LG G4s Smartphone Review

We cannot say a lot about the case of the LG G4s that we haven’t said in the review of the LG G4c. Without the optional leather cover, the haptics is not even close to the flagship G4, but there is still not a lot of criticism for the build quality or the stability. The back cover in an aluminum look can be removed and grants access to the replaceable battery, the SIM slot and the microSD slot. The slight diamond pattern also looks good, but the cover is not really scratch-resistant. The horizontal and vertical curvature also looks very good on the G4s and complements the good feeling when you hold it in your hand.

Both the dimensions and the weight of the G4s are right between its two siblings. A height of 9.9 millimeters is close to the G4, but not really thin due to the curved design. Length (142.7 mm) and width (72.6) are pretty compact, despite the 5.2-inch display. The weight is also comparatively low at 140 grams. Right now, the G4s is available in Metallic Grey and Ceramic White. A leather cover, similar to the bigger sibling, would definitely add a level of sophistication, but it will be probably reserved for the G4.

Communication & GPS 

There is no difference between the review unit and the smaller sibling G4c in respect of the wireless modules, either. Similar to the G4c, the G4s supports LTE Cat. 4 with transfer rates of up to 150 Mbps (downstream) and 50 Mbps (upstream) or 42 and 5.76 Mbps, respectively via UMTS. Absolutely up to date is the Wi-Fi module that supports the fast ac standard. The G4s can also use 5 GHz ac networks, but only 2.4 GHz networks for the standards 802.11 b/g/n – we cannot understand this decision. The range of the Wi-Fi signal, however, is very good, and the connection was stable even at a distance of 10 meters to the router and through two walls. Bluetooth 4.1 is available as well and has advantages when you use LTE in particular, because there will be less interferences compared to older Bluetooth standards.

The integrated A-GPS module finds a sufficient number of satellites within a couple of seconds outdoors. A satellite fix is even possible indoors when you are close to a window, where it takes around 30 seconds for the first location. We check the accuracy of the GPS sensor with a bicycle ride and compare it with a Garmin Edge 500 reference device. This device is specialized for bicycle rides and proved to be very accurate and reliable over the years. The test shows that the LG G4s likes to take the direct way instead of the actual turn. We pretty much hover across the river at the bridge section and do not even touch the bridge at all. All in all, the LG misses around 4% of the track, which is completely sufficient for the navigation with the car or the bicycle. But you might take the occasional wrong turn on narrow single trails.

Telephone & Voice Quality

The phone app does not differ from the other G4 siblings. The interface follows the LG style and leaves a fresh as well as simple impression. It supports handy features like contact groups as well as a one-hand mode. The handling is intuitive and should not be a problem for any user.

The voice of the caller was always perfectly audible via the earpiece and sounded very natural and clear. Our voice was not always that good on the other side since it was often accompanied by some background noise. Our voice also sounded a bit synthetic, which is probably a result of the ambient noise suppression that works pretty well. The hands-free function via internal speaker only works well in calm environments. The provided entry-level headset works a bit better, but it is not a real joy to make calls with it, either.

Cameras & Multimedia

The "mother" of the G4 family, the LG G4, is currently certainly one of the best camera smartphones on the market. The G4c could not really keep up with that performance, but the G4s gets some of the great features from the top model including the color spectrum sensor, the laser autofocus and the image stabilizer. The resolution of the G4s, however, is lower than the G4, but five megapixels at the front and eight for the main camera of the G4s are still decent. Both cameras can record Full HD videos.

The quality of the pictures is decent: Colors look vivid, and the sharpness is conveniently high as well. You can only notice the lower resolution when you zoom in. Bright areas are slightly overexposed by the sensor, whereas the illumination is slightly insufficient in darker situations. All in all, the G4s is once again between its siblings, but there is still a respectable distance to the flagship G4.

LG further expands its lineup around the current flagship G4 and the G4s is already the second sibling. Contrary to the G4c it is not a radically slimmed-down version, but still a powerful upper mainstream version with the corresponding specs. The Snapdragon 615 provides sufficient performance, and even current games are no problem for the SoC. The memory is a bit meager at just 1.5 GB and does not really suit the premium claim. The IPS display is pretty good in general, but a slightly higher luminance would have been nice – especially when you look at the two siblings.

This can also be said about the case, because there is not much criticism. Still, the leather cover of the top model is pretty appealing and would also improve the tactile impression of the G4s – we would also take it as an optional accessory. It is no surprise that the camera of the top model G4 is out of reach, but you can also take nice pictures with the G4s. Only the lighting should be sufficient. The speaker is no highlight, but the sound is actually decent. There is also not much criticism for the features. So, is it a great offer?

Not without restrictions: Probably the biggest issue of the otherwise really convenient LG G4s is its poor stamina. The combination of the rather small battery and the high consumption even results in bad idle runtimes. It is good that the battery can be replaced, because it is pretty much a necessity. We would have also liked to see dual-band Wi-Fi and a slightly more precise GPS module.

LG does a pretty good job with the G4s and can copy a lot of the glamour from the top model into the less expensive upper mainstream segment. The poor battery runtimes, however, affect the good impression significantly.