LG G3: outside and inside the clearest smartphone in the world
At the end of last year, many were surprised and delighted with the LG G2 smartphone. After many years of production of middling cars and budget devices at all, LG suddenly showed a flagship capable of being on par with fellow Samsung and Sony. Moreover, in terms of a number of parameters - camera capabilities, battery life, sound quality in headphones - G2 exceeded other flagships. Probably the only thing to complain about was the lack of a microSD slot in the Russian version of the device. But 32 gigabytes is not such a small amount. And if you do not carry with you a powerful video library, it is quite enough even for a maniac like me.
Since then, LG has somehow gotten better at the mobile market. A large smartcard came out (or a phablet, if you like) G Pro, an inexpensive, but very worthy G Pad tablet appeared. And so there was no reason to doubt that the heir to the LG G2 would also be sensible. True, considering how powerful and harmonious the apparatus turned out, I did not think that the heir would appear before the fall. It was quite possible to release some kind of improved version, adding, for example, the coveted slot for flash drives. But LG decided differently, and now on all counters of the country lies the new flagship LG G3. And this is not a cosmetic upgrade, but a fundamentally different device.
The screen brightness of the LG G2 (left) and G3 is set at 66%. But for G2 this is clearly not enough, but for G3 - with an excess
')
LG G3 has become significantly more than its already rather big predecessor. The screen diagonal is 5.46 inches, and, despite the very narrow frames on the sides of the matrix, the device still claims to be the largest smartphone-flagship. At least it's wider than the Sony Xperia Z2 and longer than the Samsung Galaxy S5. Personally, it seems to me that for a smartphone that is constantly in your pocket, such dimensions are redundant. And it is impossible to reach the upper corners of the screen even after the operation on building up the thumb. Of course, for games and movies, the big screen is a joy, but unfortunately or fortunately, we are playing and watching TV shows far from constant.
From left to right - Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G3 and Sony Xperia Z2
However, I know - why LG stopped at exactly this screen. Its resolution is a magnificent 2560x1440 pixels. This is only slightly smaller than the MacBook Pro with a Retina screen, but there is a diagonal of 13 inches, and here it is almost three times smaller. So the clarity is phenomenal, 538 DPI. Another question is that it is not easy to see. A few days ago, I began to carefully examine the screen of the LG G3 and compare it with the G2. And with some surprise I found out that I don’t feel the difference. And there clearly, and there. I had to call a young daughter, who, not knowing about the characteristics of the G3 matrix, said that the picture was clearer on her. But she had to get accustomed. And there would have been a little smaller diagonal, the difference would have been beyond the power of even a sharp children's eye.
Until Xperia Z Ultra, the new flagship of LG is not as big as it is yet, but it doesn’t look like a kid on its background either
It was not immediately possible to get any special impressions from the increased resolution. Assuming that satiety and skepticism bother me, I spent a week with G3, and then returned to G2. And what do you think? No cancellation effect. There is clear - and there is clear. Therefore, consider me a retrograde, but Quad HD in a smartphone is, of course, nice, but not necessarily. Photos on smartphones are not professionally processed, the film in the “native” resolution will draw at least 10 GB, and at the same time it will not be visually different from the analog in Full HD.
If you put LG G3 (below) and G2 alongside, and load the same photo with a lot of small details in both, then G3, of course, looks more advantageous. But how often do we do it in real life?
There is no doubt that tomorrow all flagships will use the Quad HD matrix, and LG will have the opportunity to speak with pleasure about his championship. But then, probably, and the iron will be slightly updated. Meanwhile, the G3 has a standard Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (operating frequency up to 2.5 GHz) with at least the standard Adreno 330 graphics core. On devices with Full HD, their performance is sufficient and even pleasantly redundant. But here they have to constantly maintain almost twice the resolution, and if in everyday tasks this is hardly noticeable, then in 3D games, such as Asphalt 8, some ... tensions are noticeable. By the way, in the benchmark Antutu G3 shows a little worse than the G2, and this is explained by the extremely high resolution. This device makes me associate with the first generation of 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina screen, where the built-in Core 3rd generation graphics core worked to the limit, and sometimes it was “tired” under heavy load. The fourth generation Core is out - and now everything flies. But a free replacement for users is not provided ...
The camera in the LG G2, as I already wrote, is simply excellent, and more than once I had to use it instead of the main camera during working photography. Both readers and myself were pleased with the results. The G3 did not increase the resolution (13 megapixels really quite enough), but added a laser autofocus. Compared with analogues (as a rule, smartphones use a contrast type), the laser allows you to quickly determine the distance to the subject and reduce the focusing time to 0.27 seconds.
Is LG G3 autofocus fast? Yes, very fast. But not faster than the Xperia Z2, iPhone 5s or Galaxy S (the latter, however, you have to wait for the camera application to load, this is a Samsung chip). I compared both in sunlight and in a medium-lit room — the flagships were approximately on a par. Compared to G2, the acceleration in low light is very significant, but here it’s a matter of the features of a particular unhurried photo module. As for the quality of the shooting, it felt as though it was the same - very, very good. You can now take pictures with a single click on the screen, and this is very nice borrowing from Windows Phone.
Here are some examples of photographs taken both in the twilight and in bright sunlight. Originals in one archive can be downloaded from this link .
The battery capacity of the G3 remained the same, 3000 mAh. Taking into account the increased diagonal and increased load on the SoC, the almost guaranteed two days of work from a single charge, to which I was used to G2, had to be forgotten. Now it is one light day. Guaranteed. But one.
From a meter distance, the LG G3 looks metallic, but in reality it's such a tricky plastic. The back cover is removable, and there - lo and behold! - microSD card slot is detected. But the rubber pads, as in the Galaxy S5, are not here: LG decided not to make the flagship moisture-proof. Honestly, sorry. After swimming in the pool with the Galaxy S5, I took so many unusual photos and videos that now without a phone in the water - not a foot.
The official photo shows all the possible (at the moment) colors G3
The LG Android shell makes a calm impression. It has changed significantly compared with the LG G2, becoming more strict and concise. The inclusion mode did not go anywhere with two clicks on the screen (which appeared initially in Nokia, and then repeated by Sony in Z2) and a “click” password was added, when you can simply tap on the screen zones that you know - and the device will be unlocked. We were pleased with the ability to change the size of the keyboard, which can be stretched to at least half the screen, or you can drag it downstairs. And yet the shell is not enough ... wholeness, or something. Before the monolithic style of Sony and HTC there is still much to think about.
The sound in the headphones is very good. It makes sense to connect quite expensive models, and not just a complete headset - the device will allow them to show their capabilities in full force. But again we must remember the G2, which plays no worse.
The thickness of the G3 is about the same as that of the G2, but the new one looks more elegant because of the more rounded back
Before proceeding to the conclusions, let's look at the G3 inside. Suddenly there is something unusual.
Inside
Talking about the internal structure of the LG G2 , I said that it made quite a significant step forward compared to its predecessors. Components there for the first time for LG were normal, and not as in the "Chinese" mediocre. However, in general, the engineering solution was controversial: microphones, charging, vibration motor and a number of other components hung on a huge cable, which made assembly difficult and could be a source of damage during operation.
The LG G3 made another important step: there are no cables at all. All components are located on the motherboard. Some doubts were caused by the long “leg” leading to the bottom of the smartphone, but it was empirically found out that it is very strong and elastic, and also securely fixed in the case. So to break it, accidentally dropping a smartphone with the inserted connector of the charger or headphones, will not work.
LG G3 with the cover removed
Remove the middle layer
LG G3 motherboard
In general, the internal device is simple and somehow not elegant in Korean. Understands the LG G3 in seconds, and it does not require anything except a screwdriver. Having become accustomed to the opening of moisture-proof devices, where you cannot go far without a soldering station, you are very surprised at such simplicity.
Connector for memory cards and SIM cards combined, and with it you have to be moderately careful. He does not like very much when a nano-sim is inserted into it through an adapter. If the latter leaves at least a small gap, the connector pins in it will certainly get bogged down, and by using force, you simply break them off. So I advise you not to experiment, but simply change the nano-sim to micro.
Combined connector. Next to him, an unknown Korean master again left us some message
It's funny that the power supply system in the LG G3 is implemented on exactly the same components as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. In general, the master Levchenko noticed some ... similarities in the design. I sincerely congratulate Samsung engineers for inspiring competitors with their ideas.
The camera module is very similar to the fellow in the LG G2. Most likely, it is just him. The front camera, it seems, also migrated from its predecessor. And externally, the module is similar, and its resolution is exactly the same - 2.1 megapixels. Against the background of 5 and even 8 megapixels, which business colleagues offer themselves to lovers of “self”, rather modestly. However, self-portraits are quite decent, I checked. Spread, however, I will not - it is unlikely that my face will please someone.
Separately, I want to praise the headphone jack, which is made removable. It is the weak link in all smartphones - then plug the plug roughly, then the water will flow. Replacing it requires quite careful soldering, and in some cases it is necessary to completely change the entire lower loop, which is quite expensive. In the case of the LG G3, you just need to remove the old connector and put a new one. Given the ease of disassembly of the apparatus, it is literally five minutes. Bravo, LG!
All the details of the LG G3 in one frame. Compare with the LG G2 Zoo (below)
Evaluating the design of the G3 as a whole, we can say that the Korean engineers almost did not surprise us, but we were pleased. The new flagship is simple and even elegant. Everything in it is sharpened by the production of large editions with minimal costs. It's nice that in the course of numerous simplifications with water they did not throw out the child. Compared to the G2, the new device is very simple, but such simplicity is worth a lot.
Total
Taking into account the high bar set a little more than six months ago, I personally expected a lot from G3. And, as often happens with high expectations, the reality was somewhat more modest.
LG G3 is undoubtedly an intelligent device. But the super-screen, which has become a noticeable performance limiter and reduced battery life, has not turned into a real killer feature. Check in any salon: the brightness and wide viewing angles are much easier to notice than the super-sharpness.
If you like large smartphones and want a modern model with an excellent screen, one of the best mobile cameras on the market and high-quality sound in headphones, you can easily take the LG G3. Have fun. The price, however, is still a bit high in official stores, 29,990 rubles, but in less prestigious places, G3 can easily be taken for 23,000. And this hints at a substantial margin on dumping prices.
But the release of the new flagship does not negate the existence of excellent in every sense of the LG G2, which officially costs 19,990, and unofficially - only 14,000! For six months, it is not obsolete at all, and taking into account the price reduction, it has become a very interesting option. It will be easy to wait for LG G4.
Since then, LG has somehow gotten better at the mobile market. A large smartcard came out (or a phablet, if you like) G Pro, an inexpensive, but very worthy G Pad tablet appeared. And so there was no reason to doubt that the heir to the LG G2 would also be sensible. True, considering how powerful and harmonious the apparatus turned out, I did not think that the heir would appear before the fall. It was quite possible to release some kind of improved version, adding, for example, the coveted slot for flash drives. But LG decided differently, and now on all counters of the country lies the new flagship LG G3. And this is not a cosmetic upgrade, but a fundamentally different device.
The screen brightness of the LG G2 (left) and G3 is set at 66%. But for G2 this is clearly not enough, but for G3 - with an excess
')
LG G3 has become significantly more than its already rather big predecessor. The screen diagonal is 5.46 inches, and, despite the very narrow frames on the sides of the matrix, the device still claims to be the largest smartphone-flagship. At least it's wider than the Sony Xperia Z2 and longer than the Samsung Galaxy S5. Personally, it seems to me that for a smartphone that is constantly in your pocket, such dimensions are redundant. And it is impossible to reach the upper corners of the screen even after the operation on building up the thumb. Of course, for games and movies, the big screen is a joy, but unfortunately or fortunately, we are playing and watching TV shows far from constant.
From left to right - Samsung Galaxy S5, LG G3 and Sony Xperia Z2
However, I know - why LG stopped at exactly this screen. Its resolution is a magnificent 2560x1440 pixels. This is only slightly smaller than the MacBook Pro with a Retina screen, but there is a diagonal of 13 inches, and here it is almost three times smaller. So the clarity is phenomenal, 538 DPI. Another question is that it is not easy to see. A few days ago, I began to carefully examine the screen of the LG G3 and compare it with the G2. And with some surprise I found out that I don’t feel the difference. And there clearly, and there. I had to call a young daughter, who, not knowing about the characteristics of the G3 matrix, said that the picture was clearer on her. But she had to get accustomed. And there would have been a little smaller diagonal, the difference would have been beyond the power of even a sharp children's eye.
Until Xperia Z Ultra, the new flagship of LG is not as big as it is yet, but it doesn’t look like a kid on its background either
It was not immediately possible to get any special impressions from the increased resolution. Assuming that satiety and skepticism bother me, I spent a week with G3, and then returned to G2. And what do you think? No cancellation effect. There is clear - and there is clear. Therefore, consider me a retrograde, but Quad HD in a smartphone is, of course, nice, but not necessarily. Photos on smartphones are not professionally processed, the film in the “native” resolution will draw at least 10 GB, and at the same time it will not be visually different from the analog in Full HD.
If you put LG G3 (below) and G2 alongside, and load the same photo with a lot of small details in both, then G3, of course, looks more advantageous. But how often do we do it in real life?
There is no doubt that tomorrow all flagships will use the Quad HD matrix, and LG will have the opportunity to speak with pleasure about his championship. But then, probably, and the iron will be slightly updated. Meanwhile, the G3 has a standard Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (operating frequency up to 2.5 GHz) with at least the standard Adreno 330 graphics core. On devices with Full HD, their performance is sufficient and even pleasantly redundant. But here they have to constantly maintain almost twice the resolution, and if in everyday tasks this is hardly noticeable, then in 3D games, such as Asphalt 8, some ... tensions are noticeable. By the way, in the benchmark Antutu G3 shows a little worse than the G2, and this is explained by the extremely high resolution. This device makes me associate with the first generation of 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina screen, where the built-in Core 3rd generation graphics core worked to the limit, and sometimes it was “tired” under heavy load. The fourth generation Core is out - and now everything flies. But a free replacement for users is not provided ...
The camera in the LG G2, as I already wrote, is simply excellent, and more than once I had to use it instead of the main camera during working photography. Both readers and myself were pleased with the results. The G3 did not increase the resolution (13 megapixels really quite enough), but added a laser autofocus. Compared with analogues (as a rule, smartphones use a contrast type), the laser allows you to quickly determine the distance to the subject and reduce the focusing time to 0.27 seconds.
Is LG G3 autofocus fast? Yes, very fast. But not faster than the Xperia Z2, iPhone 5s or Galaxy S (the latter, however, you have to wait for the camera application to load, this is a Samsung chip). I compared both in sunlight and in a medium-lit room — the flagships were approximately on a par. Compared to G2, the acceleration in low light is very significant, but here it’s a matter of the features of a particular unhurried photo module. As for the quality of the shooting, it felt as though it was the same - very, very good. You can now take pictures with a single click on the screen, and this is very nice borrowing from Windows Phone.
Here are some examples of photographs taken both in the twilight and in bright sunlight. Originals in one archive can be downloaded from this link .
The battery capacity of the G3 remained the same, 3000 mAh. Taking into account the increased diagonal and increased load on the SoC, the almost guaranteed two days of work from a single charge, to which I was used to G2, had to be forgotten. Now it is one light day. Guaranteed. But one.
From a meter distance, the LG G3 looks metallic, but in reality it's such a tricky plastic. The back cover is removable, and there - lo and behold! - microSD card slot is detected. But the rubber pads, as in the Galaxy S5, are not here: LG decided not to make the flagship moisture-proof. Honestly, sorry. After swimming in the pool with the Galaxy S5, I took so many unusual photos and videos that now without a phone in the water - not a foot.
The official photo shows all the possible (at the moment) colors G3
The LG Android shell makes a calm impression. It has changed significantly compared with the LG G2, becoming more strict and concise. The inclusion mode did not go anywhere with two clicks on the screen (which appeared initially in Nokia, and then repeated by Sony in Z2) and a “click” password was added, when you can simply tap on the screen zones that you know - and the device will be unlocked. We were pleased with the ability to change the size of the keyboard, which can be stretched to at least half the screen, or you can drag it downstairs. And yet the shell is not enough ... wholeness, or something. Before the monolithic style of Sony and HTC there is still much to think about.
The sound in the headphones is very good. It makes sense to connect quite expensive models, and not just a complete headset - the device will allow them to show their capabilities in full force. But again we must remember the G2, which plays no worse.
The thickness of the G3 is about the same as that of the G2, but the new one looks more elegant because of the more rounded back
Before proceeding to the conclusions, let's look at the G3 inside. Suddenly there is something unusual.
Inside
Talking about the internal structure of the LG G2 , I said that it made quite a significant step forward compared to its predecessors. Components there for the first time for LG were normal, and not as in the "Chinese" mediocre. However, in general, the engineering solution was controversial: microphones, charging, vibration motor and a number of other components hung on a huge cable, which made assembly difficult and could be a source of damage during operation.
The LG G3 made another important step: there are no cables at all. All components are located on the motherboard. Some doubts were caused by the long “leg” leading to the bottom of the smartphone, but it was empirically found out that it is very strong and elastic, and also securely fixed in the case. So to break it, accidentally dropping a smartphone with the inserted connector of the charger or headphones, will not work.
LG G3 with the cover removed
Remove the middle layer
LG G3 motherboard
In general, the internal device is simple and somehow not elegant in Korean. Understands the LG G3 in seconds, and it does not require anything except a screwdriver. Having become accustomed to the opening of moisture-proof devices, where you cannot go far without a soldering station, you are very surprised at such simplicity.
Connector for memory cards and SIM cards combined, and with it you have to be moderately careful. He does not like very much when a nano-sim is inserted into it through an adapter. If the latter leaves at least a small gap, the connector pins in it will certainly get bogged down, and by using force, you simply break them off. So I advise you not to experiment, but simply change the nano-sim to micro.
Combined connector. Next to him, an unknown Korean master again left us some message
It's funny that the power supply system in the LG G3 is implemented on exactly the same components as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. In general, the master Levchenko noticed some ... similarities in the design. I sincerely congratulate Samsung engineers for inspiring competitors with their ideas.
The camera module is very similar to the fellow in the LG G2. Most likely, it is just him. The front camera, it seems, also migrated from its predecessor. And externally, the module is similar, and its resolution is exactly the same - 2.1 megapixels. Against the background of 5 and even 8 megapixels, which business colleagues offer themselves to lovers of “self”, rather modestly. However, self-portraits are quite decent, I checked. Spread, however, I will not - it is unlikely that my face will please someone.
Separately, I want to praise the headphone jack, which is made removable. It is the weak link in all smartphones - then plug the plug roughly, then the water will flow. Replacing it requires quite careful soldering, and in some cases it is necessary to completely change the entire lower loop, which is quite expensive. In the case of the LG G3, you just need to remove the old connector and put a new one. Given the ease of disassembly of the apparatus, it is literally five minutes. Bravo, LG!
All the details of the LG G3 in one frame. Compare with the LG G2 Zoo (below)
Evaluating the design of the G3 as a whole, we can say that the Korean engineers almost did not surprise us, but we were pleased. The new flagship is simple and even elegant. Everything in it is sharpened by the production of large editions with minimal costs. It's nice that in the course of numerous simplifications with water they did not throw out the child. Compared to the G2, the new device is very simple, but such simplicity is worth a lot.
Total
Taking into account the high bar set a little more than six months ago, I personally expected a lot from G3. And, as often happens with high expectations, the reality was somewhat more modest.
LG G3 is undoubtedly an intelligent device. But the super-screen, which has become a noticeable performance limiter and reduced battery life, has not turned into a real killer feature. Check in any salon: the brightness and wide viewing angles are much easier to notice than the super-sharpness.
If you like large smartphones and want a modern model with an excellent screen, one of the best mobile cameras on the market and high-quality sound in headphones, you can easily take the LG G3. Have fun. The price, however, is still a bit high in official stores, 29,990 rubles, but in less prestigious places, G3 can easily be taken for 23,000. And this hints at a substantial margin on dumping prices.
But the release of the new flagship does not negate the existence of excellent in every sense of the LG G2, which officially costs 19,990, and unofficially - only 14,000! For six months, it is not obsolete at all, and taking into account the price reduction, it has become a very interesting option. It will be easy to wait for LG G4.
The author thanks Alexander Levchenko ( www.tech-town.ru ) for his help in preparing this article.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/230361/
All Articles