LG just announced a new Android phone with a gorgeous screen and a killer camera

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Lisa Eadicicco

LG just announced its new Android phone, the LG G4, and the company claims its screen is even sharper and more colorful than that of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6.

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The phone, which launches on Wednesday in Korea, will be coming to other markets such as the United States near the end of May or early June.

LG says the 5.5-inch screen on the G4 is DCI compliant, which means it meets the same set of standards and specifications that companies like Disney, Fox, and Paramount follow in digital cinema.

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This also means the color reproduction is about 20% better than that of the G3, according to LG. The company claims that the screen on Samsung's Galaxy S6 isn't as accurate in this sense because it over saturates colors.

Here's a look at how a photo of red strawberries looks on the LG G4 compared to the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.

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You can tell that the reds look deeper and more rich on the G4, but it's also important to keep in mind that this comparison was set up by LG. That means I have no idea whether or not the screen settings or camera settings were tweaked at all to somehow make the reds look better on LG's phone. Regardless, based on this test alone, the screen on the G4 certainly looks impressive.

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Lisa Eadicicco

LG is promoting the G4's camera as ideal for photographers, too. There's a manual mode that lets anyone who knows a bit about photography have more control over the camera's settings. You can tweak the white balance, ISO, and exposure value among other elements when shooting in manual mode. There's also a Simple Mode for those looking to use it like a basic point-and-shoot camera.

The company also claims it's made some improvements to the optical image stabilization in the camera, which prevents any blur from appearing in photos if your hands shake. There's a 16-megapixel sensor on the main camera, which on paper is the same as the Galaxy S6, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

That's an unusually large sensor for a front-facing camera, or selfie camera as some companies have called it. The iPhone 6's main camera, for example, is 8-megapixels while its front-facing FaceTime camera is just 1.2-megapixels.

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LGG43.JPG

Lisa Eadicicco

Another nice bonus for photographers - you can shoot in RAW mode on the LG G4, too, which is rare for most smartphones. This essentially means photographers can see what an image looks like before the camera processes it and changes it to a JPEG.

It's a new feature to come with Android 5.0 Lollipop, but not many handset manufacturers have taken advantage of it yet. It's not common for smartphones to be able to shoot in RAW - Nokia's Lumia 1520 and 1020 are among the only other phones that can do this.

You'll have two new options in terms of design for the G4 - the company's new leather back or the so-called Hammer pattern. This Hammer pattern (shown above) is the same plastic back that the one of the LG3, but it's been painted to look like metal or ceramic. LG is really playing up its leather back though, saying that it took three months to make and that it's resistant to water stains, abrasion, and scratches.

LGG45.JPG

Lisa Eadicicco

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Some other core details: the phone will include 32GB of storage expandable to 128GB, it supports wireless charging, runs on a Snapdragon 808 processor made by Qualcomm, comes with 3GB of memory, and the 3,000 mAh battery is removeable.

The phone is about the same size as the iPhone 6 Plus. And, while some Android fans will definitely appreciate the ability to swap out the battery and change the back cover, it just doesn't have the elegant, premium feel of the aluminum iPhone 6 and glass Galaxy S6. The screen is really nice, but I don't know if the difference in quality is noticeable enough to compel someone to buy it over Apple or Samsung's phones.

The real question will be how long the battery lasts. Although I like the G3, I was expecting to get more juice out of it for a phone of its size.

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