lollipop with LG Optimus UX 4.0 UI
Display 5.5 inches (~538 ppi pixel density), 1440 x 2560 pixels, IPS Quantum, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Processor Hexa-Core = Dual Core 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A57 + Quad Core 1.44 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, Adreno 418 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 chipset
RAM 3 GB RAM
Internal Storage 32 GB, expandable via microSD card, supports up to 128 GB (200 GB, according to LG)
Camera Main: 16 MegaPixel, 5312 x 2988 pixels, Face Detection, Laser Autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization, Dual LED (Dual Tone) Flash, 1/3'' Sensor Size, Simultaneous Video and Image Recording, Geo-Tagging, HDR
Front: 8 MegaPixels, f/2.0 aperture
Video Capture Main: 2160p 30fps, 1080p 60fps, HDR, Stereo Sound Recording, Video Stabilization
Front: 1080p 30fps
Audio and Video Playback MP4, DviX, XviD, H.264, H.263, WMV, MP3, WAV, FLAC, eAAC+, WMA player
Ports microUSB v2.0 (SlimPort 4K), USB On-The-Go, USB Host, 3.5mm Audio Jack
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP, LE, apt-X, EDR, 3G HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, HSPA+; LTE Cat6 300/50 Mbps
GPS Yes, with GLONASS and A-GPS
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Gyroscope
Network 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100, 4G Network LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600
SIM Card Type Philippines: Dual microSIM
Battery Removable Li-Ion 3,000 mAh battery
Uptime TBD
Value-Added Features Rear Key, Quad HD Display, 8 MegaPixel Front Cam, Unique Leather Finish
Announcement Global: April 28, 2015
Philippines: May 28, 2015
Availability Global: Q3 2014
Price Official SRP:
LG G4 Genuine Leather Variant – Php 32,990
Available Colors for Genuine Leather: Brown, Black, Red

LG G4 Metallic Finish – Php 31,990
Available in Shiny Gold, Black Titan, Ceramic White