Hailed as the “˜Smartphone of the Year’, LG G2 outclassed its rivals last year with its next-gen specs and groundbreaking features. This year, the tech giants are battling it out again in bringing the best smartphone of 2014. Will LG once more trump its competitors in the flagship smartphone race? Read on as we break down the features of LG’s newest flagship smartphone, the LG G3.
Design and Construction
Packed in a gold and brown box, the unit only came with the battery, charger and user manual (unboxing here). We got the G3 in Metallic Black for review. Initially, the G3 was only available in this color together with Silk White and Shine Gold. However, LG released two more colors last August – Burgundy Red and Moon Violet.
We have to commend LG for coming up with a one-upped design for its newest flagship while maintaining its predecessor’s slim, minimalist and ergonomic design at the same time. LG decided to go with plastic back cover but we’ll let it pass. On the other hand, they did an excellent job with the back cover’s brushed metal finish, making a lot of us believe that it was metal upon seeing the G3 for the first time.
Similar to its predecessor’s layout, you can find the Notification LED, Front Camera, Proximity Sensor and Earpiece on top of the G3’s display. On top of the smartphone are the Infrared LED and Microphone while the Headset Jack, (another) Microphone and Charger/USB Port are found at the bottom. The sides are bare.
At the back you have the Laser Detection Autofocus, Rear Camera with the Volume Keys and Power Lock Keys and Flash. Just below are the NFC Touch Point and the Speaker.
Unlike the previous Rear Key with the Power and Volume keys slightly jutted, the G3 now features a reshaped, hollowed Rear Key. The Rear Key is ergonomically positioned at the back to allow ease of use for both left-hand and right-hand users and also to prevent accidental key-presses.
LG made up for some of G2’s shortcomings by providing a removable back cover and replaceable battery this time around. The G3 now also has up to 128 GB microSD support.
Aside from the premium looks, the LG G3 feels sturdy. Its lightweight and floating arc design complemented by its slim edges makes it easy to hold in one hand.
Display and Multimedia
LG G3 now has a bigger 5.5 inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display compared to the 5.2 inch, Gorilla Glass 2 display of the G2. However, with its super slim bezels, the G3 still managed to maintain a compact profile, measuring almost the same as its flagship rivals with smaller displays.
LG G3 is one of the first smartphones to feature a Quad HD (2560 x 1440) display, four times the resolution of HD. The QHD IPS display at 538ppi provided sharp and brilliant display with wide viewing angles. While there may be not much content in “œ2K” (yet), video and gaming experience is definitely better on the G3’s gorgeous 5.5″ Quad HD display.
LG G3 has also one of the loudest speakers among the flagships, using a 1W speaker with 1.5W boost amp.
OS, UI, Apps
LG has made several improvements on the G3’s UI and apps. Aside from refreshed home screen, the G3 now features a significantly faster, flat style UI. LG recently announced that it will be using the same user experience (UX) to all of its upcoming smartphones and tablets.
Here are some of the highlights and useful features of the LG G3:
Home touch buttons
The Home touch buttons can be rearranged. Users can set up to 5 Home touch buttons.
Knock ON
Easily turn on/off the screen by double ““ tapping on the screen.
DUAL Window
Allows you to open two apps at the same time
QSlide Apps
Allows multi-tasking
Quick Circle
The QuickWindow Case successor, allows you to check time, play music, take photos, check unread messages, call logs and even play game without opening the cover
Security
Knock Code
Secures the screen by tapping your personalized 3 to 8 point pattern
Guest Mode
Restrict the apps and functions to use and keep your personal information private when you lend your G3 to others.
Content Lock
Lock personal images and video files.
Smart Notice
Provides notifications based on your smartphone usage, including callback reminders, battery savers, weather alerts, etc.
Smart Cleaning
Free up space by cleaning temporary files, downloads and idle apps.
Smart Keyboard, Smart Personalization and Seamless Typing
The LG G3 features a customizable keyboard that learns your typing style and helps you correct typos on-the-fly with an instinctive gesture. The G3’s keyboard also allows one-handed mode.
LG Health
Tracks fitness activities and allows users to set reach their personal wellness goals.
Camera
The LG G3 has the same 13 MP, 4160 x 3120 pixel camera as the G2 but now has phase detection/laser autofocus and DUAL-LED Flash. LG G3 is the first to feature a laser autofocus camera which can focus on subjects and take photos in just 0.276 seconds. The G3’s camera is impressive, focusing and taking photos faster especially in low lit areas.
The G3’s camera also provides a number of modes including Dual Mode, Panorama and Magic Focus mode as well as some nifty features such as Soft Light for taking selfies, Gesture shutter that allows you to take selfies by making hand gestures and Touch and Shoot that allows you to take photos by simply tapping the area of the screen where you want to focus.
Check out the sample shots below:
LG G3 Sample Videos
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=se2tdAEY0XQ
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5HXW1AGvXU
Performance and Benchmark
The LG G3 comes in 16 GB and 32 GB models. The 16 GB model has 2 GB of RAM while the 32 GB has 3 GB RAM.
Powered by a 2.5 GHz quad core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU, the LG G3 managed to run most of the apps and games we installed without a hitch although we noticed some minimal lags when playing Dead Trigger 2 and Asphalt 8. Check out the benchmark results below.
AnTuTu Benchmark – 31949
Quadrant Standard – 22587
3DMARK Ice Storm Extreme ““ 10050
3DMARK Ice Storm Unlimited ““ 15700
Vellamo Internet Browser ““ 2769
Vellamo Multicore ““ 1736
Vellamo Multicore ““ 1465
Battery Life
The G3 has the same 3000 mAh capacity as the G2 but now uses Lithium Ion instead of Lithium Polymer battery. On heavy usage, using mobile data, the G3 lasts at least 9 hours on the average before its battery runs out. On normal days, I can squeeze up to 15 hours of usage with the G3.
Conclusion
Instead of taking a conservative step, LG once again upped the ante by introducing a bunch of new features on its newest flagship including a QUAD HD Display and a Laser Auto Focus Camera, a move that is not surprising for a company that succeeds in innovation. But will the Quad HD Display, Laser Auto Focus camera, lightweight metallic design together with the various security and mobile features of the LG G3 be enough to once again get the better of its rivals? Looking at the current competitions, LG G3 may once again be well on its way to securing a spot in the limelight posing a serious challenge to other flagships in its category.
Good
Stunning Quad HD IPS display
Impressive performance
Gorgeous design
Good Battery Life
Loud sound
Bad
Minor lags on graphic intensive games
LG G3 Specs
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (up to 2.5GHz Quad-Core) |
Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS (2560 x 1440, 538ppi) |
Memory: 16/32GB eMMC ROM, 2/3GB DDR3 RAM / microSD slot (128GB max) |
Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS+ and Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP |
Battery: 3,000mAh (removable) |
Operating System: Android 4.4.2 KitKat |
Size: 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm |
Weight: 149g |
Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21 Mbps (3G) |
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X), NFC, SlimPort, A-GPS/Glonass, USB 2.0 |
Color: Metallic Black, Silk White, Shine Gold, Moon Violet, Burgundy Red |
Other: Smart Keyboard, Smart Notice, Knock CodeTM, Guest Mode, etc. |
The LG G3 16GB variant is priced at Php 29,990 while the 32GB variant has an SRP of Php 33,990.