The LG G3 is a tough act to follow, as it was one of the first phones with a QHD screen, as well as featuring an innovative camera with a super-fast laser autofocus.
To ensure that the LG G4 is a decent successor, LG had to do more than just match and upgrade those features, it also needed to impress us with some genuine innovation - and that's no small task.
Thankfully it's a challenge that the LG G4 has risen to, as it's taken many of the best bits from the LG G3, like its screen, and not only improved on them but added various new bells and whistles too.
So is the LG G4 an improvement in every conceivable way, or has it just got a shiny new coat of paint? We put the two phones head to head to find out.
The LG G4 looks distinctly different to the LG G3 and that can only be a good thing, given that we weren't huge fans of the G3's lightweight plastic chassis, and the metallic effect on the G3's shell looks nice but isn't entirely convincing in the hand.
The LG G4 replaces the G3's faux-metal with a vegetable-tanned leather back (similar to the Moto X), which looks and feels far more premium and combined with a gentle curve it's designed to provide a more comfortable grip.
The LG G4 is also available in two leather variants; brown and black, with the former looking more impressive, but the latter feeling more rugged (and also feels nicer to hold).
But if you were a fan of the G3's polycarbonate LG has also produced a plastic version of the G4, with the same metallic design as the G3 (as well as one with a ceramic look).
Unfortunately the leather is too thinly stretched over the back of the phone, which results in that version of the LG G4 not feeling as premium as it should.
As with the G3, the G4's polycarbonate body also feels slightly cheap, especially when pitted against other flagship handsets with metal bodies such as the HTC One M9.
Whichever option you go for LG promises that the G4 is 20% stronger than the G3, though it's also slightly larger and heavier, at 154g and 149.1 x 75.3 x 8.9mm.
The LG G3 on the other hand is 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm and 149g; it's not a huge difference but then the G3 itself isn't a small phone, so the LG G4 definitely isn't the handset for fans of compact designs.
However while the LG G3 feels like it is just on the edge of being too big, the LG G4 has been curved to make it feel a little more comfortable to use with one hand.
There's less to choose between the screens, as both phones have a 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 QHD display. But as a discerning phone buyer you know there's more to screens than size and pixels, as while the LG G3 has a True HD IPS+ LCD screen, the LG G4 goes one step further with something called an IPS Quantum display.
According to LG that makes it 20% richer and 25% brighter than the screen on the LG G3, which also improves outdoor visibility. Plus it has 50% greater contrast and consumes less power.
In reality the LG G4's screen is simply stunning and a huge improvement over the LG G3's rather dark screen.
It's also 98% compliant with DCI (digital cinema initiatives), making it almost the same class as a cinema screen. This means colours look rich and vibrant, and thanks to the curved display that uses reinforced glass, it makes it (according to LG's numbers) 30% more robust.
That's all very good news, because as impressive as the LG G3's screen is resolution-wise it's not perfect and in particular suffers from a drop off in brightness when not viewed straight on.
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LG has made the slightly surprising decision to use the 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 in the LG G4, rather than the octa-core Snapdragon 810 favoured by the likes of the HTC One M9.
Despite being a slightly lower end chip LG promises no slowdown and given that it's coupled with 3GB of RAM we can believe that.
The LG G3 wasn't exactly lacking for power either, with its 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM, but we did notice some lag in the interface. The LG G4 has the older handset well beat in the performance stakes, with the lag that plagued the LG G3 absent from the G4.
Storage is a real highlight of the G4, as not only does it have 32GB built in, but it has a microSD card slot and supports up to 200GB of expansion. That's a whole lot of space.
The 16GB LG G3 can't quite match that, but it supports a respectable 128GB of expansion with a microSD card.
LG has big camera ambitions - that was clear from the LG G3 - and it's even more so with the LG G4. The G3 has a 13MP snapper with optical image stabilisation and a laser autofocus for instant focusing.
But the LG G4 has a 16MP sensor with an f/1.8 lens aperture, which is a big improvement on the G3's f/2.4 aperture and allows far more light in for superior low-light performance.
Like the LG G3 it has optical image stabilisation, but it's better than ever in the LG G4 with a higher tolerance for shaking, so images come out sharp and blur free.
The LG G4 also has some fancy new modes and features, like light and object recognition, lots of manual mode options to give you more control and options like 'Quick Shot', which lets you take a photo by double tapping the rear key even when the phone is locked.
If the LG G4 isn't locked, then it lets you load the camera in just 0.6 seconds, making it one of the fastest smartphones for picking up and shooting, although when it is locked this time extends to 2 seconds.
In practise the LG G4 has a fantastic camera that compares favourably to other flagship handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6.
The LG G4's camera performs very well in low light conditions, but in bright scenes it really impresses, and although the LG G3's camera is no slouch, the newer handset's snapper is a clear improvement.
The LG G4's front-facing camera is an upgrade over the G3's too, as while the LG G3 has just a 2.1MP sensor the LG G4 has an 8MP wide-angle one.
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On paper the battery should be exactly the same in each phone, as both the LG G4 and the LG G3 have 3000mAh juice packs, and in an increasingly rare move both are removable.
We were hopeful that the LG G4 would have longer life than the G3, as while there's no change to the battery the G4 should be less power hungry and offer a more efficient processor too.
However we found that the LG G4 is just as poor at holding on to its charge as the LG G3, with a full day of moderate use leaving the G4 with just 15% battery and sometimes less.
The demanding high resolution screen can shoulder a lot of the blame for this, but it seems that the LG G4 hasn't been optimised as well as the G3, meaning that the older handset has the edge when it comes to holding on to its battery. Hopefully LG will release software improvements soon that will eke out more battery from the G4.
Some versions of the LG G3 also came with wireless charging features, something that is sadly missing from the LG G4.
Most of the features that we haven't already mentioned are aspects of the interface. The LG G4 takes most of the good stuff from the G3, but adds new things like Smart Board, which combines key information from various apps and displays it all on a single widget, and Smart Alert, which provides activity suggestions based on the weather, your location and your interests.
Both phones also feature LG's innovative rear key, which is designed to be easier to hit than side-mounted buttons but can take a bit of getting used to.
The LG G4 was always almost guaranteed to be a better phone than the LG G3 on the strength of its specs and features, and now that we've had a chance to try out the LG G4 we can confirm that it is indeed a more accomplished smartphone.
More importantly it has fixed some of the biggest issues with LG's last handset, such as its slightly disappointing screen and not particularly premium design.
The LG G3 will still be available to buy for the next year or so, and will cost a lot less too - so if you're desperate to buy something from the double-lettered brand, check out our review of the LG G4 before making a decision over which LG is the handset for you.
The LG G4 may get more competition this year...from LG
LG finally announced its newest flagship, the LG G4, at dual events in New York and London.
But what do you care where it was announced? What you really want to know is where you can actually get the LG G4 for yourself.
Luckily availability for the new LG flagship is wide, and we have all the info for US residents looking to pick one up.
The "un-carrier" was quick to send out a press release after LG's G4 announcement event.
T-Mobile said it will launch the G4 "this spring," but more importantly the carrier is also launching a sweepstakes that will let users get their hands on it early.
Customers can sign up on t-mobile.com for a chance to win the phone early. The carrier is giving away one a day until May 25.
In addition T-Mobile is the only US carrier selling the brown leather-backed version, according to its announcement, as well as the metallic gray version.
Sprint highlighted the LG G4's impressive camera in its own announcement, which like T-Mobile's was light on actual release details.
Sprint was slightly more specific, though: it hopes to launch the LG G4 in June, with more details on release date and pricing "in the coming weeks."
The carrier will sell the G4 in metallic gray and black leather.
In typical Verizon style, the carrier posted just a short tweet after LG's G4 announcement.
"#LGG4 with Advanced Calling for HD Voice and Video is coming soon to Verizon Wireless," it says, revealing little.
At least they included a fancy GIF showing various color options. You can sign up for alerts from Verizon regarding the LG G4 here.
US Cellular made no formal announcements regarding the LG G4, but the company did let TechRadar know that it will get its version of the handset out to customers in June.
We haven't heard official word from AT&T yet, but we've reached out to the other biggest US carrier and we'll update this article when we hear back.
LG has officially announced the G4 flagship, almost a year after the company wowed the smartphone world with the G3. As you would expect the G4 features the best that technology can muster right now and it is certainly a stellar handset in all aspects. However, since the G3 threw down the gauntlet last year, Korean rival Samsung has responded with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Can the G4 match those? Only time will really tell, but in the meantime how does LG?s new flagship match up to the competition.
LG has now officially shown off its new flagship handset to the world at simultaneous events in New York and London.
Despite being possibly the most leaked handset in history the excitement for a follow up to the well received LG G3 has been palpable.
Check out our hands-on review of the LG G4 where we give our initial impressions.
LG's G4 will be stocked by the Carphone Warehouse but it hasn't revealed any of the pricing details just yet.
It'll be available from launch on May 28 whille the black leather version will be offered as an exclusive from June 30.
You can register your interest here for the LG G4 to find out all the latest pricing details and updates.
The bubbly network has confirmed it'll be stocking the LG G4 in Metallic Grey and holds exclusivity on the Genuine Leather Brown option.
Pricing options haven't been revealed yet but existing G3 owners can trade in their handset for £130 credit against the new phone.
Three has now confirmed it will be stocking the LG G4 and it will have exclusivity on the white ceramic version until the end of June.
Three offers benefits such as the Feel At Home feature, which offers your calls, texts and data in 18 different countries around the world as if it was the UK.
Vodafone has now confirmed it'll be stocking the new LG G4 but the network hasn't let us know any details of pricing just yet.
The UK's largest 4G network has not revealed whether it will be stocking the LG G4 but we're bound to see it appear in the coming weeks.
TalkTalk has been in contact to confirm it will be stocking the LG G4 but hasn't confirmed any pricing details or which versions it will stock yet.
Clove is stocking the LG G4 with the first batch of orders heading out on May 28. Colour options for the handset include the tan leather version for £525 or the Titan Black and Black Gold options for £500 each.
Check out all the options on Clove's official site here.
Online retailer Unlocked Mobiles has also confirmed it will be stocking the LG G4 with shipments going out from May 25. You can pick up the LG G4 SIM-Free in Metallic Grey or Gold for £499.87 whilst the Black Leather version will cost you £529.87.
You can purchase the phone from Unlocked Mobiles here.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 isn't a perfect phone, but with its combination of a stunning design, a great screen and a brilliant camera it is the best phone in the world right now; though, you never know, that may change when we review the LG G4.
With a stylish new design of its own, plus a top-end screen and a great camera, the LG G4 seems prepared to go blow for blow with Samsung's best. So how do these two superphones really compare? Let's find out.
The leather-backed LG G4 can't help but stand out from the crowd, as it's a more unusual material choice than the metal and plastic found on most smartphones. Adding to its slightly unusual appearance is a gently curved back and screen, which is undeniably premium, but also large and heavy at 149.1 x 75.3 x 8.9mm and 154g.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a more conventional, but no less stylish, design, with a metal frame and glass back. The glass looks good, with an almost gemstone-like quality to it, though it can be a fingerprint magnet.
At 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm and 136g it's smaller, lighter and a whole lot slimmer than LG's latest. The smaller size is arguably a good thing and the slim build certainly looks good but it comes at the cost of a smaller battery.
There's a big 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 QHD IPS Quantum display on the LG G4. That's bigger than the 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Samsung Galaxy S6, but it's the same resolution.
Typically Samsung's screens are brighter and richer than LG's, but the G4 is supposedly 25% brighter and richer than the G3, so LG could be closing the gap. It's also 98% DCI (digital cinema initiatives) compliant, making it almost the same class as a cinema screen.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 in comparison is apparently 110% compliant according to LG, with more oversaturated and less natural colours, though the S6 doesn have the ability to tone down that effect.
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In theory the Samsung Galaxy S6 should have the LG G4 beat here, as it has a 64-bit octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, with four cores clocked at 2.1GHz and four at 1.5GHz, while the LG G4 has a 64-bit 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 chip.
Given that the Galaxy S6 beats even Snapdragon 810-packing devices in benchmarks it seems likely that it's a more powerful phone than the LG G4, but it's not always that simple, as elements like the UI can play a big role in how laggy the response is under the finger.
In any case they're both very powerful handsets and both have 3GB of RAM, allowing them to multi-task effectively too.
As for storage the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a choice of 32, 64 or 128GB built in, while the LG G4 only comes in one size: 32GB. But the LG G4 also has a microSD card slot and supports cards of up to 200GB, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 has no room for expansion. That's a big win for LG's phone.
Both Samsung and LG have put a lot of work into their flagship's cameras. The LG G4 has a 16MP rear camera with OIS 2.0, which is supposedly better than older optical image stabilisation modules. It also features laser autofocus for speedy focusing and it has an f/1.8 lens aperture, allowing it to capture a lot of light.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 also has a 16MP camera with optical image stabilisation, though from what LG is saying its version of OIS may be better. Samsung's camera won't likely fare as well in low light either, as it has an f/1.9 lens aperture.
Having said that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is no slouch in poor lighting, so we'll have to see how the G4 compares in practice.
Both phones are jam-packed full of shooting modes and options, such as an impressive Bokeh effect on the Galaxy S6 and a gesture shot on the LG G4, which takes four selfies in quick succession. Both also have pro modes (or Expert mode as it's called on the LG G4) with a selection of manual controls.
On paper the LG G4's snapper sounds better in a number of ways, for example its Panorama mode takes 104MP shots, while the S6's takes 60MP photos, but the Galaxy S6's camera is hugely impressive, so we'll reserve judgement until we've properly tested the G4's.
The selfie wars are ongoing, with the LG G4 looking promising there too, with an 8MP camera to Samsung's 5MP one.
As great as the Samsung Galaxy S6 is its battery disappoints. At 2550mAh it's not massive, in fact, it's smaller than the battery in the Galaxy S5. It's also slightly underwhelming in practice as while you'll get a full working day of moderate use out of it you'll probably be charging it most nights.
The LG G4 on the other hand has a much more reasonable 3000mAh juice pack and while it's got to power a larger screen LG reckons it should be able to last for up to 19.5 hours of talk time, which is pretty good if true, so there's a good chance it's got the Galaxy S6 beat. Plus while the S6's battery is sealed in the G4's is removable. Win.
The rear key is one of the biggest features of the LG G4, as it was on the LG G3 and the LG G2. It's designed to be easier to reach than the more conventionally placed buttons on the Samsung Galaxy S6 and most other phones.
But the Samsung Galaxy S6 arguably has more stand-out features. There's the amazingly accurate fingerprint scanner for one, which is set to get even more useful once Samsung Pay fully launches.
The Galaxy S6 also has a heart rate monitor, though we can't shake the feeling that it's a bit of a gimmick.
The LG G4 doesn't have as much in the way of hardware features, but both companies have given their phones UI's a long hard look, with Samsung stripping TouchWiz down to make it cleaner and more intuitive, while LG has packed in more features, like Smart Board, which aims to save you from jumping between apps by presenting key information from several of them on a single widget.
If we're talking sales the Samsung Galaxy S6 is always going to be the winner. It's a bigger brand with a bigger marketing budget.
But the LG G4 stands up well to it on paper, with a similar screen resolution (if not sharper), a theoretically better camera, a bigger battery and a microSD card slot, which the Galaxy S6 lacks.
Like the S6 the LG G4 also sports a premium design, which largely fixes one of the biggest problems of its predecessor - although leather is going to be a divisive material of choice.
But the Samsung Galaxy S6 may still have it beat on power and it arguably has a more compelling feature set - this is a battle that's set to rumble on.
We already knew just about everything there was to know about the LG G4, but the leather-clad smartphone has just been officially revealed.
Facing front, this doesn't look like a smartphone that's shaking things up massively, though LG says its its 5.5-inch QHD Quantum LCD is the first on a smartphone. As for the internals: a Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
There's a decent 3000mAh battery to boot and a 16MP camera with bright f/1.8 aperture that LG spent most of its press conference singing about.
Turn it around, however, and you've got a vegetable tanned leather (not faux leather, Samsung) back that LG hopes will differentiate its phone from the billion other on the market.
The phone comes running Android Lollipop, as you would expect, which includes a number of LG's personal tweak. For example, the phone will now organise your photos by 'memory', while another widget tells you when apps are draining battery power when the screen is off.
Finally, G4 owners will get 100GB of free Google Drive space for two years, which isn't to be sniffed at.
Our live blog has finished, but you can catch up below...
16.47 - Think we're wrapping up now. Phew. Now for some hands on magic. Thanks all!
16.45 - This is excruciating. Everyone is salivating over it, and the video is lower quality to make it seem they were completely natural. They even had a footballer wearing a shirt with LG emblazoned on it.
Yep, he loved it too.
16.43 - Hearing from 'normal people' now. There's some guy who keeps saying how young he is. Yes, we get it, you're a teenager.
Weirdly everyone loves it. Ha, someone just called it 'aerodynamic'.
16.42 - Mirrorlink is on board. Brief mention of that. Doesn't look like LG is making a big deal of that. 100GB of Google Drive space on board - LG is talking about it like it invented the cloud.
16.39 - The LG UX 4.0 is up now, 'customising to you'. It organises your pictures by 'memory' - creating albums for you and the Smart Notice letting you know when albums have been created. Not sure why that's a good thing.
The better news: scrolling through loads of photos won't be a slow, sluggish affair. That's a better thing.
16.36 - When the display is showing a static image, the CPU goes to sleep, and the new LCD structure allows more light through, so the backlight can be lower - and save the battery.
The Smart Notice feature will also tell you when the battery is being sucked away by rogue apps. 11% battery improvement over last year's G3. Will that be enough though? The G3 was no great shakes for power management, lest we forget.
16.34 - Talking all about the display now - LG is using the Digital Cinemas Initiative colour standard, with 20% better colour reproduction than competitors, according to LG. Coughlin thinks the competition will be 'trying to catch' up - maybe.
The brightness is 25%, the contrast up 50% and in-cell touch (for faster response) and better outdoor visibility.
16.33 - Now we're seeing all the selfie business - it's an 8MP snapper that seems like it's pretty much designed for selfie sticks, thanks to the gesture recognition to take the pic. *sigh*.
16,31 - Hearing about the camera now from a 'humanitarian photographer' - Colby Brown - he's all about the camera, saying it can let users take great, professional photos with a smartphone camera.
I've heard this so many times. It's never happened. Otherwise cameras wouldn't be a thing any more.
16.28 - RAW support is on board, which we'd expected after the launch of the new version of Android. And it can also let you draw with light - and guess what? There's a microSD slot for more space for your photos! Removable battery and microSD - this war just WON'T GO AWAY.
16.26 - Seeing it compared to 'competitor B' now. That's clearly Samsung. Which is odd, as I'd have thought the S6 would have taken a better picture than that. The G4 can interpret RGB better than most other cameras - combining with IR to... wait, Coughlin is just saying words now. He's trying to blind us with science.
Just say it's got a good camera, and move on. We can't explain this to the normal people that don't care.
16.24 - Thankfully LG is on the low-light, large sensor game. 40% larger than some others, and one of the best with the f1.8 sensor. The optical image stabilisation has been super boosted, with 3D movement and further movement allowed - that sounds like it could be a really good feature.
More light in? Excellent!
16.23 - Learning now. 'Phos' means light, 'graphos' means light, so photography is light drawing. Weirdly this phone can do just that. I see what LG did there.
16.21 - Onto the camera now - the laser autofocus is back, and the camera will launch in just 0.6 seconds - which is 0.1 seconds faster than Galaxy S6. Just shouted out the Samsung by laughing at brands that let you open the camera by double tapping the home button, rather than the rear key LG has.
Come on guys, you're better than mocking Sams... oh, wait, no. You love that.
16.20 - There's also ceramic plastic with metallic finish - with a diamond effect to make it look premium. I don't know why the brand is shying away from metal here. I do like the fact it's trying to do something different, but at the same time this is going to divide consumers.
16.18 - The back is where LG thinks it can differentiate. It 'sought out colours and finishes to represent warmth.' It also spent three months working out a new way of using leather in a phone, using vegetable tanning in the full grain leather.
LG keeps going on about craftmanship, but it's still a leather phone. The Moto X came in leather and it really got bruised easily, but LG reckons it will let you 'impart a part of yourself into it'.
16.15 - Here comes the justification of the leather back - calling normal phones 'monolithic block' with fingerprints magnetising to it, and being really boring in terms of design. LG's Andrew Coughlin, head of Mobile LG UK, thinks the arced design is 20% more durable.
The removable battery is back - apparently in response to consumer battery. 3000mAh battery, with 'minimal compromise'.
16.14 - Apparently there's so much more we haven't heard about the LG G4. Asking us 'if we believe everything we read on the web'. Yes, LG - that's because you put it on there.
16.13 - Quick shot looks good - super fast from lock screen to taking a snap. That looks fast enough to rival the 0.7 seconds of the Samsung Galaxy S6.
16.11 - Watching some drone footage now captured with the G4. It's got a colour spectrum sensor to automatically help you get the best picture, manual mode to let you shoot in more depth than ever before, a super low-light f1.8 sensor and the 2K IPS Quantum display that's even brighter than before.
UI is overhauled - Smart Bulletin and Smart Notice are upgraded. I wonder if they'll do anything more than let me know the shipping forecast isn't available.
16.10 - Qualcomm chap on stage now through video - he's all about the G4. Improved GPS, powering the QHD display without munching the battery, better graphics... blah blah blah. We've heard this all before. He's congratulating LG for making the G4. Well done them.
16.07 - The IPS Quantum display is one of the best on the market, offering 2K display and making it 25% brighter than last year's dark-fest.
16.06 - Some more buzzwords for you: comfortable elegance. Woohoo - the laser is back! Lasercam f1.8 - the closest they've ever come to emulating the naked eye...
16.05 - Leather, plastic, screen, camera - all confirmed according to this video.
16.04 - The goal of the G4: not just to show technology, but must be based on understanding the user and those that benefit from it. 'Innovation for a better life'. Tag line there, people.
Brian promises this phone gives him more pleasure than anything. Here it comes... the LG G4!
16.02 - Gabby's seen the phone. She's caressed it. She promises we won't be disappointed. Brian Na, pres of LG Electronics Europe, just trotted out.
16.00 - And we're off! Traditional LG boomy music, inspiring magic and some other sorcery. There's a light that's flickering around people's heads. They're all frozen in time. It's a magic light that can freeze people.
The G4 will have the ability to stop time. Hey, Gabby Logan is here in London!
15.59 - it's about to kick off. Any second. Although we all know what's going to happen. IMAGINE IF LG HAD BOUGHT SAMSUNG. Wouldn't have seen that coming.
15.56 - I'm finally in. There are pictures of the G4 everywhere. Actually, an LG exec was showing it off outside earlier. Pics here...
15.27 - we're mingling with the growing throng of people looking to get their eyes on the new LG G4. I've had a canapé. We're flying.
Sony fans were surely left disappointed when the Xperia Z4 was only announced for Japan, even if it is almost exactly the same as the Xperia Z3, but all hope may not be lost, as there are signs that it could be released elsewhere, just possibly with a different name.
While browsing the White Paper for the Style Cover Window on Sony's website, juggly.cn spotted that the cover is listed as compatible with the Xperia Z4/Z3+.
Now this is the first we're hearing of a Z3+ and given that the Style Cover Window fits it the dimensions are presumably more or less identical to those of the Xperia Z4.
Add to that the fact the name 'Xperia Z3+' suggests a slightly better version of the Z3, and that the modest upgrades in the Xperia Z4 essentially make it an Xperia Z3+ in all but name, and we could have just stumbled across the international name for the Xperia Z4.
Of course the Xperia Z3+ could be a different device altogether, but whatever it is the name certainly implies that it will be a better phone than the Xperia Z3, which counts out most other known Xperia handsets.
The only possible other fits are the Xperia P2, but that looks set to be a smaller device, or the Xperia Z4 Ultra, which would be bigger and so neither would fit a case designed for the Xperia Z4.
As the name is featured in an official document it's almost certainly a real thing too. This still doesn't really shed any light on if or when we'll see the Xperia Z4/Z3+ internationally, but it gives us hope that it could make the jump.
What is cool? How do we become cool? Why is what was cool a minute ago now uncool and when will it be cool again? How do we make it cool again? Should we sponsor Coachella? Is the iPhone still cool? Shall we make one of those? Are there any chocolate biscuits left?
This is just a selection of questions probably raised during BlackBerry's latest top level phone planning meeting, where execs probably got together to decide what the next BlackBerry phone should be like. So far, there's just one criteria on the table: "It's really about creating the next cool phones," according to CEO John Chen.
But BlackBerry hasn't had a great deal of success in the 'cool' arena lately. Obviously, TechRadar has. Let's help them out:
Slider phones are the equivalent of your dad dancing. They're taking a briefcase to school. They're dress shoes without socks. They're spinach in your teeth. They're falling over on the bus. They're realising you don't know the words when you're already singing along really loudly. They're people who make "but what about international MEN'S day" jokes. They're the worst.
Flip phones are back. With smartphones it's all the features all the time, but the flip phone philosophy is that less is more. Anna Wintour, arch overlord of the fashion world and Keeper Of All Things Cool, has one and 'millennials' are following suit. A sure-fire winner.
Even Drake gets that Drake won't be cool forever, and by the time you've finished designing and making your cool new phone, he'll be gone. Try a different Canadian. Google 'who is the coolest Canadian' and pick whoever comes up first.
Lasers will never not be cool and there's probably some tie-in potential with The Force Awakens, too. Look, we've basically mapped out the entire marketing strategy here. There's really no excuse not to do this.
Have you thought about starting a band? Bands are cool.
Before the day is out the LG G4 will be announced and we'll know exactly what's coming, but if you can't wait a few more hours, the specs have seemingly just been leaked in full.
No, there aren't many surprises here, but perhaps the biggest reveal is that the LG G4 will apparently use a six-core Snapdragon 808 processor rather than an octa-core Snapdragon 810. That has been rumoured before and is a decision that's probably been made because of the overheating issues faced by the 810, but it's still somewhat surprising given that the Snapdragon 808 is a slightly lower-end model.
That's according to a 'trusted source' speaking to Mashable. The source also revealed that the LG G4 will run Android 5.1, have 3GB of DDR3 RAM, 32GB of built in storage and a microSD card slot.
Thankfully the G4 will supposedly have a sizeable 3000mAh battery too, rated for 440 hours of standby or 14 hours of talk time. Unlike most modern phones, it will be removable.
The LG G4 is apparently marginally larger and heavier than its predecessor, at 5.9 x 3 x 0.4 inches (149.86 x 76.2 x 10.16mm) and 5.5 ounces (156g), and it's said to be LTE-A capable, as well as supporting wireless charging, quick charging (when plugged in), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC.
We already know most of the camera and screen details from LG itself, but they're reiterated here, so get ready for an f/1.8 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing one. Meanwhile the screen will be just under 5.5 inches and 1440 x 2560 QHD, which apparently employs new display technology to improve image quality.
That's probably referring to the fact that it's brighter and has a wider colour range than the G3's screen, as LG has already revealed, but there may be other improvements too.
As with any leak you shouldn't take this as gospel, but with the LG G4 set to be announced in just a matter of hours you won't have to wonder for long.
SwiftKey has been correcting spelling mistakes the world over since it first launched on Android in 2010 – but now it wants to go further than fixing individual words.
An experimental new app from the company, entitled Clarity Keyboard, aims to correct full sentences and improve upon the normal typing experience.
The sentence correcting feature is entitled "multi-word autocorrect" and it looks back at your full sentence to see if it is coherent or if you've included some jibberish.
If you tap backspace you'll also undo all the auto changes the app has done. Clarift also automatically learns the way you speak, similar to how SwiftKey works.
The app is still in its early stages and you can download it from the Google Play Store now, but don't expect a solid experience just yet. We've had it downloaded for half an hour or so now and already hit a few "damn you autocorrect!" moments.
Chances are that you’re more likely to forget your wallet at home than you are your phone these days, which is why it’s so great that Westpac has brought Tap and Pay functionality to customers with Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge smartphones.
Westpac Tap and Pay has been available for Samsung Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, S5 Mini, Galaxy Alpha, Note 3, Note 4 and Note Edge handsets for a while, so this addition is no surprise.
New Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge owners can simply download the Westpac Mobile Banking app, and then make purchases by holding their compatible device up to a contactless payment terminal that accepts Visa Paywave, MasterCard PayPass or American Express.
Commonwealth Bank has its own Commbank tech payment options, with its Pay & Go system providing similar NFC functionality. Commbank promises that its payment system works on all NFC-enabled Android devices running Android 4.4 or above, which should include the new Galaxy handsets.
The news has to be a sore spot for Aussie iPhone users, as Apple Pay still hasn’t made it to our shores.
