LG G Flex

LG announced the G Flex  late last year right after Samsung announced the Galaxy Round, a device which we thought looked like a complete abomination. The G Flex however is curved the correct way, supposedly allowing for a perfect fit on your face (or butt), while still delivering a phablet experience for those who enjoy large phones. The LG G Flex is not a normal phone. It’s not here to square up to mobiles like the Samsung Galaxy S5. It is here to prove a point, to prove that certain things can be done. It is a curved phone with a self-healing back.

The Curve!

Its curve is subtle and vertical, the top and bottom of the phone curling forward ever so slightly. Put it face-up on a table, and the top and bottom both rest slightly aloft; flip it over and you'll see the screen glow in the small gap between it and the table. It's flat enough that it doesn't wobble, but pronounced enough that it makes a half-decent catapult.

The G Flex exists almost entirely to show off LG's curved OLED display, the 6-inch, 720p screen that is the centerpiece of its design. I've certainly never seen anything quite like it, but once the novelty wears off, it's not entirely clear why a curved screen like this is a good idea. LG says the curve makes the phone feel more comfortable against your face, provides a more immersive video-watching experience, and makes the screen less prone to glare because of the way light reflects off it. The last part seems to be true — there's noticeably less glare off the G Flex, especially in sunlight, than with most other big phones. If movies are more immersive, however, it's due to the sheer size of the display. And I don't care what it's made of: a 6-inch smartphone is never going to feel comfortable on my face while I make a phone call.

Samsung's horizontally curved Galaxy Round is much more ergonomically awkward than the G Flex, but it comes with some clever optimization for its form factor. Tip the phone over to the side and you'll see notifications or battery levels — it's a small innovation, but at least it’s an attempt to do something unique. LG offers nothing: there's a strange, laggy animation on the lock screen that moves as you tilt the phone, but that's neither relevant to a curved screen nor at all cool. We're given no reason to want a curved display — just proof that LG can make one.

Specification

The G Flex ships with a very handsome list of specs. Powering the device is a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM, a processor that was the top tier silicon in 2013. Also inside the device is a 3,500mAh battery, a 13MP rear-facing camera, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 32GB of internal storage, a 2.1MP front-facing camera, self-healing backside, and 4G LTE radios. The biggest spec on the sheet is the device’s 6″ P-OLED curved display with a resolution of 720 x 1280. Yup, it’s only HD and not Full HD, which is sort of a bummer. All of this adds up to a device that runs very well, lasts a full day and a half on its big battery, and can impress the neighbors with its curved display. All in all, it’s a very nice package of a phone.

Camera

When first opening the box of the G Flex, I was reminded how much I was looking forward to using the device’s camera, since it uses a beefed up 13MP sensor. And if you know much about the LG G2, you will know that it has unarguably one of the best cameras to ever launch with an Android phone. To my disappointment, the G Flex is nothing like the G2 – yes, it is 13MP, but the camera does not feature OIS (optical image stabilization), and for some reason, it just takes really lackluster shots. There is no color. There is no vibrance. While in the right lighting conditions, you will have no issues taking a good shot to share with friends and family on your social networks, but if you were hoping for the same experience as you find on the G2, you will need to look elsewhere. The software on both devices is the exact same, but LG definitely doesn’t seem to have put in as much work as they did on the G2.

Software

The LG G Flex runs a customised version of Android 4.4 KitKat. The interface doesn’t feel dramatically different to standard Android, but every element has been given the LG visual treatment. They include, app icons, wallpapers, the lock screen and even the virtual soft keys. 

LG has made a new 'Flex' theme for the phone, which includes all these elements, but you can switch to the default LG style if you like too. The Flex look is better, but there’s still a little visual inconsistency, which has made LG’s previous Android interfaces look a little wonky in part. 

The notifications bar is also a lot worse than the standard one. It’s home to features and apps shortcuts, and brightness/volume sliders – as well as your notifications. While notifications are up top to start with, in use they soon get sidelined under a these controls, which take up half the screen. Alterations like this see LG take a proverbial pee on something that has been carefully tweaked bit-by-bit since 2008.

A fully-loaded custom interface also eats into the available storage. With a 32GB Nexus 5 you’ll have around 28GB storage to play with. An LG G Flex gives you 23.8GB.

Battery

Besides the gorgeous overall design of this phone, the battery on the G Flex is ridiculous. Out of habit, I always hook up my devices next to my bed to let them charge, but I was easily skipping nights of charging with the G Flex. It could be thanks to the 720p display or its massive size at 3,500mAh, but either way, we love long battery life.

Conclusion

We do love the G Flex, because it's an interesting phone and one that worked for us. However, the reality is that most people will find it's too big, too irregularly shaped and, most crucially of all at Rs.70,000 it is too expensive. There will, of course, be those for whom this is a great choice, and to those people we can't endorse it enough. But for the majority this curved phone probably isn't the smartphone you're looking for.

The screen shape is something of a gimmick. We didn't notice it as a less reflective surface, but we still did enjoy using it as a screen. The curve is interesting, and makes phone calls a good fit as the device feels less like a slab against your face than other large-scale phones.

But the whole bendability thing is just a little underwhelming. We don't doubt that this phone is more likely to stay in one piece if you drop it, and better generally if you sit on it, but we never found those to be a huge problem before. You're just as likely to shatter the front of this phone as you are any other because it uses Gorilla Glass 2. The bendability might be handy for some, but because it's curved, there's more chance of you bending it than a normal phone, so it sort of answers a problem that doesn't exist.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a big ol' phone. It’s huge in fact. After the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega, Sony is pushing the limits of what is acceptable to carry in your pocket with this giant 6.4-inch Android smartphone.

Almost every smartphone seems to be small when you compare it to the Xperia Z Ultra. The smartphone/tablet hybrid is huge with 179 x 92 x 6.5 mm, but also very thin. The Galaxy Note 3 is considerably thicker with 8.3 mm, but also more than 40 grams lighter. The use of glass at the back should be the main reason for that additional weight since the case of the Galaxy Note 3 is once again completely made of plastic.

The physical button for stand-by and the volume rocker can easily be reached with one hand because they are on the lower half of the device - no risk for contortions. The build quality is on a very high level and the materials can convince us - even though the glass at the back attracts fingerprints. The torsion resistance cannot quite keep up with the HTC One because of the thin profile and results in a slight point reduction.

Similar to many other Xperia devices, the Z Ultra is also certified according to the IP55 & IP58 standards. This means you can submerge the phone for 30 minutes to a depth of 1.5 meters. Even though the Ultra Z is supposed to be equipped with a back of robust glass and a protective film, we already had a few scratches after a little while.

The Xperia Z Ultra packs a powerful quad-core 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 System-on-Chip which is paired with Adreno 330 graphics chip clocked at 450 Mhz. To make the best of this SoC, Sony has fitted 2 GB RAM in the phablet. We ran variety of popular benchmark apps just to satiate our itch for testing the new SoC breed. We weren't surprised for the Snapdragon 800 easily topped in several benchmarks such as 3DMark scoring 15899 in the Ice Storm game benchmark. Interesting bit is that the Samsung Galaxy S 4 LTE-A model with the same processor gets slightly more score than the Xperia Z Ultra. The secret lies in the optimization performed by both companies separately.

The Xperia Z Ultra packs an 8 megapixel camera at the rear with Exmor RS imaging sensor for fast capture. When you look at the back, Sony inadvertently repeated the same mistake that Apple did with the first iPhone and Samsung followed it with Galaxy S - no LED Flash. Now there goes an opportunity to offer great images with little bit of artificial light. The Camera app remains the same as it has been with the last couple of Xperia series handsets. In the camera app, the on-screen button in upper left corner can be tapped to get single tap access to various modes - Normal, Burst, Picture Effect, Sweep Panorama, Scene Selection (With sub-menus), Video Camera and Front Camera-video.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is large screen phablet promising great multimedia possibilities at Rs 39,000 approximately. Undoubtedly the Xperia Z Ultra is one of the best and powerful phablets in the Indian market. The waterproof nature and slim body design makes it attractive to those who love big devices that can comfortably stay in the overcoat or blazer pockets. There is no way that this phablet can comfortably rest in the trouser pockets and having said that, it is one of the uncomfortable smartphones in terms of size.

Fantastic screen, Incredible power and Good battery life : LG G2 is one of the best smartphone of 2013

Credit : Ubergizmo

It may have taken several years, but LG has finally released its first premium smartphone, the G2. And the flagship device ticks all the required boxes for a high-end smartphone.

It has a 5,2-inch full-HD display and packs in a 2,6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, a massive 3 000mAh battery and a 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilisation. It also features 2GB of RAM, 16GB on-board memory (not expandable), 4G/LTE support, Bluetooth 4.0, near-field communication and a built-in infrared blaster that lets you control any compatible infrared remote-controlled device.

Competing with the likes of the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z1 and Samsung Galaxy S4, the G2 has stiff competition, but how does it really compare?

One of the G2’s unique selling points is that it has no physical buttons on its edges. Instead, at the back, where your index finger usually rests — whether you are left- or right-handed — you will find the power button and the volume up and down keys. LG placed all the buttons at the back after researching human behaviour for 18 months and decided that this spot was most comfortable for users.

The G2 is no slouch when it comes to power - it's packing the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset that resides in the Samsung Galaxy Note III. This chipset features a quad-core 2.26GHz CPU which delivers blistering performance and is backed by 2GB of RAM. 

LG opted for a 5,2-inch screen, which makes it the only smartphone with a screen that size. It’s managed to cram a large screen into a phone size that is physically quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S4, although it weighs 13g more than the S4’s 130g. It has a full 1 920×1 080 HD IPS screen and 16:9 aspect ratio that allows you to view it from any angle.

It almost goes without saying, but the G2 is insanely powerful. It doesn't stumble or stutter during intense tasks, and is even capable of running two apps side-by-side using LG's QSlide functionality.

On the connectivity front the G2 comes with 4G LTE, which means you can benefit from increased network speed, assuming your mobile contract supports it, of course. There's also Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and NFC – the latter of which can be used to make contactless data transfers. 

Storage consists of either 16GB or 32GB, depending on which model you pick up. Taking into account the aforementioned lack of a MicroSD card slot, you may wish to plump for the higher capacity version if you're keen on downloading loads of apps and games.

Credit : Ubergizmo

The G2 is one of the most well-rounded devices I have come across after a long time. Based on almost three weeks of using the G2 as my primary smartphone and almost a fortnight with the Galaxy Note 3 before that, there is not even an iota of doubt in my mind that high-end Android smartphones have finally reached the point where the iPhone starts looking massively behind the curve.

The G2 marries a handy form factor with stupendous performance at a very attractive price point. The 32GB variant is available for approximately Rs 37,999 at a time when competing products are priced significantly higher. The LG G2 will easily be on the top of my recommendation list when anyone asks me about buying a high-end Android smartphone.

Google Nexus 5 unvieled!

Google officially announced its latest flagship phone, the Nexus 5, during a press event today in San Francisco. The device will run the latest Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, and like its predecessor, it will be manufactured by LG.

However, the handset features several key changes, like a bigger 4.95-inch screen, a faster Snapdragon 800 processor, and most notably LTE support. It will be available unlocked at the Google Play Store for $349 (16GB) and $399 (32GB) starting today.

The handset measures 5.43 inches tall, 2.72 inches wide, and 0.34 inch thick, but weighs even less than the previous generation, at 4.59 ounces. Sporting the biggest screen yet in relation to past Nexuses, it has a 4.95-inch Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display. Keeping up with its competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One, the Nexus 5's touch screen has a 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution and 445ppi. In contrast, the previous Nexus had a 1,280x768-pixel resolution with just 320 ppi.

Under the hood is a 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 and 2GB of RAM, pushing pixels to a glorious 5-inch 1080p display. LG has also seen fit to include wireless charging again, so you won't have to wear out that micro-USB port keeping the 2,300 mAh battery juiced, you can use it to power a TV over Slimport instead. You'll also find LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi and NFC on board - basically if there is a method of connecting to another device, the Nexus 5 has it.

 Credit : Cnet

"Now you have one version of the Android operating system that can ship across all versions of smartphones in 2014," Sundar Pichai, head of the Android and Chrome teams.

With Android KitKat, Google claims to have made the experience much more engaging. Google says, the new immersive mode in Android 4.4 automatically hides everything except what you want to see. Also with the new Hangouts app, all SMS and MMS messages will be together in the same place, alongside other conversations and video calls.

"It is a cutting-edge operating system meant to run on cutting-edge phones, but it can run on older phones as well," Pichai said.

Sony Xperia Z1 review

After several years of missteps, Sony is on a comeback trail in the mobile phone market. The company is aggressively going after smartphone buyers. The idea is that Sony should make use of its expertise in design, imaging and display technologies to create smartphones that other companies, which do not have camera or display manufacturing experience, cannot match.

Xperia Z - launched in India in March this year - was the first phone following this approach. Now we have Xperia Z1 in the market. It is an update to the original Z. Is Xperia Z1 the flagship Android phone from Sony.

Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the first smartphones to be announced with Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. Running a quad-core CPU at 2.2 GHz, with 2GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage. The Xperia Z1 is a fast phone, and there is no slow-down or stuttering in applications. That power does come at an energy cost so while the inclusion of a 3050 mAh battery might seem an attractive choice for the power user.

With 4G LTE connectivity, and a 1080p resolution screen, that shouldn’t be a surprise. The Xperia Z1 hardware can take up a lot of power, so it’s a smart decision to get as much battery capacity into the chassis as possible. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy S4, the battery in the Z1 is a sealed unit, but most of the thinking will be down to the waterproof design.

The Z1 is waterproof and dustproof, to IP55 and IP58 standards.Xperia Z1 looks similar to the Z at the first glance. But look closer and some subtle differences are apparent.

The big change is the material used to make Z1. Unlike the original Z, which used glass and plastic, this phone uses aluminum and glass. The front and back of the device are covered in scratch-resistant glass, which feels sturdier than what was used in the original Z. The frame of the phone is carved out of the single block of aluminum.

20.7 megapixels in a camera

The camera is the big highlight of Z1. Z1 can shoot images in up to 20.7 mega pixels. These images are clicked and processed using a 1/2.3-inch image sensor, which in terms of size is similar to the sensor inside an average point and shoot camera! Z1 is also the first phone to utilize Sony G Lens and Bionz image processing, which are found in the company's point-and-shoot cameras. This G Lens has an aperture of F2.0, which is great for a smartphone. There is even a physical shutter release button. This button can also be used to open camera app without unlocking the device.

Sony Xperia Z1 price in India - Rs.39,989.