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LG is venturing into new territory with the G Flex, and we'd say it pulled it off only because its key features are subtle.
The curvature of the phone is soft enough that it doesn't become cumbersome to hold or use, but the curve is so gentle that we wonder whether it has any added benefits or whether it's just another trick to distinguish itself from competitors.
Either way, we don't mind it at all. We just wished the display were sharper and didn't have that weird granular pattern on it. If forcing a curved display has any negative impact at all, it's that the display couldn't be better.
We liked
The one killer feature on any smartphone for me is battery life, with all else being relatively equal. The LG G Flex kills it, and of course I mean that in the best way possible. It just crushes everything you give it and spews out more, more, more.
It almost seems like you'll never run out of juice, and I did occasionally wonder when the thing would just die already.
Another thing is the performance, of which there is plenty to be had here on the G Flex. I always play a number of games and watch dozens of videos - all for the sake of testing, of course - to see just how it will hold up.
I even used the Q Slide apps and multitasking to see where the phone would fail, but it never did. It just kept on going.
We disliked
I can't say I completely disliked the curved display, but I also didn't see much of a point. Maybe it helps ever so slightly when you're making phone calls, having the microphone curve into your face. But how much of a difference does it make, really?
I also didn't like the self-healing back. It feels slippery and weird and is a magnetic for dust and other things. It also didn't quite heal from the few, light surface scratches we gave it.
One other thing I've never been a fan of is the rear placement of the volume and power buttons, but LG seems to be making this a thing to help distinguish itself from its competitors - at least that's what we were told during our briefing with the device.
Verdict
While I'm not the biggest fan of the world's biggest phones, I don't mind the LG G Flex at all. Perhaps the curve makes it interesting, or maybe I've just gotten used to bigger phones.
Whether the curve is just a gimmick or not doesn't matter because it's quite subtle. What does matter is that it performs well and has the battery life to make the performance last.
Although I don't think LG knocked it out of the ballpark with this one, it could have easily screwed up something like a curved smartphone - which is a first. Instead, it pulled it off and managed to turn out a decent smartphone.
If you want an ultra large smartphone, you may want to consider giving the LG G Flex a look. I was most impressed with the performance and battery life, which I've mentioned countless times now, but that's really what sets smartphones apart now. You can have a brilliant display, great design and all, but if either performance or battery life are lacking, it's just not as appealing. At least the G Flex nails those last two.
