Considering the G2. Impressions?

[thebignewt]

Currently have the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, due for upgrade next month. Considering this, the One, and Moto X. From reviews this has the most screen real estate and the overall case size is similar the the other 2 phones. Screen is a pro. The processor is advanced, but whether I'll really notice that is questionable. I don't do any gaming. Camera is important I wonder how you like it. I understand the X has a weak camera, the One an excellent one. Speaker is supposedly excellent for the One, I wonder about this one, I do talk via speakerphone sometime. So if some of you would answer with your pros and cons I'd appreciate it. This is a great forum, and I realize not every phone is for everyone. Thanks in advance.

 

[Haalcyon]

I am very happy with my G2. It works exceedingly well. The camera is just fine and takes nice sharp photos with good color. Battery life is just incredible and continues to surprise me, it really is great. I only use the speaker for phone calls and its been more than loud enough with good clarity and tonal quality, IMO. The G2 is indeed a nice piece of kit.

 

[steve daniels]

I went from a VZW Galaxy Nexus to a G2, and I'm really happy with the G2. I use the camera very little, but it always works well for what I need.

You say you don't need the advanced processor for gaming, but definitely keep in mind it's a big part of why the G2 has such great battery life. Most heavy users can get through a day. With typical medium use, I can get through at least a couple days. Obviously, being in a low-signal area or long (or bright) screen time will drain the battery.

One thing I didn't think I'd care much about is wireless charging. But I bought a cheap Nokia wireless charger and then added a Tylt one for home and moved the Nokia one to work. The convenience is really great.

Going from the GNex, I was concerned that the G2 would feel much bigger. It's a bit bigger, but the size difference is not in proportion to the extra screen real estate because of the very thin bezels on the G2. So that's a plus, especially given the giant battery they wedged into the G2.

The biggest downside of the G2 for me has been finding compatible charging cables. The VZW version seems especially finicky about this, and my phone in particular likes to tell me when I'm using an incompatible cable (and then proceed not to charge at all). There are lots of threads on this topic, and third-party solutions are out there. Just don't go out for a day where you'll need to use GPS for 8 hours without checking that your cable will work in your car (like I did...).

Last piece of advice: I found the back buttons easy to get used to -- mainly because I don't use them much, just using double tapping to turn the screen on and off. The button thing is definitely a personal preference, and I suggest you hold and use a G2 in a store before you buy just to get an idea of whether you'll be able to get used to the placement.

 

[dp3103]

I've had the G2 since launch, and am very happy with my decision. I also considered those other phones, but chose the G2 because of the larger/better screen, best processor, and great camera! I'll admit that I thought the "Knock-On" feature was kind of gimmicky, but I honestly use it all the time and it does remove any problems brought on by the buttons being on the back. There are times that you have to do it twice, but it does work most of the time right off the bat. I've used the speakerphone a number of times without any problems, and the speaker works well for music/movies. I do like a lot of the features of the Moto X, plus the fact that it's mostly stock, but I just couldn't deal with going down in screen size (I had a GS3 before). Ultimately I love this phone and am still happy with my decision. Hope this helps!

 

[thebignewt]

Thanks, that helps a lot. So screen size rocks (my wife has the Note 3, that's too big, and she offered me her 4S, too small. I think this will be just right), camera good, battery life good, double tap on feature good, speaker decent. Anybody use those slider software features to switch between a few apps that they pimp on the LG site? How about that Folio case thing? That looks sort of useful. I'm not familiar with wireless charging. The thing does have the standard Android back button right?

 

[physioprof]

G2 is awesome, with a magnificent screen. The only downside for me is the speakerphone is a bit quiet, but I don't hear that great (too many punk rock shows back in the 80s).

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[steve daniels]

TAnybody use those slider software features to switch between a few apps that they pimp on the LG site?

I think the answer to this question is that it seems to be mainly a reviewers-only feature. Android already has perfectly reasonable multitasking -- no need to add another layer. My opinion, of course.

I'm not familiar with wireless charging.

Qi (inductive power standard) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lot of phones support it but only if you add a different back or case to the phone. The VZW G2 supports it out of the box. Even charges through most cases. (And I wouldn't use it if it didn't.)

The thing does have the standard Android back button right?

Yup.

 

[thebignewt]

How long ago did this thing come out? Who uses a case?

 

[lwlamar]

I really like the G2. It is thin and lightweight despite having a fairly large 5.2" screen and a large battery. The battery gives me all-day use unless I am constantly using the phone to browse, download, watch and listen. For typical daily use of reading articles, checking email, texting, phone use, web browsing, updating apps, camera use, listening to music, etc... it gives very good battery life. To me, that is one of the primary virtues of the phone. The LG user interface is not bad at all. I enjoy and use the knock-on, knock-off feature. I also like the volume control and power buttons being on the back. I've tried the camera a few times and find that it is fast to load with good shutter response and takes very good pictures under normal conditions. There really isn't anything to complain about. I understand you can root it and install a custom ROM with KitKat if you're into that, which means there isn't any compelling reason to choose a Nexus 5 over this phone. I was intrigued somewhat by the Moto X but like the extra size of the G2. I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[wp-user]

I love mine. I have the white version and don't always use a case. The white doesn't show fingerprints nearly as bad as the dark gray one. When I use a case I use a gray incipio feather case.

 

[thebignewt]

Cool, thanks for the impressions. I've read the usual suspects' reviews and to be honest I can never tell if I'll like the phones they like. Specs don't mean that much to me. I dicked around with a running One awhile back and thought it was nice. I am leaning toward the G2, I never had an LG phone before, had just about every other brand.

 

[lwlamar]

I love mine. I have the white version and don't always use a case. The white doesn't show fingerprints nearly as bad as the dark gray one. When I use a case I use a gray incipio feather case.

I got the white one as well. I also use the Incipio Feather case (in cyan). Haven't really tried it without the case but glad to hear it is not the fingerprint magnet the other model is.

 

[shadowsjc]

How long ago did this thing come out? Who uses a case?

it came out mid September. i use the incipio feather case; the case is almost a necessity because of how slippery the back of the phone is

battery life is much better than my old phone (~24 hrs on medium usage - <3 hrs screen time, 1 or 2 quick calls, mostly web browsing and facebook). Some days the battery drains tons quicker - i am not sure why.

 

[xr6]

phone is freaking awesome. love it.
the negative that i can think of are
1. verizon buttons on back kinda suck , but knock feature mitigates that to a certain degree , but adjusting volume can be a bit frustrating ( easy to hit lens)
2. Camera pretty good buttttttttttttttt does take some time to focus , that can be frustrating.
3 display is awesome but it can be a little dark at times, so you end up cranking up the brightness if say you watching a movie.
4 speaker volume a little on low side but not a deal breaker though.
5 slight bit of stuttering at times/or lag no biggie though.
6. they say lg timely updates aint the best , but that could change.
7. kinda plastcky but still very solid.

hope it helps

 

[Adawg1203]

phone is freaking awesome. love it.
the negative that i can think of are
1. verizon buttons on back kinda suck , but knock feature mitigates that to a certain degree , but adjusting volume can be a bit frustrating ( easy to hit lens)
2. Camera pretty good buttttttttttttttt does take some time to focus , that can be frustrating.
3 display is awesome but it can be a little dark at times, so you end up cranking up the brightness if say you watching a movie.
4 speaker volume a little on low side but not a deal breaker though.
5 slight bit of stuttering at times/or lag no biggie though.
6. they say lg timely updates aint the best , but that could change.
7. kinda plastcky but still very solid.

hope it helps

display is a little too dark at times so you end up turning up the brightness ...uh why's that a negative exactly? I keep my display set on 50 with auto brightness on. For movies I turn the AB off.

No stutter whatsoever on my device and I run it stock.


Sent from my VS980 4G using AC Forums mobile app

 

[mrstarzan]

I came from a VZW GNex also. I was happy with the phone but need to free myself of hauling extended batteries around. The G2 has surpassed all my expectations. Now I go back to the GNex and I'm annoyed at its lag (that I never knew it had before!)

I won't iterate all the previous comments as they are basically the same as my experience. The only thing I don't agree on is the lack of screen brightness. I keep it at 65% and rarely needed to turn it up. The Qslide and SlideAside features are nice. I actually use then on my G Pad 8.3 more than the G2.

Sent from my LG-V500 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[xr6]

well not to sound like a know it all but, lg made the colors a little more punchier( less accurate colors) that it should have been ( probably to compete with the s4) and in doing so as a trade off, caused some scenes to be darker then they need to be. So for better/ comfortable viewing I crank up the display to 90ishfor movies and videos . If you jump on youtube and investigate others can explain in more technical detail l. As for the stutter/delay/lag, on stock you have to be blind to not notice. Occasionally it hangs for like 0.25 second. Is it bad no way but its there. I did throw on a third party launcher the other day , it was very smooth and much more fluid , but I like stock so I went back

 

[sofryj]

My G2 has been a fantastic phone. I came over from a GS3, and although I miss some of the features Samsung offers, this is a very solid phone. If I had to do it over again though, I would seriously consider the Moto X. It's a really good piece of hardware. Also, I like the idea of owning a Motorola phone over an LG. The specs are far better on the G2, but the performance is only slightly better to show for it.

 

[Adawg1203]

well not to sound like a know it all but, lg made the colors a little more punchier( less accurate colors) that it should have been ( probably to compete with the s4) and in doing so as a trade off, caused some scenes to be darker then they need to be. So for better/ comfortable viewing I crank up the display to 90ishfor movies and videos . If you jump on youtube and investigate others can explain in more technical detail l. As for the stutter/delay/lag, on stock you have to be blind to not notice. Occasionally it hangs for like 0.25 second. Is it bad no way but its there. I did throw on a third party launcher the other day , it was very smooth and much more fluid , but I like stock so I went back

Have you adjusted the brightness in the video player itself when watching a movie? When you are in the video player hit the menu button go into settings and you will see brightness. Adjust that and it will brighten the display THEN you can adjust brightness comfort using the main display settings...I am not sure why there are independent brightness settings when playing a movie.... I am sure this will address your brightness issue..

Sent from my VS980 4G using AC Forums mobile app

 

[thebignewt]

We were in Phoenix for a couple days so I went to a store and used it for quite awhile, as well as the other phone I'm considering, the HTC One. The LG screen is indeed a beauty. Playing a full screen YouTube video makes my GN look pale in comparison. The One looks just as good though, a tad smaller is all. I don't watch much video though. I tried that "superimpose the 3 apps" over the homescreen and change the opacity thing and that's lame, I'd never use that. The speaker is just OK. Reading type pages from news is excellent. The Moto X isn't quite big enough I'm afraid. But the One will probably be the one I choose. Those speakers are unbelievable, not only for music but for the phone too. The screen is the same (to me), and the speed is the same too. Anybody have both of these phones? Plus both Beyza and Sena make leather cases for the One. There's nothing good for the G2 yet. I looked at the proprietary Folio case for the G2 and for $50 it looks pretty cheapo. I don't think I'd like typing with that door cover folded over on the back either. From what I read the cameras are both good. I'm not a megapixel fiend, so the number 13 doesn't matter, just the quality and color. The Moto X gets bad camera reviews. Finally the G2 felt a little hard to hold compared the the One. It's hard trying to hold those store phones because they have the power cord glued to the back though.