LG has officially released details of their new flagship smartphone, the G3. After a month of “leaks” purposely let into the media by the mobile company, the actual product appears to be everything the numerous teasers promised. At first, it’s not a big surprise that LG G3 specs are outstanding and pretty much similar with Sony Xperia Z2, HTC One(M8), Samsung Galaxy S5, and even OnePlus One.
As they have been looking to compete on a market going ever more towards a small handful of dominant brands, this is the biggest release from the company in a long time. Not only does it hold advanced features, but it has an interesting new design.
Technical Specs
There will be two different versions of the LG G3. First is the 16 GB model that follows the hardware standards you would expect from a higher end model with 2 GB RAM. The more interesting is a 32 GB model with a full 3 GB of RAM.
Both hold a Snapdragon 801 2.5 Ghz quad-core processing chip. Along with the RAM, it promises a pretty smooth media viewing experience. Especially with the 4G speeds.
The screens will be high definition. Unlike many other brands, both models will have the same display: a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 with 538ppi. Another surprise as it will take it beyond the other popular competitors like Apple, and even Samsung which is known for their almost obsessive attention to display details.
But none of these things are the big news from LG. What they have really pushed is the new design, which is featured in both the hardware and the software.
LG G3 screen is very square without the rounding we have come to associate, other than a slight bit in the corners. It is also flatter and thinner, though the phone itself is too large to fit completely within the palm of the hand. Despite this, it will be more lightweight than past products.
Two cameras round out the primary hardware specs. The front camera is a 2.1 megapixel for face chatting that has, in their words, increased sensitivity. It is supposed to make the camera more intuitive and provide a better and clearer image than higher pixel cameras as a result. Whether that is true or not is hard to say.
The second camera is 13 megapixels, and so will make up for any issues with the front facing lens. Either way, it isn’t likely to matter that much to consumers. If they wanted a camera that was pristine they would buy a Zoom. Or just buy a camera.
Yes, they are still sticking with rear keys for power and volume control. They claim it is a key element to the design, and they might be right. A large phone means more difficulty with the finger placement. But in that case, why not just put the power button along the top and make the volume control touchscreen based entirely?
Software
On the software side LG have completely changed the tone of their interface. While before they seemed to be targeting teens with their bouncy, bright colors, now they are much more gentle. LG themselves have dubbed the new look “mature”, meant to catch the eye of adults, and appear more pleasing to their tastes.
Under these changes, software features are not very interesting, however. LG G3 will run Android KitKat 4.4.2, which is good, but pretty much the standard right now and a revamped LG user interface. They have implemented a “smart keyboard” which they claim will reduce input errors by 75%…quite the promise. Most of this improvement is attributed to the interface instinctively “knowing” what you are trying to say. Apparently, LG has not seen DamnYouAutoCorrect.com.
Regardless, this seems like a pretty good series from a surprisingly source. LG has really been lagging behind, and I think most people assumed they would jump ship and swim towards lower end devices to wriggle their way into that growing demand.
Instead, they have thrown themselves in the ring with the biggest brands they possibly could. In particular, they are set to become a thorn in the side of Samsung, also based out of South Korea. It should be an interesting battle to see.
No word yet on when LG G3 will be hitting US markets, but it shouldn’t be long. Next week South Korea is supposed to start seeing the device on shelves, with North American and European markets to follow soon after.
Price is also a mystery. The LG G2 at its release was approximately $620 without contract from most suppliers. Given the higher specs of the latest G3, we can speculate that it will be somewhere around the same range, give or take a fifty bucks. I would plan for somewhere just under the $700 range.
Final Verdict
I’m excited to see how this one performs. LG tends to produce some pretty solid phones with some slightly disappointing marketing. This time they have been building hype even longer than usual, and the final result isn’t just your basic high end device (at least not the 32 GB).
Source: LG
