At the start of the year Samsung gave us a sneak peak into their flexible display technology, which we had assumed would make it into the Galaxy S4 design. However, this was not to be, and so attention then turned to the Note 3, and we have since learned that this design will be similar to that of the S4.

So what will be the first Android handset with a flexible display? Some people now assume that it could be an LG device, as they have been showing off their flexible OLED HD panel at SID. We say this because during the event it’s been said that the technology will be incorporated into an LG smartphone by the end of the year.

With this in mind it’s more likely that the Nexus 5 or Optimus G Pro 2 could sport a flexible display, although it’s tough to believe that a Nexus handset would use such technology before a flagship LG model.

LG has gone with a plastic panel rather than glass for different reasons. The first is because it’s cheaper than glass to manufacture, and also there is a greater benefit for the user, as a glass screen could break easier than a plastic one.

The flexible display is currently in its naked form, but did allow SID attendees to test the technology to see how tough and bendable it really is. Engadget were on hand and they described it as “lightweight and responsive to twists and bends.”

Again, the rep on hand had told them that the screen could be in use by the end of the year, and even though a 5-inch version was on display (excuse the pun) they already have plans for smaller and larger versions.

Will LG beat Samsung to the market with a flexible display smartphone by the end of the year?

Google’s event has come and gone with no sign of the Nexus 5 or its release date, which has led to a number of fans venting a little frustration along with a few Nexus 5 features they would love to see.

Nexus 5 features and release date hints expected by some – while we were a little skeptical about any details arriving at Google I/O, it didn’t stop a number of blogs suggesting the Nexus 5 would make an appearance during the three hour keynote.

This of course never happened, so the leaks never got confirmed or denied and the hope for microSD card support is still up in the air. LG is still the favorite brand for Nexus 5 although some hope to see HTC instead.

Fans holding out for Nexus 5 – you won’t need to look far to see comments of support for both LG and wanted Nexus 5 features. Some people state they will “hold on with hope for a Nexus 5 in 2013”. This is a little harder for those of our readers with contracts coming up for renewal soon.

Others point out “the Nexus 5 could be the perfect phone”, and after seeing nothing announced made it clear “this sucks, I really wanted this phone”.

It is strange seeing Nexus fans stating they wanted a phone that has no specs, confirmation or any detail announced, but this is largely thanks to most people having a wish list. They have already built their dream phone in their own mind.

Nexus 5 wanted features – top of the list for some would be a Card Slot, but others point out that 64GB to 128GB would solve the need for such a feature in their opinion. Other Nexus 5 specs/features wanted include a better camera, HD screen, better battery life, Key Lime Pie and a jump in processing power.

Are you waiting for Nexus 5, and if so what are your most wanted features? It’s worth noting that LG has an event planned for May 30, although the Nexus 5 is not expected at the time of writing and Google is still silent on the topic.

The LG Optimus G Pro is obviously going to be compared to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, because both are Phablets, but is it really fair when you consider the former is more than 7 months newer than the latter? With this in mind wouldn’t a LG Optimus G Pro vs. Galaxy Note 3 be fairer.

You may think I was mad, but the Note 3 will be released a little later this year and will have specs more like that of the Optimus G Pro, if only we knew what those specs were. Having said that, we do expect the Note 3 to offer even more than the G Pro, because Samsung will want to outdo their main competitor.

This will be the biggest issue with the LG Optimus G Pro, because while it is a true contender to the Note 2, many of you will wait to see what Samsung has to offer later this year. Having said that, 4 months is a long time to wait, if they stick with the same release window as the current Note that is.

With that in mind, there has been yet another LG Optimus G Pro vs. Note 2 comparison, where they have a drop-down menu of device specifications and information for each handset just to see what each has to offer. Either device will deliver just what you are looking for in a Phablet, but Android Community believes that Samsung could be the better choice for the long term, as they will offer faster and longer Android support in the coming years.

Which of the two will you choose, the LG Optimus G Pro or the Galaxy Note 2, or will you hold out for the Note 3?

LG has announced that they will be holding an event on May 30, 2013, and before you get ahead of yourself and believe that it could be to do with a Nexus 5 reveal, then you could be left feeling disappointed. Looking at recent rumors we would suggest this event is to do with a new Optimus G variant.

According to Ubergizmo, the LG event is taking place in Macau in China, and is more than likely for the debut of the LG Optimus GK. This had already seen an announcement in South Korea, but could be set for a Chinese release. Let’s face it, if this were for a big release then LG would have picked a venue in the US or the UK, just as Samsung has done in the past.

The Optimus GK will have a 5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor with a clock speed of 1.7GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of in-built storage, LTE and Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2. The handset will also come with a rather impressive 3,100-mAh battery and a 13-megapixel camera.

It’s obvious that the Nexus 5 would not be announced this month in China, and it’s looking less likely to make a showing during Google’s I/O event later this month. However, there could be a minor update to the Nexus 4, with the Nexus 5 release happening a little later this year.

We already know LG is working on a new handset and is expected a little later this year, but we cannot be certain if this is for the Nexus 5 or the LG Optimus 2. Whatever happens, it’s nice to see LG enjoying this comeback, and with news that the South Korean consumer electronics maker is to get in on the tablet market again, 2013 is set to be a great year for them.

When it comes to tablets, LG is a little out of touch, as the last one they released was the Optimus Pad. You may wonder why this does not ring any bells, and that would be because the tablet was lackluster, much like their smartphones at the time.

However, LG has been doing a good job of late with their smartphone range, with the latest being the Optimus G Pro, so some would assume it is about time they jumped on the proverbial horse. Well, if a recent rumor is true, then they could be doing just that, as we could soon see a new LG tablet.

With Sony having the Xperia Tablet Z, which is the same name as their handset, maybe the Korean consumer electronics makers may call it the LG Optimus G Pro tablet, which could be a shrewd move, as consumers are already aware of the handset, and so would believe that the tablet would be just as good or better.

Sales for LG smartphones are on the increase, so it would be silly for them not to try their hand at the tablet market once again. They would certainly have it easier this time, as Android has a greater tablet market share now. If this article is correct then we could see the new LG tablet later this year, maybe in September, which is around the same time as the new iPhone.

The specs for what we are calling the LG Optimus G Pro tablet has yet to be provided, but they will need to be impressive, just as their flagship handset is. If this rumor is in fact true, then the 2013 tablet market is set to become just a little bit more crowded by the end of the year.

We have some exciting rumors to share with LG fans now, as it looks like the company’s next flagship handset could be due for a big announcement soon. Pictures have leaked online, appearing to show a potential successor to the popular Optimus G handset. Only this time, the Optimus G2 is going to be packing a massive display screen that is surely going to make Galaxy Note fans take notice.

It seems that no size is too big these days, with consumers still loving smartphones that feature the biggest displays possible. We ourselves think that the Galaxy Note display ranges are starting to get a little too big, but still they remain as popular as ever.

This week, EVleaks are back once again with their latest image leak, uploading a mystery picture of an unannounced LG device with a very large display, which is very close to featuring an edge-to-edge screen. The caption along with image (full size here) reads ‘G2? Just a guess’, but an successor has already been confirmed for the Optimus G, so it is looking promising.

Aside from the sheer size of that screen, LG fans should also be excited to hear that this elusive device doesn’t have a physical home screen button, nor any other buttons for that matter. It means that navigation is going to be handled entirely using capacitive buttons, that we’re guessing will illuminate once the device is turned on.

Full specs are unknown at this point, but clues from past benchmarks suggest that this will be a 1080p based display, with a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. You can obviously expect the latest version of Android to come as well with this beast, which could even be Android 5.0 by the time the device is ready to release.

What are your initial thoughts on this one? Are LG starting to become relevant again or would you still prefer to choose a different phone maker for your next phone purchase?

We have been left drooling today at the announcement by LG Electronics of the worlds first curved OLED TV, which has gone on sale initially in South Korea. The 55-inch screen is hitting stores today for 15 million KRW (roughly $13,500) and will begin shipping next month to a select few.

LG have used organic light emitting diodes, meaning the screens can be made with more flexibility than ever before, allowing the owner to enjoy the IMAX experience at home – everyday. The EA9800 weighs a measly 17 kg and is thinner than your average biscuit at a mind boggling 4.3 millimetres! The TV’s sound is provided by transparent film speakers that are cleverly stashed away within the see through stand and allows the screens unbroken curves to flow uninterrupted.

By using their unique Color Refiner, LG ensure greater tonal enhancement and images are claimed to be “more vibrant and natural than ever before”. This teamed with their Four Color Pixel system, where a white sub pixel is used along with red, green and blue pixel setup, means the user experiences the ultimate color output. The TV has been in development for 5 years, whilst the design team have been perfecting the optimum curvature, which means the whole of the screen surface is equidistant from the users eyes, reducing distortion .

Although only currently available to South Korea, the rest of the world waits in anticipation for LG to announce when the Curved OLED TV, will be available to all in the coming months. Even though the TV is out of the price range of most, there is sure to be a big interest in the EA9800 and with Samsung hot on the heels of LG, with their own Curved OLED, prices are sure to fall down the line – We can only hope!
Let us know if you are as excited as us by today’s announcement and would you want a Curved OLED TV in your crib?

Within the last few days a new benchmark test has been uploaded to YouTube, which takes a look at the Nexus 4 vs. HTC One in a review that runs for 17 minutes and reveals full benchmark results.

Even though the Nexus 4 is several months old, it’s still a popular handset, one that still poses a threat to newer Android smartphones coming to the market, such as the HTC One, and the Galaxy S4, which has seen a review or two over the past few weeks.

Looking at this HTC One review compared to the LG Nexus 4 will give us a great insight into how these two phones compare under benchmark conditions. Don’t count the Nexus out just yet, as these both have a quad-core Snapdragon processor, although the HTC One does have the newer more powerful version.

Both phones do share many other features, such as the same GPU and screen size, but again the HTC One edges out with a 1080P display – and Tim Cooks says you cannot make a larger screen with decent visual quality.

The first test will be done using Quadrant, and to make it as fair as possible all cache and other such things will be deleted before each test. You’ll notice right away how much quicker the HTC One is running the benchmark tests. The result of the first test is no real shock, as HTC’s latest flagship device is almost double the speed.

AnTuTu is the next test and the Nexus 4 is not slow, but the HTC One wins out again. These are just two tests, more of which can be viewed in the video above. It’s worth adding that these tests do not represent real life, but rather a reference benchmark to give you an idea of how the hardware on each phone handles things differently.

If you are in the market for a new high-end phablet, then the LG Optimus G Pro should be on your list because of its host of new features. However, things are set to get even better for the G Pro, as a software update is coming, which will give it a feature similar to what the Samsung Galaxy S4 has.

The software update will become available to current owners in South Korea very soon, which consists of the Value Pack, which you can see detailed in the video below. However, once the LG Optimus G Pro is released in the US, which will be next month, the update should already be installed.

The technology we are most interested in for now is the eye-tracking tech, as this was a big feature of the Galaxy S4, one that Samsung spent a bit of time detailing during the Unpacked event last month. I’m still not sold on the whole eye-tracking thing on a smartphone, as we expect to see some very strange eye movements on the commute to work in future. However, this technology is perfect for tablets, as it has a huge benefit for people with disabilities. Having said that, eye-tracking technology could take off in a big way, but how long will it be before it becomes an industry standard on smartphones?

Going back to the Optimus G Pro US release date, it seems as though it will become available on AT&T on May 10. So far no other carriers outside South Korea (apart from AT&T) have offered details on when they plan to offer the handset to their customers. However, now the first US carrier has made its move, we have to wonder how long it will be before rival carriers make theirs?

There are many solutions when it comes to wireless charging on smartphones, although they all still have their limitations. However, one handset that overcomes some of these constraints is the Nexus 4 from LG, because it’s a lot better than some of the charging docks we have seen in the past, and even the one for the Sony Xperia Z.

The ultimate wireless charging solution would be the ability to charge your smartphone without the need for any wires, even those that need to supply the power to a dock. As we said before, the Nexus 4 is able to sit on its dock without having to plug a wire in, although the base itself still needs to connect to a power source with a lead.

However, this solution is far better than the Qi wireless charging platform for the Sony Xperia Z, as it’s a lot like going back a few years, as you need to put your handset in a case first. According to Reuters, the custom case from Ipan Ipan works through magnetic induction and can be customized in a choice of several different colors.

Ipan Ipan had a tough job getting their case to work with the Xperia Z because the rear cover is made from glass, and you are unable to remove the battery. Thankfully they were able to overcome this obstacle, but we still feel as though the wireless charging for this handset is a bit of a workaround.

The price for the case on its own is €39, but if you wish to purchase the case and charging pad then you will have to part with €89. The Nexus 4 Wireless Charging Orb is around the same price as the case, although there is no need for any other accessories.