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LG G3

LG G3
LG G3

Brand G series
Manufacturer LG Electronics
Slogan Simple is the New Smart
First released May 28, 2014
Predecessor LG G2
Type Smartphone
Form factor Slate
Dimensions 146.3 mm (5.76 in) H
74.6 mm (2.94 in) W
8.9 mm (0.35 in) D
Weight 149 g (5.3 oz)
Operating system Android 4.4.2 "KitKat"
System on chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
CPU 2.5 GHz quad-core Krait 400
GPU Adreno 330
Memory 2 GB (16 GB model)
3 GB (32 GB model)
Storage 16 GB or 32 GB
Removable storage microSDXC up to 128 GB
Battery 3000 mAh
Display 5.5 in (140 mm) 2560x1440
(534 ppi) 1440p IPS LCD
Rear camera 13 MP 1/3.06 in[1] OIS+, F2.4, dual-tone LED flash, Hybrid infrared autofocus
Front camera 2.1MP, F2.0, Selfie gesture recognition


LG G3 is an Android smartphone developed by LG Electronics. Serving as a successor to 2013's G2, the G3 was unveiled at a press event on May 27, 2014, and released in South Korea the next day.[2][3]
Inheriting design elements from the G2, such as its thin screen bezels and rear-mounted power and volume buttons, the G3 is distinguished primarily by being the first smartphone from a major manufacturer to incorporate a quad HD (1440p) display, and its inclusion of an infrared hybrid autofocus system for its camera. LG also touted the device's plastic "metallic skin"—designed to give the device a higher quality appearance, and a "simpler" user interface with an integrated intelligent personal assistant system.
The G3 received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the overall appearance, performance, display quality, and software of the device. However, several aspects of the G3 were panned, including the company's decision to use a faux metallic plastic instead of actual metal, concerns over the usability of the device due to its large size, and whether the resolution of the display had any real effect on day-to-day usage of the device.

Contents

  • 1 Development
  • 2 Specifications
    • 2.1 Hardware
    • 2.2 Software
    • 2.3 Model variants
    • 2.4 Accessories
  • 3 Reception
  • 4 References

Development

One of the major goals of the G3 was to provide a simpler overall experience than; Jong-Seok Park, president of LG's mobile division, argued that "the smartest innovation in a fast-evolving smartphone market is creating harmony between advanced technology and a simplified user experience."[4] While developing the G3, LG designers produced at least 300 different design prototypes, with various button layouts, materials, and finishes.[5] The company aimed to address criticisms faced by the G2's design—whose "glossy" plastic chassis was criticized for having a cheap appearance and for attracting finger smudges. The finishing of the G3 was designed to look and feel like brushed metal, whilst resisting smudging and scratching, and not feeling cold to touch. While LG considered using the "self-healing" coating from the G Flex, LG's vice president of mobile design Chul Bae Lee stated that they could not use it without making the phone glossy.[5]

The laser autofocus system uses a component originally designed for LG robotic vacuums.
The rear buttons of the G2 were retained, but with a more circular shape that is separated from the camera area; the new design is intended to prevent users from accidentally smudging the camera lens when using the buttons. The thin bezels of the G3, along with its curved shape, are intended to help improve grip and make the device feel smaller than it actually is, given its large screen size. While the G3's battery has the same capacity as the G2, a subtly-curved "arc battery" had to be designed so it could fit under the G3's curved rear cover.[5][6] To achieve battery life comparable to other "1080p flagship" devices—especially given the significantly higher resolution of its screen, several optimization measures are implemented in the G3's software. These include capping the frame rate rendered when the screen is displaying static content, and underclocking the processor when the device is not running processor-intensive applications. With these optimizations, LG demonstrated that the G3 could play video for six and a half hours at full screen brightness on a single charge.[6][7]
The G3 incorporates a "laser autofocus" system, being among the first smartphones to incorporate such a feature. Based on technology that was being researched for the LG Roboking robotic vacuum cleaner line, but ultimately left unused,[5][8] the system uses a cone-shaped infrared beam to map the depth and position of objects; this data can be combined with traditional autofocus mechanisms, and face detection capabilities. LG claimed that this system gave the G3 the fastest autofocus time of any smartphone, 276 milliseconds. Other recent phones, such as the HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy S5, had boasted autofocus times of 300 milliseconds. The introduction of the laser into the G3's feature set occurred late in development, and the majority of the mockups were not designed to compensate for its presence, requiring additional tweaks to the phone's shape.[5][8]

Specifications

Hardware

The G3's exterior incorporates a scratch-resistant "metallic skin"—consisting of polycarbonate finished to look and feel like brushed metal; despite being branded as "metallic", the G3's exterior does not use actual metal.[6] The finishing is intended primarily to improve grip, and to make the rear casing less susceptible to fingerprint smudging. The G3 will be made available in black, white, gold, burgundy, and violet color finishes. Design elements from the G2 are retained by the G3, such as its rear-mounted volume and power buttons. In comparison to the G2, the buttons were given a flatter design with a new, rounded shape. The G3 features a 5.5 in (140 mm), 1440p quad HD IPS LCD display—the first major "global" smartphone to use such a display.[9] As with the G2, the G3 was designed with minimal screen bezels to ensure a compact form.[4][6]
The G3 features a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 system-on-chip; variants with 16 GB of internal storage have 2 GB of RAM, while variants with 32 GB of internal storage have 3 GB of RAM. The G3 includes a 3,000 mAh battery; the G3's rear cover is removable, allowing the battery to be replaced, and storage to be expanded up to 128 GB with a microSD card. The G3's 13-megapixel rear-facing camera includes optical image stabilization and a dual-tone flash, along with a hybrid autofocus system. The "laser autofocus" system uses a thin infrared beam to calculate the distance between the camera and its subject. In situations where data from the infrared autofocus is unreliable, the camera falls back on contrast autofocus. LG touted that the hybrid system gave the G3 the fastest focus time of any smartphone, and that the infrared autofocus would also be beneficial in low-light situations.[10][11][12] Unfortunately there are reports of the display having a noticeable 'sharp mask' applied to all screen content which has the side-effect of making small black text on a gray background have a distracting white halo.[13]
The G3 natively supports Qi wireless charging, except on models sold in Korea and the United States due to restrictions imposed by carriers. Wireless charging will only be available on models sold in these regions if the QuickCircle case accessory is installed.[14][15][16]

Software

Further information: Android (operating system) and Optimus UI
The LG G3 ships with Android 4.4 "KitKat" with a custom interface and software. The G3's user interface was revised with a flatter visual appearance than the G2, including new icons and a cleaner default font. New software features introduced by the G3 include the intelligent personal assistant "Smart Notice"—which presents context-sensitive notifications and suggestions using natural language, an updated "Smart Keyboard" with adjustable key height and the ability to analyze the user's typing habits to personalize its behavior, remote device locking and wiping, and "Content Lock"—the ability to store files in a secure, private area, either in internal storage or on the SD card.[6][17][18][19]
The G3's camera software also received a revised user interface; by default, most options are hidden, and photos can be taken by merely tapping on the subject in the viewfinder. The G3 also offers the background defocus tool "Magic Focus", and a gesture-activated self-timer mode for the front-facing camera.[6][10][20]

Model variants

In the US, there are four models for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint; only the Sprint model features no carrier branding on the exterior. The US variants are being released throughout July 2014.[16]

Accessories

Prior to the unveiling of the G3 itself, LG unveiled the device's QuickCircle Case accessory. A successor to the QuickWindow Case produced for the G2, the case consists of a flip cover with a circular window near the top. A glow effect around the rim of the window is used to signify notifications, and a number of apps—including the camera, music player, and phone—can be used from a special circular interface without opening the phone. The case also enables the use of wireless charging on G3 models sold in Korea and the United States.[15][21]

Reception

The G3 was met with positive reception from critics. The G3's design was praised for being less susceptible to fingerprint smudging than the G2 — however, LG was criticized for using an imitation metal finish rather than actual metal. In comparison to smartphones explicitly marketed as phablets, such as the Galaxy Note series, the G3 was considered to be more "comfortable" and phone-like for its size due to its compact form and smooth exterior. Despite this, concerns were still made over the size of the device and its overall effect on usability. The high-end hardware of the G3 was also noted, with Engadget describing its specifications as being "[like] an Android fan's wishlist".[9][22]
The G3's display was praised for having good color reproduction, brightness, and viewing angles, with Engadget noting that its 1440p sample content "[looked] pin-sharp and beautifully recreated." However, critics were mixed on whether the display provided any sufficient advantages or difference in quality over a 1080p display for everyday use, also given that content optimized for the device is not readily available. Ars Technica showed further concern over the display's potential effects on battery usage, and argued that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a greater Dynamic Range giving better images in bright environments.[9][22][23]
The revised appearance of the G3's user interface was praised for having a cleaner look and feel than previous iterations, although The Verge did acknowledge that more Android OEMs were standardizing the appearance of their interface designs to closer resemble the design used by Google's "stock" distribution of the Android operating system.[9][22]

References

  1. "LG G3 camera sensor and performance details surface: in-depth look at specs". Retrieved 1 Jul 2014.
  2. "LG G3 coming to UK networks on 1 July". CNET. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  3. "The LG G3 in America: Where to buy LG's new superphone in the US". CNET. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  4. "LG's G3 sets the benchmark for overpowered smartphones". The Verge. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  5. "Inside LG's G3: How vacuums, focus groups and competitive pressure shaped a smartphone". Engadget. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. "LG's G3 flagship is a bigger, simpler, higher-res smartphone". Engadget. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  7. "Quad HD LG G3 battery life similar to a 1080p flagship, thanks to the custom 3A technology". PhoneArena. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  8. "How LG's robot lasers produced the world's 'fastest' cameraphone". The Verge. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  9. Savov, Vlad (2014-06-04). "'LG G3 Review". The Verge. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  10. "LG G3 vs. LG G2". TechRadar. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  11. "LG G3 announced". ZDNet. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  12. Ho, Joshua. "A Closer Look at the G3's IR Laser Auto Focus System". AnandTech. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  13. "LG G3 screen sharpening effect draws user complaints". ZDNet. Retrieved 27 Oct 2014.
  14. "LG G3 will be available in the UK on July 1st, rest of Europe later in the month". The Verge. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  15. "LG G3 QuickCircle is a wireless charging window on your phone". CNET. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  16. "LLG G3 price and release date: here is what we know so far". Phone Arena. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  17. "LG Reveals G3 With Quad HD Display". PC Magazine. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  18. "LG G3: Launch and Hands On". AnandTech. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  19. "LG's monster mobile phone goes straight for Samsung's jugular with 5.5-inch display, laser autofocus camera". CNET. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  20. Matt Hamblen. "LG's new G3 smartphone: Simpler is better". Computerworld. Retrieved 2014-05-28.
  21. "Hands on: LG G3 QuickCircle case, Tone Infinim headphones and Wireless Charger". Pocket-lint. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  22. "LG G3 review: the company's best phone yet". Engadget. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  23. "LG G3 review: A great phone with way too many pixels". Ars Technica. Retrieved 7
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