G3 Photos and Features
The LG G2 was completely different from the original LG Optimus G, the G3 however isn’t a huge departure from the G2. LG kept the same rounded design as well as the controls on the back that I wasn’t a fan of. They focused their attention on improving rather than making drastic changes. The G2’s Snapdragon 800 processor improved to the Snapdragon 801 and they took the 1080p display and increased its size and resolution, going from 5.2 inches to 5.5 inches and a full 1440p resolution (2560x1440). Beyond the big things, let’s look around the G3 to see what else it has going on.
As I said, the screen size increased as well as the resolution. What impressed me the most was how small of the bezel the G3 has. Seriously, the IPS display has about an 1/8th of an inch between it and the edge of the phone. The screen to body ratio for the G3 is 76.4%, for comparison the LG G2 was 75.99% with a smaller screen. Down on the bottom of the front things are extremely clean with all of the buttons being built into the screen, so the only thing down on the bottom is the LG logo. Up top, of course you have the earpiece and the Verizon logo. Also up top is the 2.1MP camera that will also record video at 1080p at 30FPS. Also with the camera are the proximity and light sensors.
On the back, you will find the G3’s only buttons. There are volume up and down buttons on top and bottom of the power/unlock button. This is the same layout that the LG G2 had as well. I can’t say enough how much having the buttons on the back of my phone drives me nuts, I talked about this in the G2 review and I will talk more about my experience in the performance section as well. Other than the buttons there is a lot more going on the back of the G3. Down at the bottom next to the LG logo is the external speaker. Up above the buttons is the 13 MP OIS+ rear facing camera. LG spent extra time on the rear-facing camera adding a new laser auto focus. In addition, the OIS+ in the camera’s name stands for Optical Image Stabilization+. OIS+ is the floating lens that helps steady your shots, even when moving. I can’t wait to test that out later.
Below we can really see the curved shape of the G3. The front of the phone is completely flat unlike the Nexus 4 but the bevel in the rear helps make the phone feel even thinner. This also makes it easier to hold the otherwise large phone for people with smaller hands. Down on the bottom of the phone is the Micro USB data and charging connection. You also have a headset plug on the right. The tiny hold in between the headset and charging holes is the microphone port, the G3 wouldn’t be much of a phone without that. On the top edge there is a second microphone port for picking up and removing background noise when you are talking. The second dot on the top of the phone is an IRBlaster, a feature that most people don’t even consider when looking at phones. Having an IRBlaster means that you can use your phone to control every TV, Stereo, and Cable box in your house.
So I talked about the 1440p screen before but here are a couple shots with the screen on. To put the screen into perspective it has a PPI (Pixels per Inch) of 538. The new iPhone 6 Plus with its Retina HD screen has a 401ppi.
