Just when we thought all of the year’s best Android phones had been unveiled, the LG G3 goes into battle with the HTC, Samsung and Sony flagships. The choice gets ever harder...
The first hail of 2014 has been incredible for high-end smartphones. We've seen a fallen giant re-emerge in the form of HTC's One M8, a typically strong effort from Sam sung with its Galaxy S5, and a polished, noteworthy third-placed runner in the shape of the Sony Xperia Z2. Just one of those would ordinarily be enough to keep us content - but three of them in six months was like Christmas coming early.
Perhaps we thought that, after such a wonderful return to form from HTC, there were no more surprises in store Perhaps we imagined that no other manufacturer would bother to compete in a year with such a strong line-up.
Then we saw the LG G3, and we realized we were wrong about everything.
SPECIFICATION Of LG G3
The G3 is the most technologically advanced smartphone on the market today. It’s a wonderful piece of kit and rivals any device out there for sheer power, and for the gadgetry contained within its casing as we see so often, though, it is the implementation that is more important than the technology itself.
Fortunately, LG has learned from past mistakes, taken criticism on board, and managed to create the slickest, most polished, most usable device in its history.
Heads were initially turned with the announcement that the G3 would boast ‘OHD’ display. QHD Is short for ‘quad-HD’, meaning the G3s display has four times as many pixels as a standard 720p HD screen 1,440 x2,560 of them.
That’s a lot of pixels. Even 2014’s other flagships can only offer up 1080p Fi1l RD displays, which have almost half the pixel count of the G3.
It goes without saying then, that the G3’s display is outstanding. It delivers an exceptional level of sharpness that is simply unrivalled.
For the most part though, the difference is barely noticeable. If you're flicking around your home screens, composing an SMS or browsing Twitter, then you probably won’t notice much of a difference between OFID and the 1080p Full HD resolution of other top-end devices.
BATTERY
To ensure that such a massively advanced display doesn’t ruin battery life, LG has given the G3 a sizeable 3,000rnAh battery. It claims the 20% extra power consumption brought on by the display is offset by a 20% larger-than-average battery. In our time using the device, we didn’t notice any accelerated drain. Still, some people might have preferred extra battery life over the pixel boost which, at times, is indistinguishable.
The QHD is noticeable, however, when watching videos and playing games. Movies pop with a real crispness. It offers possibly the best cinematic experience on a mobile device, while in-game graphics are remarkably detailed in their rending. Of course, both of these pursuits are greatly enhanced by the G3’s huge display.
At 5.5 inches, it’s the largest of the current generation of flagships phones— 0.2 inches larger than the previous biggest, the Xperia Z2, and a whole 0.5 inches more than the One M8.
There’s no way the G3 could achieve such a clear picture on such a large display without OFID technology behind it. In fact, despite being 10% larger than the One M8, it packs in almost 100 more pixels per inch, totaling an astonishing 534ppi, compared to 44lppi on the One M8.
DESIGN
Perhaps the most impressive thing about that 5.5-inch display is just how small a body LG has crammed it into. It may be a phablet-sized screen, but the G3 is no phablet. To draw another comparison with the One M8, the G3 is actually 0.1mm shorter — despite a whole half an inch of extra display. It’s also 0.5mm thinner than the One M8, and its only 1.2mm wider than the Xperia Z2. The G3 would be worlds apart from the competition aesthetically, if it weren’t for one small, niggling factor. When we were first treated to preview images of the handset, we were so excited to see what looked like a handset finally ready to challenge the One M8 in terms of build quality. It looked as if another major handset had taken that extra step and crafted a brushed aluminum chassis, and it looked great.
Unfortunately, it looked a little too good. The LG G3’s rear casing is simply plastic with a brushed metal look to it. Of course, as far as plastic handsets go, it’s about as attractive as you could conceive, but it feels like a cut corner, and you’ll notice the difference as soon as you pick it up.
The larger screen could be problematic for some people as well. A grown man with large hands will be able to operate the G3 one-handed with a little dexterity, but it’ll be a stretch. Your average woman, or a young person, will almost certainly be forced to operate it two-handed. There is an option to enable one-handed operation to help with tasks like dialing or texting, but it’s rather limited.
SOFTWARE
One handily customizable feature is the pre-loaded keyboard. We type on our smartphones more than anything else, yet few manufacturers bother to make noticeable changes to the stock Android setup.
Here, you can change the size of the G3’s typing area, choose the level and aggression of the autocorrect, and even choose what functions two shortcut buttons either side of the space bar perform.
Dragging your thumb left or right across the space bar allows you to move the cursor without having to fiddle around in the main body text, and it even has swipe-to-type functionality, although it’s not particularly good.
Despite these neat features, the LG keyboard is still a hard sell, as most seasoned Android users will already have an equally well-featured keyboard downloaded from the Google Play app store. LG has done an excellent job of not forcing its user interface upon the user. As the G3 uses soft- keys, you can edit the order and number of home touch buttons too, so you’re not confined to a preset set-up.
CAMERA
Unfortunately, this level of detail ends with the camera. For whatever reason, there’s next to no options for tinkering with the various settings of what is an excellent snapper.
The lens is 13 megapixels, as we’ve seen on so many high-end smartphones, but it is the laser autofocus that really stands out. Photos are taken quicker than the blink of an eye.
You can program in a trigger word to activate a timer such as “cheese” or “smile”. Or, if you’re taking a selfie, you can clench your free, open palm into a fist in view of the lens to initiate a countdown.
FEATURES Of LG G3
The knock-to-wake feature, wherein a locked screen can be activated via a quick double-tap, was a greatly appreciated feature on the One M8. LG has taken this idea one step further and implemented what it calls Knock Code. With the screen divided into four small sections, you can input a code of three or more taps that function as a password. You can even tap out this code on a locked, blank display and it will automatically unlock the device and take you to your home screen. It’s a great time saver, and works with unerring consistency.
Smart Notice is another unique feature of the G3 that has the potential to greatly improve your daily use of it. As the name implies, it exists to issue important reminders, without you having to actually suggest them.
For example, it will check the weather forecast every day to see if you need to take an umbrella or wrap up warm. If you miss a phone call and don’t acknowledge it, it will remind you to call the person back. It also monitors your calendar and schedule for important events to keep you informed, without you having to lift a finger.
One of the most interesting features is Dual Window, which enables split-screen
multitasking. The screen is dissected horizontally to allow for two apps to run simultaneously, one on top of the other. You can even adjust the size of each window.
It’s a niche feature, granted, but you never know when you might need to use it — for example, if you want to reference a text message while composing an email.
CONCLUSION
With the strength of smartphone competition today, it is conscientious additions like the above features that help distinguish technologically similar Android handset from another. The G3 looks the part, too, even if the plastic build isn’t exactly in keeping with its overall premium feel.
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