LG doesn’t just make flagship Android devices. It makes bona fide Nexus phones. Both the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5 have been based on some brilliant LG hardware, and the new LG G3 is brilliantly on form.
The LG G3 is the new superphone on the block, packing a blistering quad-core, Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB via a MicroSD card).
The camera has been beefed up, with a new auto-focus module based on infrared that promises to square-up a shot for you within 0.276 seconds. Plus, the fact that it’s an infrared AF module means that, no matter what the light conditions are, it can do its job.
Most impressive of all is the new screen. It’s a 5.5-inch QHD panel, which means that it’s a packing a resolution of 2560×1440, and an insane 538 pixels per inch. That’s almost unheard of in a phone these days. I didn’t want to look away from the panel once I started playing 4k content.
The new screen is 0.3-inches larger than that of the LG G2, with the Korean manufacturer deciding that 5.5-inches is the sweet spot between an ordinary smartphone at 5.1-inches or less, and a phablet at 5.7-inches or more. Smart thinking in our minds. It feels great in the hand.
Part of that good feeling comes from the new plastic backing plate (which is actually treated to repel fingerprints) and the overall weight of the phone, or lack thereof. LG has done some weight-shedding with the G3, and when you hold the phone in your hand without it’s battery inserted, it feels like you’re holding nothing at all. It’s astoundingly well-engineered.
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Speaking of the backing plate, LG has made it removable on the G3, and included a replaceable 3000mAh battery. As far as battery life is concerned, LG says that it was able to find power efficiencies hidden within its own software that make up for the power draw of a super high-resolution, QHD screen.
Reportedly, the screen draws 20 per cent more power than it would on the G2, and that’s exactly how much the manufacturer has clawed back from inefficient software. “You can’t go backwards in battery life,” LG told us in our hands-on session.
Overall, LG wants you to know it’s listening to the gripes you’re having with its phones. The LG G2’s UI was bloated and ugly, so now we have a gorgeous, flat and beautiful one that gets out of your way. We wanted a camera that performed better in low-light; LG provided a camera with an infrared focus that cares not whether it’s day or night to take sharp shots. We wanted the screen to be better, and LG delivered an edge-to-edge, 5.5-inch QHD masterpiece.
We’re excited for the LG G3. It can’t get here fast enough.
Speaking of, the phone looks like it’ll get an August release date across all three major carriers. Prices on plans are yet to be announced, but we already know you’ll be paying $799 for the phone outright.
Are you impressed by the new LG G3? Tell us what you think of it in the comments!