Phones LG was kind enough to send me a G4 a week ago! Here are my thoughts!

[Vegastouch]

It screams cheap plastic to me...this is what samsung was criticised for and lg kept there flagship phone plastic.

They are competing in a premium market right now and I wouldn't buy another plastic phone going forward.

That is actually a plus in my book. I dont know what the backs are made of on the Note 4 and Note Edge but imo those are fabulous and i wish the GS6 had either one instead of the glass back. The Note Edge back is especially nice imo. If they are plastic with an overlay, A+ in my book.

 

[Vegastouch]

For me personally it means that when my phone no longer holds its charge I can swap it out. I'm not on one of the carriers so I have to get my phones unlocked and I stick with em till the end before considering an upgrade. My Nexus 4 no longer holds a charge and along side it's subpar camera (that I mention) I would still be using the Nexus 4 as my primary phone.

Also due to it being removable it allows for third party manufactures to create stuff like this...

http://www.amazon.com/Anker-7200mAh...-17-spons&keywords=galaxy+s3+battery+extender

Something I had for my S3 prior to destroying it

Agree. I had an extra battery for my Vibrant and GS3 and they sold really fast to some others because i included an extra battery. In fact i had two extras for the Vibrant and it sold in 15 minutes at a time when the GS3 was well in force and it wasnt a desirable phone anymore.

 

[Savor]

The fact LG gave us a choice of different materials for the rear cover and REMOVABLE BATTERY already beats METAL DESIGN in the longer term.

I was reading different forums for BlackBerry Passport and Oppo about the pros and cons of sealed batteries vs swappable. Both BlackBerry and Oppo were offering REMOVABLE BATTERY as recently as last year. Of the dozen or so smartphones I've owned, only iPhones, the M7, and the Mi 3 didn't offer a removable battery. And while people can argue so what or we change our phones frequently to even care, I kinda am on the swappable side. It gives me a peace of mind with maintenance for the longer term. After a year or so, that battery degrades faster than you think.

Swappable battery benefits the user and gives them the choice on whether to upgrade or stick to a proven, reliable phone without worrying of sending it away and getting charged for the new battery and SERVICE fees. Sealed battery only benefits the manufacturer. This scenario applies with my now 10-year old Sony PSP vs a PS Vita I am borrowing from my cousin. My PSP lasted 8 years on its original battery until it went completely dead. I haven't bothered to buy a new batt (even Class A) for $10. But I know I can revive it again if I want to. If I owned a Vita, I have to go to a Sony service center to have it replaced for maybe 7-8x the cost and could be gone for weeks.

Removable battery for me with smartphones. I will buy extra batteries, store it somewhere for a few years, and be good to go when the original batt is completely dead. Expandable storage is also nice to have. LG still provides that along with Nokia on the lower-end. The Nokia Lumia 640 has about the right specs on what I need from a smartphone ("5/720p/2500 mAh) except being WP. I may never go back to any phone that lacks both those two features. It will start to look shortsighted when the time comes of needing a swappable batt or micro-sd card. Forget obsolescence, I want longevity.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I've been running a G4 since launch day replacing a G3. It's easily one of the best phones on the market right now. Overall I am very satisfied with it. The slight curve does make it more comfortable to use compared to the G3. It's a big phone, but still trim for a 5.5" screen. Some people have complained about materials, but I feel it's well built and attractive. When you build a phone with a removable battery and SD card some compromises have to be made. Since everyone else has left this market I think LG is smart to stick with it.