Review: LG G3

A fast-as-lightning processor mated with a stunning qHD display makes the LG G3 a superb choice for your next smartphone as long as its size and battery life aren’t show-stoppers for you.

By Simon Cohen

These days, if you want to win the hearts and minds of smartphone shoppers, you need an edge; something that sets you apart from the pack – especially if you’re going to use Android as your OS.

Samsung has done this with its Galaxy S5 – it boasts a fingerprint sensor, water-resistance and built-in heart-rate monitor. So it was a forgone conclusion that when LG launched its latest flagship, the G3, it too would trot out something the other ‘droids didn’t have.

Sure enough, that’s what LG delivered. The G3’s most impressive feature is its screen. Gorgeous in every way, the massive 5.5” screen delivers quad-HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440) via an IPS LCD panel that achieves an incredible 538 ppi pixel density. That’s a lot of numbers and stats, but what it amounts to is a superb viewing experience. Whether it’s watching full-HD movies or TV shows or reading e-books or simply browsing the web, every activity is enhanced thanks to the G3’s display.

It also packs the first laser-focusing camera system ever found on a smartphone. This feature sounds good and on paper it seems like a no-brainer offering “70% quicker” focusing than the average smartphone.

But I’m going to guess that the top-of-the-line phones like the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5s must be a lot faster than the average too, as I wasn’t able to notice a significant speed improvement during my tests.

What I did notice was the superb detail the rear-facing 13 MP camera was able to capture, even at macro distances. The lens employs an OIS (optical image stabilization) system and it definitely helps with getting a sharp photo. Best of all, those 13 MP photos are reproduced in almost their full glory on that qHD screen.

LG included a feature for fans of the selfie that I’ve yet to see on any other smartphone. They call it “Soft Light,” and it effectively turns the G3’s screen into a flattering source of light for those selfies that could probably benefit from some kind of flash.

When in Soft Light mode (accessed from the camera app’s flash menu), your view of the camera is reduced to about a quarter of the screen’s size and centered. This camera view is framed in a soft pink (somewhat flesh-toned if you’re Caucasian) surround. The brightness or intensity of this surround will vary with the screen’s overall brightness, so for best results, you should set this to auto.

My other favourite feature is LG’s “Knock Code” which lets you configure a series of taps on the screen to act as both your PIN lock and screen-wake in one movement. On the G2 as well as other phones, waking and unlocking is a two-step process.

Physically, the G3 feels solid in your hand and despite the fact that the case is plastic--and not metal as the brushed-look surface would suggest to the casual observer—it does not feel plasticky nor does it suffer from the crunchy-creaky feel of Samsung Galaxy line. This is all the more surprising given that the back plate is removable and gives you access to the SIM/SD card slots and the battery.

That said, this is a big phone. It dwarfs the iPhone 5/5s and is a good bit larger than the Nexus 5. The average person--women especially--will have trouble getting their thumbs to stretch the full width of the screen. It’s so big that LG felt in necessary to include new software features to enable single-handed operation.

Not only can you resize the Android keyboard vertically, making it downright massive for those with bigger-than-average digits, you can also slide the full keyboard and dock it on the right or left side of the display.

This makes it possible to access every key without straining your thumb muscle. The good news is that these features work well and go a long way to making such a big phone feel more manageable.

Unfortunately, battery life is a challenge for the LG G3. Though it is equipped with a massive (and removable/replaceable) 3,000 mAh power supply, I guess powering that incredible screen and fast processor can take a real toll.

If you use the phone sparingly throughout the day, you’ll probably get a good 16-18 hours, but heavy users be warned – you’ll likely need to top it up by early evening.

One way to increase the battery’s range is to take advantage of the LG G3’s wireless charging capability.

Though I wasn’t given a wireless dock to test out, if you kept one at your desk and periodically dropped your phone on it, it should help a great deal with keeping you powered throughout your day.

It should be noted that my review model was a production beta and there may yet be software and firmware tweaks made by LG before the final run hits retail. LG’s PR team suggested that this might be a reason for the unusually high power drain.

If you’re a fan of the stripped-down, simplified look of Google’s Nexus handsets with their plain-vanilla implementation of Android, you’re going to like the LG G3. It might just have the cleanest interface of all the Android devices with the exception of the Nexus. Gone are many of the 3^rd party pre-installed apps that few people ever actually used.

Those that remain have been simplified (in some cases merging the functionality of two or three apps into one) and they can all be deleted if you don’t think you’ll use them and want to reclaim that storage space.

The G3 comes with a split-screen function that lets you run any two apps at once, with a movable slider between them giving you control over how much screen real estate each gets.

It’s a bit gimmicky and I have to say I’m no fan of these attempts to enhance multi-tasking on smartphones but I will say this: If you’re going to run two apps side-by-side, the LG G3 is the phone to do it on. Between the 5.5” screen size and its super high-res pixel density, I can’t think of a handset better equipped to do this without venturing into phablet territory.

One of the features I did not test out but which might be of interest to potential buyers:

LG Health, a simple, straightforward activity tracker that uses steps counted as its main metric. You can see your progress over time, set goals and share your achievements.

Conclusion

The LG G3 is the ideal Android phone for those who place a premium on the screen quality of their device. You won’t find another handset that can offer the same resolution and pixel density at any price. Because the screen is so good, the LG G3 is a photo-bug’s best friend.

Not only does the LG G3’s camera take superb photos (assisted handily by the OIS and laser-focus features), but it can also display those photos on a canvas that gives you an unmatched level of detail. Given how many people are now using their phones as their primary photo taking, sharing and viewing device, the LG G3 is now the industry’s benchmark.

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Simon Cohen is one of Canada’s most experienced consumer technology bloggers. He has regularly appeared on national TV and radio as a tech expert. You can find more of his work at Excitable.ca.