Brilliant performer but ... Review on LG G2

I purchased this phone on March 09, 2014. 16 GB Model. This phone is a brilliant performer with excellent performance in all aspects be it the screen, speed or overall design of the phone. No doubt about it. As reviewed by the other people here the phone is an excellent performer without any lags. Throw anything at it and it will run smoothly and flawlessly. No complaints here.

But this brilliant phone also has its weakness. It loses its top score in one area: GPS

Hard to believe? Well read on..

GPS: We all know what this is for and how to use it. Many people use it daily and now it is a standard among all the smart phones. As I commute in the city a lot, I too depend on it very heavily and so having purchased a premium flagship phone, I too switched on the GPS on the second day after purchase. I had previously downloaded the city map in google maps using wifi at my home. Note that internet is not required for usage of GPS. It is required only for using google maps that too if the map is not downloaded earlier. GPS works perfectly without internet(if the required map is pre downloaded).

So switched on the GPS and waited. After 20 mins it is still searching for satellite lock. Exactly after 22 mins it got a satellite lock and it placed the blue dot in maps indicating my position. Thinking why it took a long time, I headed to office. From that day I started testing the GPS.

1) It takes almost 20 to 22 mins to get a satellite lock. Keeps on disconnecting every 10 to 15 mins and then again takes another 20 mins(approximately) to get a satellite lock again.

2) Takes forever to get a satellite lock if you are inside a train or bus and moving.

3) Never gets a SNR of more than 22(SNR- Signal to Noise ratio) for GPS.

4) Accuracy of location(In feet) is always in between 56 and 102 feet. So don't be surprised if it shows your location in google maps in the adjacent street or road!

Curious? How I tested it? With these below settings.

1) Connect to your home wifi or internet and download the map in google maps. Zoom in and out of the required areas so that you get every detail of the area in google maps.

2) Disconnect wifi and mobile data or 3G/2G internet connection.

3) Turn on GPS or Location(GPS name is changed to Location in Kitkat update)

3) Go to location settings and then set the mode to Device sensors only

4) Now open Google maps and wait.

Calculate how much time it takes until the blue dot is shown in maps. If you don't trust google maps, then download GPS test from the Play store and you can test with it.

I searched the internet about this and yes this is a defect in the phone and many people around the world had complained about it. This is due to faulty GPS antenna soldering or a weak GPS antenna. Search Google with the keywords: "LG G2 GPS problem"

Search the XDA developers forum also. You will get more details of the problem.

When I contacted the LG authorised service centre, the people informed me that GPS cannot be used without internet. When I asked them how can I use it if I am in the middle of a forest or on a top of a mountain, to my astonishment they told me that GPS cannot be used there as there will not be any internet connection. How poorly mis-informed and mis-guided!  When I asked them who told this, they said they got it from their Headquarters and refused to believe that GPS can work without internet. Again note that GPS will work perfectly without internet if the required map is pre downloaded or to only know the Latitude and Longitude values without using Google maps.

This GPS problem is purely a hardware defect and had nothing to do with the android software version.

I had given a complain to LG about this on May 28th and yet to get a response from them.

So people go ahead and check your GPS. If it is working perfectly, you are the luckiest person. if not, then you know what to do!

Other than this GPS problem, rest of the phone is brilliant and flawless.