There are some years when I was asked to make recommendations on a smartphone to buy, LG is not really part of the list of brands that I mentioned. Indeed, the Korean company that smartphones were not terrible happening, and the company was better known for equipping your home devices, such as televisions or appliances.
See also : Firefox OS arrives on the Raspberry Pi
However, things have evolved gradually from LG, to such an extent that the movable shaft is an important part for the company. Indeed, during the past two years, the Korean manufacturer has taken things very seriously on mobile, allowing it to put under the spotlight the popular G2 , but also, more surprisingly, the G Flex and the G Pro 2, an oriented for professionals smartphone. And of course, LG has been entrusted with the responsibility of Nexus 5.
LG is in the midst of a renaissance, and his latest masterpiece is the LG G3 ! It was the first mobile to offer a public display of such a resolution, 2560 x 1440 pixels, described by LG as being the most beautiful Quad HD screen. The number of pixels ensures a stunning pixel density of 538 ppi. But the Quad HD is brand new on the market, and many are wondering if he has a real necessity.
That's why I could take over the smartphone there are some months now, and I finally book you my opinion on the beast.
LG G3 features
Before starting to introduce the product, here the characteristics of LG G3:
Dimensions : 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm
Weight : 149 g
Operating System : Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor : Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, a quad-core clocked at 2.5 GHz
Memory : 2 GB
Storage : 16 GB of storage (expandable with micro-SD card up to 128GB)
Screen : 5.5 inches with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels
Camera : 13 megapixel camera with autofocus laser
Front camera : 2.1 megapixels
Connectivity : 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
Battery : 3000 mAh
LG G3: its metal appearance gives the G3 a premium look
Before the announcement of the G3, there was much discussion on the smartphone, including its design. Thus evoked a metal frame, similar to what HTC has managed to do with his One M8 . But LG has failed to do so, but the Korean company has reached a compromise with a "metal layer" on the back . Apparently, it is made of a mixture of metal and plastic, but it's a bit of cheating, since the back cover of G3 to the appearance but not the strength of the metal. What it does well is to resist fingerprints, and brushed metal finish gives it a very elegant appearance, reflecting just enough light to attract attention.
Anyway, the rear frame is more beautiful than the perforated back cover of the Galaxy S5 , but has no intention to compete with the One M8. If you're wondering why LG has not included its self-healing G Flex for G3 coating, it is not for lack of trying, but making the smartphone brilliant too. In fact, the coating would make the smartphone twice as bright, which is beyond the wishes of the designer. Unfortunately, the problem could not be solved before the launch date. However, the metal shell resists scratches, and the end result is very sexy, lightweight (149 grams), and does not disturb the connectivity.
Have a removable rear plastic shell, it also means easy access to the battery , so you can exchange it if you need it.
LG wanted to remove all the unnecessary parts of the G3, and has inlaid buttons on the hull, as it was able to do on the G2. They have been redesigned so that the curved buttons are smaller and are flush with the surface of the shell. If you are used to the smartphone with a traditional on / off button on the top or on the side of it, the layout of these buttons could lead to a short period of getting used to. But LG has developed an ingenious solution. Indeed, Knock On, which allows to unlock the smartphone screen with a single tap, is a much more natural gestures.
Despite its 5.5-inch screen, the G3 is a compact smartphone - 146.3 x 74.6 x 9.3 mm, slightly larger than a Galaxy Nexus 5 or S5. The curved shape is very comfortable, and the edges of beveled screen provide a very substantial grip .
LG G3: Quad HD smartphone future?
The bigger the better in the world of smartphone. Therefore, a screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels is better than having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, right? Well, yes and no. It does not really comes into play on the screen quality of G3. While it is beautiful to look at, it is equally important that the screen on a Nexus 5, or on a Galaxy S5, which has "only" a full HD resolution. It seems obvious that the quality is very good, as is the fact that it is impossible to see the pixels on the screen, but he really has something more than the competition? To see the difference, you need to implement tools that leverage the capabilities of the screen to compare the screens which offer less resolution . That is why I decided to compare the display of G3 than a Nexus 5, a smartphone that has a 1080p display produced by the same company. Although the fonts on the G3 offered a significant improvement compared to those of the Nexus 5, there was little difference between the two, at least at first glance. However, if you look closely, the additional clarity G3 could be seen.
However, comparing the screen to another smartphone is not really practical, so how it stands out when playing a video? The camera 13 megapixel G3 can shoot in 1080p, and UHD, equivalent to 3840 x 2160 pixels. Although the G3 screen can not show all the pixels in the UHD video, it will display more than a 1080p screen. This is where the pixels of the screen begin to make sense. UHD images are lush, full of color and wonderful to see, even on the small screen. Same when playing a video, especially one included in the device, the rendering is just stunning!
Curiously, the only thing frustrating was finding a compatible screen background. Certainly LG embeds automatically, but if you like to choose a different picture every week, the spectrum of choices is relatively small ... Obviously this is not the end of the world, but it's sad to leave all my images 1080p because they did not look great on my G3.
I also found it was easy to see the screen of the G3 in full sun, and you will have no problem reading the content even with sunglasses. It offers wide viewing angles and color reproduction is also very good. The screen is just fantastic. Of course, in many cases to use the smartphone, the resolution added matter .
LG G3 interface and applications
More than anything else, really working on LG's Android overlay slow and sad . With the G3, the Korean company has just done a complete overhaul, bringing with it a more "flat" interface, a trend initiated by iOS 7. Among the notable changes, icons flat, neutral colors - avoiding primary colors - and simple visual cues. But while pastel shades give a harmony smartphone, and since it is on Android, it's too easy to fill your home screen with icons that do not match the style of LG.
There are three new applications pre-installed in the G3. LG Health, Smart and Smart Tips Notice . Although the latter is more or less useful, it will nevertheless be able to receive reminders about birthdays, missed calls, and add new contacts to your address book. Whereas before its launch, we heard of its predictive ability, recalling the features of Google Now, I must admit that it has never been able to replace the Google service. Of course, it could become more useful over time, but today LG has still need to work on.
Smart Tips Health and LG both appear on the Home screen. By launching Smart Tips, you'll get advice on how to make the most of the features of the G3. LG Health works as a fitness tracker. It counts your steps, can record specific workouts and track calories burned. By entering your own stats, it recommends the duration of sport you need to do every day to lose weight.
For LG Health is in your ability to perfectly follow exercises, your G3 needs to be constantly with you, which n is not always possible. This is an interesting application, and that seems to work well, but it can not replace a bracelet.
The new LG overlay is a huge step forward compared to what LG has offered in the past. It's fast, smooth and relatively quiet. A special mention must be given to Knock Code, which after a series of taps on the screen to unlock it, proved to be an easy way to protect and turn the G3. This process has baffled everyone to whom I have shown, and proving effective against casual spies. LG says it is a real alternative to the use of fingerprint security, and much cleaner to implement.
LG G3: a racing
LG G3 uses the latest Snapdragon processor quad 801 running at 2.5 GHz with 2 GB of RAM. It has 16 GB of internal storage and provides support for micro-SD cards of up to 128GB. This is a typical arrangement for smartphones launched in 2014, corresponding to rival devices and offering an experience on the same footing equality.
In terms of opening applications and navigation in general, I have no problems of slowing down. Besides, I think it is a bit faster than the Galaxy S5 in certain actions, including opening folders on the home screen.
With such specifications, it is not surprising to learn that the smartphone is doing well in games.
LG G3 camera centered on the AF
LG has equipped the G3 with a 13 megapixel camera and its lens is embedded just above the on / off button, which means that it is often covered with fingerprints. The important point about the camera focus is assisted by laser, whose sensor is located on the right of the lens. Apparently, this little "component", adapted from robotics division of LG and originally intended to be used in a robot vacuum cleaner, was transported by LG to measure the distance between the camera and the subject in less than 0276 ms, which is faster than the blink of an eye.
If the autofocus laser may seem fanciful, it works perfectly. By the side of a G3 iPhone 5 and Nexus 5, the last of the family of LG was always slightly ahead as to identify its purpose, that of beings willing to take a shot. In the real world, this means that you are less likely to miss important moments.
The image quality is excellent. Pictures taken in a dark day revealed many details - making great use of Quad HD display - and were significantly higher than those taken with an iPhone 5.
On the front camera, a new feature has emerged to the delight of all fans of selfies. Once in position, just move your hand over the lens, but it captures it, and once the closed fist, voila! Moreover, the front camera G3 is fantastic, and you will be very pleased with the results obtained with the latter.
Then there is the video capture UHD. The resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, better known as 4K, gives excellent results. Although the capture Full HD is also impressive, with its excellent audio quality, if you want the latest technology the G3 may be the ideal device.
LG G3: a visible optimization on battery
While impressive Quad HD screen could strike terror into the heart of many consumers concerned about the autonomy of the smartphone, it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. LG has equipped the smartphone with a battery Removable 3000 mAh, which is able to offer a range of one day .
During this, the Bluetooth connection to a Pebble enabled, the Wi-Fi hotspot was a little used, while coupling the usual mix of emails, SMS, games, and various calls. This excellent performance is made possible by software that LG makes adjustments to the frame rate, the CPU utilization to maximize the life of the battery. All this is done in the background, and LG has promised that the smartphone would offer a similar autonomy to a phone in 1080p.
However, the use of the camera has reduced the autonomy of the faster device.
LG G3: G3 is the dream of LG smartphone
LG has given everything in the LG G3, seeking to maintain the momentum of G, and offer something that stands out from the pack. Moreover, with its Quad HD screen, it was one of the first of a new breed of smartphones.
Although the screen Quad HD will become commonplace in the coming months, LG still has the advantage of arriving first on the market . However, being the first brings some disadvantages though. Although for videos and advantages of such a screen are very clear, this is less the case when reading emails or surfing the web.
Anyway, the LG G3 is a high-end smartphone. There is a balance between the characteristics and the size of the smartphone. LG, in my opinion, makes better use of the screen size than some competitors.
I'm really impressed with the camera smartphone . His consistent performance is welcome and I love the simplicity of automatic HDR mode and autofocus laser. You will have a really good camera in hand.
Overall, the LG G3 strikes a balance between the smartphone and the Phablet, meaning it could be too big for some. Due to its design it is for me more a smartphone, but offers the advantages of a Phablet.
See also : Firefox OS arrives on the Raspberry Pi
However, things have evolved gradually from LG, to such an extent that the movable shaft is an important part for the company. Indeed, during the past two years, the Korean manufacturer has taken things very seriously on mobile, allowing it to put under the spotlight the popular G2 , but also, more surprisingly, the G Flex and the G Pro 2, an oriented for professionals smartphone. And of course, LG has been entrusted with the responsibility of Nexus 5.
LG is in the midst of a renaissance, and his latest masterpiece is the LG G3 ! It was the first mobile to offer a public display of such a resolution, 2560 x 1440 pixels, described by LG as being the most beautiful Quad HD screen. The number of pixels ensures a stunning pixel density of 538 ppi. But the Quad HD is brand new on the market, and many are wondering if he has a real necessity.
That's why I could take over the smartphone there are some months now, and I finally book you my opinion on the beast.
LG G3 features
Before starting to introduce the product, here the characteristics of LG G3:
Dimensions : 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm
Weight : 149 g
Operating System : Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor : Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, a quad-core clocked at 2.5 GHz
Memory : 2 GB
Storage : 16 GB of storage (expandable with micro-SD card up to 128GB)
Screen : 5.5 inches with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels
Camera : 13 megapixel camera with autofocus laser
Front camera : 2.1 megapixels
Connectivity : 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
Battery : 3000 mAh
LG G3: its metal appearance gives the G3 a premium look
LG G3: Quad HD smartphone future?
The bigger the better in the world of smartphone. Therefore, a screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels is better than having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, right? Well, yes and no. It does not really comes into play on the screen quality of G3. While it is beautiful to look at, it is equally important that the screen on a Nexus 5, or on a Galaxy S5, which has "only" a full HD resolution. It seems obvious that the quality is very good, as is the fact that it is impossible to see the pixels on the screen, but he really has something more than the competition? To see the difference, you need to implement tools that leverage the capabilities of the screen to compare the screens which offer less resolution . That is why I decided to compare the display of G3 than a Nexus 5, a smartphone that has a 1080p display produced by the same company. Although the fonts on the G3 offered a significant improvement compared to those of the Nexus 5, there was little difference between the two, at least at first glance. However, if you look closely, the additional clarity G3 could be seen.
Curiously, the only thing frustrating was finding a compatible screen background. Certainly LG embeds automatically, but if you like to choose a different picture every week, the spectrum of choices is relatively small ... Obviously this is not the end of the world, but it's sad to leave all my images 1080p because they did not look great on my G3.
LG G3 interface and applications
More than anything else, really working on LG's Android overlay slow and sad . With the G3, the Korean company has just done a complete overhaul, bringing with it a more "flat" interface, a trend initiated by iOS 7. Among the notable changes, icons flat, neutral colors - avoiding primary colors - and simple visual cues. But while pastel shades give a harmony smartphone, and since it is on Android, it's too easy to fill your home screen with icons that do not match the style of LG.
Smart Tips Health and LG both appear on the Home screen. By launching Smart Tips, you'll get advice on how to make the most of the features of the G3. LG Health works as a fitness tracker. It counts your steps, can record specific workouts and track calories burned. By entering your own stats, it recommends the duration of sport you need to do every day to lose weight.
For LG Health is in your ability to perfectly follow exercises, your G3 needs to be constantly with you, which n is not always possible. This is an interesting application, and that seems to work well, but it can not replace a bracelet.
LG G3: a racing
LG G3 uses the latest Snapdragon processor quad 801 running at 2.5 GHz with 2 GB of RAM. It has 16 GB of internal storage and provides support for micro-SD cards of up to 128GB. This is a typical arrangement for smartphones launched in 2014, corresponding to rival devices and offering an experience on the same footing equality.
With such specifications, it is not surprising to learn that the smartphone is doing well in games.
LG G3 camera centered on the AF
LG has equipped the G3 with a 13 megapixel camera and its lens is embedded just above the on / off button, which means that it is often covered with fingerprints. The important point about the camera focus is assisted by laser, whose sensor is located on the right of the lens. Apparently, this little "component", adapted from robotics division of LG and originally intended to be used in a robot vacuum cleaner, was transported by LG to measure the distance between the camera and the subject in less than 0276 ms, which is faster than the blink of an eye.
The image quality is excellent. Pictures taken in a dark day revealed many details - making great use of Quad HD display - and were significantly higher than those taken with an iPhone 5.
On the front camera, a new feature has emerged to the delight of all fans of selfies. Once in position, just move your hand over the lens, but it captures it, and once the closed fist, voila! Moreover, the front camera G3 is fantastic, and you will be very pleased with the results obtained with the latter.
Then there is the video capture UHD. The resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, better known as 4K, gives excellent results. Although the capture Full HD is also impressive, with its excellent audio quality, if you want the latest technology the G3 may be the ideal device.
LG G3: a visible optimization on battery
While impressive Quad HD screen could strike terror into the heart of many consumers concerned about the autonomy of the smartphone, it's not nearly as bad as it could have been. LG has equipped the smartphone with a battery Removable 3000 mAh, which is able to offer a range of one day .
However, the use of the camera has reduced the autonomy of the faster device.
LG G3: G3 is the dream of LG smartphone
LG has given everything in the LG G3, seeking to maintain the momentum of G, and offer something that stands out from the pack. Moreover, with its Quad HD screen, it was one of the first of a new breed of smartphones.
Although the screen Quad HD will become commonplace in the coming months, LG still has the advantage of arriving first on the market . However, being the first brings some disadvantages though. Although for videos and advantages of such a screen are very clear, this is less the case when reading emails or surfing the web.
Anyway, the LG G3 is a high-end smartphone. There is a balance between the characteristics and the size of the smartphone. LG, in my opinion, makes better use of the screen size than some competitors.
I'm really impressed with the camera smartphone . His consistent performance is welcome and I love the simplicity of automatic HDR mode and autofocus laser. You will have a really good camera in hand.
Overall, the LG G3 strikes a balance between the smartphone and the Phablet, meaning it could be too big for some. Due to its design it is for me more a smartphone, but offers the advantages of a Phablet.