Review
Roderick Scott 0
LG is back for the 3rd year in a row seeking to join the ranks of HTC and Samsung in the running for Android flagships w/ the G3.  With last year's G2, I thought LG did a great in becoming an official 3rd option.  Offering Note-like battery life, optimal performance, and a great 13MP shooter - the best on Android in my humble opinion.   
 
But what's new w/ the G3?  We now have a bigger display, laser-assisted autofocus on an even better 13MP shooter, and new look/software features at your disposal.  Does all of this make for the ideal Android smartphone?  Is this the device to put LG over the edge to taking the top spot?  The answers to all of these questions and more lie below.  
 
*Note: LG provided us w/ the international version of the G3 as US variants may differ.* 

 

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G3 press stock

 TGSB G3 review

Design/Build

 
I'm gonna say this now and get it over with.  This is LG's best designed smartphone in a long, long time. The body of the G3 is showing great homage to the look of the aluminum M8.  While it appears to be metal, it is not.  LG made its latest flagship involving plastic w/ a metallic skin that also makes use of being anti- scratch + fingerprint resistant.  Simply magnificent.  The rear + power buttons are even better as they have a more ergonomics feel to it.  The volume rocker has rigid texture to it so you'll know which button you're pressing when not looking.  The Power button is more distinguished by being flush w/ a smooth feel to it.   Don't worry 1st time users, you'll adapt to it very quickly. 
 

The G3 has the best plastic seen + touched on a smartphone.

 
Though it sports a 5.5inch screen LG managed to not make it appear as massive as Note.  By seriously reducing the bezels and making it more wide than tall, the G3's display only appears to be slightly larger than a 5inch one.  Next to the Nexus 5, the difference in size isn't by much.  Unfortunately LG used a rear speaker on-board the G3.  While it sounds better than GS5's terrible speaker.  HTC showed everyone the way w/ using the BoomSound speakers.  I just wished LG took note.  Other than that, they sound good though.  Again to reiterate, this is the best designed phone by LG in quite some time.  

Display

 
The G3 is the 1st smartphone on the market to offer a 5.5inch 2K Quad HD IPS display w/ a 2560 x 1440 resolution + 538ppi.  So what exactly does that mean other than the fact that most content/things viewed won't support it anytime soon?  This is higher than the display on Apple's Retina MacBooks, BTW.  This makes the G3 future proof for up-and-coming higher-than-1080p content (or House of Cards + Breaking Bad now on Netflix in 4K).  Until more content comes to pass, you can still enjoy a great HD experience besting that of the current Android hierarchy in color, clarity, & viewing angles.  

TGSB G3 review

Performance/Battery Life

The G3 is powered by our current favorite: the Snapdragon 801 CPU - a quad-core 2.5GHz one to be exact. Rolling side-by-side w/ 3GB of RAM + 32GB of storage.  Thanks to LG's UI not being as heavy as TouchWiz, you get optimal performance on this thing at all times.  Allowing you to enjoy features like Dual Window and such w/o the fear of dreaded lag or a delayed response.  Never had an issue w/ the performance of LG devices and that continues w/ the G3 as well.  

G3 battery

Keeping the G3 juiced up is a removable 3000 mAh battery.  While I was using the international version of the G3, I relied on a combo of 3G courtesy of T-Mobile + Wi-Fi connectivity.  At times I got over 14 hours before switching over to Battery Saving Mode.  Then at times while keeping the display on longer than usual - like a 5 minute screen timeout along w/ constant YouTube watching got me just under 10 hours.  I still managed to get great battery life dispelling the thought that the 2K display would drain the life out of the G3.  I imagine when US versions arrive, we'll be able to better gauge the battery life.  
 
G3 camera

Camera

 
The rear camera sports a f/2.4 13MP lens w/ Optical Image Stabilization+ and laser-assisted auto-focus system.  OIS+ is always a welcomed addition as LG has been using this feature in their smartphones for a while now.  This assists w/ better low-light shots and helping reduce blurs in photos + videos.  The infrared lasers measure distance between the phone and the subject.  We discussed the 13MP performance in our camera test.
 
Sidenote: I like how you can quickly access the camera from sleep by long pressing the volume down button.  
You still have a 2.1MP shooter on the front as LG gave it a way to take a selfie that stands out form the crowd.  We dubbed it the 'Selfie Fist' where you hodl your hand out in the viewfinder then make a fist.  A 3 second timer will begin before taking the photo.  You also have Beauty Shot effects slider to beautify those within the your shot.  LG adds 4K video as well as Slow Motion video @120fps to the list of its camera abilities which both work quite well.  They made sure to provide you w/ an vast editing suite for your photos as well.   
 

While Samsung has stepped up their efforts in the optics department, LG is still one of the best shooters for Android.  

G3 software  

Software

 
On the visual/OS side of things, the G3 uses Android 4.4 Kit Kat w/ LG UI.  LG gave the unnamed Android skin the same treatment Apple gave iOS 7 where they go for a more minimal approach w/ flattened icons, less bloatware, & an overall toned down look.  Although the layout is now aligned w/ the Google standard of Android, you can still customize along w/ many aspects of your Android experience on the G3.  
 
You still have the LG notables like QMemo+, QSlide, QRemote, & QVoice at your disposal but you have a built-in file cleaner w/ Smart Cleaning.  This is ideal for advanced Android users where it frees up space by cleaning up apps + temporary files similar to Disk Cleanup on Windows.  Also instead of your standard copy-and-paste, you have a Clip Tray that stores the last several items you copied into one place.  Every time you copy something, you can access it.  Comes in handy if you copy + paste often.  Nice touch LG.  Now let's dive into LG's standout features within their latest software iteration.  
 
There is also a built-in health monitor of sorts w/ LG Health.  Its pretty bare bones as it is just a pedometer for the most part.  It allows you to track your steps, running, cycling, hiking, or inline skating.  For this pre-release version there isn't any way to add any additional details manually.  Its pretty basic as other services /apps can provide you w/ more info.   

LG has took their proprietary Knock On/Code even better.  With Knock On, double-tapping can wake the phone up from sleep or put them back sleep on a blank screen.  As HTC attempted the same feature on the M8, it works as beautifully as advertised on the G3.  Knock Code gets improved w/ adding more ways to unlock your phone by tapping the display in a specific pattern - think the old-school Simon game.  Making phone security more difficult to crack.  

LG's took further steps of customization into their own hands w/ their Smart Keyboard.  You have access to number row w/o having to hit the symbols button. You can also adjust the height of the keyboard to decide how much screen real estate you want when typing.  The additional Swype gestures are inlcuded as well along w/ choice of Black or White themes.  And as far as native keyboards go, it's pretty good.  Pretty close to Google keyboard (which is my favorite/standard).  
Smart Notice is an interesting approach to offering G3 users quick access to pertinent information.  It can remind you to bring an umbrella w/ a change in forecast, remind you to call back a missed call, remind you of a birthday today, advise you to turn on Battery Saver when your device hits below 30%, and stuff like that.  Its not quite Google Now but its OK.  I'm hoping LG continues to develop this as this could become something more.  

                   

Overall, LG's software has a nice touch and will be more loved or less hated.  I love all that they have done while others may appreciate it a bit more.  Whether you utilize all of the new features on board or not.  

TGSB G3 Review Grade 

This could be the new king of Android for many while others can still appreciate aspects of what the G3 is bringing to the table.  

 

TG 2 Cents

So if you wanted the stylings of the HTC One M8 but the software/optical performance of the Galaxy S5, the G3 is the device you've been waiting for.  While perfection does not exist, I think the G3 is the closest thing to covering all fronts on the Android side of things.  Covering all bases of what anyone would want.  From great, metal-esque build to a great rear 13MP shooter to a future-proof display to an all-day battery life and a lag-free experience.  Despite Samsung's marketing machine + HTC's designs, the LG G3 still manages to stand out in the crowded space of Android flagships.  
 
TGSB G3 review

To Buy Or Not To Buy

You're heavily invested into the Android ecosystem, due for an upgrade and not sure which flagship to go with.  You have the HTC's M8: the beautiful metal phone w/ a debatable camera that specializes in entertainment.  Then you have Samsung's Galaxy S5: the jack of all trades, master of none phone.  And lastly, you have the LG G3: a device that sits in-between the two while still retaining its own identity.  The problem is that 2 of these devices you can get now (M8 + GS5) while the latter (G3) is still waiting for its official release paper sin the US.  The question is: can you hold out for it?
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Categories: Must Reads Review

Author: Roderick Scott

Father. Husband. Creative. Mild foodie. Batman in my dreams.