LG G4: new phone announced, with spectacular specs and leather body

Camera takes centre stage as LG unveils the already much-leaked handset

Juno Cho, President and Chief Operating Officer of LG Corp holds a press conference to launch the new flagship phone for 2015 - the G4 at One World Trade Center on April 28, 2015 in New York City (Getty Images)

LG has announced its new flagship phone, the G4, with a leather-bound body containing high-specs and a camera that is the company's central selling point.

The phone features a range of new technologies, including a new 2K display, an improved camera and a processor that the company says is faster than the competition. It also has new tools that will ensure that the processor and display is used as efficiently as possible, saving on battery and bringing what the company claims is an 11 per cent performance on the sometimes criticised predecessor, the G3.

But the phone comes in a potentially divisive case, eschewing the usual metal for ceramic plastic and leather. The company says that the materials will make the phone more durable and less prone to fingerprints and other problems, but it has already drawn some criticism for its unusual look.

Many of the phones specifications and design features had been leaked in advance of the event — some of them by LG — so the leather-bound phone, swappable cases, and processor and battery specifications had already been revealed.

While the new flagship phone runs Android, it adds several features made by LG. That includes a special Gallery app to scroll through photos, technology to tell users when apps are drawing too much power and a new notification centre.

Many of the features highlighted at launch revolved around the camera. The phone features a special “colour spectrum sensor”, which allows the phone to see like human eyes do and make the pictures that it takes look more like what we say, LG claims.

The company said that the updates to the camera make it a “legitimate option” in comparison with specialist SLR cameras. It also outputs photos more like them too — as with HTC’s new One M9, the camera can save pictures as RAW files, a format favoured by photographers since it allows them to edit more of how the picture is compressed and seen.