LG G2 Unboxing and Initial Review: Rear Key an Innovation or Gimmick?

LG G2… Unboxed!

We finally got our hands on the LG G2 a few days ago and we could barely contain our excitement when we were unboxing it. This device is definitely intriguing since it has a very different design. Instead of having the controls and buttons on the sides where they’re traditionally located, LG put the volume rocker and the power lock just below the primary camera at the center of the back. According to them this is the more natural way of holding and using a smartphone. We’ll definitely put that to the test during our full review. For now we’d like to share with everyone our unboxing.

Before we get to the review here’s a quick look again at the specs:

LG G2 Spec Sheet

2.3GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU
Adreno 330 GPU
2GB RAM
32GB Internal Storage, Non-Expandable
5.2-inch Tru-HD IPS+ LCD Display, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
1920 x 1080 resolution, 424 pixels per inch
WiFi, WiFi Hotspot, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0, NF, GPS/aGPS
3G, HSPA+, 4G, LTE
13.0-megapixels primary camera with LED Flash, OIS
Records Full HD 1080p video @ 60 fps
2.1-megapixels secondary camera
Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2
3,000 Non-removable Battery

Definitely not a slouch. That 3,000mAh battery also looks yummy.

Packaging and Unboxing

LG’s thrust for practicality extends even to the box of the LG G2. Instead of the usual sealed tight rectangular box, they had the top lid taper upwards so that you’ll have an easy time popping the lid open during the unboxing. Definitely have to give LG some props for that one. Makes life easier for tech bloggers like us, hehe. In terms of box design they did away with the usual product hero shot up front and just plastered a colorful LG G2 logo on it. Technical specifications are still listed on the back of the box.

For the unboxing we definitely had an easier time opening the box because of the tapered lid. Once we removed the cover we were immediately greeted by the gorgeous black surface of the LG G2 (albeit covered in the usual ugly screen protector with images and text). We quickly picked the phone up, removed all the tape (there’s a lot), and started to play around with the rear buttons. More on this later.

Unfortunately there are no freebies. We found the usual stuff inside: USB to micro USB, wall charger, a SIM tray pin key tool, earphones, and manuals. Global brands like LG can definitely learn a thing or two from the local players. Putting in freebies like screen protectors, micro SD cards, and cases is always an awesome gesture that can earn them loyal customers.

Hardware Initial Impressions

Volume rocker and power lock below the camera

The biggest differentiator of the LG G2 is the hardware design. As we mentioned earlier LG removed the buttons form the sides and neatly positioned them below the rear-facing camera at the top center location of the back of the device. It took us a few minutes to get used to it but after the initial learning curve it definitely felt for natural controlling volume and power lock via the buttons at the back. There was also much less accidental “ons”, “offs”, and volume spikes. In short… the Rear Key idea for the LG G2 actually works, and it works well! We’ll try out other uses of the Rear Key during the full review.

Here’s a video of LG showing how you can use Rear Key:

In terms of form factor, the LG G2 is not the thinnest smartphone in its class. It’s around 8.9mm thick which is just okay (not too thick, not too thin). The chassis is unfortunately mostly made of glossy plastic which is a magnet for fingerprint smudges.

Up front we have the 5.2-inch display which is just fantastic. Colors come out really well. Definitely the best display LG has put on a smartphone.

Software Initial Impressions

We’ve only been playing around with it for a day but based on our initial tests we can say that the LG G2 delivers a near-flawless Android experience. We only encountered a lag spike once and that was when we were trying to look for a specific person in our 4,000-strong contacts list. Other than that all the animations and transitions were blazing fast and apps loaded without any issues.