LG has something new up its sleeve for the G4 smartphone and the South Korean company is alluding to greatness. The device will be revealed at events on April 28 and April 29 (due to time zones) in six cities: New York, London, Paris, Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul.

With an invitation that coyly sneaks a peek at a leatheresque material accentuated by stitching, the tagline “see the great, feel the great” hints at a design rehaul that veers from the plastic-laden bodies we’re used to seeing from LG. The gossip mill also give us a hint at what to expect on the inside of the upcoming flagship phone.

We’ll have a crack team of CNET reporters at the official announcement to bring you full details, photos and video of the event while it’s happening. Until then, check out the rumors that have surfaced so far.

Expected specs

Nothing’s been confirmed, but reports reveal a few anticipated specs. Purportedly powering the LG G4 are a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor (also found inside the G Flex 2) and 3GB of RAM.

The device is expected to rock a 5.5-inch screen with a Quad HD (2,560×1,440 pixels) LCD display. According to LG, the new phone’s screen will be 30 percent brighter with a 50 percent higher contrast ratio than that of conventional QHD LCD panels, as well as richer and more accurate colors.

Touchscreen response is also rumored to receive an upgrade on the G4 thanks to technology LG Display has developed. Using Advanced In-Cell Touch (AIT), the touch sensor is embedded within the LCD, leading to greater touch sensitivity and thinner build.

Another anticipated feature is the phone’s top-notch rear camera. Reports claim that it’s a 16-megapixel wide-angle camera with laser focus and a f/1.8 aperture, meaning it’ll work well in low-light conditions. We’ll have to wait until it comes out to see if it can outshine the powerful cameras on Apple, Samsung or HTC’s flagship phones.

Design and operating system

For the past few months LG execs have hinted at a big change in design. If recently leaked renders and dimensions of a mysterious LG smartphone are any indication of the new construction, the G4 will be slightly bigger than the G3.

The images show a phone that looks like a mash-up of the G3 and G Flex 2, with similar rear button configuration and subtly curved display. There’s also what looks like a stylus at the top, indicating a Note type of approach.

LG recently unveiled its new custom software for Android phones and it’s expected to make its grand debut on the G4. The UX 4.0 interface is more streamlined and user-centric. Changes include tweaks to the camera and gallery apps, as well as “smarter” alerts and notifications.

What else is there?

In addition to the yet to be announced G4, word on street is that LG is aiming to double-up its high-end phone offerings with another swanky release later this year. The speculative rumors gives us a glimpse of what to expect past the release of the LG G4, though nothing has been confirmed.

In anticipation of its upcoming release, LG is letting 4,000 people in 15 markets “test-drive” the G4 for a few weeks before it’s officially debuted. The goal is to let users experience the Android handset without any performance pretense.

Check back with CNET for the full scoop on the LG G4 once it’s been announced. For a look at last year’s flagship phone, watch the video on the LG G3 below.

 

Source: Cnet