LG launches the G3 with metallic skin, WQHD display

[Scorpus]

As expected, LG has launched their latest flagship Android smartphone, the G3, today at events in New York and London. The handset brings a number of improvements to the table, making it a worthy upgrade to the LG G2 released towards the end of last year.

One of the major changes with the G3 is the new metallic skin, which replaces the glossy plastic back cover from the G2. Although the back cover is still made from polycarbonate, the matte metallic finish should make the phone feel nicer in your hands, along with the sculpted curve design and thin bezels around the display.

The display itself has been given a significant upgrade, expanding to 5.5-inches in size while packing a resolution of 2560 x 1440 (WQHD). LG is still using IPS LCD technology for this panel, and they claim it boasts 100% sRGB coverage plus a huge pixel density of 538 PPI, thanks to the high resolution.

Other specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC (MSM8974ACv3) with a quad-core CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz, either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM depending on whether you opt for 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3,000 mAh 11.4 Wh removable battery.

The 13-megapixel rear camera sensor with optical image stabilization is unchanged from the G2, although the addition of an infrared laser assisted autofocus system will help it focus in just 276ms. The rear camera is complemented by a 2-megapixel front facing camera.

The LG G3 will be available on over 170 carriers worldwide, although official launch dates and prices for each territory are yet to be announced.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/56897-lg-launches-the-g3-with-metallic-skin-wqhd-display.html

 

[St1ckM4n]

Oh man. That looks delicious. Dat bezel. New best phone?

 

[Jad Chaar]

Oh man. That looks delicious. Dat bezel. New best phone?

Probably xD. Top notch specs.

 

[dennis777]

Great looks... great specs.... lame after sale support.

 

[VitalyT]

They claimed to be able to take snapshots of moving objects with their new laser focusing camera. But 276ms to focus is insufficient for that. Only still shots can benefit from the new camera.

They kept the battery from G2, in which it was enough for one full day, but now that the specs went way up, the same battery may be not as lasting anymore.

The choice of processor isn't good either. It takes 805 with its Adreno 420 to drive screens above 1080P, while 801 doesn't have the kind of power. Expect sluggish gaming.

 

[cliffordcooley]

They claimed to be able to take snapshots of moving objects with their new laser focusing camera. But 276ms to focus is insufficient for that.

The question is how this compares to other phone cameras. Is this an improvement, or a laser show hoax?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I think the rose and lilac models look nice, I wouldn't mind a phone in either colour. Black & white are so half an hour ago that I'm tired of them.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

They claimed to be able to take snapshots of moving objects with their new laser focusing camera. But 276ms to focus is insufficient for that.

The question is how this compares to other phone cameras. Is this an improvement, or a laser show hoax?

It's roughly twice as fast as the fastest current phone, the HTC M8. Anandtech actually measures this and there's a nice graph in the HTC One Mini review here (http://www.anandtech.com/show/8004/htc-one-mini-2-review/6) However... what Anandtech measures in reality and what LG claims for marketing purposes may be very different. I would bet though that it'll be the fastest reacting smartphone camera to date.