Why You Can Trust CNET LG G4C review: A curved screen and affordable price aren't enough
The G4's little brother has a subtly curved screen and a reasonable price tag, but its poor performance means this phone fails to impress.
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The LG G4C is pitched as being a cheaper alternative to LG's luscious flagship G4. Indeed, there are resemblances in the curved design of the phone, but the G4C has made some hefty compromises in order to arrive with a cheaper price tag.
LG G4C
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The 5-inch display has a 720p resolution, the camera has only 8 rather than 16 megapixels and the processor has been toned down from a brutal six-core chip to a low-power quad-core affair on the G4C. It's the latter that's the biggest compromise here, with the G4C's processing performance being sluggish to the point of being irritating.
Of course, you can't expect flagship performance without paying flagship cash, but even so, there are better places to spend your money. The G4C's biggest competition comes from the new Motorola Moto G. This 5-inch phone has the same resolution in its display, but its processor provides a much more swift experience, it has a 13-megapixel camera and it's water resistant. Not to mention the vast array of colours it's available in.
While the
will set you back £160 in the UK, with 8GB of storage, the G4C will cost you £190, for the same amount of on-board space. Without hesitation, I recommend going for the Moto G over the G4C.Design and display
There's a definite family resemblance between the G4C and its flagship brother, thanks to the curving screen and the volume and power buttons positioned on the back, beneath the camera. The G4C also comes with a similar plastic grey back panel to the one seen on the standard G4. I found that plastic panel to both look and feel cheap on the G4 and it's not much better here. It unquestionably lacks the luxurious charm of the leather G4 back panel -- an option not available here.
It's not ugly, however, and its cheaper price tag makes the lack of premium leather forgivable. Its 139 by 70 by 10.2mm dimensions make it comfortable to hold and use in one hand and it feels well put together. On the top edge is the headphone jack, with the Micro-USB port found on the bottom. The back cover is removable and it's under there that you'll find the micro-SIM and microSD card slots, as well as swap out the removable battery.
You will need to make use of the microSD card slot too, as the phone comes with a pitiful 8GB of storage, less than half of which is actually available for you to use.
The 5-inch display has a 1,280x720-pixel resolution, which is sufficient to make apps and images look decent. Sure, high-res snaps lack the clarity of the ultra high resolution flagship, but that's one of the sacrifices you'll have to make when opting for a more budget-minded handset. It's bright and colours are rich too. It's a good all-round screen and is well suited to most everyday tasks.
About the screen's curve -- it's there, sure, but only just. It's such a subtle curve that most people who saw the phone didn't realise until I placed it flat on a table. It's certainly not curved enough to make any kind of difference to your viewing and so I'm forced to question why it's there at all. Without it, the G4C could almost certainly come with a cheaper price tag and you wouldn't lose a thing from the overall experience.
Android software and processor performance
You'll find version 5.0.1 Lollipop on board, over which LG has slapped its own custom interface. I quite like LG's clean-looking software with its flat icons, and I'm pleased it hasn't thrown too much needless bloatware into the mix. You'll find a few extra additions like a backup app and LG SmartWorld, but there's far less junk than you'll see on most Sony phones, for example.
Its big graphical overhaul of Android seems to have taken its toll on the processor's performance, however. It's packing a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, which should be sufficient for most tasks, but the G4C is far from speedy. Even navigating around the Android interface can be slow, with regular jerks as the processor fights to keep up with you. Its meagre 1GB of RAM might have a part to play in this. Gaming is off the cards too, except for the most basic of titles -- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with its fast-paced 3D action, is totally unplayable on this phone. Angry Birds 2 fared better, but even that had its moments of sluggishness.
It achieved a multi-core score of 1,381 on the Geekbench 3 test, putting it far below top-end phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (4,939) and lower even the more affordable new Moto G (1,609). Basic apps such as Twitter and Facebook are handled fine, Netflix played well and it even managed a spot of light photo editing in Snapseed, but its overall poor performance makes this phone at times frustrating to use.
Camera
An 8-megapixel camera sits on the back of the phone, which is a pretty standard serving of pixels for a budget phone like this (the new Moto G has upgraded its camera to a 13-megapixel offering). It produces good, although not outstanding, photos with generally decent exposure and colour balance. On the downside, the camera app itself is very basic, and you won't even find functions like HDR or panorama on board -- features you tend to find on most budget phones.
LG G4C camera test, outdoors (click image to see full size)
LG G4C camera test, outdoors (click image to see full size)
In low-light situations....
LG G4C camera test, indoors, low-light (click image to see full size)
On the front you'll find a 5-megapixel camera, which is enough pixels to help make those embarrassing selfies look reasonably crisp.
LG G4C front-facing camera test, outdoors (click image to see full size)
Battery
The G4C is packing a 2,540mAh battery, which is a decent size for a phone with such limited specs. As such, the G4C has good battery life. In my own use, I've found it easily able to keep going for a day, and with careful use, you can probably expect to get some way into the second day as well.
Keeping the screen brightness down will be the biggest contributor to long life, and avoid demanding tasks like video streaming until you're within dashing distance of a plug. Keep Wi-Fi and GPS turned off too if you're trying to eke out the hours. As with all smartphones, you're better off giving it a full charge every night.
Conclusion
LG has tried to use the G4C's curved screen to help separate it from other players in the crowded budget arena. The problem is that the curve is so subtle that it's barely noticeable, and certainly doesn't add anything to the overall viewing experience. Couple that with a processor that fails to properly manage even basic navigation of the phone, and a pitiful amount of storage, and the G4C ends up as a less-than-stellar device.
Sure, it's affordable, but cast your eyes instead on the new Motorola Moto G. It has a similarly good (albeit flat) display, a considerably more smooth interface, a 13-megapixel camera, waterproofing and comes in a vast range of colours. Better yet, at £159 it's even cheaper than the G4C. I know where my money would go.