A Week with LG’s new G3 Superphone

I’m the kind of guy that sticks with a certain brand. Shoes, clothes, phones. Once I find something I like, I rarely stray. When my Levi’s get frayed, I get a new pair. When my Converse All Stars fall apart, I’m back to the same store for the same colour, same size. I’ve even stuck with one brand of smartphone for the past 6 years or so, and though I’ve been happy with it, I also know that there’s such rapid innovation in the smartphone business that (unlike with jeans and shoes) a lot can change in a short amount of time. Companies are constantly looking for the next killer features to wow customers with every new release. Despite my instincts for brand loyalty, I can’t help but feel that I’ve been missing out on some great technology. It was just as I started looking for a new device that Bell launched the new G3 superphone from LG. And I was lucky enough to get my hands on one for a week-long test run.

From the moment you push power, you’re instantly immersed in the bright, crystal clear display. The 5.5” Quad HD touchscreen is plenty big, and it’s hard now going back to my old phone’s 4” screen. Before I talk more about the display I should mention the novel way LG gets you into the G3 – the innovative “Knock Code”. Instead of punching in a numerical password, the G3 lets you create a customized pattern (from 2 to 8 taps) anywhere on the display. It’s an innovative feature and one of the first things I find myself talking about whenever people ask me about the phone.

Once on the home screen, it was time to test video performance. I launched the Bell Mobile TV app to catch up on the latest stock news with The Business News Network. It began immediately after I pressed the play button (unheard of on other devices I’ve had) and didn’t stop playing (for buffering or other network issues) until complete – a testament to the G3’s powerful 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and the lightning fast speed of Bell’s LTE network. After my market update, it was time to jump into Bell Mobile TV’s other 110 channels featuring live and on-demand content. I burned a lot of hours here. In all my viewing, the image stayed clear with no distortions or unexpected stops.

Another thing I loved about the screen size is the implications for keyboard and work space when composing e-mails. On the G3’s smart keyboard, numbers and letters appear on the same pane. All my passwords require both character sets and the fact that I didn’t have to toggle back and forth saved a lot of time. A little thing but when you’re doing it every day it makes a big difference. There are also features like word prediction, allowing for seamless typing and faster responses.

The G3 is just one of Bell’s growing selection of phones that record video in 4K. The 13-megapixel rear camera has laser autofocus technology which noticeably helps with focusing speed and object detection in low light. My shots looked great and it was easy to take panoramic images as well.

The LG G3 is slim and surprisingly light considering the screen size. The brushed metallic finish gives it a clean, modern appeal. There’s no doubt it’s top of the line. The only thing it has taken me some time to adjust to is the power and volume buttons, which are situated on the back of the phone. I’m used to models with those buttons on the front or the side and it was interesting to see LG clean up those areas to take advantage of the usually under-utilized rear panel real estate, maximizing screen size. I’m sure I would get used to it with more use – what do you say, guys? Can I hang onto it for a bit longer?