Both Telstra and LG have started spruiking the new LG G4 smartphone, however both Companies are refusing to say what date the device will go on sale or why Australia was lumped with bottom end Countries despite smartphone manufacturer such as Apple, Google and Samsung giving the Australian market “top priority” when it comes to new model launches.
In a statement issues today which is the same day that LG has started giving journalists a sneak peak at the new device, Telstra has issued a statement claiming that they are ‘pleased to confirm that LG’s latest flagship smartphone, the G4, will be joining the Telstra range as our latest 4GX (Category 6) handset’.
According to LG Australia insiders LG Korea did not see the Australian market as a high priority, despite the Company laying on a massive New York roll out for the product across 15 Countries that included Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Singapore which has a significantly smaller population than Australia and Hong Kong.
This is not the first time that LG has snubbed the Australian market, the Companies G# market arrived in Country 8 months after being launched in several key markets around the world.
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In the past LG Australia management have blamed carriers who demand around 12 weeks to certify a smartphone on their networks.
LG Australia has known of the G4 launch since before Christmas 2014 when LG Korea PR staff started leaking information on the device to media.
Samsung for example launched their new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge in the first week of March at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, four weeks later the device went on sale in Australia.
Despite repeated attempts to contact Brad Reed Mobile Category Manager at LG Australia he has not returned our calls. LG Australia has not explained, the reason for the delay in launching the new device, or when the device will actually go on sale in Australia.
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LG’s PR Company at one stage sent out the following email ‘Anticipation continues to escalate as the Australian launch of the hotly-awaited LG G4 draws ever closer. Whilst LG Electronics Australia (LG) is unable to confirm exactly when or where the new flagship handset is going to be available, it is able to tell you everything you need to know about the new device. Just not right now. Sorry about that”.
At last week’s Comdex show journalists from Japan, China, the UK and Germany were in possession of an LG G4 but not Australian journalists.
The new device has several distinguishing features including a genuine leather back, Quad HD screen and a 16MP camera, the phone is said to deliver “impressive speeds” in 4GX areas of between 2Mbps to 100Mbp, twice as fast as our regular 4G.
LG has added a slight curve to the device – not a LG G Flex 2 kind of curve – but just enough to make it a little more comfortable in your hand, LG claims.
They have also improved the backing with a ceramic coating, bettering the grip and threw in a genuine leather backing as well.
The LG G4 will when finally released come with a 5.5-inch QHD LCD with their new Quantum display technology that LG claims allows for a 25-percent brighter display with a 50-percent increase in the contrast and 56-percent improvement to the colour accuracy, journalists who have actually got their hands on the device claim that you can really see the improvement in its 538 pixels-per-inch (PPI) display.
LG has used a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, supported by a microSD card slot for expansion. The main camera is 16MP with laser autofocus, OIS, dual-tone LED flash and a new wider aperture of f/1.8 to capture better lowlight pictures. The new and larger 8MP front-facing camera (FFC) also includes the f/1.8 lens for excellent selfies and video chatting. Power is provided by a removable 3000mAh battery.
Telstra concluded their email to journalists claiming that they will provide further updates in the coming weeks about pre-order, pricing and the launch date for LG’s new flagship smartphone. Customers can register their interest at Telstra.com/lg-g4.
Notice the emphasis was on ‘weeks” not days.
