LG G Flex2 review: A new angle

LG G Flex2 retail package

LG G Flex2 retail box is pretty standard in size and contents. Inside you'll find a wall charger, a microUSB cable and the LG QuadBeats 2 in-ear tangle-free headset. The charger plug supports Fast Charging and is capable of recharging up to 60% of the LG G Flex2's battery capacity in just 30 minutes.

LG G Flex2 retail box and contents

LG G Flex2 360-degree spin

LG has opted for a smaller screen for the G Flex2 and this decision not only made the new Flex more compact, it significantly reduced its footprint and weight.

The LG G Flex2 spreads at 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1 mm, which is a centimeter shorter, 5mm narrower and a hair thinner than the original. The second generation Flex is also 25g lighter at 152g.

Design and build quality

First, let's get something straight - the LG G Flex2 isn't a flexible smartphone - it won't bend under pressure or else. Unlike the previous generation Flex, which was barely bendable, we don't recommend trying and forcing the G Flex2 bend back to a straight profile in case all the creaking isn't alarming enough for you already.

The LG G Flex2 follows the basics established by its predecessor, building upon its major principles and developing further the features that made the G Flex so attractive and popular - a curved display, self-healing coating on the back, top-notch hardware and above average camera department.

LG G Flex2

The new Flex2 features a smaller 5.5" P-OLED curved display, but with higher 1080p display resolution. This means you'll be getting a nice and lively P-OLED display of 403ppi density, which is more than enough for most practical reasons. And the curved screen indeed looks gorgeous, especially when you are enjoying high-res multimedia content in landscape orientation.

The beautiful LG G Flex2's display is protected by a curved piece of Corning Gorilla Glass 3, but LG has enhanced it further making it 20% tougher than usual. LG says Corning had no part in creating the improvements in what they call their proprietary Dura Guard Glass.

Speaking of toughness, LG F Flex2 might be quite durable on the front, but it also comes with an even better self-healing coating that "regenerates" up to 18 times faster. LG claims everyday scratches and dents disappear for about 10 seconds at room temperature.

We did a test of our own and indeed scratches accumulated from dragging the phone on a desk or fingernail scratches disappear very quickly at room temperature and not so quickly in the cold weather outside.

Unfortunately, deeper scratches made by keys, nails or knives either won't heal completely or won't heal at all. The deeper the "wound", the worse the healing.

Another point to make is that the self-healing coating is not that much of a coating, as it is a layer. Upon closer inspection it still looks like see-through plastic nylon-like layer. You can spot where it ends around the edges of the device and it even looks like you can peel it off the back, if feel like it.

The back cover is removable, though that won't get you further than accessing the microSIM and microSD slot. The battery is not user-accessible.

The rear control deck • the removable battery cover

You bet the rear control deck LG is so proud of is here to stay. The keys and placement are very similar to LG G3's, and there is no hump at the back as it was the case with the original G Flex. The volume rocker has its surface made of a nice dotted pattern.

LG used two tiny silver accent frames on the G Flex2, which improve the looks and nicely separate the screen and the chassis from the battery cover. All elements of the G Flex2 are glossy, but the rear self-healing coating isn't prone to fingerprints, nor are the sides of the phone.

The silver accents

Handling the LG G Flex2 is a real pleasure and while the grip isn't great because of the all-glossy design, the curve just grew on us and we miss it while handling other devices. The G Flex2 is best handled in landscape mode, where the curve feels amazingly natural and really improves the overall user experience.

Handling the LG G Flex2

Controls

The LG G Flex features no controls at the front. Above the P-OLED display we find the LED notification light, the 2.1MP front snapper, a bunch of hidden sensors and the centered earpiece.

A peek above the 5.5" display

There is nothing on the left and right sides of the LG G Flex2.

There is nothing on the left or the right

The bottom of the smartphone houses the 3.5mm audio jack, the primary microphone and the microUSB 2.0 SlimPort.

The top of the G Flex2 has the IR blaster and the secondary mic for active noise-cancellation and stereo video recording.

The bottom of the LG G Flex2 • the IR blaster and the secondary mic on top

The back of the LG G Flex2 is where things get interesting. Above the rear controls is the 13MP camera sensor, the same as on the LG G3. It features OIS+ optical stabilization, and it works side-by-side with the laser autofocus LG has been offering on the G3 for a while now. A dual-LED two-tone flash is also around, helping you achieve more natural looking light for flash photos.

The rear control deck and the 13MP OIS camera

Below the camera is LG's iconic control deck with the Power/Lock key and the volume rocker. As we already mentioned there is no hump there and the keys have nice dotted pattern.

The loudspeaker grille at the bottom left corner is the last notable feature on the back.

The loudspeaker grille

The rear cover is removable, but the 3,000 mAh battery is not user accessible. You can just hot-swap the microSIM and the microSD cards.

Removing the battery cover