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- direct competitors of G3 - are already being sold with all their might, and we, in turn, have already managed to study them in detail. G-Three has just been officially unveiled, and deliveries to stores should begin at the end of June or even early July. The approach is wise: the company’s engineers have time to study weak spots competitors and avoid making the same mistakes in your product - a quarter-long time reserve allows you to do this. In addition, LG, like most other manufacturers, prefers to update its older model once a year - unlike, for example, Sony, which releases a new flagship every six months.

It is important to understand that LG engineers are not updating the device for show - they are actually correcting the shortcomings of its predecessor, and during thorough testing we will mention this more than once. G2 was good. Not even that: he was very good - no one expected him to turn out like that. And the LG G3, in turn, turned out to be even more interesting, and this was clear even from the announcement. Now that you're intrigued and eager, you can get to know the G2's successor.

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

Do you know why the author of this material at one time refused to buy such a good and pleasant LG G2? The plastic, glossy and very easily soiled back panel let me down. In general, an adult device cannot leave such a so-called look&feel. Everything inside is great, but, whatever one may say, the smartphone has to be picked up - and it was at the moment when the G2 was in the hands that a clear understanding came that the gadget was not ideal. Probably the rear panel was the first thing on the list of changes for the G3 designers.

Meet the new LG flagship - G3

The “back” here is still plastic, but with a much more pleasant surface treatment. There is not a trace of gloss left - the panel is embossed, textured, feels almost like real metal. The main advantage of the material used is its excellent oleophobic properties. The smartphone does not lose its presentation, no matter how much the owner touches it. Fingerprints do not remain on the panel, but even if it gets a little dirty, you can literally clean it of dirt in one motion.

LG G3 - official photo

The layout of the G3's controls is the same as its predecessor - atypical for Android smartphones. Physical power/lock and volume keys are located on the rear panel, under the main camera lens. The location is not for everyone - it’s good that the programmers have implemented the ability to turn on the device without pressing the corresponding key. It's called KnockCode, and we talked about it in a separate article. Let us remind you that you can exit the “sleep” mode by tapping on the screen. The option is not new - it moved from G2. It is still better to place your smartphone in your pocket with the display facing you to avoid accidental pressing of hardware keys.

LG G3 - back panel in comparison with the “back” of LG G2 (right)

The main area of ​​the front panel is occupied by a new ultra-clear display with a diagonal of 5.46 inches. The bezels around it are still very thin, so the smartphone is much more compact than other models with similar screen sizes. Despite the thin frames, during operation of the device there are no erroneous touches of the display with the palm of your hand. There are no hardware keys on the front panel - all the buttons are touch sensitive and are located directly on the display.

LG G3 - power and volume keys on the rear panel

LG engineers failed to repeat the trick of the magicians from Samsung, who increased the display diagonal Galaxy Note 3, practically without changing its dimensions relative to its predecessor. The G3 feels slightly longer than the G2, increasing its length by eight millimeters. However, using the device is quite convenient. Fortunately, the weight remained at an acceptable level - 149 grams versus 143 for its predecessor, and the thickness completely decreased - from 9.5 mm to 8.9 mm. Thanks to its smooth, streamlined shape, the smartphone seems even slimmer than it actually is.

LG G3 - front panel compared to LG G2 front panel (right)

The SlimPort interface (micro-USB 2.0 + video output in one connector) and a universal audio jack for connecting a wired headset are located at the bottom end. On the top there is an infrared port. Two microphones, with the help of which the active noise reduction system is implemented, are placed on the vertical edges. A stylized metal edging runs along all ends of the body.

LG G3 - sides

The “back” of the device is removable. Below it is a 3000 mAh battery and micro-SIM and microSD slots located one above the other.

LG G3 without back panel

To assembly and appearance We have no complaints about the device. The gadget looks strict and attractive—what a flagship needs. During testing, we did not find any play; even when checking for twisting and bending, we did not see anything embarrassing or suspicious.

⇡ Technical specifications

This is a beautiful and powerful, but quite expensive smartphone. Many users simply don’t need the extra bells and whistles. Especially for them, LG presented a smaller version of its flagship - LG G3s. The smartphone received a similar design, a slightly smaller screen, reduced specifications and twice as much low price. Vesti.Hitek found out whether those who decided to save money would make a mistake.

The version with the letter “s” differs from the flagship LG G3 in many ways. In fact, these are two completely different phones, which, apart from a similar design, have practically nothing in common. In terms of characteristics, the G3s is a fairly typical “mid-ranger”. Technologically, the only thing it has in common with the flagship is the high-speed laser autofocus in the camera. But first things first.

Specifications

• Screen: TFT IPS, 5-inch. Resolution - HD (1280 × 720), pixel density - 294 per inch
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, 4-core, 1.2 gigahertz
• Graphics accelerator: Adreno 305
• Operating system: Android 4.4
• RAM: 1 gigabyte
• Built-in memory: 8 gigabytes (3.5 gigabytes available to the user)
• Memory card support: microSD (up to 32 GB)
• Internet: Wi-Fi ((b/g/n), 2G, 3G
• SIM: 2 cards supported (microSIM)
• Wireless interfaces: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, IR port
• Navigation: A-GPS, GLONASS
• Cameras: main - 8 megapixels (LED flash, laser autofocus), front - 1.3 megapixels
• Battery: 2540 mAh
• Dimensions: 69.6 × 137.75 × 10.3
• Weight: 134 grams

Appearance

The device is an elongated plastic monoblock. Front side completely hidden under glass. The side frames of the display are relatively small, but there is quite a lot of space left unused at the top and especially at the bottom. Above the screen we see an elongated earpiece and an LED - an indicator of charge and missed events. Nearby there is a proximity sensor and a front camera. Below the display is a silver stripe with the LG logo.

The smartphone is quite thick and feels a little clumsy, however, this is hidden by a comfortable curved shape housings. There are no connectors on the side ends.

At the top end we see only a microphone hole, at the bottom there is another microphone, a microUSB input and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The back cover is rounded. We received a version made of dark gray plastic for review (but there is also a white one). The plastic is textured with horizontal stripes - this makes the color deeper, giving the lid metallic look. There is a small speaker in the lower left corner of the back of the smartphone. In the middle of the case is a modest LG logo. The most interesting thing begins above - in your best traditions the company has placed the lock key and volume buttons on the back cover. They are large, with a large power reserve. Right above the buttons we see a round camera module. To the right of it is an LED flash, to the left is an infrared port.

By prying the small recess on the right side, you can remove the back cover of the LG G3s. This is not so easy to do, but it’s for the best - it obviously won’t come loose and fly off. Under the cover we see a large removable 2540 mAh battery, slots for two microSIM cards and a slot for microSD.

Overall, the device looks very attractive and even flagship-like, despite the use of plastic. LG did a great job to make the phone look stylish, and did not regret giving the “mid-range” design of the older model.

Ergonomics

In terms of ergonomics, the device is ambiguous. The LG G3s is quite lightweight, but its dimensions are impressive. The height of the smartphone is almost 14 centimeters - this is clearly not suitable for miniature female fingers. At the same time, the phone is noticeably thick. The author of the review has rather long fingers and elongated palms, but the ends of the smartphone in the hand still felt somewhat cramped.

The material of the back cover, although it looks very nice, feels inexpensive to the touch. The plastic is rough and doesn’t slip out of your hands, but it makes your palm sweat and seems to be scratched quite easily (the device, which came to us for testing no longer new, showed several small scratches). The smartphone also lacks solidity. The removable back cover makes the phone squeak when bent and pressed.

On the other hand, the implementation of control keys is very successful, although unusual. The unlock button is always right under your finger when you want to press it - you don’t have to reach anywhere, grope, and so on. It is large, has a good power reserve, does not play and clicks pleasantly. The same applies to the volume buttons.

Overall, from my point of view, the device was not the most convenient. At the same time, once you get used to it, you can use the G3s fully, without really thinking about slight imbalance. But the device is probably not worth recommending to people with short palms and tiny fingers.

Screen

LG G3 s has a large 5-inch display of very good quality. The device's screen boasts rich colors and good contrast. Viewing angles are average, with a very strong tilt the picture is noticeably distorted, but in standard work scenarios this is unnoticeable. The aspect ratio is 16:9.

HD resolution on a 5-inch display allows you, if you really want, to see individual pixels. Still, a ppi of 294 is not very high by modern standards. However, this will only bother sophisticated aesthetes - the picture still looks great if you don’t move the display close to your eyes. Considering not the most powerful hardware, FullHD resolution could make the smartphone “slow-witted.”

The screen brightness is average - it will be enough indoors in any case, but under direct sunlight The display noticeably fades. Color rendition is very accurate; no noticeable deviations in the RGB range were noticed. The illumination of the IPS matrix is ​​uniform.

Apparently, the screen is made using One Glass Solution technology - that is, without air gap. The picture is literally right under your fingers - it's nice. It was not possible to find information about what kind of protective glass is used. This is hardly Gorilla Glass (usually manufacturers proudly write about this themselves). For obvious reasons, we did not crash test the phones, so we cannot judge the strength of the display.

I didn't like the oleophobic coating. Apparently, it is present (this is noticeable by the fact that dirt is easily washed off from the screen). However, LG seems to have saved a little on it. The device still gets smudged quite easily by fingerprints, which makes it look a little sloppy.

Mulchitach supports up to five simultaneous clicks. In principle, this is quite enough. Of course, flagships usually support ten touches, but in reality, users almost never have such a need. I didn’t really like that the screen was too sensitive - there were a lot of random responses.

Interface

The device runs on the latest Android 4.4.2, on top of which LG's own firmware is installed (quite nice and modern-looking). It is almost identical to the firmware in the flagship G3.

The smartphone interface works generally smoothly. Light lags do occur, but they are quite rare. The firmware is convenient and very nice - light, with rounded icons and beautiful fonts.

In principle, LG did not mock Android too much. limited to design redesign. In addition to the on-screen Android keys, a button has been added to quickly change the active SIM. The buttons can be swapped and removed as desired. The settings interface has been simplified - the icons have become large, and the menu items have been systematized across four screens (unfortunately, it is not always obvious what to look for on which).

In the sound settings, you can set your own ringtones, SMS signals and vibration modes for each SIM. Can be customized a lot different ways screen unlocking (face recognition, digital code, Knock Code combination, and so on). There is a SmartCleaning function that allows you to quickly clean your phone of unnecessary software junk.

The manufacturer preinstalled quite a lot of different software on the smartphone. In addition to the usual set of Google programs, we find here the ThinkFree Office office suite, LG SmartWorld service with different topics registration and other goods of dubious usefulness, the RemoteCall Service program for remote connection to a smartphone.

The QuickRemote program allows you to use your smartphone's infrared port as a universal remote control for all home appliances. Really very convenient. A convenient and very simple QuickMemo+ note service, client, is preinstalled cloud service Box, a nice client for listening to the radio, a calculator, a simple service for creating tasks, an over-the-air phone update center, convenient file manager, a beautiful weather application and other little things. The firmware has a lot of nice features - for example, to “wake up” the phone, you don’t have to press a button, you can just quickly tap the display twice.

Device in operation

The phone works quite smoothly, but from time to time there are slowdowns. Applications do not open quite instantly, as on flagships, but with a delay - not to say very large, but noticeable.

The browser works smoothly, there may be slight lags only on heavy pages with big amount multimedia content. The phone plays HD video in streaming mode without any lag.

Based on benchmark testing, the G3s showed quite standard results for a mid-price smartphone. According to the Antutu benchmark, the smartphone scored 17,225 points, being weaker even than the Nexus 4 released in 2012. In the Chrome browser performance test, the result was slightly higher Samsung Galaxy S3 (also a 2012 model). Perhaps the results of synthetic tests will slightly improve subsequent versions of the firmware (the device we tested was, apparently, not the final one), but you should not expect a dramatic increase in performance.

In the Epic Cited graphics benchmark, the average fps was set at 58.1 - thus, the smartphone copes perfectly well with not too heavy 3D graphics. In the Ice Storm test of the 3DMark benchmark, the device scored 5647 points.

The 3D runner Minion Rush ran smoothly and without any brakes. The 3D zombie shooter Dead Trigger worked generally fine, but slowed down in tense places (for example, during explosions).

The 3D racer Asphalt 8 worked quite well, although it was also not without slowdowns in some places. During prolonged play, the back cover of the device heats up significantly, but within acceptable limits - this should not cause discomfort. All 2D games worked perfectly.

To summarize, we can say that the device is clearly not a gaming device, but for unassuming gamers who just want to play a little timekiller while traveling on the subway, it is quite suitable.

The main speaker is loud, but not exactly clear-sounding. You won't miss a call, but listening to music is no longer very pleasant.

Camera

The LG G3s shoots quite well for a budget employee. The 8-megapixel module allows you to get decent pictures with good lighting. Like many mid-segment phones, the G3s begins to noticeably suffer when there is a lack of lighting, but if you are clever, you can take more or less suitable pictures in artificial light. Of course, there is a lot more noise, but the phone still focuses well and does not go completely blind.

Laser autofocus works quickly and this is good news. The LED flash is bright. And even if it’s not much of a help when shooting, the flashlight will work well - that’s for sure.

In general, for an “average” camera the camera is quite good. The camera app interface is quite user-friendly and not overloaded with useless features.

The front “peephole” is also not bad. It is quite suitable for video calling and selfies. The image in the video finder is slightly slow, but the pictures are bright and (by the standards of front cameras) quite detailed. There is a built-in skin smoothing mode that allows you to apply a “virtual foundation” to your face.

Calls. Wireless interfaces

Wi-Fi also does not fall off, the Internet works quickly and without problems. Used latest version Bluetooth 4.0, which allows you to connect various wearable electronics to your phone - smart bracelets, watches, and so on. The phone paired with the Jawbone bracelet without any problems.

The NFC module also works as it should - the device easily reads metro tickets and other tags. High-speed LTE Internet is not supported, but at least 3G works stably. There were no problems with navigation either - the phone quickly and practically without errors determines its location.

Autonomous operation

The manufacturer equipped the smartphone with a 2540 mAh battery. With relatively low processor power and the absence of a FullHD display, this is quite enough to power the day battery life. Of course, recording videos, downloading movies over 3G or playing productive 3D games can drain the phone in just a few hours, but this is a problem with most modern devices. Half an hour of watching HD videos from YouTube drained the device by 15 percent. Half an hour of playing Asphalt 8 cost about the same.

A completely discharged device is charged from the mains in approximately three hours. If you use the energy saving mode, the phone can work for two days without any problems.

Of course, there are phones on the market with much better battery life, but most users will not experience discomfort. If you're not a gamer or a photographer, you can safely leave the house without a charging cord.

conclusions

Before us is a rather ordinary representative of mid-segment smartphones, which LG is trying to promote due to its big name and the appearance of its older brother. The design of the new product is pleasant and even flagship - it will not be a shame to take it out in front of your friends. But the filling is far from the flagship one. Worth G3s Russian market on average 11,500 rubles (according to Yandex.Market), which is not enough for such characteristics.

On the one hand, for that kind of money you can get a “Chinese” with a much faster processor, and perhaps even a FullHD screen. On the other hand, LG is a first-tier brand that is responsible for build quality and provides the services of its service centers. This will make you feel more secure. What is more important is up to the users themselves to decide.

Let's summarize:

pros

• Laser autofocus
• good time battery life
• Good quality display
• Availability of an infrared port
• Nice firmware

Minuses

• Low performance
• Questionable ergonomics
• The price is high for such characteristics