LG G3 - Simply Stylish

LG G3

As most of you may know, LG brought out the G2 a while back that won many accolades and awards from the industry AND from users alike.
They are not stopping there however, and this is a rundown on the new flagship LG G3. Will it live up to the incredible innovations that the G2 brought? ‘Simple is the New Smart’? We think so too!

Design:

LG for the longest time have been improving their designs across the board, whether it’s phones, TVs or home appliances. So it is no surprise that you will not be let down by this stunning phone.
The body of the phone itself is a lovely shape, and enables users with bigger hands like me a very comfortable grip.

There are no buttons around the perimeter of the phone unlike conventional designs, as the LG G3 keeps the Rear keys, whereby the volume and power button are embedded in the rear of the phone just under the camera.
For me personally this was a bit strange coming from a phone that didn't have this feature, but now that I’ve used it, I find the pros of this design.
No longer am I accidentally turning the phone on or knocking the volume buttons in my pockets, and I’d like to see this design on other phone variants in the future.

The rear of the phone houses a nice fingerprint-proof polymer removable panel, which while removing the annoying fingerprints does get scratched quite easily, although I don’t see this being a big issue. I guess you can simply just buy a new rear panel if it frustrates you that much in the future.
Underneath the panel, houses the G3’s 3,000mAh removable battery and space for sim and micro-sd cards.

The phone has a 1W speaker on the rear (you can see the cut-out for it on the case at the bottom left) and provides excellent fidelity. Not quite up to the excellent HTC One M8’s speaker system, but certainly not terrible by any stretch of the imagination.

LG has provided a bunch of features that improve the use of the phone too, starting with the innovative Smart Keyboard that is said to improve your typing and remove a lot of the silly mistakes you may make by learning how you type.
Plus the addition of Smart Notice which will give you little notifications based on your usage, location and the phones status.
So it can tell you that you have been making quite a few calls to a specific number, and ask if you want to add to contacts. Or if you are running low on battery it will remind you to put it into Battery Saving mode. Quite convenient, and not so in your face that you feel forced to do what it says, just a handy reminder.

This phone is simplicity at its finest in terms of design, everything feels streamlined and just ‘works’.

Simple is the new Smart.

Camera:

The LG G3 houses many awesome features in terms of its cameras and I’ll try to shed some light on them.
First off, the G3 has a first in the mobile world which is the Laser AF which accompanies the OIS+ Rear camera, which is set to change the way you capture photos.
If you have ever missed a shot because your camera was busy going back and forth in focus before firing, this is going to make you very happy.
Laser AF catches focus by measuring the time it takes for the beam it sends out to reach a subject and get back, which makes the sensors capable of extremely fast focusing even in low light.
I have to say, it does this extremely well, I have had far fewer moments where I have missed a shot purely down to the AF system, so I would say that this is a great step forward.

The camera also has some very nice specs, it has Dual LED flash on the rear, Optical Image Stabiliser Plus which is said to improve the camera-shake you may experience in other models and is a VERY respectable 13 Megapixels.

You have a few options when using the camera app, although compared to other brands it does seem a bit limited in terms of modes.
There is the standard AUTO mode which is what you should be using like 90% of the time, as it handles all the stuff behind the scenes and just lets you aim and snap.
You also have the option to pick between Dual, Panorama or Magic Focus.
Dual mode takes a photo using the rear camera and the front camera at the same time, so you can have a selfie while showing off your surroundings.
Panorama does what it says on the tin and enables you to slowly pan the phone and get a horizontal stitched Panorama of your environment.

The most interesting feature is Magic Focus, which enables you to take photos and then choose the focal point AFTER the fact, much like the HTC One M8 does, but this uses software to do it rather than the hardware solution HTC had.
You have to hold the camera still while the software slowly rotates through the focal plane and cameras images as it goes, then it enables you to pick a spot after, or simply say that you want it all in focus.
Got to say, it works wonderfully, while I don’t personally have many occasions I would use it, I can see that it will be helpful for those that do.

As we live in a ‘Selfie’ era, of course the front camera is quite important, and this doesn't disappoint. Boasting a generous 2.1MP, larger image sensor and larger aperture, your selfies will have never looked better.
It also has a nifty feature that is sure to impress your friends, simply aim the camera at you and hold your hand up, then clench into a fist and a 3-second timer triggers, enabling you to have an awesome hands free experience.

The video mode on the LG G3 is also fantastic, boasting up to 4K recording at 30fps and 120FPS at 720P, you will most assuredly not be disappointed. The 4K recordings look simply stunning, especially on the G3 screen, which we will talk about next.

Screen:

Heralded to be one of the nicest screens on a recent phone by many, this phone lives up to the hype.
It is 5.5 inches, runs a Quad HD display which is 2560x1440 and gives it a pixel density of 538ppi.
That is 4x the resolution of standard HD and 1.8x Full HD, and it does show.
In comparison to a standard screen you will at first be hard pressed to see a drastic difference, but when viewing photos, videos and high definition content you will definitely notice the increased resolution this display offers.
Everything is sharper, more vivid and just jumps off the screen.
When looking at your own 4K videos on this device, you will be blown away at the definition.

My favourite screen on any phone of 2014 so far for sure.

Performance:

Well you may be saying to your yourself, Ok it has a great camera and screen, but does having that capability make it lag or drain the battery too fast? The short answer is…No.
When using the phone I noticed no real performance hiccups in comparison to other units we have tried, except for the occasional bug (although I suspect this is more an Android problem than this device).
Everything flows smoothly on screen, and it can handle even the most demanding applications, the hardware used is top notch so that is no surprise.

Battery & Call Quality:

Batteries nowadays are a big issue in phones, it’s great having these features, but what if the batteries runs out in a few hours and you don’t get to use it as much as wanted.
Considering this has a 4K display I can forgive you for feeling it may be weak on the battery life due to the increase usage, but I can honestly say that the massive 3,000mAh battery really does handle the increased resolution.
Through a typical day of usage, I only run down once and that was while playing a hefty amount of games, but I’d usually still have a good 10-15% left before charging at night.
So as long as you charge it nightly, you’ll be fine with this.

In reference to call quality, glad to report everything was loud and clear, and the microphones provide a very clear call to the person on the receiving end as well, big thumbs up from me.

Conclusion:

The LG G3 is quite simply an outstanding phone, from the Quad HD display, 4K video recording, the Laser AF, stunning camera, Simply Smart features that give you a slick experience, the G3 has surpassed my personal expectations and comes with my highest recommendations.
A well made flagship phone that gives the users what they need and what they want.
LG you have done yourselves proud with this beast, it’s a beautiful piece of engineering and a pleasure to use, well done!

Go follow LG - @LGUK or @LGUS on Twitter

Check out their site for more awesome products - www.LG.com

Buy From Amazon Below:

LG G3 – Sim Free 16GB - Gold

LG G3 – Sim Free 16GB - Black

(Any purchases from these links will help us by giving us a small commission on the sale from Amazon for sending you there).

 
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