The LG G3 is quite well-known as one of the best smartphones in the world. As one of the first modern smartphones to utilize rear controls and a laser guided autofocus camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) the LG G3 has introduced many innovative features in the smartphone industry. Is it still as good as when it first came out? With all these new smartphones does it still remain one of the best? We find out for sure in our review of the LG G3 smartphone below.
Design, Tech specs and Features - Solid and easy to use
At first glance the rounded curves of the LG G3 make it seem smaller than it really is. However, it is packing a very large 5.5-inch display with quad HD or 2K (2560 x 1440) pixel resolution, but the thin bezels and slim design allows to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. The side frame has a brushed metal look and the phone feels very solid. While the back also has a brushed metal look, it is definitely plastic and can be removed quite easily. However, the feature which will strike you the most is that there are no controls or buttons on the sides, top or bottom as both the power and volume up and down controls are on the back, right below the 13MP rear camera. The laser guided autofocus and true tone dual LED flash flank this camera. Other notably visible features include an IR blaster on the top part but for the full list of LG G3 tech specs and features see the following:
- 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB storage + up to 128GB microSD
- 5.5-inch IPS display (2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 534 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3)
- 13MP rear camera (true tone dual LED flash, phase detection/laser autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization) + 2.1MP front camera
- 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm | 149g
- supports 4G LTE Cat4, WiFi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS
- features InfraRed blaster (universal remote control), Radio, wireless charging (Qi compatible), dual recording, dual screen, voice trigger, face detection
- 3000 mAh battery
- Android 4.4.2
- Available in black, white and gold
Unlike some other 2K display smartphones, the display on the LG G3 looks simply stunning and has accurate colours just like in real life. While it doesn't pack in any fingerprint scanner, the customizable Knock Code can be changed to become a very good yet fairly fast screen unlock method. We found it easier to remember a rythm or tapping tune than the usual 4-digit PIN number. The IT blaster and universal remote control feature is also a plus as it reduces the amount of remote controls we have laying about anyway. Another notable feature is it's dual screen mode for multi-tasking which can be easily adjusted with no lag between apps. One other notable feature is that unlike many other flagship smartphones, the LG G3's 2300 mAh battery is removable, so you can swap it out if you need to.
The LG G3 is chock full of features such as the multi-tasking dual screen and Quick Memo
You can customize a lot on the LG G3 while the IR blaster turns it into a universal remote
Performance - Lower than expected but still one of the better performers
Despite packing in one of the better grade 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processors, the LG G3 only managed 33962 on AnTuTu 5.6. This is still very respectable, but other devices with the same processor (like the ASUS PadFone S) have scored higher. Graphics performance is much higher in comparison though, with a very high score of 15434 on 3DMark's Ice Storm Unlimited benchmark and an equally very high score of 42.9 fps on 2392 x 1440 in Epic Citadel. This awesome performance is reflected in Asphalt 8:Airborne with very smooth lag free racing even on high visual quality settings. The LG G3 does get hot though, even when just taking pictures, but this doesn't seem to affect battery performance that much as we had the smartphone on heavy usage for about 1 day and a half before it needed a recharge. Camera performance is spectacular on the LG G3, with a very smart and very fast autofocus which should satisfy many professional photographers out there. Image quality is simply phenomenal except for very low-light shots and you can also capture 4K video. As our hands-on video shows, audio quality is crystal clear but not nearly as loud as some other speakers. The camera features are extensive though and while there fewer faddish features it does offer one of the best cameraphone performances we've seen so far.
The LG G3 managed a respectable 33962 on AnTuTu
But graphics performance was very good on 3DMark...
... and Epic Citadel (usually you don't get anything higher than 30fps on a 2K display)
Playing Asphalt 8:Airborne is super smooth even on high visual quality settings
The phase detection/laser guided auto-focus makes the LG G3 an awesome cameraphone
Picture quality is very clear and very detailed
Works well for close-ups too
You also have many other features like dual mode
The front camera works well enough while the rear camera let's you take really detailed images
Conclusion - Still one of the best cameraphones around
Overall, the LG G3 remains one of the best smartphones around and while it may not be the performance powerhouse to beat anymore, it is still one of the better cameraphones in the market with a stunning 2K display included. Thanks to it's very solid tech specs, the LG G3 should remain relevant for the next year or so and will still be able to run any upcoming app smoothly with no lag. The rear controls do make it somewhat easier to control while it's various flagship level features should ensure that it remains a flagship level smartphone for a while. At RM1799, it is definitely rather expensive for it's age. However, there are few cameraphones or flagship killers which rival it's performance and features. The closest one would be the ASUS ZenFone Zoom which also features a laser guided autofocus with OIS but this won't be available until April 2015 and even then, still lacks many flagship features that the LG G3 does offer. One of our few issues for the LG G3 is that it does run hot, but since this doesn't affect performance or battery life too much we think that this isn't something to worry too much about. Back to our earlier questions; Is it still as good as when it first came out? With all these new smartphones does it still remain one of the best? The answer is Yes. Yes it is. The only other issue is that it isn't officially available here with LG Malaysia but you should still be able to get it from third-party sellers such as SatuGadgetDotcom and DirectD for around the same aforementioned price.
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