LG G4 US991 Unlocked Smartphone with 32GB Internal Memory, 16 MP Camera and 5.5-Inch IPS Quantum Display for GSM and CDMA (Black Leather)

I had a lot of questions and concerns before buying this phone, as I assume many people do. So I wanted to share my entirely positive experiences and provide some key info.I purchased this phone on May 12, 2016 for $309.99, and the seller at the time was Mango Wireless. The seller keeps changing and as of this moment it is being sold directly by Amazon.It was brand new, with the sticker still over the screen, and all original cables, battery, and paperwork in sealed plastic.It was already running Android Marshmallow.The phone is from US Cellular, the US991, is unlocked, and was never activated on US Cellular and has no carrier logo or any branding other than LG's.I wanted to be sure this phone would work on Straight Talk. Several customer reviews stated that it worked, and yes, it does. But, two Straight Talk customer service reps told me the phone would be incompatible because US Cellular phones are not supported by them. Fortunately, those reps were wrong. If you have any issues like that, explain to them that the phone is GSM, UNLOCKED, NEVER ACTIVATED ON US CELLULAR. Then they'll work with you. I had to tell both reps the same thing twice.But really, you shouldn't even have to deal with that if you're happy with getting a new phone number. I only began live chat with them because I wanted to port over the number from my old cell phone, which is a bit complicated. (By the way, if you DO want to port over an old number, I suggest you begin live chat or call customer support BEFORE activating the phone with the SIM card. Once you activate the SIM card, Straight Talk gives you a phone number. At that point, you can no longer port another number, and will have to buy another SIM card. You can just buy the $0.99 compatible SIM card, without springing for another $60 activation kit, so it's not a big deal. Just means a second trip--for me.)The $60 Straight Talk activation kit found in Walmart stores worked without a hitch. For this phone, you use the micro SIM card which is in packet 1, and is attached to a dark blue card. It will look like a standard sized SIM card, but simply detach the smaller micro card at the perforations from the larger standard card. The phone's SIM card port is also where a MicroSD card would go. There are two slots, one on top of the other. Insert the SIM card in the lower slot. (The SD card, if you choose to get one, will go in the upper slot.) If you look very closely you will see a diagram on there.As for the APN settings, which need to be adjusted in order for messaging and picture messaging to work, Straight Talk has now made that process unbelievably simple. Once you activate the phone, they send you a text with a file that automatically adjusts those APN settings. You simply click "install" right there in the text and within 1 second, the settings are done and messaging and picture messaging will work.As for the phone itself...well, I've only had it a few days. For the first two days, I was using it without service because I hadn't bought the activation kit yet. At that stage, the battery life was simply unbelievable. The first day, I left the house at 100%, and 3 hours later at work after having done very little with the phone other than look at some settings, make some adjustments to the homescreen, and show it off to my co-workers, the battery was STILL at 100%. I've never seen anything like it before. A total of 10 hours after taking it off the charger, and using it mildly, it was at 94%.The second day, I hooked up my Bluetooth headphones and listened to music at work for about 3 hours. My other phone usage was about the same as the day before. Ten hours later, the battery was at 87%!Cell service itself does cause some battery drain, so now that the phone is activated I no longer expect to get those numbers. And of course, once you start installing all of your apps, the usual battery drain will begin. Out of the box and after installing just a couple of essential apps, I had no wakelocks.Here's something to know about the screen: It's IPS Quantum display, and 4K (UHD). My old Samsung Galaxy S3 has a Super Amoled display. That amoled display is more vivid than the LG, but the LG is no slouch at all. With an amoled display, bright wallpapers cause battery drain. Perhaps an extra 5% over a day. So it is advised to use a pitch black background with amoled screens. With the LG's IPS display, it doesn't matter how bright or colorful your wallpaper is. The only thing that will drain the battery is, of course, pumping up the screen brightness in the settings.Bluetooth performance was another big concern of mine. Not that I'd heard anything negative about the G4, quite the contrary in fact. But my experiences before this phone, with the S3 and an iPhone 4S were a bit disappointing. I couldn't really pinpoint the source of the occasional dropouts, stutters, and various glitches...was it the phone or the headphones? Well, I feel I can finally put that question to bed. The LG G4's Bluetooth performance is utterly flawless (so far, at least). In the 5 hours I've used Bluetooth up to now, there was, truly, not one single dropout, stutter, pause, or any other issue. It was the first time I've ever had a stellar BT experience. If you're planning on using Bluetooth, I give this phone my endorsement.By the way, I'd read about LG phones having a volume limiter. Supposedly, if you push the volume past a certain point, a warning pops up about hearing loss. According to the reviews I read, that warning would pop up every time you tried to exceed that volume level, and you had to click on it to proceed. Well, no volume limiter on this particular phone. Did I get lucky? No idea. When I use Bluetooth, I crank the phone's volume to the max, then adjust as needed at the headphones. This worked perfectly. Also, the volume of the phone, via Bluetooth, is incredibly loud. Much more so than my S3.That's about all I can tell you for now. I mostly wanted to get the Straight Talk information out there for other users like me.The phone is super thin and super light, surprisingly so given its 5.5" display. I've found no lag whatsoever in any usage, it looks beautiful, performs perfectly, and seems like a real winner. If my experience goes South, I'll be sure to update you. Hope this was helpful.

Update October 22, 2016:Decided to bite the bullet and cancelled my grandfathered Verizon unlimited data plan for Cricket. Porting over my phone number was handled by the sales reps, and I just need to switch the micro-SIM and configure the APN for Cricket's domains. Data and texts seem to be working fine. Consider this an anecdotal data point that the US991 version of the phone can work on Cricket, and by extension AT&T. Now oddly relieved that I didn't get the Verizon exclusive version, such that the hassle described below was accidentally worth it.---First, to address a few follow-up questions for this review since it was first posted:- Even if technically the phone (US991) can be activated on a Verizon subscription, it seems like a trend for Verizon reps to not help with the activation process, since it requires them to manually input the device codes printed directly on the battery bay. Buyer-beware if you don't want to spend time debating that yes, the phone is not just a GSM phone and that it supports CDMA bands as well.- The US991 doesn't appear to support simultaneous data + voice on Verizon's network. On the other hand, it has built-in software support for WiFi tethering (which the Verizon version allegedly cripples). There is no FM radio chip.---Amazon could a do better job of updating the product description, based on uncertainty about carrier activation in the review. I got the US991 model (for US Cellular). On my first trip to the Verizon store, their representative told me that my phone was a GSM-only model and that they couldn't activate it. After a series of frustrating exchanges with Amazon sales reps, I decided to check directly with LG and get the specs of the phone model. After determining that the bands should be supported, I printed some supporting documentation and made a second trip to the Verizon store. I got a different representative this time, and they were able to manually input the device code into the Verizon subscription system and activate my phone (much credit to them for not giving up when scanning didn't work, and for not forcing me to debate specs with them). So far, the phone as been doing great for the past couple weeks. For anyone worried about the Sprint model recall back in 2015, the manufacture date of my received phone was 03/2016, so hopefully the related issues are not present in later models.Key takeaways:- Don't trust the Amazon and Verizon representatives to know anything about the phone. A Verizon representative may even claim you have the wrong network type for your model if they are feeling lazy. Best do your research on the phone you receive before making an activation trip.- On the other hand, LG customer support was very helpful in explaining how CTIA's "Consumer Code for Wireless Service" works, and why a (unlocked) US Cellular model should work on the Verizon network. They deserve a star in my book.- Overall, the lack of clarity in the product description is disappointing, and the stress of having to do independent research in the face of contradicting assertions was exhausting. It was nice of Amazon to offer a return postage label at no cost, and I'm not sure whether it's fair to expect Amazon sales reps to perform research about the phone model they are answering questions on.- I'm rating this 4 stars because even if Amazon customer support was not that helpful, in the end the activation issues were not their fault. I just wish they were able to clue me in sooner that the issue was on Verizon's end and not due to the phone model I received. And to reiterate, LG support and the second Verizon representative were awesome. Hopefully this review is a helpful data point for those uncertain about the product description.TLDR version: Got the model US991 which worked with my Verizon subscription, but had to endure the angst of working with customer service representatives from Amazon/Verizon. Don't expect this to be a smooth purchase until you've gotten the phone activated (and hold off on buying accessories as well).