It was a balmy September evening in 2016, and my friends and I thought it the perfect evening for a night-time hike up Cape Town’s popular Lion’s Head. Placed right in the city’s center, the panoramic views from the peak would no doubt be spectacular, and we had our bags packed full of liquid nourishment for when we reached the top. Two hours later, we got to the summit, and with the city’s sprawling lights glimmering through the still air below us, I spied the perfect photo opportunity. So, I grabbed my little Joby tripod, mounted my phone to it, set the exposure to 15 seconds, its ISO to its lowest possible value, and waited. The resultant shot remains one of my favorites I’ve ever captured. That phone was the LG G4.
Do you miss LG smartphones? 47 votes Yes. 91 % No. 9 %
I’m no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses. After all, nostalgia is one hell of a drug. The best Android phones have come a long way since then, improving almost every facet. I could (probably) capture that same shot with modern devices without too much fuss. However, looking past its problems, the LG G4 was the phone that sparked my interest in photography.
The smartphone that captured many memories, and my heart
On the specs front, the G4 wasn’t really anything special. Sure, it’s 16MP sensor and 28mm lens, OIS system, and laser autofocus made it incredibly reliable and versatile. I remember snapping portraits, landscapes, macros, and street scenes without any issue. But the camera phone’s real strength was its manual mode.
The shot I mentioned in the intro was captured manually. In fact, I had a real contempt for the LG G4’s automatic mode. It regularly selected the wrong settings and focused on the wrong subject. With manual mode, I could finely adjust focus, choose my exposure and ISO, getting me the shot I wanted. Looking back, I realize this phone helped me get to grips with DSLR photography years later. And it wasn’t just this shot that stands out in my mind. Manual focus made it easy to capture the tiniest subjects, from bees to the flowers they visited, to bokeh of raindrops on a pane of glass.
I’m no doubt looking back at this phone through rose-tinted glasses, but the LG G4 is the reason for my current love for photography.
Beyond its software, part of my love for this phone lies in its smart ergonomic design. Yes, while it was pretty utilitarian with those customary 2016-era bezels, the 5.5-inch QHD screen was deep and vivid, making it the perfect viewfinder and canvas for my shots. While stylish, the phone’s curved leather back also made the phone grippy and inspired confidence when framing a shot. It was never at risk of simply slipping out of my hand like my caseless Pixel 8 is prone to do. And, not to mention the other facets of this phone that I loved: the removable battery, its 3.5mm headphone jack with great bundled earbuds, its rear volume and power buttons, and its microSD card slot.
The death of my G4 and start of LG’s bigger problems
But, just as we had to eventually make our way down the mountain, all good things come to an end. For the LG G4, this was for me at an airport just before a long flight home. Mere months after I started it up for the first time, the phone’s tendency to overheat eventually morphed into a flat-out bootloop. Struggling to bring it back to life, I’d wait a few minutes, reboot it, desperately use it for a few moments until it overheated, then repeat the cycle. Thankfully, I printed out my boarding passes back then; otherwise, I’m unsure how I would’ve navigated that situation.
... continue reading