Lji curved phone. The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the case and is used for photo and video shooting. A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet

Information about the brand, model and alternative names of a particular device, if any.

Design

Information about the size and weight of the device, presented in different units. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

A SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data confirming the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to exchange data with each other.

Mobile Technologies and Data Rate

Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that controls and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on a Chip)

The system on a chip (SoC) includes in one chip all the most important hardware components of a mobile device.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform various quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that the mobile device recognizes.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the case and is used for photo and video shooting.

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device’s screen and are mainly used for video calls, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The mobile radio is a built-in FM receiver.

Positioning

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by the device.

Wifi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communications for transferring data over short distances between different devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for the safe wireless transfer of data between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows various electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Device connection

Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats / codecs

Mobile devices support different formats and codecs for video files, which respectively store and encode / decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

SAR level is the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Touch screens became a habit for each of us about 6-7 years ago. Until then, no one could have imagined that the device could be controlled by clicking on the screen. Today, there is another model of the phone - it is a rectangular "brick", which is similar to most modern models.

Some manufacturers are trying in every possible way to “break” this circle of stereotypes and introduce something new to the world. Another such device at the time was G Flex - the brainchild of LG, - a curved phone that breaks our ideas about how a smartphone should look.

Curved screen telephone

Obviously, this model is the result of experiments by LG engineers trying to present something original on the market. They succeeded, however, the device did not make any special furore. He was remembered simply as an experimental device, designed primarily for the so-called "wow effect" of the buyer.

In general, the device, in terms of its characteristics and capabilities, strongly resembles the flagship (at one time) G2 model - the same high performance, response speed, powerful equipment, attractive design. Of course, the main feature is that this LG is a curved phone. According to the manufacturers, this form of it allows you to increase the sound quality of the voice of the owner of the device, and also increases audibility in general.

Hardware stuffing

The smartphone with a curved display (LG GFlex) also boasts a strong filling. It, as noted above, is similar to what the manufacturer offers along with the G2 model - this is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor (performance equals 2.26 GHz). Also, the model is equipped with 2 GB of RAM and the Adreno 330 graphics processor, which allows for high-quality graphics in any conditions.

Picture

In general, with regard to graphics, manufacturers promise users that the new LG, whose curved screen appears at a different angle, will transmit the picture in a new, unusual form. Due to this, films and video clips on the G Flex will differ from the image that we are used to seeing on other devices.

However, as the experience of users who have left reviews about the device shows, this effect will soon cease to be noticeable - the human eye quickly gets used to such a viewing angle. Yes, and there is nothing unusual in this.

Special screen coverage

Another interesting feature that the developers of the model mention is the special coating on the display. It is called self-healing for the reason that it allows you to hide minor scratches that inevitably occur on any sensor as a result of using a device from LG. A curved phone can, as tests have shown, cope with 70 percent of minor damage through the use of this technology.

This effect is achieved due to more efficient filling of the space that forms after scratching. True, it is impossible to hope that this will make the phone invulnerable - larger damage to the case will remain “as is”, engineers have nothing against them. The LG smartphone with a curved screen is already positioned as a high-tech novelty.

Battery

Judging by the reviews, many users are interested in the question regarding the battery. What should be the battery for the new Flex - also curved?

In fact, you should not worry about this - the design of the device is thought out to the smallest detail - and even in such an unusual case an excellent battery with a capacity of 3500 mAh is placed. She follows the contours of the phone, so she sits inside quite organically; the user cannot remove it. At the same time, it is enough for a sufficiently long period of operation of the device due to the excellent optimization carried out by LG. The curved phone, in addition to its unusual shape, also boasts stamina at the G2 level.

Price and reviews

The cost of the device can not be called budget - at the time of release it cost 950 dollars. As it became obsolete, the price fell, especially after the release of the second generation. The new LG phone with a curved screen is called G Flex 2, it has a modified case: it is more comfortable in the hand, equipped with an improved processor, camera and other features that will please the buyer. Now the first generation smartphone costs about 22 thousand rubles.

For these funds, the buyer gets a fairly strong smartphone with a good 12-megapixel camera, an optimized quad-core processor and a good graphics engine. In the G FLex screen, of course, there is nothing unusual except the viewing angle - believe me, this is just an LG smartphone with a curved screen. Although the reviews, of course, for the most part, are positive about the device - the “wow effect” really works. Plus, again, the large 6-inch screen allows you to conveniently perform a lot of tasks for which small displays are not suitable.

disadvantages

Despite the overall positive picture in the reviews, I would like to highlight some of the nuances that users noted on the negative side. For example, these are inconvenient screen unlock buttons. Unlike the G2 model, the LG phone with a curved screen was equipped with keys from another material, which is not so pleasant to press. Yes, and do it on a flat surface, according to customers, more convenient.

Next, we should mention the graininess of pixels in some places on the screen. The reviews claim that this effect can be seen only on certain videos - but it is present, which is sometimes very annoying.

Another point is the headphone jack. For some users using the phone in a horizontal position (like a tablet), it seems uncomfortable that the hole is located on the top panel, and not on the side of the device.

Another curved LG phone (the price of which, recall, is now 20-22 thousand), as noted by users, is not equipped with a second SIM card and does not support a memory card, which makes it less convenient to use.

However, we will proceed from what we have, and leave the task to come up with improvements for the device to LG engineers.

Output

In general, the phone can be described as attracting attention. The phone itself has enough “cool” equipment - thanks to this, users have access to wide functionality, excellent performance, and the mass of advantages of a middle-class smartphone.

Plus, as some reviews testify, the curved shape is really convenient conversations (due to the fact that the device follows the contours of the face) and cool watching movies (due to a different viewing angle of the screen).

As a result, we get a phone that could be purchased by those who like to experiment. Plus, again, if someone may not have enough model capabilities, you can buy a second generation gadget - G Flex 2, a modified and improved version at a higher price.

LG G Flex 2 is a smartphone that will be able to surprise even the modern public, accustomed to constantly competing flagship manufacturers, equipping their models with more and more powerful technical specifications. LG offered some interesting features in G Flex 2, not forgetting about the technical stuffing, and about impressive functionality.

Design and ergonomics

Of course, the first thing that attracts attention in the LG G Flex 2 is a curved smartphone. It will definitely allow you to stand out among the thousands of owners, albeit powerful, but identical and not catchy modern devices. Curvature does little to increase the functionality of the smartphone, but the notorious wow factor in LG G Flex 2 clearly plays a role.

But there are also advantages to such a bend. Firstly, the anti-glare properties are improved and it is more convenient to work with the smartphone in the sun, secondly, the sound quality of your voice for the interlocutor is improved, and you can hear it better (according to the manufacturer, the sound quality is increased by 2 dB due to the location of the microphone closer to your mouth) . For lovers of wearing smartphones in the back pockets, the LG G Flex 2 will definitely be to their taste.

LG G Flex 2 is made of glossy plastic. It is easily soiled, although prints are removed easily. It is worth highlighting the minimal frames around the display, which makes the smartphone with a diagonal of 5.5 inches compact enough. It is convenient to hold in your hand and work with it also comfortably.

It is worth noting that the LG G Flex 2 is a little flexible, it can be bent, but you should not overdo it, as this can damage the battery. The curved battery is built into the case, it is non-removable, although the back panel of the device can be easily removed. Under it is a slot for microSIM-kata and for a microSD memory card. Versions with 2 SIM cards LG have not yet released. Protection from dust and moisture, as well as the possibility of wireless charging in the LG G Flex 2 - no.

Also, the device turned out Adreno 430 graphics accelerator with support for 4K. There are 2 modifications of the device - with 2 or 3 GB of RAM.

The device may have 16 or 32 GB of internal memory. For most users this may not be enough, so LG did not abandon the microSD card slot. A pleasant surprise was the opportunity to use memory cards up to 2 TB! Also, LG G Flex 2 can be used to connect flash drives, mice, keyboards and other devices in OTG mode.

LG G Flex 2 did not become a leader in performance testing. As the benchmarks show, the device is overtaken by the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, running on the Samsung Exynos proprietary platform. But at the same time, LG G Flex 2 overtook many other flagships, from which we can conclude that there will be no problems with the speed and smoothness of the device. The power reserve of the model is huge, it will not lose relevance for a long time, and will cope even with the most difficult games and applications.

OS and interface

LG G Flex2 runs on the latest version of Android OS - 5.0.1 Lollipop, also has a proprietary Optimus UI shell, which LG fans have long known for thanks to LG G3. The Glance View function has appeared, allowing you to view incoming messages, see the time and date, without having to turn on the screen. The left screen of the Smart Bulletin includes important information, for example, LG Health, Smart Notice, but it can be disabled or customized. Previous features are also available - Qslide, which allows you to drag and drop desktops, change their size and transparency; Guest mode, which saves your confidential data if you give the smartphone to someone else; Kill Switch, which allows you to lock the device in case of loss or theft. There is also a standard infrared port that allows you to use LG G Flex 2 as a remote control for some types of equipment.

In general, the shell is very convenient and configured to actively interact with the user. Many features, functions, elements can be customized.

Camera

The front camera in the LG G Flex 2 has a 2-megapixel module capable of taking pictures and video with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. At the same time, there are many settings for improving the face, as well as the ability to take a picture with a gesture, one touch, voice, which is especially convenient for fans to take selfies.

The main 13-megapixel camera has laser focusing and improved optical image stabilization (OIS +). Here you can also take a picture with gestures (for example, holding a fist) or voice (after hearing a certain word, the camera will take a picture of itself, and you won’t have to press a button).

The maximum video resolution that the camera can shoot is 4K. The pictures are obtained quite high-quality and clear, the module from LG is well established in the LG G3, and in the LG G Flex 2 it became even better. The pride of Nokia is a cool 20-megapixel camera with various frills!

Smartphone battery and battery life

The battery capacity in the LG G Flex 2 is 3000 mAh, which is a good indicator for the modern flagship. Despite the high resolution of the screen and the powerful processor, the device is able to last in 3D games for more than 5 hours, and when viewing video in high quality - 9-10.

It is noteworthy that in reading mode the device holds about the same. But with average and active use, the LG G Flex 2 will work as standard for 1 day, here the smartphone did not surprise

SUMMARY OF REVIEW

LG has made a name for itself with innovative and unique design phones. The LG G Flex 2 is one of the few flexible and curved smartphones on the market. This, of course, is striking. But the question remains: how well does it look and how well done.

The emphasis on sales is precisely on the curved design. Fold the smartphone in half will not work for you, but it bends strongly. The device has a pleasant appearance. In addition to attractiveness, it is worth noting its practicality. The latter lies in the specific coating of the back. It has a self-healing function that keeps the back cover free from scratches and scuffs.

The heart of the phone was the 2-GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810, the amount of RAM 2 or 3 GB (depending on the specific model). Performance is high and smooth.

Decorates the front of the phone with a 5.5-inch 1080p P-OLED display. The flexible display has been repeatedly noted for its innovation and practicality.

“Under the hood” of the phone is a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh, which, combined with the effectiveness of the P-OLED display, should provide one day of battery life.

The G Flex 2 camera evokes mixed feelings. The 13-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization and dual flash looks good only on paper. In user reviews note the lack of detail and light balancing of the photo.

All in all, the LG Flex 2 combines good specs with a unique design that provides a leading position in the flagship device rating.

LG G Flex 2 is definitely a flagship, it has received many improvements compared to the first version, and a curved screen and self-healing coating sets it apart from a number of modern flagships. In general, the performance of LG G Flex 2 is high, but not record-breaking, so those who are primarily impressed by the curvature of the model and who are attracted by a coating that protects minor scratches, and then the technical stuffing, will choose it sooner.

PROS

• Display quality
• Ergonomics
• MicroSD support
• Great camera
• Using Wireless Charging
• Android 5.0

MINUSES

• Slippery case
• Sharp corners
• Bending stiffness felt

Curved screen model: LG version

More recently, we reviewed the world's first serial smartphone with a flexible display. It was the product of the Korean company Samsung, which will never miss the opportunity to be noted as a technological novelty. The smartphone received the not-too-elegant name Galaxy Round, which corresponds to an unusual case curved around a vertical axis with the same concave display made using Super Flexible AMOLED technology. A long-time antagonist and fellow countryman Samsung, the Korean company LG, of course, could not allow the enemy to dominate the new market niche and literally a few weeks later launched its own version of the mobile gadget with a curved screen.

LG Electronics helped in this, as usual, not only with its vast production facilities, but also with several sister vertically integrated companies, such as LG Chem and LG Display.

As a result, thanks to the joint development of several departments, LG Electronics offered the market a new smartphone, which differs not only in a curved screen, but also in a number of other innovations. In addition to the curved screen, the LG G Flex model (the name was given to the hero of today's review) also has a curved battery, as well as an unusual self-healing coating on the back of the smartphone. But which is quite unusual, a smartphone can be bent without causing harm to it. This, of course, makes the device more resistant to damage, especially when it comes to wearing in the back pocket of your trousers. We will talk about all this and much more in our review.

Main characteristics of LG G Flex (model LG-D958)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM 8974), 2.27 GHz, 4 Krait 400 cores
• GPU Adreno 330, 450 MHz
• Android OS 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• Touchscreen P-OLED, 6 ″, 1280 × 720, 244 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 32 GB
• 3G (HSPA +), 4G (LTE / LTE-A)
• Bluetooth 4.0, IR LED (Remote Control)
• USB 3.0
• Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 + 5 GHz), Wi-Fi access point, Wi-Fi Direct
• NFC, Miracast, OTG
• GPS, Glonass
• 13 megapixel camera, autofocus
• 2.1 MP camera (front)
• 3500 mAh battery
• Dimensions 160.5 × 81.6 × 8.7 mm
• Weight 177 g

Appearance and usability

So, on November 1, 2013, LG Electronics officially introduced its first curved smartphone called the LG G Flex, which was included in the premium G series. This in itself implies a considerable cost of the new product, but in this case the company claims that the unusual device is aimed, First of all, to demonstrate new technologies, and not to make a profit (however, this did not stop LG from putting an exorbitant price in the region of $ 950 on this unit in their homeland, Korea).

As mentioned above, LG G Flex demonstrates several really new technological discoveries that were not previously used in serial production, such as a curved battery, a new type of screen, as well as a coating that protects scratches on itself. In addition, the LG G Flex was the first smartphone of its kind in the world. The fact is that, unlike its competitor, the smartphone received a curvature of the screen and, accordingly, the entire body not around the vertical axis, like the Samsung model, but around the horizontal.

Be that as it may, it turns out that the new LG not only repeats the contour of a person’s face, but also reduces the distance from the lips to the microphone when the phone is attached to the ear - by analogy with what it used to be when using ordinary (stationary) phones. To tell the truth, we felt good with ordinary direct smartphones, but LG developers claim that the degree of bending of LG G Flex was calculated and optimized for the average human face in order to provide the best voice and sound quality.

Pictured: LG G Flex smartphone compared to Acer Liquid S2 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra

According to representatives of the company, the curved shape increases the sound level by 3 decibels compared to standard direct smartphones. Thanks to its new form, this smartphone should be better in the hand, and in a horizontal position, its screen offers almost IMAX sensations, providing the most comfortable viewing angle for videos or games. Of all this, perhaps one can unconditionally agree with the fact that the novelty is more suitable for the back pocket of trousers than its unbent counterparts. However, if you choose the lesser of two evils, then it is worth recognizing that the LG G Flex bend option gives the user more benefits and amenities than the Samsung Galaxy Round option.

As for the materials, in general, the case of the novelty is completely plastic, there is no metal here. However, the plastic is unusual: firstly, it is so flexible that the smartphone can be easily bent even by straightening it to a flat state (this is clearly demonstrated in our video, which you can see at the end of the article).

Secondly, one of the new technologies used in LG G Flex for the first time was the use of the so-called “self-healing” coating on the back of the smartphone. The elastic coating has the ability to recover from small scratches and minor damage that smartphones without a case are susceptible to, allowing the G Flex to look new for longer. We conducted a series of experiments, slightly scratching the back surface of our sample, and they confirmed what the developers said. The coating of the smartphone is really capable of smoothing out some of the scratches over time, keeping the appearance of the device more presentable. We all know what kind of net is sometimes made up of a web of small scratches on the varnished coating of the back walls of our glossy phones - but here it is not. However, this does not mean at all that the coating can heal any, even the deepest and most severe injuries - we are talking only about shallow wounds.

If we ignore the unusual curvature of the novelty case, as well as the self-healing specific coating, then, in general, the smartphone did not become more convenient for an ordinary human palm. To the touch it’s still the same glossy, easily soiled and very slippery coating, which, coupled with the huge size of the case, makes the smartphone not too comfortable to hold in your hand. The device is large and slippery, so it is always at risk of falling out of your fingers. In principle, it is also heavier than all its competitors, but the considerable mass of the smartphone, frankly, is not too felt here and does not affect the overall impression of the device.

The smartphone is made in a monoblock form factor, which does not imply any sliding parts. The back cover here is also non-removable, and the SIM-card is habitually inserted into the retractable metal slide mounted in the side slot. The card is removed by pressing the paper clip key into the secret button, and this is the only slot in the device that is open for the user - there is nowhere to insert a memory card, since the developers did not provide such an option, as they did not provide for it in previous models of the G series.

The location of the connectors is also familiar: both are cut into the lower end and spaced far enough so as not to interfere with the cable plugs, even if both cables are connected at the same time. Nearby you can see the hole for the main microphone, and the second, used for noise reduction, is cut into the upper end of the body.

But with hardware mechanical buttons everything is different here than with others. The central power and lock keys, as well as two separate volume keys, are not located on the sides of the case, but on the back wall. This solution is similar to that used in the LG G2 smartphone, in which we first encountered such an unusual arrangement of elements. According to the developers, due to the absence of buttons on the sides, the risk of accidentally turning off the phone is reduced and the convenience of switching the volume during a call is provided. Judging by user reviews, including among our readers, opinions about the convenience of this option were divided: someone immediately liked it very much, someone was completely not enthusiastic.

Unlike LG G2, here the central power and lock key can be highlighted in different colors, thus playing the role of an event light indicator. The range of its functions is extensive:

• Face Detection Indicator:it is displayed by a green LED backlight around the hardware buttons on the back of the smartphone, confirming the camera focuses on the face;
• Camera Timer:LED-backlight of the hardware buttons on the back of the smartphone, showing that the countdown has gone before shooting on the camera;
• Urgent Call Alert:The red LED backlight around the hardware buttons on the back of the smartphone appears when several calls from one subscriber remain unanswered.

But we listed only the most unusual of the embedded options - of course, this indicator can inform you about incoming / missed events, charging status, etc. In this sense, by the way, the rear LED indicator duplicates the capabilities of the front, traditionally located on the front surface not far from the speaker grill. All functions of these two LED-indicators can be reconfigured by the user himself - for this there is a special detailed menu in the corresponding settings section.

In addition to this block of hardware mechanical keys with a built-in light indicator, there are several more familiar elements on the back surface. Here is the camera window, protected by sapphire crystal, a single-section LED flash located nearby, as well as an infrared eye, used to control a variety of equipment together with a built-in virtual remote control. The “remote control” is universal, a lot of different configurations have already been stored in its memory, so that it easily coped with controlling a Philips TV a decade ago, not to mention more modern solutions. The program is convenient, it works flawlessly, we have already seen similar solutions both in Samsung smartphones and in LG itself. You only need to remember that in this case, the smartphone does not need to be held horizontally, but vertically, with its back facing the TV or other device.

As for the front of the smartphone, the entire front surface here is completely covered by a protective glass of the same curved shape as the display itself. Otherwise, everything is familiar on the front panel: on top is the speaker grill, eyes of the front camera and sensors, below is a not too wide free section of the panel with a silver company logo applied to it.

There are no control buttons at the bottom under the screen, they are all moved to the display itself in the form of virtual icons. The latest LG smartphones, starting with the LG G2 model, do not provide a fixed set of three or four specific buttons, but a combination that suits a specific user. This is very convenient: now everyone can choose for themselves the location and combination of control buttons. For example, on Samsung devices, the buttons are always “confused” (not in the same order as other manufacturers) - but here you can organize both options, as well as change the color of the buttons themselves and the color of the background.

As for the color of the device, the LG G Flex smartphone is still available in only one color - it is “silver titanium” according to the official description, and we would call it familiar “gray metallic” or “wet asphalt”. Under an unusual transparent coating that can tighten scratches on its surface, you can see a silver substrate with barely noticeable texturing in the form of a matte, roughly sanded metal, which at a distance creates the impression that the surface is metal. About other possible color options LG G Flex has not yet been reported.

Screen

As mentioned above, the unusual display LG G Flex was the result of a collaboration between subsidiaries LG Display and LG Chem. The 6-inch display of the novelty has become the world's largest Plastic OLED (POLED) screen, designed and manufactured specifically for smartphones. The thin and flexible POLED panel is made of plastic substrates, not glass, which made it possible to give the smartphone such an unusual shape. According to the developers, the POLED screen is more bright and accurate due to the use of Real RGB technology. We will not argue about brightness, but the clarity of the image on a huge 6-inch screen with a resolution of only 720p leaves much to be desired. The pixel density here is only 244 ppi, which is almost half less than that of modern flagships of most manufacturers, including LG’s own flagship G2. So there is a slight friability at the edges of small images here, of course, there is no “printing” image clarity, like that of LG G2.

In numbers, the characteristics of the LG G Flex screen are as follows: size - 75 × 133 mm, diagonal - 6 inches, resolution 1280 × 720 pixels; pixel density - 244 ppi.

The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the case is less than 3 mm, which is very good for such a giant. The brightness of the display can be adjusted manually, and you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology allows you to handle up to 10 simultaneous touches. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the Monitors and Projectors and TV sections Alexei Kudryavtsev. We give his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

Despite the curvature and relative flexibility, the front surface of the screen is made of mineral glass with a mirror-smooth and scratch-resistant surface. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is an effective anti-glare filter, which by reducing the brightness of reflection is slightly worse than Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, we present a photograph on which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens (on the right is Nexus 7, on the left is LG G Flex, then they can be distinguished by size and curvature):

Due to the difference in the color tone of the reflection and the frames, it is difficult to estimate the amount of decrease in the brightness of the reflection visually - however, statistics from the graphical editor show that the screen of the LG G Flex is indeed a little lighter than the Nexus 7.

The doubling of the reflected objects in the LG G Flex screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, slightly better than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and when displaying a white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 315 cd / m², the minimum - 30 cd / m². Despite not the highest brightness value, even in bright daylight, you can use your smartphone, as an effective anti-glare filter helps out. You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. For example, when displaying white on half the screen, the maximum brightness during manual adjustment rises to 330 cd / m². In complete darkness, brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. There is an automatic brightness control according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the front camera). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider. If it is set to 100%, the screen brightness does not change (remains equal to 310-315 cd / m²), if by 50%, then in complete darkness the auto brightness function reduces the brightness to a minimum of 30 cd / m² (normal), in conditions illuminated by artificial light office (approximately 400 lux) sets at 70 cd / m² (not enough, but acceptable), and in a very bright environment increases to the maximum. If, with the automatic brightness adjustment turned on, the brightness regulator is set to 0, then in the first two conditions above, the brightness remains at the minimum value, but in a very bright environment it still rises to the maximum. As a result, the auto-brightness function works more or less adequately. There is practically no modulation at any brightness level, so there is no flickering of the screen.

This smartphone uses the OLED matrix - an active matrix with organic LEDs. Rather, as the manufacturer specifies, Plastic OLED (POLED) is an organic plastic-based LED. Recall that the outer glass is still mineral, which due to its high hardness increases the wear resistance of the screen and increases the life of the matrix, since glass, unlike plastic, does not allow oxygen diffusion, which causes rapid degradation of organic light-emitting elements. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in equal amounts, which is confirmed by a micrograph fragment (we combined the fragments of micrographs of this and other types of screens on a separate page):

This is the best difference between this screen and the screens of the top competitor models, which use the PenTile RGBG matrix with twice the number of green subpixels (or halved the number of red and blue subpixels - this is how to count). To highlight the benefits of its screen, LG uses a combination of “ Real rgb". As a result, if you compare this screen with a screen, for example, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, then it’s unambiguous to say which screen is better, it’s not easy, because, despite the higher resolution of Note 3, the small image elements on it look less smooth due to for the different densities of green subpixels and subpixels of two other colors.

The LG G Flex screen has good viewing angles. True, the white color when deviating to relatively large angles acquires a slight shade, but the black color remains black at any angles (although the reflection from the black areas at some angles has a greenish “metallic” shade), and it is so black that the contrast parameter in this case just not applicable. With a perpendicular look, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, we present photographs on which the same images are displayed on the screens of the LG G Flex and the second comparison participant, while the brightness of the screens is set to approximately 200 cd / m². Perpendicular to the screens, a white field:

We can note a good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And the test picture:

The color rendition is clearly not bad, but with all the conventions of the forced color balance in the camera set to 6500 K, it can be seen that the colors on the LG G Flex are clearly “colder”. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not "float" on all screens, and the brightness of the LG G Flex at an angle is much higher. And the white field:

The brightness at an angle of both screens noticeably decreased (more than three times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of LG G Flex the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. With black and white fields everything is fine, but with intermediate hues, especially with dark ones, it’s not very good, because, for example, when a dark gray field is displayed in full screen, unevenness is clearly visible at the level of brightness of individual pixels and in area in the form of some structure and afterimages, which, however, quickly blur. It looks like a dark gray field:

And so - the pixels in this field:

The brightness variation of individual subpixels is easily visible. Nevertheless, real images are always slightly “noisy” and practically do not contain large dark and strictly monophonic fills, so this feature of the screen can be noticed only on test images.

Switching the state of the matrix elements is actually performed instantly, but at the on and off fronts there may be a step (or two) of 16.7 ms wide (corresponding to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to loops reaching for moving objects, but with normal use it is almost impossible to see these artifacts - more precisely, we could not see them with all our efforts. Rather, the opposite: dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens are distinguished by high definition and even some “twitching” of movements.

The gamma curve constructed at 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the lights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.31, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power dependence:

When you select profile screen settings Brightness  the gamma curve becomes pronounced S-shaped, which increases the apparent contrast of the image.

In general, there are three modes:

Color gamut for profiles Standard  and Brightness  very wide:

When choosing a profile Natural  coverage is tightened to sRGB borders, but still remains a bit wider:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Natural  the color components are already slightly mixed together:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, the colors of conventional images optimized for sRGB devices look unnaturally saturated. However, a visual assessment showed that when choosing a profile Natural Saturation decreases markedly, and colors become close to natural (screen photos are mainly taken with the selected profile Natural) However, some excess redness of the faces of Caucasians still persists, which is somewhat annoying when viewing photos and videos.

The balance of shades on the gray scale does not depend on the selected profile and does not differ in particularly high quality, since the color temperature is higher than the standard 6500 K and varies significantly from shade to shade, which negatively affects the visual assessment of color reproduction. However, the deviation from the spectrum of an absolutely black body (ΔE) is 10 or less, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device, and does not vary much from shade to shade. (Dark areas of the gray scale can not be taken into account, since there the color balance does not matter much, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

As noted above, the selected profile determines the type of gamma curve (in the case of a profile Brightness  gamma curve slightly S-shaped) and color gamut (in case of Natural  it is closer to sRGB). The visual difference between the profiles is also characterized by the photographs below (original file of the first and second test image). Profile Standard:

Profile Brightness:

Profile Natural:

These photos illustrate the above graphs and also show that in profiles Standard  (less) and Brightness  (more) a programmatic increase in color saturation is performed, as a result of which color images become brighter, but the detail of bright and saturated areas is reduced, which is clearly visible on the test image with color gradients and horizontal stripes.

As we have shown in comparative testing, OLED screens, despite not very high brightness, retain excellent readability in all conditions and even when viewed from large angles. This is facilitated by effective anti-glare properties and a relatively small decrease in brightness when the gaze deviates from the perpendicular to the screen plane. The advantages of this particular screen also include a very good oleophobic coating, adequately working automatic brightness adjustment, the absence of flicker and a good (but still imperfect) color balance. I am glad that LG provided the user with the opportunity to choose a profile in which the color saturation is adjusted to decrease to the sRGB coverage limits, as a result, recognizable colors (for example, skin tones) in photos and videos look more or less natural, rather than excessively oversaturated, as is the case with OLED screens in devices of some other manufacturers. The disadvantages include the apparent unevenness of dark monophonic fills, but this is a very specific drawback, which has almost no effect on the consumer properties of the screen. In general, the screen corresponds to a top-level device.

Sound

In terms of sound, the smartphone as a whole is not bad, with the exception of, perhaps, not too clearly present low frequencies at the ringing speaker. The grill for sound output is embedded in the raised lower end of the curved back, so that the surface of the table does not muffle the sound when the smartphone is lying down. The speaker clearly and accurately conveys all the intonations and timbre of the familiar voices of the interlocutors - there is no problem with this. In the settings of the standard audio player, it is possible to programmatically enhance some audio effects, and this can be done both when headphones are connected and for the ringing speaker. The music player can be controlled directly from the notification menu. Like LG G2, the new product is capable of reproducing sound in the format of 24 bits / 192 kHz studio-quality Hi-Fi.

We did not find the FM radio in the standard equipment of the smartphone, but we found a voice recorder, but he does not know how to record a conversation from the line using standard means.

Camera

LG G Flex comes standard with two digital camera modules. The front camera has a sensor of only 2.1 megapixels, takes photos with a maximum resolution of 1920 × 1080.

The main, rear camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel module. Unlike LG G2, it is not equipped with an optical stabilizer (OIS), but multi-point autofocus (Multi Points AF) remained here. By default, the camera shoots in normal mode, in which the resolution is set to 10 megapixels, the pictures are taken in the size of 4160 × 2340 (16: 9). You can achieve maximum resolution by manually setting the shooting settings in a resolution of 13 megapixels, then the pictures will be 4160 × 3120 (4: 3).

Examples of photos with our comments are presented below.

	Sharpness is good on all plans.
	The branches are well developed. Light sharping is noticeable in places.
	The inscriptions on the building are clearly distinguishable. The contrasting details of the house are underlined.
	Good field sharpness. Distinguishable enough details.
	The number of a decently remote machine is clearly distinguishable. Many details are also discernible.
	Sharping in the shadows works quite rough, however, noises are almost invisible.
	The camera does not do very well with macro photography. The situation is aggravated by insufficient lighting for normal camera operation.
	The text worked out well and was hardly damaged, except for the grease caused by the relatively long exposure.

	Lighting ≈3200 lux. The camera is doing well.
	Lighting ≈1400 lux. The situation does not change.
	Lighting ≈130 lux. Detailing is getting a little worse.
	Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. The flash returns to its original resolution.
	Lighting<1 люкс. В темноте камера практически не справляется, однако некоторые объекты различить можно.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. Вспышка улучшает ситуацию, но до исходного разрешения не дотягивает.

In the pictures, you can notice a certain emphasis of dark contours - one of the options for sharping: the camera enhances the contrast at the edges of objects to improve sharpness, so some details look like they are circled by a pencil. Nevertheless, this function does quite well with the task. And the natural sharpness of the camera is pretty decent - some car numbers are worth it! But according to the results of the laboratory test, as can be seen from the graph, the camera loses the LG G2 in terms of sharpness.

The camera has a slightly rough noise reduction, and if with this resolution the results of its work are almost invisible, then with a lower resolution they would spoil the details, and they were simply striking. Although in general, the camera copes well with noise.

Shutter speeds of more than 1/25 of a second are long for the camera, so the camera does not do very well with macro photography and shooting text in low light.

If excessive software processing is not attributed to shortcomings, but to features, the camera can be called good. In addition, despite this, it is distinguished by good detail. The camera is quite suitable for documentary shooting or for a kind of artistic.

The camera can shoot video, a choice of several resolutions is provided up to a maximum of 3840 × 2160. The settings also have a recording mode at a speed of 60 frames per second. Examples of test videos are presented below (video: MPEG4 Video (H264) 3840 × 2160 30 fps 30 Mbps; sound: AAC 48 kHz stereo 156 Kbps).

• Movie №1 (108 MB, 3840 × 2160)
• Movie # 2 (65.9 MB, 1920 × 1080, 60 fps)
• Movie # 3 (42.3 MB, 1920 × 1080, 30 fps)

The capabilities of the camera LG G Flex repeat those of the flagship model LG G2. In addition to the usual shooting mode, there are others in the camera software that allow you to complement the usual picture with unusual elements. For example, in the “Live effect” mode, you can distort the hero’s face with a small mouth, big nose, etc. The “Double Record” mode allows you to display in a separate window on top of the main picture what is being recorded on the front camera. The last mode is called “Tracking Zoom” and produces a picture similar in composition, only here in a separate window, superimposed on top of the usual video sequence, will be displayed on an enlarged scale the area on which the crosshairs are focused. In the process of filming, this window with an image magnifying “lens” can be moved with your finger across the screen from object to object. One cannot but mention the Audio Zoom mode, in which you can increase the volume coming from a particular selected object in the shooting field. Photography can be done either by touching the screen or by pressing any of the volume keys located on the back of the smartphone.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone standardly works in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and there is also support for fourth-generation networks (LTE) used in Russia. With a SIM card of the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently works with the LTE network. In general, support for wireless networks at an excellent level, supports the 5 GHz Wi-Fi range, NFC technology, you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, there is Wi-Fi Direct mode. The navigation module supports both GPS (with A-GPS) and domestic Glonass.

There were no freezes or spontaneous reboots / shutdowns during testing. When brought to the ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The light sensor controls the brightness level of the screen in automatic mode. LED sensors for notification of incoming events are provided on the front and rear panels.

The screen is large, so the drawing of letters and numbers of virtual keyboards is quite comfortable for management. The layout and layout of the keys is standard: switching languages \u200b\u200bis done by pressing a special button, there is a separately selected top row with numbers - without having to switch the layout. Naturally, there is the possibility of continuous writing by sliding your finger across the screen from button to button (here it is called Path input).

In order to make it more convenient to control the on-screen keyboard with one finger, here, as in previous LG models, it is possible to reduce the keyboard unit and move it closer to any of the edges of the screen. LG developers went even further by implementing a sliding block in the form of a separate window, which can not only be moved to anywhere on the screen, but also change its size and transparency. It's all called Qslide. In order to narrow the standard application window to a small one, you just need to click the corresponding cross-button in the upper left corner. You can transfer to a separate Qslide window not only the on-screen keyboard, but also some other standard applications - for example, Notes, Calendar or Calculator.

OS and software

LG G Flex is currently running on the Google Android software platform version 4.2.2. On top of the OS interface, the company installed its own user interface, which significantly modifies and complements the standard one. The location of all elements, the drawing of icons, the number and choice of additional pre-installed programs - everything is very familiar from previous LG models with Optimus UI 3.0 shell. For example, you just need to connect the headphones, as a bar immediately appears on the screen with the choice of application (Plug & Pop), which is most associated with working with headphones. In the standard structure, the strip contains icons for music and video players, a telephone set, as well as a YouTube player, but, of course, you can display here any other applications as you wish. There is such an additional feature as guest mode. That is, you can give someone to use your smartphone without fear for personal information that will be password protected. There is a gesture control (answering a call with a presentation to the ear, for example). Slide Aside allows you to swipe running applications off the screen with a three-finger gesture and also bring them back. QSlide allows you to make working windows smaller, unhook them by moving around the screen, and also change the degree of transparency and quantity. Like the LG G2, there is the possibility of waking the device by tapping the screen (KnockOn). In addition, in addition to the one described by LG G2, the new model also has several minor improvements:

• QTheater  provides quick access to a photo, video or YouTube channel right from the locked screen. Touching the screen and dragging the application to the side with two fingers opens them on the screen with the effect of a theater curtain;
• Dual window  splits the screen into two desktops as part of multitasking;
• Swing lockscreen  changes the picture on the lock screen depending on the position of the smartphone in space.

Performance

The hardware platform of the LG G2 is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 single-chip system (SoC). The central processor here has 4 Krait 400 cores operating at a frequency of 2.27 GHz. Support for graphics processing to the processor is provided by the most advanced Adreno 330 video accelerator. There is 2 GB of RAM in the device, and the storage available to the user to download their own files is about 24 GB of the nominally designated 32 GB. There is no support for memory cards in the device, but it is possible to connect external media to the Micro-USB port (USB host). When you connect a USB-drive, by the way, the aforementioned Plug & Pop function is immediately activated, displaying a strip with a selection of applications that are most associated with the situation. In the standard structure, the strip contains icons of music and video players, photo galleries, as well as an integrated file manager.

To get an idea of \u200b\u200bthe platform performance of the tested smartphone, we will perform a standard set of tests.

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks, we have brought to the table for convenience. Usually several other devices from various segments are also added to the table, which were also tested on the latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain behind the scenes - due to the fact that at one time they passed their "obstacle courses" on previous versions of test programs.

The results obtained during testing demonstrated the expected performance of the new product: it almost completely corresponds to the performance built on the exact same platform of the flagship model LG G2.

Test results in MobileXPRT, as well as the latest versions of AnTuTu 4.x and GeekBench 3

The results of testing the graphics subsystem in the game test Epic Citadel

Play video

To test the “omnivorous” when playing videos (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices, it is important to have hardware-based video decoding support at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, you should not expect decoding of everything from a mobile device, since the lead in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single plate.

Since the Micro-USB connector here supports USB host mode (OTG), a device with such a large and high-quality screen can be comfortably used as a multimedia processor. It is enough to connect any flash drive through the adapter, and you can directly play music, movies, view photos from it, especially since the developers initially supplied the device with all the necessary decoders. The smartphone is immediately “out of the box” capable of playing most file types common on the network, and due to this it is one of the best multimedia solutions on the mobile market.

This smartphone has support for SlimPort (or Mobility DisplayPort) adapters that connect to the Micro-USB connector and provide video (and sound) to external display devices. For testing, we used a monitor LG IPS237L . When using this monitor and the SlimPort adapter we had, the video was output in a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a frequency of 60 frames / s. With the landscape orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in landscape orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed on the screen and is an exact copy of the smartphone screen. In the portrait orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the monitor screen in portrait orientation, while the image on the monitor is inscribed in height and its actual resolution is already lower than on the smartphone screen, and wide black fields are displayed on the left and right on the monitor screen.

Sound via HDMI is output (in this case, sounds were heard through the headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and has good quality. At the same time, multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is controlled by the buttons on the smartphone body. The smartphone connected to the SlimPort adapter is charging, and the adapter must be connected to the power source through its Micro-USB connector.

A special description deserves the video output by means of a regular player. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Testing technique for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped to determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: resolution (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and subsequent tests are summarized in the table:

Note: If in both columns Uniformity  and Passes  green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies of artifacts caused by uneven rotation and skipping frames, either you will not see it at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the playback quality of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is high, since frames (or groups of frames) are output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and skips of frames or not, or single frames are skipped. The smartphone can even show files with a resolution of 4k, though up to 25p inclusive. However, uniform frame rotation is a relatively unstable state, as some external and internal background processes lead to a periodic failure of the correct rotation of intervals between frames and even to skip individual frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (720p) on the smartphone screen, the image of the actual video file is displayed exactly in the width of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range 16–235 - all shades of gradation are displayed in the shadows and in the lights.

With a monitor connected via SlimPort when playing a standard player, the image of the video file is displayed only in landscape orientation, while the monitor displays only the picture of the video file, and only information elements and virtual controls are displayed on the smartphone screen:

Note that when using the MX Player video player, an exact copy of the smartphone screen was displayed on the monitor screen, including with virtual buttons, albeit muffled during video playback. This circumstance excluded this player from testing. When playing video files with a resolution of Full HD (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the actual video file is displayed exactly along the border of the screen while maintaining true proportions, and the resolution corresponds to the resolution of Full HD. The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range 16–235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in the shadows and in the lights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the SlimPort block. The output quality is very good, albeit imperfect.

It turns out that connecting to external monitors, TVs and projectors using the SlimPort adapter can be used for games, watching movies (including Full HD resolution), displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from a multiple increase in size screen.

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-polymer battery installed in the LG G Flex is almost 3500 mAh, which is almost a record for a smartphone by modern standards. The battery itself, as mentioned above, is not quite ordinary: LG Chem has developed the world's first curved battery specifically for use in the LG G Flex. This battery was created thanks to the patented technology of LG Chem Stack & Folding, which reduces the physical load on the battery pack due to the curved shape. Despite its small thickness, the LG G Flex battery turned out to be very capacious. Accordingly, the results of testing the battery life of the device in the most common user scenarios were very good.

Continuous reading in FBReader (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for more than 23 hours, and when watching videos from YouTube in high quality (HQ) continuously At the same brightness level through the home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted about 13.5 hours. In 3D games, the smartphone lasted for 6 hours 40 minutes. All these are excellent indicators!

Total

In general, as already mentioned at the beginning of the article, you should not treat the smartphone LG G Flex with a deep addiction. This model is designed for a narrow circle of specialists, as well as technologists, who support morally and financially any unusual undertakings in this field, and, in general, does not pretend to widespread demand among ordinary users. The model is sold more expensive than analogues (more precisely, “ordinary” flagship smartphones), and the innovations that are presented in it do not yet look like a clear advantage, for which it would be worth overpaying. Most likely, G Flex will remain for LG a sort of first milestone in the history of creating devices with flexible displays, although in general I would like to note that the use of flexible screens seems to us much more useful in other categories of products than in pocket gadgets. But as they say, time will tell.

In conclusion, we bring to your attention our video review of the smartphone LG G Flex. Still, it’s better to evaluate the flexibility of the case and the comfort of the grip on the video, and not according to the site’s editor.