LG G3 Full Review

While the LG G3 has been released a few months ago, we now came uup with our official review of the device. Check out the video below to see the full review, or look below to see a full written version:

Design

With the LG G3, LG is looking to continue the positive trend of the G2, and attempt to take a chunk out of the Galaxy’s sales. Sure enough, this device looks to be a worthy contender. While LG is using the same design language as it had on the G2, this is an overall much more mature device. The G3 features a much nicer-feeling back, with a fingerprint-proof faux-metal cover. While this is still plastic, it feels much nicer and combined with the curved back it helps the 5.5’ device fit in the hand very comfortably.

 The motto of the LG G3 is “Simple is the new best”, and you can see it in many places of the device. You can notice the back of the device is much cleaner than the somewhat-cluttered G2, and also the buttons have a simpler look to them. The cover material helps the phone look much nicer, and it’s certainly a nice-looking device.

LG has decided to put the charging port in the bottom, next to the earphone jack and on the top is the IR port. LG has again incorporated its knock-on technology, which allows it to put the buttons on the back and still turn on the phone while it’s on its back.

Battery & Storage

One of the biggest changes with the G3 is LG’s decision to incorporate a removable back, which allows you to remove the battery. In our experience, we tend to get around 4-5 hours of screen-on time. While that is disappointing, that’s what you can expect with a QHD screen, which obviously takes much more power than the 1080p display of the G2, out of which we managed to squeeze up to 7 hours of screen-on time.

Nonetheless, thanks to the removable back, whenever you run out of battery you can simply pop out the massive 3,000 mAh battery and insert a new one, so if you carry a spare battery you can easily get 8 hours of screen-on time. While that’s good, it might be more convenient to just stick with one battery, and while 5 hours of SoT isn’t amazing, it will certainly get you through a day’s work without running out.

Under the hood you can also find a micro SD card slot, which would allow you to bump your storage up to 128 GB. The standard options are 16 GB/ 32 GB, but in the real world that means 10/24 GB since the system takes a lot of space, so you might find yourself in need of an SD card.

Speaker

A big issue with the G2, at least to music lovers and other users which love using their speaker, was the volume. Similarly to its brother, the Nexus 5, the G2 suffered from a relatively-low maximum volume output, which made it unheard once you were in a noisy room/party/etc.

The G3 definitely outdone itself in that perspective- LG has implemented a 1W speaker, which definitely matches the other flagships, and delivers a very loud volume. While all is good when the speaker is exposed, LG’s choice to place it on the back gives some problems when it is lying face up on a table, and it would have been better if LG put it on the bottom like on the G2. Overall, the speakers are still very good, and no user should have a problem in that category.

As you can see, the volume/power buttons received a makeover in the G3. While the power button is now round instead of rectangular, the volume buttons are more oval. The buttons now deliver a much nicer experience, and I personally love the improved feedback, since you can really feel and hear the click when you press the buttons, unlike the G2, and they are much nicer to press.

Camera

The volume buttons can also serve as shortcut keys, and while the upper one leads to the somewhat-useless QuickMemo, pressing long on the lower while the screen is turned off will get you to the camera app.

This is one of the places in which LG’s “Simple is the New Best” motto is most visible: While recently manufacturers are just focused on cramming more and more camera modes and options and toggles, LG realizes that most of these modes are very similar, and the average consumer doesn’t need that many options. You have a “Touch & Shoot” mode, which enables you to quickly focus and immediately take a picture by simply pressing the screen, a feature which is enabled mainly thanks to the laser focus, which allows for very quick focus. This is great for those who simply want to take a quick shot without messing around with the settings

If you press the three dots in the upper right corner, you can customize the camera further. LG has decided to only offer three camera modes, with an HDR option. In the settings you can choose up to 13 MP photos, and you have the option of 4K videos. Thanks to the SD card slot, taking 4K videos shouldn’t be a problem since your memory can handle it. In our experience, the pictures turn out to be very good, and we’ll show more on that later. You can also say a variety of things in order to take a picture.

Display

One thing you have to give to this device, and that is the absolutely stunning display. While the differences between QHD and FHD might be questioned, LG’s preloaded video looks absolutely stunning on the device, and it certainly looks better than standard FHD. No matter how close you look, you’ll never manage to detect any pixels, and this is one of the best displays on the market.

Some people criticized the display, claiming its brightness output is no match when it is held in direct sunlight. In my personal experience, I would call rubbish on that, as the display is clearly visible in any conditions. Overall, the display is greatly improved from the G2, and delivers one of the best experiences on the market.

Knock Code

After debuting it on the LG G2 Pro, LG has implemented the Knock Code technology in all of its recent handsets, including porting it via an update to the G2 and the G Flex, and it was obvious the LG G3 will feature Knock Code.

In order to find Knock Code, you enter the Settings, from there go to Lock Screen, and once you enter Lock Screen options you need to press “Select Screen Lock”, and Knock Code will be one of the options. Knock Code basically enables you to select a pattern of 2 to 8 taps on one of the four areas of the screen, and set that as your lock screen. You also set a recovery code, in case you forget it. 

LG claims knock code to be the safest screen lock mechanism, and while we would be skeptical as to whether it is truly the best, it is definitely very convenient and cool to use. While this can be done while your screen is turned off, you can also press the power button and then you can see the Lock Screen, but Knock Code allows you to bypass the lock screen and get straight to your phone.

Home Screen, LG Health & Smart Tips

The G3 home screen has been redesigned, and it also offers Google Now from the home screen functionality. You simply need to say “OK Google” from the home screen, and it will take you to the app.

Also, if you slide to the left, you have the LG Health screen, and below you have Smart Tips. The LG Health app is similar to other fitness apps, and uses the LG G3 steps counter to determine how many steps you’ve taken, and sets you goals for the day. It can also measure runs and other forms of fitness.

In the Smart Tips area, you can see all kinds of recommendations about how to use the phone, and you can press one in order to see how to use it. While I didn’t find anything new there, you can definitely check it out as it might show you some things about the device which you haven’t known before.

On Screen Buttons

One of the advantages of on-screen buttons, aside from the fact it can offer you more screen real-estate, is that it allows you to customize the look and functionality of the buttons. LG tries to squeeze the most it can out of that.

If you go to Settings, Display, and then to Home Screen Buttons, you can customize everything about these buttons. First and foremost, you can add two more buttons to the standard three, in the shape of “Dual Window”, “Notifications”, “QSlide”, and “QuickMemo+”. You can also change the order of them, and have 3-5 buttons on the screen in any order you wish, which is pretty neat.

Another thing you can customize is the background color of the buttons. You can have Black, Black Graduation, White, and White Graduation. While the default option is white, I prefer the plain black, but that’s up to you, as LG lets you change it to your personal taste.

You can also make the background of the buttons transparent when you are in the home-screen, basically showing you the wallpaper instead of the color background. Another option LG has, is to choose on which apps to hide the On-Screen buttons, and force the app into immersive mode. While that is a neat option, some apps might crash if you enable that, and usually you better not do it, since if it’s not optimized for Immersive Mode perhaps it’s not meant to be. However, you have the option to.

Phone Tour (See the video)

Summary

Overall, this is a very neat phone. LG is quite impressing us in the past couple of years, and is really getting on the map. With the LG G3 motto of “Simple is the New Best”, this phone is perfect for average consumers who don’t need a loaded OS like TouchWiz, and look for a simple experience. Moreover, the display of this phone is quite stunning, and it’s a shame it comes on the expense of poor battery life.

Pros:

• Great QHD Display
• Simple UI
• Great Camera
• Removable back & micro SD slot

Cons

• Poor battery life
• Speaker on the back

If you don’t mind the bad battery life, then this is an excellent phone, and if we ignore the battery part this could well be the best smartphone of the year. We hope you enjoyed our review, and we’ll post a comparison with the G2 in a couple of days.

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LG G3 Stylus leaks out in official video, could be Note 4 competitor

After LG released the G3, it was obvious an LG G3 Pro was in the works. Following the great G2 Pro, G3 Pro is expected to be a great device, but according to the latest official video by LG, it seems the name might differ.

Counting on the Note 4 coming out on September 4, this device should be a direct competitor and therefore launch soon-after. According to rumors, the G3 Stylus will feature the 5.9' size of the G2 Pro, and perhaps offer QHD. In the picture it appears larger than the G3.

The stylus should offer some improved functionality, and in order to be a real Note 4 contestant, LG should add some original features to make use of it. Anyways, a stylus is always god to make use of such a large display, and we'll wait and see what LG brings to the table. Here's the official video (G3 Stylus appears in 2:45)

Since the original video was turned to 'private', a quick search in Youtube yielded this video from a different user. It is mainly for displaying the G3 Beat, and we think the G3 Stylus didn't make an 'accidental' appearance, but rather it was a planned marketing move. 

Stay tuned for more details regarding the device, as it should be coming out in the next couple of months.

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LG G3 unboxing and initial hands-on, review coming soon!

Here's the full unboxing video, a written version is underneath:

While the LG G3 has been announced a few months ago, we now managed to get our hands on the device. The G3 has been available in stores for a few weeks now in most countries, such as the US and Europe, and consumers there can already purchase the handset. In case you are still hanging on and aren’t sure whether to get it or not, this unboxing and upcoming review should help you make a decision.

The texture of the case hints at the metal-like coating of the device, and we’ll get to that in the full review.

What we have here is the black variant of the G3. With golden-colored devices picking up popularity in recent months, each manufacturer releases a Golden version of his own flagship, with some even opting for real gold-coating. While the box is golden and it might look like we have one ourselves, we are actually in possession of the black-variant of the G3. But, that’s only a matter of taste, and personally I would favor the black-variant, since it’s a little more traditional.

So, let’s open the box: Inside you can see, of course, the phone in the front. The G3 occupies most of the box’s dimensions, so the box is pretty compact. Under the phone, LG is branding their Knock-Code technology, and underneath all the accessories are packed. 

In the box, LG includes a charger, a pair of earphones which are actually not that bad compared to what manufacturers usually include with their phone, and a tool for prying the SIM tray out. Pretty standard overall. LG included their button-layout as you can see, and the phone is pretty sleek overall, but more of that in our full review.

Alright, that’s enough for the unboxing and the short initial hands-on, stay tuned for the full review coming soon!

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Snapdragon 805 not a major performance upgrade on LG G3, according to benchmarks

Preceding the release of the Galaxy S5, LG G3 and other flagships, rumors of a Snapdragon 805 contained within them were making rounds and causing the tech community to drool. According to these benchmarks, that might have been slightly unjustified. 

While the handset's 2.7 GHz sure sounds promising, especially paired with the Adreno 420 which Qualcomm claims is 40% faster than the Adreno 330, when it comes to actual peak performance, it doesn't seem to have much of an edge over the SD 801.

Actually, if you compare the clock speed rates and the benchmark rates, you get similiar results. At the benchmarks, while the LG G3 Cat.6 got 33,991 on Antutu, the original G3 got 30,634. That's an 11% increase. With the clock speed being 2.7 GHz, that's an improvement of 8% over the previous 2.5 GHz SD 801. While clock speed isn't everything, it would have been unjust to expect much more by simply changing a device's processor. 

Nonetheless, since SD 810 is yet to be available, SD 805 is the only sensible choice for the LTE-A handset, simply because it is the only on that supports Cat.6 LTE (yup, that's where the G3 Cat.6 got its name from).

So, what did we learn? First of all, just because it has a new name, doesn't mean performance will boom. So don't only look at the branding. Secondly, that if you don't live in an LTE-A area, you shouldn't mind a lack of SD 805 too much. Although it would be nice.

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Vivo to release iPhone 6 contender with Sapphire display

Vivo has gained itself a reputation in recent years for its world-first QHD screen, and is known for making high-priced premium handsets which don't spare a thing from its buyers, and are usually worth their tag.

Now, according to the newly leaked pictures courtesy of ePrice Weibo, it seems Vivo is about to release a new phone, which will sport the un-scratch-able Sapphire display that's rumored for the iPhone 6. 

The phone is rumored to sport a 5' Sapphire display, with a premium metal frame, which with Vivo's QHD tradition could turn out to have QHD resolution. So, here are our speculated specs: 5' Sapphire glass QHD display, housing a Snapdragon 801 with 3 GB of RAM, 13 MP back-camera, all contained withing a metal frame and running KitKat 4.4.2. Sounds pretty good.

Something sort of out of the blue that can be deducted from this, are the extremely thin bezels that can be seen in the leaked pictures of the handsets. Something you might recall from the G3's announcement, is the company's claim that the phone doesn't have a metal frame because it would make bezels much bigger. Hmmmm.

Anyways, the phone should cost 3,998 Chinese Yuan, which is in the area of $650, certainly fitting of such a premium handset. While this might not make its way to the US, stay tuned for more details as this phone really does look pretty good.

Source (Chinese- Use Chrome's Google Translate feature)- Weibo

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LG finally turning a profit in Q2, sells 14.5 million smartphones

The past quarter was especially good for LG, as it followed HTC's trend by finally turning a profit, with 14.5 million units sold in Q2 2014. That's an increase of 20% from Q2 2013, and a 17% increase from Q1.

In total, the South Korean OEM made a total $3.5 billion from the mobile division, which is the highest it has earned since 2010. It has turned an operating profit of $83.4 million. The sales are mostly thanks to the success of the LG G3, and the very successful mid-range L series, which saw success in emerging markets.

Something to note is that handsets with LTE accounted for one third of total sales, which shows how this kind of connectivity gained popularity. The success is expected to continue, with the release of the LG G3 Beat and the continuing international roll-out of the G3. Anyways, its good to see companies turning a profit, with now Samsung, HTC and Samsung being in the club.

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LG releases first game for QuickCircle case

QuickCircle, LG's dedicated case for the G3 allows you to perform actions without opening your cover, using a circular hole in the cover's front. Among others you can answer calls, check the weather, play music, and check the time.

Now, to make it even more functional, LG released a dedicated game that will be available for free on the Play Store called Puppy Pop, a classic match-three game which is available only for those with a QuickCircle case.

Of course, LG shouldn't have too much of a hard time producing games for the case, since it is basically a Moto 360 display size, and it can just take games and fit them to the circular screen-cut. The actual point of having games there is rather un-clear, since it would waste the same amount of battery as a regular game would since the display can't turn on just half of itself, making the whole display active even if you just wanted to light up a small circle.

Puppy Pop will be available on the Play Store beginning on July 23rd, and if you want a Quick Circle case it would set you down $49. For more go to LG's official announcement.

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LG G3 Cat. 6 announced, features LTE-A and Snapdragon 805

LG's LTE-A variant of the LG G3 has been officially announced, and as recent leaks suggested it will be named LG G3 Cat. 6. In that, LG is taking a similar strategy to that of Samsung, which released an improved, virtually-similar to LG G3 Cat. 6 version of the Galaxy S5, calling it Galaxy S5 LTE-A.

While there aren't any differences with the exteriors of the devices, the big change is with the enabling of LTE-A, which supports download speeds of up to 225mbps. In order to optimize such high download speeds, LG upgraded the processor to a 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805, paired with an Adreno 420. Except for that there are virtually no differences between the Cat.6 and between the 32 GB/ 3 GB RAM variant of the G3. 

While these might upset current G3 owners which might've purchased the current model only a few days ago, customers shouldn't worry as this model will not make its way out of South Korea, for the simple reason that South Korea is one of the only countries to commercially support LTE-A.

As for the South Koreans, the phone should be made available starting July 25th, and will probably not be substantially pricier than the standard version. While this isn't a huge upgrade, it's always nice to see advancements, although this is really only two internals which changed.

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LG G3 released in India, starting at Rs. 47,990 ($796)

After it being launched in nearly every country in the world, US included, the LG G3 on its two variants is coming to India, as LG announced at an event in Mumbai.

Both variants will be available, with the 16GB/2GB RAM retailing for Rs. 47,990 ($796) and the 32GB/3GB RAM will cost you Rs. 50,990 ($846). It will be available in three color variants, Metallic Black, Silk White and Gold Shine (color names are getting more creative by the second aren’t they).

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LG G3 “prime” Cat.6 official unveiled

After the long rumors of each company releasing a “Prime” version of its flagship a few months after initial release, it seems we have some clarification on the subject. Following in Samsung’s footsteps, LG has released an improved, LTE-A version of the LG G3, named the LG G3 Cat. 6.

Similarly to the Samsung variant, the improved LG flagship will

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Changing LG G3’s recent apps style

With the LG G3, LG finally made the welcome transition from the menu button, finally adding an on-screen recent apps button for comfortable transition

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Sprint LG G3 available today

After AT&T became the first company to offer the newest LG G3 up for sale, making it available both on-line and in stores. Other companies were going to lag behind, but now Sprint joined the group, preceding its July 16^th target and putting up the phone already today.

For those of you who wish to buy it, Sprint is offering it up for

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