LG announced its new flagship LG G3 smartphone Tuesday, and although it comes with little surprises, thanks to the amount of pre-release leaks, the phone represents a strong entry into the high-end market.
One of the most apparent features the LG G3 sports is its display. The 5.5-inch Quad HD display boasts a 2560X1440 resolution that puts out 538 pixels per inch, making it the best display on the market. Both Samsung and HTC stuck to 1080p for their flagships, but LG pushes the G3 beyond that. There is one big question, however -- will the LG G3's battery be able to power all those pixels for a decent period of time.
"The smartest innovation in a fast evolving smartphone market is creating harmony between advanced technology and a simplified user experience," LG CEO and president Dr. Jong-seok Park said in a press release. "LG G3 is the result of our effort to actualize that idea into a tangible product. And we are extremely pleased with the result."
To address that situation LG has included a 3,000mAh removable battery, which remains to be tested, but does give users the option of upgrading the power source easier. According to LG engineers, they were able to extend battery life by replacing the metal battery cathode with graphite. If all works well, the battery should be able to "keep up with the Quad HD display's ultra-high performance without losing steam in the middle of the day."
One spec that has everyone talking is the G3's 13-megapixel rear-facing camera. Following up on its predecessor's impressive camera, the G3's camera features optical image stabilization and a laser autofocus that can focus in a blazing 0.276 seconds.
Under the hood lies a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz Quad-Core processor capable of 4G LTE and LG is offering the handset in 16GB and 32GB models, although a microSD slot allows for an extra 128GB. The 16GB variant comes with 2GB DDR3 RAM while the 32GB G3 contains 3GB DDR3 RAM. The G3 also features NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, and Micro-USB 2.0. As far as operating systems go, the G3 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box with the latest version of LG's own user interface.
Form-wise the LG G3 features a curved metal backing that LG likes to refer to as a "Floating Arc" design. The G3 also continues LG's tradition of including a rear button. According to official specs, the LG G3's dimensions translate to 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm, and 149g.
LG has not yet provided an official U.S. release date for the G3 but has stated that the smartphone will be coming to all major carriers -- AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile -- at some point later this year. T-Mobile is currently giving away three LG G3s every three days until June 27 for those who pre-register online.
