PC Mag Review Today - G4 on Verizon - Multiple Issues

[igotthepowers]

... "epic amount" of bloatware:

(sorry for not posting url, AC still deems me unworthy of posting links)

I find the last point laughable as I am currently using a samsung galaxy note 3 on sprint... now THAT'S epic bloatware. Another contradiction in the piece is where he recommends the Droid Turbo but chastises the G4 for not having the most powerful hardware. At any rate, the other two observations are very concerning considering I haven't seen much discussion about those specific points here. Speaking of posts in this forum, it seemed odd he didn't have any battery life issues!

1) Heat problems - I've seen heat problems attributed primarily to the 810 devices and, in some instances, to the galaxy S6 but she says the G4 on Verizon is running nearly 10 degrees hotter than the S6?!?!?!? That would be problematic.

Average system performance isn't the G4's biggest flaw, however. Once the phone got hot—say, by playing an intense game, downloading a lot of data, or running a benchmark—it stayed uncomfortably hot, even while sitting in my pocket. When you turn the screen brightness up to max, a dialog box appears with the warning: "High brightness setting may increase the temperature of your phone." That's not good. With the screen at maximum brightness, the earpiece was an unpleasant 102.5 degrees, with the bottom of the phone coming in at 95 degrees at rest, to 99.5 degrees while running a heavy graphics task. The Samsung Galaxy S6 runs at 93-95 degrees at max, and 86-87 degrees on average. That's significantly cooler.​

Haven't seen mention of the "high brightness may increase temp" message before. That seems quite lame. Any thoughts on heat issues in real world Verizon use? Would this vary significantly by carrier?

2) Voice quality - I have read seemingly dozens of G4 reviews and had I think they had mostly good things to say about call quality. Obviously, this too is a very problematic assertion, especially since this would be VERY carrier specific.

Call quality on the G4 was surprisingly mediocre in my tests. The G4 supports Verizon's new HD voice calling over LTE, which recent tests by research company P3 have shown improves call quality. Here, though, our test calls had an annoying buzz at top volume, with considerable muddiness. The bottom-ported speakerphone wasn't tremendously loud, although it was usable outdoors. Transmissions through the phone's mouthpiece were muddy and occasionally echoed my own voice.​

Once again VZ G4 users... your comments would be much appreciated.

3) Bloatware - I'm going to address her point even though it seems rather specious.

It's also laden down with undeletable bloatware. There's so much of it! I counted 21 preloaded, non-Google apps: eight from Verizon, five from LG, five from Amazon, and three others. That helps the system software take up 9.38GB of the phone's 32GB storage (Verizon only sells the 32GB model).​

OK so the 8 Verizon apps certainly can't be blamed on LG. I was thinking you could delete the 5 Amazon apps (am I wrong here)? And 5 manufacturer specific apps seems like it would be in line with the number of mfgr specific apps on Samsung or HTC phones (is this correct)? Just seemed odd this was such a big mention here.


Basically, I've been wanting this phone for 3-4 weeks now and have done a ton of homework but this gives me pause. I will be moving from Sprint to Verizon (nonnegotiable) so I would love to hear from you Verizon G4 users to see if any of Sascha's points ring true (haha) with your experience. Is Sascha a Sammy fanboy, LG hater or did he just have a bad night's sleep? Thanks in advance!!!

 

[KPMcClave]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

... "epic amount" of bloatware:

(sorry for not posting url, AC still deems me unworthy of posting links)

I find the last point laughable as I am currently using a samsung galaxy note 3 on sprint... now THAT'S epic bloatware. Another contradiction in the piece is where he recommends the Droid Turbo but chastises the G4 for not having the most powerful hardware. At any rate, the other two observations are very concerning considering I haven't seen much discussion about those specific points here. Speaking of posts in this forum, it seemed odd he didn't have any battery life issues!

1) Heat problems - I've seen heat problems attributed primarily to the 810 devices and, in some instances, to the galaxy S6 but she says the G4 on Verizon is running nearly 10 degrees hotter than the S6?!?!?!? That would be problematic.

Average system performance isn't the G4's biggest flaw, however. Once the phone got hot—say, by playing an intense game, downloading a lot of data, or running a benchmark—it stayed uncomfortably hot, even while sitting in my pocket. When you turn the screen brightness up to max, a dialog box appears with the warning: "High brightness setting may increase the temperature of your phone." That's not good. With the screen at maximum brightness, the earpiece was an unpleasant 102.5 degrees, with the bottom of the phone coming in at 95 degrees at rest, to 99.5 degrees while running a heavy graphics task. The Samsung Galaxy S6 runs at 93-95 degrees at max, and 86-87 degrees on average. That's significantly cooler.​

Haven't seen mention of the "high brightness may increase temp" message before. That seems quite lame. Any thoughts on heat issues in real world Verizon use? Would this vary significantly by carrier?

2) Voice quality - I have read seemingly dozens of G4 reviews and had I think they had mostly good things to say about call quality. Obviously, this too is a very problematic assertion, especially since this would be VERY carrier specific.

Call quality on the G4 was surprisingly mediocre in my tests. The G4 supports Verizon's new HD voice calling over LTE, which recent tests by research company P3 have shown improves call quality. Here, though, our test calls had an annoying buzz at top volume, with considerable muddiness. The bottom-ported speakerphone wasn't tremendously loud, although it was usable outdoors. Transmissions through the phone's mouthpiece were muddy and occasionally echoed my own voice.​

Once again VZ G4 users... your comments would be much appreciated.

3) Bloatware - I'm going to address her point even though it seems rather specious.

It's also laden down with undeletable bloatware. There's so much of it! I counted 21 preloaded, non-Google apps: eight from Verizon, five from LG, five from Amazon, and three others. That helps the system software take up 9.38GB of the phone's 32GB storage (Verizon only sells the 32GB model).​

OK so the 8 Verizon apps certainly can't be blamed on LG. I was thinking you could delete the 5 Amazon apps (am I wrong here)? And 5 manufacturer specific apps seems like it would be in line with the number of mfgr specific apps on Samsung or HTC phones (is this correct)? Just seemed odd this was such a big mention here.


Basically, I've been wanting this phone for 3-4 weeks now and have done a ton of homework but this gives me pause. I will be moving from Sprint to Verizon (nonnegotiable) so I would love to hear from you Verizon G4 users to see if any of Sascha's points ring true (haha) with your experience. Is Sascha a Sammy fanboy, LG hater or did he just have a bad night's sleep? Thanks in advance!!!

I had no sense that there was more bloatware on this phone than any other I've had. You can't uninstall the Amazon stuff, only disable it. I don't use it (other than Backup) but it seems to me the LG software is more useful than the Verizon by leaps and bounds. And all the Verizon phones will have the same VzW bloatware, so... I just don't see an issue relative to other handsets.

The heat is real! It's not frequent enough to worry me, or hot enough to burn me (or be "uncomfortable" or whatever). Mainly when I feel the phone heat up it makes me wonder if something isn't working proeprly (it can be a sign of a rogue app for example). Other than that, it hasn't been an issue of concern in my use.

I don't really make or take enough calls to comment with authority on call quality. I've never had major complaint with Advanced Calling 1.0 on Verizon, with this phone or its two predecessors.

 

[smurfercom]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I'm sending mine back tomorrow after comparing it to my Z1s the Sony edged out by a few factors. First the screen on the Z1s seems a little more sharper with no washout when using the UI. Z1s has no issues with auto brightness, the UI is a much smarter and cleaner experience compared the G4. I will miss the camera and screen size on the G4 and watching HD movies. The G4 out paces the Z1s in this category by leaps and bounds. Another thing is in my businesses I'm constantly near water so the waterproof factor is very important. I listen to FM radio in the field and don't have to depend on streaming in spotty areas and tmo has a ton of those here in LA.

The Z1s is a lot more heavier and just has that solid feel to it. The G4 is very light and thin and feels fragile in the hand and is not rated for IP55 and IP58 waterproof ratings like the Z1s. So after foolin around with for a week I decided it wasn't worth the upgrade. The good news is tmo doesn't charge a restocking fee if you send it back by mail, as long as you ordered through the website. Only in store purchases charge 50.00 restock fees.
It was fun test driving the thing but the Z1s edged out overall.

 

[sswitzer]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

Heat: I've only ever seen the heat issue when the phone display is running at 80% to 100% brightness AND you're doing graphic intensive stuff like using the camera. I was getting more heat issues before I started using Lux -- the app does a great job of keeping the brightness to a usable, battery/heat friendly level. The heat is more than what I saw with my Note 2, but that's only because I feel the heat on the screen (where my finger is) rather than the back of the phone. Frankly, given the processing speed plus the super high resolution screen, how could we not expect the phone to be hot to the point that you feel it? Could LG have done a better job to somehow reduce this? Probably. Is it OK and usable? Sure!

Voice quality: The only time I've noticed anything was when I was talking to my wife on her iPhone; other than that it's been fine. I don't know if it's perfect (what do I compare it to?) but it's as good if not better than my Note 2.

Bloat: Not as much as I had with my Note 2, and all of it can be either removed or disabled -- if that's the case, and you can use an SD card for storing photos/music, why worry about how much space the bloat apps take up?

 

[dpham00]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I had no sense that there was more bloatware on this phone than any other I've had. You can't uninstall the Amazon stuff, only disable it. I don't use it (other than Backup) but it seems to me the LG software is more useful than the Verizon by leaps and bounds. And all the Verizon phones will have the same VzW bloatware, so... I just don't see an issue relative to other handets.

The heat is real! It's not freqwuent enough to worry me, or hot enough to burn me (or be "uncomfortable" or whatever). Mainly when I feel the phone heat up it makes me wonder if something isn't working proeprly (it can be a sign of a rogue app for example). Other than that, it hans't been an issue of concern in my use.

I don't really make or take enough calls to comment with authority on call quality. I've never had major complaint with Adbanced Calling 1.0 on Verizon, with this phone or its two predecessors.

IPhones don't have any Verizon bloat.

Sent from my Verizon LG G4

 

[ansextra]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

The review only spoke about the VZ version of the phone. No tests were done on other carriers. I have the ATT version and have not had any of the issues mentioned in the article. Regarding voice call quality, to only review the Verizon version and talk about a feature only available on Verizon is poor reporting at best in my opinion. PC Mag used to be more fair and balanced but those days are gone it seems just as they are with many of the review websites now in corporate pockets. I'm disappointed in this review and replied to it in the comments.

 

[igotthepowers]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

The review only spoke about the VZ version of the phone. No tests were done on other carriers. I have the ATT version and have not had any of the issues mentioned in the article. Regarding voice call quality, to only review the Verizon version and talk about a feature only available on Verizon is poor reporting at best in my opinion. PC Mag used to be more fair and balanced but those days are gone it seems just as they are with many of the review websites now in corporate pockets. I'm disappointed in this review and replied to it in the comments.

PC did a full review of the G4 earlier. The article I cited (and would have linked) from yesterday is a "real life" update based on the reviewer's use of the phone on the Verizon network. I am glad more outlets are doing such real life updates. The main reviews are often done with pre-production phones which don't necessarily translate into the same experiences on the phones we receive and they don't assess the carrier-specific differences of the phones such as bloatware and call quality which are very important considerations. They are also done quickly because they don't want to be "late" with the review compared to their competitors so they don't have time to just use it for a few weeks and report on that experience.

This is just another reason why I won't get a G4 (or any other phone) until at least 4-6 weeks after it is officially released!

 

[igotthepowers]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I now have 10 posts (huzzah!) so here's a link to the article I cited above:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2486502,00.asp

 

[ansextra]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

PC did a full review of the G4 earlier. The article I cited (and would have linked) from yesterday is a "real life" update based on the reviewer's use of the phone on the Verizon network. I am glad more outlets are doing such real life updates. The main reviews are often done with pre-production phones which don't necessarily translate into the same experiences on the phones we receive and they don't assess the carrier-specific differences of the phones such as bloatware and call quality which are very important considerations. They are also done quickly because they don't want to be "late" with the review compared to their competitors so they don't have time to just use it for a few weeks and report on that experience.

This is just another reason why I won't get a G4 (or any other phone) until at least 4-6 weeks after it is officially released!

If they're going to review a post-production VZ phone that's fine. Just follow up with a post-production review of all other carriers as well. In the US carrier versions can make a huge difference in the phone quality and to limit to just one carrier is irresponsible. I purchased my G4 based on early reviews and I am very happy with it and as I stated I have not had the problems stated in the PC Mag review.

 

[GTS21]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

Gotta agree on the heat issue. Mine gets pretty warm at times. I carry my phone in the pocket of my blazer at work, and I can feel the heat coming off of it at times.

 

[ansextra]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I just got a response from the author saying they are planning on reviewing all carrier versions. Nice to get a response!

 

[tardus]

I have the T-Mobile version - H811

1) Heat problems
I don't play many games and so far knock wood no heat problems in either H815 or H811. But I haven't used navigation during the day with sun beating down on the phone.

2) Voice quality
Better than my G3 - and I've heard that from the people on the other end. Also better signal / reception than my copy of the G3. This is for T-Mobile to T-Mobile and landlines and other carrier devices.

3) Bloatware
T-Mobile so less than Verizon and I can disable some of that.

The G4 is better in just about every way compared to my old S3 and significantly better - worth the upgrade from my G3. I wonder other than carrier differences if there are differences among copies of the phone.

 

[KPMcClave]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

IPhones don't have any Verizon bloat.

Sent from my Verizon LG G4

I've never had an iPhone.

 

[dpham00]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I've never had an iPhone.

There were no Verizon apps installed on the 4s,5s,and 6p. Although I haven't had hands on experience with the other Verizon iPhone, I am pretty sure that the same is true. Iirc The Verizon Nexus 6 didn't have any Verizon apps either.

Sent from my Verizon LG G4

 

[Almeuit]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

I've never had an iPhone.

There were no Verizon apps installed on the 4s,5s,and 6p. Although I haven't had hands on experience with the other Verizon iPhone, I am pretty sure that the same is true. Iirc The Verizon Nexus 6 didn't have any Verizon apps either.

Sent from my Verizon LG G4

This is correct -- iPhone doesn't allow any carrier bloat onto their phones. The user would have to seek the app out and download it if they wanted it (such as the T-Mobile "My Account" app or something).

 

[tardus]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

This is correct -- iPhone doesn't allow any carrier bloat onto their phones. The user would have to seek the app out and download it if they wanted it (such as the T-Mobile "My Account" app or something).

Apple has tremendous leverage over carriers. LG ... not much.

 

[sswitzer]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

This is correct -- iPhone doesn't allow any carrier bloat onto their phones. The user would have to seek the app out and download it if they wanted it (such as the T-Mobile "My Account" app or something).

Mind you, iPhones have their own bloat... tons of Apple apps that you can't get rid of. You can't even hide them without tucking them inside a folder of "never used apple utilities and apps".

 

[dpham00]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

Mind you, iPhones have their own bloat... tons of Apple apps that you can't get rid of. You can't even hide them without tucking them inside a folder of "never used apple utilities and apps".

The response was in regards to Verizon bloatware. Lg and Samsung has tons of manufacture additions too.

Sent from my Verizon LG G4

 

[Almeuit]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

Mind you, iPhones have their own bloat... tons of Apple apps that you can't get rid of. You can't even hide them without tucking them inside a folder of "never used apple utilities and apps".

True -- but he was talking about carrier bloatware (Verizon) -- The bloat you're talking about is from the manufacturer of the phone not the cell provider.

 

[fjd726]

Re: Updated PC Mag review today - G4 on Verizon - sez it runs way too hot, mediocre voice quality an

They are spot on with the overheating issues. Mine got extremely hot doing short bursts of any media. So much so that it was unuseable . I returned it because that's unacceptable in a flagship phone of this price.