Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
We 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.
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 us 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 we get with other device, thanks mostly to the gorgeous display and powerful chipset.
So, is it all butterflies and roses for the LG G2?
Disliked
Well, no. The button placement drove us 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.
Whenever we needed to access the rear buttons, we had to feel around for them for a while, or we would just flip the phone over to look. In fact, we still do that now after testing the device for almost two weeks.
Eventually, you'll probably get used to the button placement, but it is hugely annoying.
We can take or leave the completely plastic build, too. LG typically makes smartphones with premium feel, and although nothing feels cheap about the G2, we 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.
Verdict
As far as Android smartphones go, you can do no wrong with the LG G2. If you can live with the awful button placement - and we don't see why you can't learn to deal with it - 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 we can live with.
What more could you possibly want in a smartphone?
What matters is your daily experience with the phone, and while we'll admit it wasn't the best with the button placement, this thing is slick once you get over that.
The real question is if there is any reason to buy the LG G2 over something like the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4 or the Moto X. It's been some time since we've been able to say this, but there is good reason to buy the LG G2 over its competitors: display and performance.
The only thing that would've made this phone closer to perfect is if the buttons were placed where you'd normally find them, and where they're easier to reach.
