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I really like the LG G2. It's one of the better Android smartphones you can buy right now. The screen is large and gorgeous, and because the display almost reaches out to the very edges of the device, it doesn't feel any wider than it has to.
We liked
The display and camera are really killer, and performance is incredible. It ate up every benchmark for breakfast, turned out great photos and dazzled me with its high-resolution display. Oh, and on top of that, battery life was a charm.
Using the smartphone doesn't come with the headaches, hiccups and hangups that I get with other device, thanks mostly to the gorgeous display and powerful chipset.
So, is it all butterflies and roses for the LG G2?
We disliked
Well, no. The button placement drove me insane for the first few days, and it wasn't pretty. It's incredibly frustrating and takes some time to get used to.
Adjusting volume when on a call was relatively easy if you spent enough time feeling around for the volume keys, but adjusting volume for watching videos is a total pain in the rear.
There are a lot of on screen menus, but it will take a least a month to get used to the change in button placement.
I can take or leave the completely plastic build, too. LG typically makes smartphones with premium feel, and although nothing feels cheap about the G2, I wish that it had a soft touch or textured backside or body.
The phone gets smudged with fingerprints very easily, which is only a minor complaint and definitely not a deal breaker.
The UI is just awful at times though. Why is most of the notifications bar taken up with things that aren't notifications? Surely LG must realise that it's packing too much into the space if you can't see a message when it arrives.
Verdict
As far as Android smartphones go, you can do no wrong with the LG G2. If you can live with the button placement - which I have done, and even begun to enjoy - you'll come to love this phone.
The G2 has everything you could ask for in a smartphone: solid camera, great performance, excellent battery life and a design I can live with.
I even came to love the placement of the buttons because I was so enamoured with the phone - that's high praise indeed when something you dislike fades into the background on balance.
What matters is your daily experience with the phone, and while I'll admit it wasn't the best with the button placement, this thing is slick once you get over that.
If you want a top end smartphone, but don't have the budget to stretch to the new breed currently on offer the LG G2 is an excellent choice at an attractively low price.
First reviewed: September 2013
