Sponsored AT&T LG G4 4K Review and Sweepstakes

Disclosure:  I received an LG G4 from AT&T to review.  I was compensated by AT&T for my time.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.



The second I picked up my new LG G4 smartphone I knew things were never going to be the same.  I was a diehard iPhone user.  Now I’m not so sure.  The LG G4 takes smartphone technology to a new heights with its 5.5-inch IPS Quantum screen and 1440x2560 pixel resolution.  Starting May 29 though June 20, 2015, you can enter to win an LG G4 of your very own in the AT&T-LG Sweepstakes.  Just click here to enter and a new winner (500 total) will be chosen every 4000 seconds (that’s every 66 minutes for those of you who were wondering).

Professional Camera in the Palm of your Hand
The LG G4 delivers an incredibly sophisticated technical camera experience that goes where no smartphone has gone before.  If you are a photography enthusiast you will thoroughly enjoy the ability to capture images in manual mode.  LG has created the first smartphone camera that allows you to control ISO, f-stop (with its state-of-the art f/1.8 low-light lens), shutter speed, white balance (Kelvin), optical image stabilization, laser autofocus and high-res image sensors.  What's really great about the manual mode option is amateur photographers can quickly understand how white balance, ISO, shutter speed, exposure compensation work together to capture your creative genius.  TIP: Don't forget to adjust the brightness of the display when outdoors for best viewing.

Fun, Fun, Beautiful Selfies
The art of the selfie reaches far beyond the length of your arm with the LG G4.  With an 8 MP front-facing camera that rivals the iPhone 6’s rear facing camera your self-esteem will soar especially with the flattering selfie light.  My favorite selfie magic is the cool “Gesture Shutter” — an amazing feature that works like magic.  Whether you have a selfie stick, tripod or are extending the phone with your arm, all you have to do is open then close your hand into a fist to activate the countdown timer.  Open and close it twice to take a photo booth series of four images in a row. If you prefer to utter a magical phrase you can say, "Cheese," "Photo," "Whiskey," to activate the selfie-timer. You’ll really feel like a photo wizard with this feature.

First of Many
There are many firsts with the LG G4.  Here’s a long list of the camera features you are able to manipulate to take extreme photos like never before:

Shutter Speed: Now you can fine-tune your exposure for low-light environments as slow as 30 seconds or as fast at 1/6000 to capture the wings of a hummingbird.  That has never been possible with a smartphone until now.

White Balance: We’ve all experienced those off-colored images since we couldn’t control the white balance before.  Now with the touch sensitive dial you can adjust the white balance from 2400 to 7400 Kelvin to capture the most authentic colors possible on a smartphone.

Exposure Compensation: The ability to adjust your exposure up or down 2 stops is amazing.  This feature is especially useful when you have a backlit subject or nighttime photography.

RAW Image Capture: Professional photographers love to capture their images in RAW, meaning they are minimally processed, awaiting the edits from a professional tool such as Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop.  Raw provides the most creative flexibility when editing an image.  The LG G4 is not the first smartphone camera to deliver Raw images, but LG is definitely proving that with the manual features of this phone they have the serious photographer in mind.

Level Gauge and Histogram: the handy little histogram chart allows you to ensure your exposure is right the first time.

The first f/1.8 Low Light Lens: The LG G4 lens is exceptional.  This is the first time a smartphone camera has a large f/1.8 aperture to give you fast shutter speeds (1/6000) and sharp, clear images in nearly any light.  Ah-May-Zing.

Mega Megapixels: This camera can pick up more details with its 16 megapixel and 1/2.6” sensor.  That means more details, incredible precision even when zooming in.

Moving as fast as Life:  The LG G4 moves as fast as you do — maybe even as fast as a hummingbird flutters.  With a shutter speed up to 1/6000, optical image stabilization and laser autofocus you will get tack sharp images and less unintentional blur than ever before.

Ultra High Definition: When shooting video you can now record in ultra high-definition.  You can even display your vivid content to your HDMI-enabled TV. That rocks!

Touchy Feely
You have to touch the LG G4 to really appreciate it.  The slick, slim, curvy phone has an optional genuine leather back for an ultra-rich appearance.  The back of the phone is easy to open, accessing the 3,000 mAh removable battery (love this feature) that provides a long-lasting life, much longer than the iPhone 6.  If you’re on the move you can get additional batteries to replace in a jiffy.  The battery can be recharged to 60% in about 30 minutes.

Room to Grow
The LG G4 comes with 32 GB.  But with an optional microSD card you can expand that up to 2 TB.  That’s something the iPhone 6 cannot do — ever.

5.5-Inch Quantum 2K IPS Display: We mentioned earlier the incredible 5.5-inch display.  LG has implemented IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology, the same that is used in LCD displays.  The LG G4 delivers incredibly clear, accurate and robust color performance giving you the sweetest visual eye candy ever.

LG G4 At-a-Glance Specs

• Display: 5.5 inch Quantum 2K IPS (2560 × 1440 resolution 534 PPI) – Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Cameras: 16 Megapixel rear-facing camera (with OIS 2.0) / 8 megapixel front-facing camera
• Processor / RAM:  Qualcomm Snapdragon 808  / 3 GB RAM
• Memory: 32GB  Internal Memory (with expansion slot)
• Battery: 3,000 mAh removable battery  
• Connectivity : Bluetooth 4.1/ Wi-Fi /  NFC / USB 2.0 / micro SIM
• OS: Android Lollipop 5.1 with LG’s UX 4.0 skin
• Features: Leather backs, smart notice, Quick Shot, 100GB of Google Drive

In addition to the LG G4 giveaway there’s a Grand, second and third prize winner based on a combined popular and judge panel.  The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9, 2015.

For a chance to win, participants need to: 

• Register at http://4kseconds.att.com/
• Upload a picture from their phone (brand does not matter in the contest). This can be done from a mobile device, tablet or computer. Images need to be .jpg or .png and less than 1 MB.
• All submitted photos (deemed eligible by the Official Rules) will also be housed on a gallery on the sweepstakes website. These will be open to public voting in order to determine a public appeal score.
• The photos will also be judged by a panel of judges. The photo with the highest combination score from the judges and public appeal will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and will receive a 55” Class Smart Curved 4K OLED 3D TV with webOS 2.0 and a 3D-Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers.
• The second and third highest ranked photos will be deemed the First and Second Prize Winner. These winners will receive a 65” Class IPS 4K UHD Smart LED TV with webOS 2.0 and 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. 
• The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9, 2015.