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The LG G3 is an Android
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
developed by
LG Electronics LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean multinational electronics company headquartered in Yeouido-dong, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of LG Corporation, the fourth largest '' chaebol'' in South Korea, and often considered a ...
as part of the
LG G series The LG G series was a line of Android devices produced by LG Electronics. The "G" designation was first introduced in 2012 as a branch of the LG Optimus series for flagship devices, but LG announced in July 2013 that the "Optimus" name would be d ...
. First released in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
on May 28, 2014, it is a successor to 2013's
LG G2 The LG G2 is an Android smartphone developed by LG Electronics. Serving as a successor to 2012's Optimus G and the 2013 Optimus G Pro phablet, the G2 was unveiled at a press event in New York City on 7 August 2013, and first released in Sep ...
. Inheriting design elements from the G2, such as its thin screen bezels and rear-mounted power and volume buttons, the G3 is distinguished primarily by being the first smartphone from a major manufacturer to incorporate a
1440p 1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a vertical resolution of 1440 pixels. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 1440 pixel vertical resolution is double the vertical resolution of 720p, and one-third ...
display, and its inclusion of an
infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
hybrid autofocus An autofocus (or AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system ...
system for its camera. Its video resolution has been upgraded to
2160p 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) is the dominan ...
(4K). LG also touted the device's plastic "metallic skin"—designed to give the device a higher quality appearance, and a "simpler" user interface with an integrated
intelligent personal assistant An intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent personal assistant (IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual based on commands or questions. The term "chatbot" is sometimes used to refer to virtual ...
system. The battery can be quickly changed by the user, allowing charged spare batteries to be carried. The G3 received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the overall appearance, performance, and software of the device. LG was panned for using a faux metallic plastic instead of an actual metal material for its exterior. The
1440p 1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a vertical resolution of 1440 pixels. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The 1440 pixel vertical resolution is double the vertical resolution of 720p, and one-third ...
display was also considered
bleeding edge technology Emerging technologies are technologies whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealized. These technologies are generally new but also include older technologies finding new applications. Emerging technologies ar ...
, citing poor brightness levels, high battery power consumption and the use of artificial sharpening. 10 million units of the G3 were sold in the device's first 11 months on sale.


Development


Exterior

One of the major goals of the G3 was to provide a simpler overall experience than other smartphones; Jong-Seok Park, president of LG's mobile division, argued that "the smartest innovation in a fast-evolving smartphone market is creating harmony between advanced technology and a simplified user experience." While developing the G3, LG designers produced at least 300 different design prototypes, with various button layouts, materials, and finishes. The company aimed to address criticisms faced by the G2's design—whose "glossy" plastic chassis was panned for having a plain appearance and for attracting finger smudges. The finishing of the G3 was designed to look and feel like
brushed metal A piece of brushed aluminium A collection of brushed stainless steel Breville small appliances A DeLorean featuring non-structural brushed stainless steel panels The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri ">St._Louis,_Missouri.html" ;"title= ...
, whilst resisting smudging and scratching, and not feeling cold to touch. While LG considered using the "self-healing" coating from the G Flex, LG's vice president of mobile design Chul Bae Lee stated that they could not use it without making the phone glossy. The rear buttons of the G2 were retained, but with a more circular shape that is separated from the camera area; the new design is intended to prevent users from accidentally smudging the camera lens when using the buttons. The thin bezels of the G3, along with its curved shape, are intended to help improve grip and make the device feel smaller than it actually is, given its screen size.


Battery optimizations

While the G3's battery has the same capacity as the G2, a subtly-curved "arc battery" had to be designed so it could fit under the G3's curved rear cover. To achieve battery life comparable to other "
1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vert ...
flagship" devices—especially given the significantly higher resolution of its screen, several optimization measures are implemented in the G3's software. These include capping the
frame rate Frame rate (expressed in or FPS) is the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (frames) are captured or displayed. The term applies equally to film and video cameras, computer graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate may also be ca ...
rendered when the screen is displaying static content, and
underclock Underclocking, also known as downclocking, is modifying a computer or electronic circuit's timing settings to run at a lower clock rate than is specified. Underclocking is used to reduce a computer's power consumption, increase battery life, redu ...
ing the processor when the device is not running processor-intensive applications. With these optimizations, LG demonstrated that the G3 could play video for six and a half hours at full screen brightness on a single charge.


Laser auto focus

The G3 incorporates a "laser
autofocus An autofocus (or AF) optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus on an automatically or manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system ...
" system, being among the first smartphones to incorporate such a feature. Based on technology that was being researched for the LG Roboking
robotic vacuum cleaner A robotic vacuum cleaner, sometimes called a robovac or a roomba as a generic trademark, is an autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner which has a limited vacuum floor cleaning system combined with sensors and robotic drives with programmable controll ...
line, but ultimately left unused, the system uses a cone-shaped
infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
beam to map the depth and position of objects; this data can be combined with traditional autofocus mechanisms, and face detection capabilities. LG claimed that this system gave the G3 the fastest autofocus time of any smartphone, 276 milliseconds. Other recent phones, such as the
HTC One (M8) The HTC One (M8) (also marketed as the all-new HTC One) is an Android or Windows smartphone manufactured and marketed by HTC. Following a number of leaks that occurred during the months prior, the device was officially unveiled in a press confer ...
and
Samsung Galaxy S5 The Samsung Galaxy S5 is an Android-based smartphone unveiled, produced, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy S series. Unveiled on 24 February 2014 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, it was rel ...
, had boasted autofocus times of 300 milliseconds. The introduction of the laser into the G3's feature set occurred late in development, and the majority of the mockups were not designed to compensate for its presence, requiring additional tweaks to the phone's shape.


Specifications


Hardware


Exterior

The G3's exterior incorporates a scratch-resistant "metallic skin"—consisting of
polycarbonate Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
finished to look and feel like
brushed metal A piece of brushed aluminium A collection of brushed stainless steel Breville small appliances A DeLorean featuring non-structural brushed stainless steel panels The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri ">St._Louis,_Missouri.html" ;"title= ...
; despite being branded as "metallic", the G3's exterior does not use actual metal. The finishing is intended primarily to improve grip, and to make the rear casing less susceptible to
fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
smudging. The G3 is available in black, white, gold, burgundy, and violet color finishes. Design elements from the G2 are retained by the G3, such as its rear-mounted volume and power buttons. In comparison to the G2, the buttons were given a flatter design with a new, rounded shape.


Display

The G3 features a , 1440p quad HD
IPS LCD IPS (in-plane switching) is a screen technology for liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). In IPS, a layer of liquid crystals is sandwiched between two glass surfaces. The liquid crystal molecules are aligned parallel to those surfaces in predetermined ...
display—the first major "global" smartphone to use such a display. As with the G2, the G3 was designed with minimal screen bezels to ensure a compact form.


Storage and chipsets

The G3 features a 2.5 GHz quad-core
Qualcomm Qualcomm () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4 ...
Snapdragon ''Antirrhinum'' is a genus of plants commonly known as dragon flowers, snapdragons and dog flower because of the flowers' fancied resemblance to the face of a dragon that opens and closes its mouth when laterally squeezed. They are native to r ...
801
system-on-chip A system on a chip or system-on-chip (SoC ; pl. ''SoCs'' ) is an integrated circuit that integrates most or all components of a computer or other electronic system. These components almost always include a central processing unit (CPU), memory ...
; variants with 16 GB of internal storage have 2 GB of RAM, while variants with 32 GB of internal storage have 3 GB of RAM.


Battery

The G3 includes a 3,000
mAh ''Mångha'' (') is the Avestan for "Moon, month", equivalent to Persian ''Māh'' (; Old Persian ). It is the name of the lunar deity in Zoroastrianism. The Iranian word is masculine. Although Mah is not a prominent deity in the Avestan script ...
battery. Unlike with the predecessor
LG G2 The LG G2 is an Android smartphone developed by LG Electronics. Serving as a successor to 2012's Optimus G and the 2013 Optimus G Pro phablet, the G2 was unveiled at a press event in New York City on 7 August 2013, and first released in Sep ...
, the G3's rear cover is removable, allowing the battery to be replaced, and storage to be expanded up to 200 GB with currently-available
microSD Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanDis ...
cards.


Cameras

The G3's 13-megapixel rear-facing camera uses the
Sony Exmor RS Exmor is the name of a technology Sony implemented on some of their CMOS image sensors. It performs on-chip analog/digital signal conversion and two-step noise reduction in parallel on each column of the CMOS sensor. Exmor RS is the world's ...
''IMX135'' image sensor model, includes
optical image stabilization Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure. Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pit ...
and a dual-tone flash, along with a hybrid autofocus system. The
time-of-flight camera A time-of-flight camera (ToF camera), also known as time-of-flight sensor (ToF sensor), is a range imaging camera system for measuring distances between the camera and the subject for each point of the image based on time-of-flight, the round tr ...
system, also known as ''“laser autofocus”'', uses a thin
infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
laser beam to calculate the distance between the camera and its subject. In situations where data from the infrared autofocus is unreliable, the camera falls back on contrast autofocus. LG touted that the hybrid system gave the G3 the then fastest focus time of then any smartphone, and that the infrared autofocus would also be beneficial in low-light situations. The LG G3 is the first mobile phone that is able to record optically stabilized
2160p 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. Digital television and digital cinematography commonly use several different 4K resolutions. In television and consumer media, 38402160 (4K UHD) is the dominan ...
(4K) video.


Wireless charging

The G3 natively supports Qi
wireless charging Inductive charging (also known as wireless charging or cordless charging) is a type of wireless power transfer. It uses electromagnetic induction to provide electricity to portable devices. Inductive charging is also used in vehicles, power tool ...
, except on models sold in Korea and the United States due to restrictions imposed by carriers. Wireless charging is only available on models sold in these regions if the QuickCircle case accessory is installed.


Connectivity

802.11ac
WiFi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio waves ...
is supported, as is
satellite navigation A satellite navigation or satnav system is a system that uses satellites to provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning. It allows satellite navigation devices to determine their location (longitude, latitude, and altitude/elevation) to high pr ...
using
GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
and
GLONASS GLONASS (russian: ГЛОНАСС, label=none, ; rus, links=no, Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, r=Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, t=Global Navigation Satellite System) is ...
satellites. There are different models for different regions, with appropriate telephone bands, some models also having FM radio support.


Software

The LG G3 shipped with Android 4.4 "KitKat" and LG's proprietary user interface and software suite ''G UI''. The G3's user interface was revised with a flatter visual appearance than the G2, "mature" color schemes, new icons and the use of
Roboto Roboto () is a neo-grotesque sans-serif typeface family developed by Google as the system font for its mobile operating system Android, and released in 2011 for Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich". The entire font family has been licensed un ...
as the default font. New software features introduced by the G3 include the
intelligent personal assistant An intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent personal assistant (IPA) is a software agent that can perform tasks or services for an individual based on commands or questions. The term "chatbot" is sometimes used to refer to virtual ...
"Smart Notice"—which presents context-sensitive notifications and suggestions using
natural language In neuropsychology, linguistics, and philosophy of language, a natural language or ordinary language is any language that has evolved naturally in humans through use and repetition without conscious planning or premeditation. Natural languages ...
, the fitness tracker LG Health, an updated "Smart Keyboard" with adjustable key height and the ability to analyze the user's typing habits to personalize its behavior, remote device locking and wiping, and "Content Lock"—the ability to store files in a secure, private area, either in internal storage or on the SD card. The G3's camera software also received a revised user interface; by default, most options are hidden, and photos can be taken by merely tapping on the subject in the viewfinder. The G3 also offers the background defocus tool "Magic Focus", and a gesture-activated
self-timer A self timer is a device on a camera that gives a delay between pressing the shutter release and the shutter's firing. It is most commonly used to let the photographer to take a photo of themselves (often with a group of other people), hence t ...
mode for the front-facing camera. On November 9, 2014, LG announced that the G3 would receive an update to Android 5.0 "Lollipop". The update was first released in Poland and South Korea in November 2014. The availability and release dates of the update in other markets, such as Europe and North America, varied. The update re-styles the interface to adhere to
Material design Material Design (codenamed Quantum Paper) is a design language developed by Google in 2014. Expanding on the "cards" that debuted in Google Now, Material Design uses more grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and d ...
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
and other changes introduced by Lollipop. It also adds syncing of periodic heart rate readings by G Watch R
smartwatch A smartwatch is a wearable computer in the form of a watch; modern smartwatches provide a local touchscreen interface for daily use, while an associated smartphone app provides management and telemetry, such as long-term biomonitoring. While ea ...
es with the LG Health app. In December 2015, LG began to release an update to Android 6.0 "Marshmallow". As of 2020, all variants of LG G3 are still supported by LineageOS and is upgradeable to Android 10


Accessories

Prior to the unveiling of the G3 itself, LG unveiled the device's QuickCircle Case accessory. A successor to the QuickWindow Case produced for the G2, the case consists of a flip cover with a circular window near the top. A glow effect around the rim of the window is used to signify notifications, and a number of apps—including the camera, music player, and phone—can be used from a special circular interface without opening the phone. The case also enables the use of wireless charging on G3 models sold in Korea and the United States. In February 2015, LG introduced a
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
headset shell for the phone known as VR for G3. Compatible with the
Google Cardboard Google Cardboard is a discontinued virtual reality (VR) platform developed by Google. Named for its fold-out cardboard viewer into which a smartphone is inserted, the platform was intended as a low-cost system to encourage interest and developme ...
ecosystem, it was distributed as a free accessory alongside G3 devices sold in South Korea following its release..


Reception

The G3 was met with positive reception from critics. The G3's plastic rear cover was praised for being less susceptible to fingerprint smudging than the G2 — however, LG was criticized for using an imitation metal finish rather than actual metal. In comparison to smartphones explicitly marketed as
phablet A phablet (, ) is a mobile device combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a portmanteau of ''phone'' and ''tablet''. Phablets feature large displays that complement screen-intensive activity such as mo ...
s, such as the
Galaxy Note series The Samsung Galaxy Note series is a discontinued line of high-end Android phablets and smartphones developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. The line is primarily oriented towards pen computing; all Galaxy Note models ship with a stylu ...
, the G3 was considered to be more "comfortable" and phone-like for its size due to its compact form and smooth exterior. The high-end hardware of the G3 was also noted, with ''
Engadget ''Engadget'' ( ) is a multilingual technology blog network with daily coverage of gadgets and consumer electronics. ''Engadget'' manages ten blogs four of which are written in English and six have international versions with independent editori ...
'' describing its specifications as being "
ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...
an Android fan's wishlist", but that from a usability standpoint, the screen's size would " efinitelybe a stretch for some people". The revised appearance of the G3's user interface was praised for having a cleaner look and feel than previous iterations, although ''The Verge'' did acknowledge that more Android OEMs were standardizing the appearance of their interface designs to closer resemble the design used by
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
's "stock" distribution of the Android operating system. The G3's display was praised for having good color reproduction, brightness, and viewing angles, with ''Engadget'' noting that its 1440p sample content " ookedpin-sharp and beautifully recreated." However, critics were mixed on whether the display provided any sufficient advantages or difference in quality over a 1080p display for everyday use, also given that content optimized for the resolution was not yet readily available. ''
Ars Technica ''Ars Technica'' is a website covering news and opinions in technology, science, politics, and society, created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews, and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, sci ...
'' showed concern over the display's potential effects on battery usage, and argued that the
Samsung Galaxy S5 The Samsung Galaxy S5 is an Android-based smartphone unveiled, produced, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy S series. Unveiled on 24 February 2014 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, it was rel ...
had a better
contrast ratio The contrast ratio (CR) is a property of a display system, defined as the ratio of the luminance of the brightest shade (white) to that of the darkest shade (black) that the system is capable of producing. A high contrast ratio is a desired aspec ...
and was easier to see outdoors. ''Mobile Syrup'' regarded the G3's display quality as inferior to the preceding G2, noting the lower maximum brightness (including the G3's software-based screen dimming algorithms), reduced viewing angles and color richness, due to sacrifices that LG made to maintain the G3's battery lif

''
Anandtech ''AnandTech'' is an online computer hardware magazine owned by Future plc. It was founded in 1997 by then-14-year-old Anand Lal Shimpi, who served as CEO and editor-in-chief until August 30, 2014, with Ryan Smith replacing him as editor-in-chief ...
'' was also mixed, noting that the G3's display produced "obviously oversaturated colors in almost every situation", had a weaker backlight than the G2, and used a software
edge enhancement Edge enhancement is an image processing filter that enhances the edge contrast of an image or video in an attempt to improve its acutance (apparent sharpness). The filter works by identifying sharp edge boundaries in the image, such as the edge ...
system that resulted in noticeable
visual artifact Visual artifacts (also artefacts) are artifact (error), anomalies apparent during visual representation as in digital graphics and other forms of imagery, especially photography and microscopy. In digital graphics * Image quality#Image quality f ...
s. While asserting that the 1440p display affected battery life, it was noted that in comparison to its competitors, the G3's battery life was still "firmly above what we've seen from 2013 (Snapdragon 600) flagships". In its first eleven months on sale, nearly 10 million units of the G3 were sold.


See also

*
Comparison of smartphones This is a comparison of the various internal components and features of many smartphones. Hardware and OS 2020s 2022 2021 2020 2010s 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2000s 2009 ...


References


External links

* {{Android smartphones Android (operating system) devices G3 Smartphones Mobile phones introduced in 2014 Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery Mobile phones with 4K video recording Discontinued smartphones Mobile phones with infrared transmitter