Why does LG get no credit?

- made arguably the best price/performance phone to date, the Nexus 5
- which was based on the G2, an amazing phone relevant to this day
- their skin is better than TouchWiz with better features and none of the lag
- came up with buttons on back, ridiculed by all at the time and now being copied
- their phones have great build quality yet are much cheaper
- continue to innovate with things like modular design

Yet if you ask most people they say Samsung/HTC/Moto is better, LG never got the fan following they deserve.

Marketing and branding.

I've used a Nexus 5 since it came out, and see little reason to upgrade. No one in the general public knows what it is, or can identify any of the LG phones.

Everyone knows what a "galaxy" is. LG needs a similar name that they can slap all over every phone along with some other modifier.

It takes years to build enthusiasm for a line of devices...much harder if they aren't identifiable to the average joe as a line.

-dropped the ball with the G5 build quality
-over sharpened the G3 screen to the point where I had to return it because it gave me migraines.
-laggy ui in the G3
-no app drawer in G5? Wtf?

It's been a back and forth battle trying to like LG. I thought the nexus 5 was hands sow their best phone.

Owned a G2 in the past, knew it was what the Nexus 5 should have been (still feel that way), then sold it and got another one later one, then sold it and got another one later on, and... see a pattern here? I've had like 15 devices in the past 3-4 years, and what do you know: last week I grabbed a Verizon LG G2 from someone on craigslist for $50, near mint condition, then slapped CloudyG2 on it and it's running about as perfectly as one could dare hope a smartphone could run. Unlocked from the factory (as all Verizon devices are since the summer of 2013) and with my T-Mobile SIM card in it, pulling down 70-90Mbps on LTE (30-35Mbps using HSPA+ which I use most of the time because of the coverage here in Las Vegas - not that LTE is bad or anything but HSPA+ is just fine with me and better on the battery).

The first time I used a G2 many years ago, it took like 5 minutes to get used to the buttons on the back (where I think they really should be but that's my opinion on it), and even less time to realize that KnockOn/Off is the greatest thing ever in a smartphone and back then as well as now I still wonder why every smartphone doesn't do it natively. Yes I know other companies are finally coming around and adding the feature with the name "double tap 2 wake/sleep" or DT2W/S but LG invented it and LG still does it better than anybody else (again, my opinion).

It's practically irritating whenever I happen to use someone else's non-LG smartphone for even a few moments at a time and tap-tap and nothing happens, it's just frustrating really.

Got no issues with LG's "skin" from the G2 era but it definitely improved with the release of the G3 (which is what this CloudyG2 ROM is based upon), it's functional, it works, it doesn't get in the way, it's laid out logically and I have no problems with it at all. Can't stand the other interfaces on other devices like Touchwiz (Samsung) and Sense (HTC). Yes pure Android is fine too and the LG UX 3.0 (from the G3 as noted) works just fine for me.

The G5 is a major disappointment to me, from the moment I saw it introduced in the keynote address earlier this year my immediate reaction was "No, you moved the buttons, no, no, just... no." and that was that. I don't care about the modular crap - having a "standard" design with a back cover that you can take off/replace/swap, a removable/replaceable battery that sits inside the body of the phone under the cover, microSD (yes the G5 still has that), and rear mounted controls, that's what they should have stuck with. I don't know what the fuck someone at LG was smoking or drinking or ingesting but, I think they are now well aware that it was a huge mistake and it's hurting them. Just saw a report the other day about how much of a failure the G5 is turning out to be so far and it'll only get worse as time passes. With only the camera module available here in the US (according to the report) it's like they crippled it on purpose which is baffling to me considering.

So, this G2 I have once again (the Verizon model is the only one that supports wireless charging natively which is nice considering I did have a Qi pad I wasn't putting to any use) is working damned near perfectly, I will end up replacing the battery at some point (this specific G2 I have was manufactured in May 2014, battery dated April 2014 so it's coming up on that point where it should be replaced). Got Xposed installed now with Physical Button Music Control to handle all my audio playback controls using only the volume rockers (and some other things too), taking great shots from the camera using Mi2Raw, I'm a happy camper once again.

I would say I have hope that LG will turn things around, honestly I want another G4 here sometime soon, that to me is my perfect smartphone and I regret selling the one I had earlier this year tremendously. Never found the V10 that appealing overall so if I can land a great deal on another G4 that'll be a keeper for the future.

Funny thing: whenever I see people with an LG device I comment on it and show 'em my G2, we both smile and have a laugh - I don't see people with other brands doing that but then again that could just be my way of doing things.

Mediocre screens, cameras that were good but required you to do work on them for them to look great, average to shitty battery life oh and have I mentioned mediocre screens? The brightness always sucked and colors weren't that amazing either.

LG has made some good phones, but they always have some glaring issues.

AltTabbins said:

-dropped the ball with the G5 build quality
-over sharpened the G3 screen to the point where I had to return it because it gave me migraines.
-laggy ui in the G3
-no app drawer in G5? Wtf?

It's been a back and forth battle trying to like LG. I thought the nexus 5 was hands sow their best phone.

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Not to mention the GPS chip was utter garbage in the Sprint G2 variant that I had (LS980)
had to be literally plastered to a window in order to keep navigation running.

Some PC case manufacturers also don't get their due compared to others, then it turns out they quietly had excellent cases for six years, etc.

The good news is the G5 price new, but from a third party tanked and it's about $400 like the 32GB Nexus 5 in 2013 and winter 2014. But it is better, a much more powerful SoC and it is metal. Root is available.

I'm not sure what the V12 will have on the back but I know they can make it a NON-removable battery and metal with antenna lines, which is apparently popular.

They should release more P-OLED phones like the G Flex 2 but now with the SD820 and Adreno 530.

Some peeps remember all the shitty LG cd-rom drives from long ago.

No one remember's what LG stands for? Lucky Goldstar?

All credit can be withdrawn on that branding alone

My G3 has been great. Picked up a new fresh battery and since 6.0 dropped finally, the phone has been rock solid. I picked up a used G4 off swappa for 180$ for my wife. Expandable Storage, 3GB ram, and removable battery. I think if LG moved to a more premium build and drop some of the gimmicks and focusing on the core features that make phones great, they could be great again. Go back to what made the G2/G3/G4 and improve from their.

I still don't know why LG name their flagship phone series as "G" other than maybe to confuse people wanting to buy Galaxies.

LG gets plenty of credit where it's due, they just have a hard time competing directly with Samsung, no matter how hard they may try. Samsung has the distinct advantage of owning and manufacturing their own class-leading SAMOLED displays, as well as their own SoCs when Qualcomm fails to deliver (see 2015's 810). Given that these are what make up some of the most critical components of a phone, it puts LG (and everyone else) at a distinct disadvantage.

But personally, what turns me off to LG phones consistently, at least for the past few years of their flagship launches, their phones tank hard and fast in price. I've noted that on the G2, G3, and G4 phones, they have all pretty much been available for free on contract (when those still existed) or for about half of their initial launch price (around $250-$350) within the first few months of availability. I think I was seeing LG promos last winter for the G4 where you could almost make money from buying a G4 with the $200 gift cards they were giving away along with promo codes for $100-$200 off contract price (may have been a Verizon exclusive deal though, can't remember). So why dafuq would I buy an LG phone new soon after it launches when I know it's not going to be worth a damn in a couple months?

The G4 is still a good phone though and I know a few people with them and have been happy with it, but LG goof't hard on the G5. Kudos to them for trying something new and different, but their execution left a lot to be desired. I mean, if you're going to make a modular phone, you need to have more than one friggin module available at launch (at least in the US), and as I have gathered, they have yet to launch any additional ones still. They would have been much better off putting a decent DAC in the G5 to begin with (like the V10) and a larger battery with a normal removable back. Moto seems to have shown them up pretty good with their implementation where you don't have to power down and remove your battery just to swap out the modules. Plus the display and build quality on the G5 seems to be the worst among all the other 2016 flagships.

I used to love my LG flip phones, but their early stab at custom UI Android phonies just looked like shit compared to Touchwiz. It's gotten much better, but then...

...I hated the move to rear buttons, which make no fucking sense if you ever set the phone down anywhere. Can't access anything without picking the thing up, and planting your fingers.

I'd say a lot of it is down to inconsistency.

This is a company that gets visibly uncomfortable with success. It can't help but mess with a good design, and then when that bad follow-up tanks, it makes the quality device it should have had the last time around... and repeats the cycle. G2 was a great balance? Try way too hard with the G3's display. The G4 is everything the G3 should have been, and more? Give the G5 a weird modular design and generally make it feel like a step backward.

When you do that, you make customers hesitant to buy in. Sure, the G4 you bought last year was superb, but who knows whether or not the G6 you'll get to replace it will be any good? Say what you will about Apple and Samsung being conservative, but they at least know the importance of setting expectations.

defaultluser said:

...I hated the move to rear buttons, which make no fucking sense if you ever set the phone down anywhere. Can't access anything without picking the thing up, and planting your fingers.

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You doubletap the screen to wake and a good app should have lock screen controls.

I've got a G4 and like it a lot.

Before that, I had (still have) a Galaxy S5. When I got that, it was between the G3 and the S5. The S5 won out because of the crap performance of the G3 because the screen was too high resolution for the GPU.

singe_101 said:

You doubletap the screen to wake and a good app should have lock screen controls.

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So instead of every app universally using the side volume controls, you have to hope for software volume controls somewhere on the screen, and not always in the same place.

No, fuck that noise. That's why LG put them back on the side with the G5

They just can't leave good enough alone, and had to tinker with that stupid expansion slot. Otherwise, I'd have considered one.

The G3 is the best phone I've ever had.

How does one determine credit? Isn't this incredibly subjective? What if I were to say they are currently ranked lower than samsung, nexus line phones, and apple. So they actually get the right amount of credit at the moment. You can't live off the coat tails of 2013 forever. What have you done for me lately?

Yes, I forgot to add Knock On/Off, simply the greatest feature ever in a phone and of course was copied by others like many of LG innovations. On my Nexus 6 now I run a custom rom + kernel to enable that feature since I can't live without it.

I gave my brother my Verizon G2, like the above poster said the VS980 is unlocked by default and it didn't have GPS issues or camera issues. I put CloudyG3 on it ~1 year ago and it works just as great as my Nexus or indeed any other phone. Plus the LG skin/launcher has nice features which we use and there was an updated camera I found on XDA, apparently the hardware in the phone was more capable than stock camera app used it for.

My friend has a G3 and very happy with it as well. I know LG phones drop fast in price but that is the result of them not being popular and having to discount phones on launch.

LG also has a fantastic smart case with window that is very useful, it only cost ~$5 on ebay.

I had a G2 and absolutely loved it. The knock on/off was the greatest thing, and really gave me second thoughts about jumping ship to another phone that didn't support a similar feature out of the box. I currently have a Galaxy Note 5 and I can say hands down it's a best phone i've ever used, i've gotten used to needing to hit a button to wake up the screen.

I think you can enable double tap to wake on newer Samsung phones without needing root, there are some apps on play store.

LG fires executives because of the G5
LG fires executives because of the G5 | Pocketnow

Not surprising. LG really needs more of a top-level philosophical shift than anything. Stop leaning so much on gimmicks and just make a better phone. That's part of why Apple and Samsung are heavyweights. Not that they're immune to gimmicky things (3D Touch and curved screens, anyone?), but those are simply one part of what's ultimately a good device. An iPhone 6s is still very fast, takes good photos and has useful features like Apple Pay and Touch ID. A Galaxy S7 Edge is still a very fast, very size-efficient phone that takes great photos. The G5 and the V10 aren't bad phones, but they share the same problem: there isn't much reason to get them if you don't want the gimmick, and the gimmick is neither very useful nor likely to be supported for more than several more months.

Samsung became a heavy weight due to marketing... And they are gimmicky heavy too. So the difference is mostly marketing.

CHANG3D said:

Samsung became a heavy weight due to marketing... And they are gimmicky heavy too. So the difference is mostly marketing.

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They're definitely gimmick-heavy, but Samsung has been toning it down over time and thrives on a certain amount of consistency. Marketing plays a part, too, but I can't help but think that LG's uneven performance sabotages what chance it has at drawing people away. You can go with the 'old reliable' Samsung... or you can go with the freaky LG phone that doesn't really do anything special.

Aurelius said:

They're definitely gimmick-heavy, but Samsung has been toning it down over time and thrives on a certain amount of consistency. Marketing plays a part, too, but I can't help but think that LG's uneven performance sabotages what chance it has at drawing people away. You can go with the 'old reliable' Samsung... or you can go with the freaky LG phone that doesn't really do anything special.

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I go to WorstBuy or my carrier, you know what I see? An entire section of the shop with SAMSUNG emblazoned over it and dedicated to adverting only their devices.

How about LG? LOL.

An HTC thread last year was probably bleak, I don't actually dislike the V10 or G5 but they can improve.

Well I mean their "modular" accessories are terrible. Motorola makes LG's attempt look like a joke. LG is just always mediocre. They have some good parts but most of their phone is just average.

Some of their units look good. For me and I know this won't apply to everyone, if it's not water resistant it's a deal breaker. I'm an outdoorsman and need durability. Two, not having buttons on the sides is another deal breaker.

Loved my G4 until it started bootlooping on me this week.

LG admits G4 bootloop problem is a hardware fault, will repair affected devices

How many people will want the Moto Z over the HTC Nexus? Won't it be back to $600?

Or Axon 7, OP3.

G4's bootloop mess and the subsequent warranty service dealing is the most annoying thing imaginable if/when it happens (and it has to me too during the 12 month period I've had it) but otherwise the phone is near perfect still. No need for G5. And indeed, you've got to congratulate LG for the switchable battery and SD card, those are my amongst my top priorities in these devices anyway.

singe_101 said:

How many people will want the Moto Z over the HTC Nexus? Won't it be back to $600?

Or Axon 7, OP3.

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I definitely want the Moto Z Force Droid. The battery pack and speaker attachments are a slam dunk for travelers. And of course the water resistance which is a must.