LG Reveals G3, A Premium Smartphone Full Of Surprises: Gallery

LG has announced the G3 smartphone, its latest premium handset designed to compete with such heavyweights as the iPhone 5S, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2.

The new Android flagship is dressed in brushed metal and features a 5.5-inch screen with 2560×1440 pixel resolution, a “first of its kind” laser-assisted camera and LG’s proprietary Rear Key buttons on the back.

It was launched in two stages, with press events in San Francisco, New York and London on Tuesday, and Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul on Wednesday.

“Simple is the New Smart”

The latest entry in the premium G series is built around a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen capable of displaying resolution four times higher than HD.

The display is complimented by a 13 megapixel optically stabilised camera with a laser-assisted auto-focus that measures the distance between the lens and the subject.

LG says G3 is the first smartphone to use a laser for photography, and the technology should allow owners to take sharper images, faster. Meanwhile, the front-facing 2.1 megapixel camera now has a larger sensor for “better-looking selfies”.

Taking a cue from HTC and its Beats collaboration, LG engineers have spent some time with the internal speakers. At just 1W, these are unlikely to rupture eardrums, but the Boost AMP technology promises an improvement in sound quality.

Keeping up with the times, LG has also announced a wealth of software features native to G3. These include a ‘Smart Keyboard’ that learns user’s speech patterns as they type to minimise mistakes, ‘Smart Notice’, a personal assistant that’s halfway between iOS Notification Centre and Google Now, and ‘Smart Security’ – a suite of applications designed to protect the smartphone. The most intriguing part of Smart Security is the Knock Code, which enables users to unlock their device with a pattern of taps.

To power the high resolution display, LG has equipped G3 with a 3,000mAh battery which offers much more capacity than usual for smartphones in this class. It has also replaced the metal in the battery cathode with graphite, extending its lifespan even further.

Best of all, the battery can be removed and replaced – something that’s sure to make environmental groups, which have long campaigned against glued-in batteries used by some of LG’s competitors, very happy.

The G3 will be available in five colours: metallic black, silk white, shine gold, moon violet and burgundy red.

It will be accompanied by an optional Quickcircle case which enables users to check the status of the handset trough a circular window, without opening the cover. The same window offers access to frequently used functions such as calling, messaging, music and camera. LG will also sell a compatible wireless charger based on Qi technology.

The G3 will be launched in South Korea on 28 May. It should reach the UK no later than 1 July, with Three being the first network operator to confirm availability.

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