Home
Mobiles
Mobiles News
LG Emphasizes Simplicity in New G3 Smartphone

LG Emphasizes Simplicity in New G3 Smartphone

By Associated Press | Updated: 28 May 2014 11:33 IST

LG's new smartphone provides sharper pictures than other leading phones, while sporting a customizable keyboard that promises to make typing easier.

The G3 phone's high-resolution display has 538 pixels per inch. Most other phones are in the 300-pixel range, with a handful reaching the 400s. The phone's display measures 5.5 inches diagonally, yet the phone is only a tad larger and heavier than Samsung's 5.1-inch Galaxy S5 (Review I Pictures).

But the LG G3 lacks water resistance, a fingerprint reader and a heart-rate monitor - all of which are found in the S5.

(Also see: LG G3 With 5.5-Inch Quad-HD Display, Laser Autofocus Camera Launched)

In an interview Tuesday, U.S. marketing executive Chang Ma said LG wanted to emphasize simplicity and avoid loading the phone with features that are complex to use or don't work well. With water resistance, for instance, Ma said LG would have had to "sacrifice other key features and functions," including keeping the weight down and the device small enough to hold comfortably.

The G3 also promises fast auto-focusing and one-touch controls on its 13-megapixel camera. People will be able to unlock phones not with passcodes but a pattern of taps on the screen. The keyboard's height can be adjusted to make keys bigger or smaller, and users can choose which symbols appear on the bottom row.

But many of the innovations in the G3 are familiar. For instance, it offers a way to hide certain photos and video when lending a phone to others. Samsung's S5 has a similar feature.

(Also see: LG G3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs HTC One (M8) comparison)

LG said the phone will be available in a few markets this week, including its home country of South Korea. It will be available in the U.S. this summer through all major wireless carriers. Prices weren't announced.

LG has had trouble getting noticed for its smartphones in a market dominated by Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. According to Gartner, LG had a market share of less than 5 percent last year, in fourth place just behind Huawei. Samsung had a 31 percent market share last year and Apple had 16 percent.

(Also see: Samsung sells record 86 million smartphones in Q4, widens lead over Apple: Report)

Last year's LG G2 (Review I Pictures) phone was notable for moving the power and volume controls to the back, which the company said made the phone easier to handle and less prone to drops. But the phone got little attention. The G Flex (Review I Pictures), a phone with a curved display, was expensive, and the benefits of the slight curve weren't apparent. LG also makes the Nexus 5 (Review I Pictures) phone under Google's brand.

(Also see: LG G3 vs LG G2 comparison)

Ma said LG has learned from past launches and will emphasize not the specifications and the technology but the benefits that they provide.

Mobiles launched in May 2014

LG G3

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Fantastic QHD screen
Looks and feels great
Very snappy performance
Decent battery life

Bad
Buttons on the rear

Read detailed LG G3 review

Display 5.50-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 801

Front Camera 2.1-megapixel

Rear Camera 13-megapixel

RAM 2GB

Storage 16GB

Battery Capacity 3000mAh

OS Android 4.4.2

Resolution 1440x2560 pixels

More LG mobiles LG mobiles price in India

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.