Hello!
In the modern world of high technologies, changes occur almost every day. Progress in electronics goes by leaps and bounds, and sometimes it seems that the tread cannot be stopped. Manufacturers compete among themselves for the right to be called a technology leader, presenting every year, or even twice a year, new gadgets, each of which is 'much faster' and 'more perfect' than the previous generation. Any tricks are used, play with words, substitution of concepts, battle for fractions of millimeters and marketing and marketing again. And an ordinary, inexperienced user becomes a hostage of the surrounding information noise, which forms his worldview, and sooner or later succumbing to the molasses of advertising slogans, he readily opens his wallet in order to feel at the forefront of progress and fashion for a short time.
But is it really necessary? Is it possible that all the previous slogans and promises of the manufacturer with the release of a new device turn into shards, as in one old fairy tale? It shouldn't be like that, the performance can't be different at times … And why is it, this 'limitless' performance, to an ordinary user? But not everyone has the courage to say the famous 'enough'. And we keep buying another advertising slogan in order to feel ourselves the owner of technological excellence for several months.
At the same time, looking back, it is unlikely that we will see any critical flaws in the devices of previous generations, which will not allow us to use them. There are a large number of people who continue to use devices of previous generations, and do not experience a lack of power and functionality. In addition to them, there is a large proportion of those who deliberately buy devices of previous generations, having waited for a decrease in prices for the desired device, due to the release of a new generation. And every year the latter becomes more and more, because in fact, at the moment, the ceiling of the capacity of existing solutions for existing tasks has been reached.
For example, I cannot think of a scenario for myself, or a task for which the power of my current smartphone is not enough.
Perhaps in the near future, this task will be virtual reality, for work with which ultra-high resolution of screen matrices, the amount of RAM and the power of processors will be in demand. But until this happened, until virtual reality technologies became as necessary as dual cameras (irony), oldies from the category of ex-flagships, have the right to life and are even able to compete with new products in the electronics market.
In the comments to one of the articles of the 'Ex-flagship' cycle, one model LG was often mentioned, which, in the opinion of many, even years later, remains quite relevant, having an impressive margin of safety and an excellent set of characteristics. It's about LG G2.
Specifications
At the time of its release, the G2 had truly outstanding characteristics, and in many ways became a lifeline for LG, preventing the company from falling off the list of A-brands.
Being built on the same platform with another model – Nexus 5, the G2 at the same time, in many respects surpassed the device “from Google”.
Judge for yourself, the battery is 3000mAh instead of 2300mAh in the Nexus 5.
A display of the same resolution (FHD) but a larger diagonal, juiciness and brightness (5.2 for the G2, versus 4.95 for the Nexus 5), and of course, mind-boggling narrow display bezels, which to this day are an outstanding parameter, despite the fact that since Since then, many manufacturers have embarked on this downsizing race.
In addition, the G2 has an infrared port on board, which can be used to control household appliances, but that's not all. The G2 has become a rather daring and successful experiment LG in the non-standard placement of control keys on the back of the device.
Subsequently, the company came out with several more models with keys on the back, but then, unfortunately, the company abandoned this decision, which greatly upset many adherents of the brand.
By and large, G2 has become a kind of Rubicon for LG, which has allowed the company to change its image in the eyes of customers from a younger brother Samsung to a full-fledged competitor.
Versions
The device was produced for the markets of different countries.
There are several versions that have not only software, but also design differences:
D800 / 1/2/3/5/6, F320K, F320S, LS980, VS980.
Built-in memory 16 / 32GB non-expandable (except for the Korean version).
An important point is that the display modules, as well as many other elements of the versions, are incompatible with each other. For the display module, this is a problem in the touchscreen and display cable. Different versions have different connector lengths. Body elements have a different arrangement of technological holes and latches. Another difference is the removable battery in Korean versions of devices, as well as the presence of a slot for a memory card. But the price to pay is a smaller battery.
The version for the American operator Verizon (VS980) has wireless charging.
Therefore, when ordering a display and other spare parts on foreign Internet sites, keep this in mind and look for a version for your model of the device.
Body materials and design
The device is made of plastic, without external metal parts. There are two main colors: white and black. Later, versions with gold and red caps were released for some markets.
Both main versions are glossy, excellent at collecting fingerprints, and quickly covered with scuffs and minor scratches on the bottom. During use, it became clear that on the white version, these scratches and abrasions are slightly less visible.
Thanks to the presence of a capacious battery, the case turned out to be a little chubby compared to the same Nexus 5, but at the same time it is more grippy and fits comfortably in the hand. Thickness is clearly not the parameter for which G2 can be blamed. The battery is non-removable, and in order to replace it, you will have to remove the back cover and unscrew the protective cover under it with the volume and power buttons. In addition, you will need to disconnect the connectors of the main loop. The task, although not difficult, requires a tool and some skill.
The front panel lacks a physical button. At the same time, the useful area of the screen is much larger than that of the Nexus 5.
Image taken from https://www.androidpit.de
Another detail that makes this device convenient for me is the location of the headphone jack. It is located at the bottom, on the left, like many modern devices.
Another thing I really like about the G2 look is the minimalism. Especially for the black version of the device. Nothing superfluous, a streamlined black bar that fits comfortably in your hand. The black device looks more advantageous in this regard, since the white version has visible joints and layers of the case, which does not look so complete.
Build quality and materials
During operation, the body began to crunch and creak a little. But, perhaps, this is due to the fact that he understood several times.
The plastic of the case is of a higher quality and more durable than that of the same Nexus 5. During the long-term operation, there were practically no defects on the case except for abrasions. The only gripe in this regard is the chrome bezel at the junction of the lid and body. It peels off and gets knocked off over time. However, the plastic under the shiny paint turns out to be the same color as the rest of the case, and therefore this fact is not very striking.
In addition, for some reason the G2 often suffers from the speaker grille located at the bottom end – cracks appear on it.
Another weak point of the device is the touchscreen, which often failed after the first fall or even without it. Moreover, the touchscreen could stop working either completely or partially (a strip at the bottom or top of the screen). Therefore, when buying from hand, it is worth checking this parameter – try to type a message, or move your finger across the entire surface to identify dead zones. Another weak point of the display is the burnout of the reflector substrate, which is encountered by many users who actively use resource-intensive applications that heat up a hot enough Snapdragon 800 processor. Usually this defect appears after a year or two, in the form of a yellow strip in the upper left corner of the display.
Well, from the little things, drop-down letters on the back cover of the device.
No more massive and critical sores were noticed behind the device.
Cameras
The main module 13MP in good lighting conditions gives a very good quality result. The only gripe with the G2 is the lack of accurate autofocus, which sometimes misses the mark. Do not forget that the module in the G2 is equipped with optical stabilization.
The weak point is the external camera. Low resolution and light sensitivity do not allow using it to get good pictures. On this point, minus.
Firmware
The last official update for this model is Android 5. This applies to both European, Asian and American versions.
Considering the prevalence of the processor and the availability of drivers for it, there are a large number of custom firmwares, including Google-edition versions, with which you can turn the G2 into a kind of Nexus.
The list of custom firmware versions is quite large:
EVA ROM
IceRom
IceX Rom
Cloudy ROM
MIUI
FlymeOS
Cyanogenmod 11
Cyanogenmod 12
Cyanogenmod 13
Resurrection Remix 6.0.1
Google edition
However, it should be remembered that there are more custom firmwares for the European version of the D800 and they are more diverse than for the operator versions.
An undoubted plus is that the operator versions are literally in a couple of clicks untied from the network of the previous operator and begin to see Sim cards of all Russian operators, including LTE networks.
The cost
At the moment, you can buy this device from hands for 5-6 thousand in normal condition, and for 8-9 thousand in excellent condition, which is very inexpensive, given its characteristics and capabilities. On foreign Internet sites, you will have to pay comparable money for a device in excellent condition, so there is generally no point in ordering it from abroad.
The only reason is buying on eBay used. device in good condition by bidding in the auction. Actually, as I did, ordering the G2 for the article. It cost me 2500 rubles. excluding delivery. I had to pay another $ 13 for delivery. By all accounts, the purchase turned out to be profitable. But here everyone decides for himself what is more important to him. Savings or peace of mind. And yes, a photo with a burnt display of not this phone, but the phone of a friend's girlfriend. ?
Maintainability
The gadget turned out to be tenacious and strong, so it will only have to be repaired by breaking the display. The cost of the new module now fluctuates around 2500 rubles, which, you see, is very inexpensive. One of the nuances of the repair is the rather capricious design of the main loop in the lower part, on which the elements responsible for the network are soldered.
Therefore, for many who independently changed the display on this device, after the replacement, the network did not work. It is easy to avoid this – before replacing the display, when removing the cable, it must be heated so that the adhesive tape becomes softer and peel off the lower part carefully, avoiding bending. Thus, you will exclude damage to the loop and you will not get problems with communication. The display itself is removed from the frame very easily. We heat it, pry it with something thin and peel it off around the perimeter.
Another nuance is battery replacement. As I wrote above, for this you have to disassemble half of the device.
Important: now it is very difficult to find on sale an original battery for LG G2. Therefore, most likely you will buy a fake. The main thing is not to pursue cheapness and buy a battery of normal cost (700-800 rubles). A good quality counterfeit will not serve much worse than the original.
The back cover houses the antennas of the wireless modules and the NFC coil, so when replacing the cover, make sure that all the necessary contacts are present on the new item that you plan to buy.
By and large, the internal layout of the elements largely coincides with that of the Nexus 5. In terms of maintainability, both of these models received fairly high scores. Given the low cost of components and ease of repair, the device turned out to be very successful in this parameter.
conclusions
A capacious battery, a good camera, an infrared port, thin frames, a large and juicy display, loud sound and a powerful processor. LG had a hit. After the release of this model, many looked differently at the products of this manufacturer, and predicted LG the role of a technology leader and trendsetter. Alas, the hopes of users were buried with the release of the third generation of the flagship of the G series, which turned out to be not so successful and had a number of critical problems, such as a weak battery and massively dying motherboards, which scared off many users who once bought G2.
At the moment LG G2 has not lost its attractiveness and in terms of parameters it remains quite capable of competing for the place of the main device in the pocket of a potential buyer.
Therefore, the answer to the question whether it remains relevant at the moment, and whether it can be recommended for purchase, is unequivocally affirmative.