Then again, how can phone makers give us this while still
offering exceptional devices? All too often, standout features
disappoint — be it HTC’s UltraPixel camera or Samsung’s fingerprint
reader. With the G3, LG tackles this by offering simplicity. It promises
minimum gimmicks, and maximum utility and style. Or, as LG would have
us believe, “simple is the new smart.”
The Competition
The G3
is LG’s flagship smartphone. Every smartphone maker has one. Let’s run
through its peers — but instead of looking at the raw numbers, I’ll note
what is each phone’s claim to fame. They’re all powerful and fast, so
what makes each different?
- Samsung Galaxy S5: It’s waterproof, has a replaceable battery, and a fingerprint sesnor. The LG G3 doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor (it has something better, as you’ll see in a moment), nor is it waterproof. You can replace the battery though.
- Sony Xperia Z2: Another waterproof phone, with an all-glass build and a 20.7-megapixel camera with a large sensor. Unlike the LG G3, the Z2 does not have a laser-assisted autofocus feature.
- HTC One M8: Sets itself apart mainly in the industrial design department, with HTC’s premium looks. Has an “Ultrapixel” camera that’s purported to do well in low-light situations. No user replaceable battery.
The LG G3 In a Nutshell
The LG G3 has a couple of standout features, so let’s start with those:
Its 5.5-inch display clocks in at an impressive 1440 by 2500 pixels,
which yields a pixel density of 534 PPI. That’s pretty crazy. The other
standout feature is its camera focus system, which relies on a laser
beam. That’s right, lasers! The future is here.
The next thing you’ll notice about the G3 is its unorthodox button
layout: Rather than having the power and volume button on the sides or
top of the device, LG placed them on the phone’s curved back. It sounds
like an odd spot, but it’s actually great. You can easily reach the
volume and power buttons, no matter which hand you hold the phone with.
Because of this layout, you’ll be touching the phone’s back quite a bit.
It’s made of plastic, but it feels quite good in the hand. The G3
doesn’t have a dedicated camera button — but it does offer a quick way
to launch the camera when the screen is off, as you’ll see in the camera
section below
Apart from these features, the LG G3′s hardware specifications are
standard Android flagship, circa mid-2014: Corning Gorilla Glass 3, a
MicroSD card slot, 13 megapixel camera, Adreno 330 GPU, and Snapdragon
801 chipset. The front-facing camera lets you take those all-important
selfies at 2.1 megapixels. It has an IR blaster which lets you use the
device as a remote control, and a user-replaceable 3000mAh battery that
easily lasts through a day of heavy use. Sadly, it isn’t waterproof.There’s
a speaker at the back side of the phone, and it’s reasonably loud — but
it’s still definitely a smartphone speaker. There’s only so much you
can do with a tiny speaker. Its connection is a standard Micro-USB,
unlike the Galaxy S5 which uses the newer and wider USB 3.0 connector.
Knock Knock, Who’s There?
With so many Android flagship phones touting virtually identical
hardware, phone makers try to distinguish themselves on the software
front: Take the common and important problem of keeping unwanted people
out of your phone.
This is one area where LG’s ingenuity trumps Samsung’s
heavy-handedness: Samsung, desperate to go head-to-head with Apple,
shipped the Galaxy S5 with a clunky and terrible fingerprint sensor that
fails more often than it works. LG looked at this and went a totally
different route: Rather than adding on one more sensor, why not solve
the problem with software?
That’s where its Knock Code comes in. One of the G3′s most celebrated features, Knock Code divides the phone’s capacious screen into four quadrants. With the screen off, tap out a code only you know (top-right, bottom-right, bottom-right), and the phone unlocks. Your code can be up to eight knocks long, and when it works, it’s very cool.
In practice, the G3′s Knock Code works considerably more reliably than the Galaxy S5′s fingerprint sensor — but it isn’t perfect. As the phone rattled around in my pocket, the screen would register random taps. I would then take the phone out to use it, only to be confronted with a screen that says I must now enter my backup PIN code due to too many failed attempts to unlock the screen with Knock Code.
That’s where its Knock Code comes in. One of the G3′s most celebrated features, Knock Code divides the phone’s capacious screen into four quadrants. With the screen off, tap out a code only you know (top-right, bottom-right, bottom-right), and the phone unlocks. Your code can be up to eight knocks long, and when it works, it’s very cool.
In practice, the G3′s Knock Code works considerably more reliably than the Galaxy S5′s fingerprint sensor — but it isn’t perfect. As the phone rattled around in my pocket, the screen would register random taps. I would then take the phone out to use it, only to be confronted with a screen that says I must now enter my backup PIN code due to too many failed attempts to unlock the screen with Knock Code.
Camera and Focus
The LG G3′s camera is very good. It uses optical image stabilization, so images are usually blur-free. And it focuses fast — the laser-assisted focus truly delivers. There are multiple focus areas you can tap on to very quickly (and accurately) change the focus, and there’s face recognition, too.
One thing the G3 does particularly well which I hadn’t seen mentioned elsewhere, including LG’s own promotional materials, is take panoramas. The camera’s panorama feature produces images that are virtually free of stitching lines and other artifacts, and is fast and easy to use.
Bottom Line
I often use a phone for an entire month when I review it. My own personal test is: Would I keep this phone? Do I feel a slight twinge putting it back into its box, to await a lucky winner? In this case, yes, and yes. This one’s a keeper.
Original Post: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/lg-g3-review-and-giveaway/
