It was a balmy September night in 2016, and my mates and I believed it the right night for a night-time hike up Cape City’s in style Lion’s Head. Positioned proper within the metropolis’s middle, the panoramic views from the height would little doubt be spectacular, and we had our luggage packed stuffed with liquid nourishment for after we reached the highest. Two hours later, we acquired to the summit, and with the town’s sprawling lights glimmering by means of the nonetheless air under us, I spied the right picture alternative. So, I grabbed my little Joby tripod, mounted my phone to it, set the publicity to fifteen seconds, its ISO to its lowest attainable worth, and waited. The resultant shot stays certainly one of my favorites I’ve ever captured. That phone was the LG G4.

I’m little doubt trying again at this phone by means of rose-tinted glasses. In any case, nostalgia is one hell of a drug. The very best Android telephones have come a great distance since then, enhancing virtually each side. I may (in all probability) seize that very same shot with trendy gadgets with out an excessive amount of fuss. Nevertheless, trying previous its issues, the LG G4 was the phone that sparked my curiosity in photography.

On the specs entrance, the G4 wasn’t actually something particular. Positive, it’s 16MP sensor and 28mm lens, OIS system, and laser autofocus made it extremely dependable and versatile. I bear in mind snapping portraits, landscapes, macros, and avenue scenes with none difficulty. However the digital camera phone’s actual power was its handbook mode.

The shot I discussed within the intro was captured manually. In actual fact, I had an actual contempt for the LG G4’s automated mode. It commonly chosen the mistaken settings and targeted on the mistaken topic. With handbook mode, I may finely alter focus, select my publicity and ISO, getting me the shot I wished. Trying again, I notice this phone helped me familiarize yourself with DSLR photography years later. And it wasn’t simply this shot that stands out in my thoughts. Handbook focus made it simple to seize the tiniest topics, from bees to the flowers they visited, to bokeh of raindrops on a pane of glass.

Past its software program, a part of my love for this phone lies in its sensible ergonomic design. Sure, whereas it was fairly utilitarian with these customary 2016-era bezels, the 5.5-inch QHD display was deep and vivid, making it the right viewfinder and canvas for my photographs. Whereas trendy, the phone’s curved leather-based again additionally made the phone grippy and impressed confidence when framing a shot. It was by no means susceptible to merely slipping out of my hand like my caseless Pixel 8 is liable to do. And, to not point out the opposite sides of this phone that I liked: the detachable battery, its 3.5mm headphone jack with nice bundled earbuds, its rear quantity and energy buttons, and its microSD card slot.

However, simply as we needed to finally make our manner down the mountain, all good issues come to an finish. For the LG G4, this was for me at an airport simply earlier than a protracted flight dwelling. Mere months after I began it up for the primary time, the phone’s tendency to overheat finally morphed right into a flat-out bootloop. Struggling to carry it again to life, I’d wait a couple of minutes, reboot it, desperately use it for a number of moments till it overheated, then repeat the cycle. Fortunately, I printed out my boarding passes again then; in any other case, I’m not sure how I might’ve navigated that scenario.

Once I landed (and calling my carry was made difficult due to my ailing LG), I acquired to the drafting board and tried virtually every part to revive it. Screwing it aside and separating the phone from its motherboard, I educated a hairdryer on the chipset, tossed it within the freezer, and even thought-about baking it within the oven. I chickened out of the latter, however there was little hope regardless. My LG G4 was useless and so was probably the most pleasing and memorable smartphones I’ve ever used.

To me, the G4’s points completely encapsulate the Korean model’s smartphone tenure. Its quirky gadgets had been remarkably affable, stuffed with character, and supported by succesful, if not spectacular, {hardware} and refined software program. However look just a little bit deeper and use them for an prolonged interval, and their equally quirky flaws will rise to the floor — dramatic highs and miserable lows.

The bootloop downside endured throughout a number of LG-branded and manufactured smartphones, together with the G4’s cousin, the V10, the Nexus 5X, the V20, and even the LG G5. All of those smartphones skilled comparable hitches to at least one diploma or one other. Whereas LG would go on to launch a number of newer telephones that might skirt this difficulty, the injury was finished.

Whereas LG hasn’t been a smartphone firm since 2011, it will lastly flip off its replace servers on the finish of this month, rendering all its gadgets marooned on older Android variations. This was certain to occur in some unspecified time in the future. In any case, its most up-to-date telephones had been launched 5 years in the past now. It’s nonetheless a tragic eventuality.

As for my LG G4, I haven’t seen it in years. It’s sitting in a field someplace in my dad and mom’ dwelling, functionally useless and more likely to keep that manner. Nevertheless, my enjoyment of photography has grown to incorporate different gadgets. My previous however trusty Kodak KB10 movie digital camera, my humble Nikon D3400, and even the Nokia 9 PureView that I’ve written about earlier than proceed constructing my love for capturing moments. I’ve the LG G4 to thank for that.