The LG G3 weighs 149 grams. Rear volume buttons keep the side bezels lean
Overnight LG took the wraps of its upcoming flagship, the G3, at a launch event held in six cities around the globe. The G3 is an Android 4.4 KitKat smartphone donning a brushed-hairline finish, similar to that of the HTC One (M8).
The G3 stands as tall as the One at 146mm, but it manages to pack a larger 5.5-inch, 2560x1440 resolution screen into the same form factor. This arms the smartphone with an unsurpassed 534 pixel-per-inch (ppi) density, which dwarfs even the Samsung Galaxy S5’s 432 ppi.
LG's head of European mobile computing, James Marshall, defended the smartphone's astounding pixel-per-inch count. "There's a misconception in the smartphone industry that the human eye can't measure differences above 300ppi. This is not the case."
Marshall's comments undermine sentiments Apple has expressed with its 'retina' screens, which boast pixel counts of 326ppi.
Inside the LG G3 is a Snapdragon 801 chipset, with a quad-core 2.5GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM in Australia, a 4G LTE modem and 16GB/32GB of internal memory. The removable rear case grants access to an expandable microSD slot and a 3000 milliamp-hour battery.
Connectivity is well catered to with support for dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, a SlimPort and GPS.
The rear camera captures photos at 13 megapixels. LG has enhanced its imaging capabilities with the inclusion of laser autofocus technology, which measures the distance of a photo’s subject for reportedly better photos. Marshall compared the technology "to the technology police use in their radar guns".
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A secondary 2.1 megapixel front facing camera can be used for video calls. LG did not reveal the video recording capabilities of the G3.
Chief executive of LG’s mobile company, Dr Jong-seok Park, said the LG G3 was designed to be simple from the ground up.
“The smartest innovation in a fast evolving smartphone market is creating harmony between advanced technology and a simplified user experience. LG G3 is the result of our effort to actualise that idea into a tangible product. And we are extremely pleased with the result.”
Interestingly LG did not disclose the global availability or pricing of the G3. Good Gear Guide is awaiting comment from local representatives and will update this article with more details shortly.
Read more: Showdown: LG G3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5
Update, 28 May: LG has confirmed the G3 will go on sale in Australia from August. Vodafone, Optus and Telstra will range the smartphone. The company has priced the G3 at $799 outright on its website.
