Just how smart can a smartphone get?

The G3 D855 smartphone from LG of South Korean features a large, sharp display and a powerful processor, as well as a good-quality camera.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-Core Processor running at 2.5GHz provides the power. There’s also a hefty amount of working memory (RAM) of three gigabytes and internal storage space of 32GB, which can be expanded with a microSD card of up to two terabytes. The phone runs on the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system.

You get an impressive 5.5-inch quad HD IPS display with 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution and pixel depth of 538ppi. The IPS (in-plane switching technology) and high resolution make the display very sharp and clear for viewing videos and photos and reading Web pages. Moreover, it has thin bezels around the screen that further boost the screen ratio.

The G3 looks sleek in a classic, metallic body that’s 8.9mm thin and it’s light at 149 grams. This is the comfortable and portable Floating Arc Design, where the sides are much thinner, allowing easy one-handed control. The phone is available in Metallic Black, Silk White and Shine Gold.

The G3 maintains the design heritage of the Rear Key first introduced in the G2. The design puts the power button at the back and places volume buttons above and below it, and lets you use an index finger to lock and unlock the phone easily – the buttons are right where you normally rest your fingertip. So there are no buttons along the edges.

If you’re not used to locking and unlocking the screen via the rear key, you can use the KnockON function to lock and partially unlock. You double-tap an empty area on the Home screen or the status bar in any screen (except on the camera viewfinder). You partially unlock by double-tapping the centre of the screen. And you can then swipe the screen to unlock it.

You have an even quicker way to unlock the screen – by using the Knock Code function. You wake up and unlock the phone in one step by tapping a combination on the screen.

The function works by dividing the bottom half of the screen into four. You set a pattern for unlocking by tapping one or more parts in any order you want and the phone will remember. Each part can register up to eight taps. LG says this design provides more than 86,000 “knock” combinations.

In case you forget the Knock Code combination, you can select four digits as a password to unlock the phone. And anyone without the Knock Code combination is unable to reset the phone to factory specs – they need that code.

There’s a good-quality rear camera with 13-megapixel resolution and optical image stabilisation. It quickly and easily captures spontaneous moments with the innovative Laser Auto Focus. A laser beam measures the distance to the subject to ensure sharp focus.

The 2.1MP front camera has several new enhancements, such as Virtual Flash for better selfies. The camera’s “gesture controls” are fun: once ready to shoot, simply clench your fist. The G3 recognises the “signal” and initiates a three-second countdown.

Swipe the screen to switch between rear and front cameras quickly. The main camera does “burst shots”. Touch and hold the on-screen shutter button to take multiple shots in a rapid burst. The Magic Focus lets you re-focus after every shot.

In my test I found that G3 captured sharp, clean and beautiful portraits and landscapes.

Thanks to plenty of RAM and the fast new processor, the G3 performs very well. The menus and touch screen are very responsive and scrolling is fast and smooth. Applications and video clips ran smoothly.

The Smart Notice function provides predictive recommendations based on the status of your phone, behaviour, use and location. For example, it will advise you to switch to Wi-Fi when your reach your office to save on 3G. It will suggest removing apps that haven’t been used for months, and remind you about important missed calls.

This is also a good-quality music player. I tested it using my Razor in-ear headphones and the sound was very good, with solid bass and fine details. You can share the music through the built-in one-watt speaker.

There’s an optional LG Quick Circle Case. The Quick Circle window displays the six apps you use most, making them easily accessible.

I ran my tests on the 3GB RAM-32GB storage model, but LG Thailand is selling only the G3 model with 2GB RAM and 16 GB storage – for Bt20,990.

 

 

KEY SPECS

Operating system: Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Networks: 2G (GSM/EDGE); 3G (HSPA+42Mbps/HSPA+21Mbps); 4G LTE (SVLTE, CSFB, CA, VoLTE RCS, MIMO)

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Quad-Core Processor up to 2.5 GHz

Display: 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560 X 1440) IPS

Camera: Rear-Facing Camera: 13MP Optical Image Stabilisation+ with Laser Auto Focus; Front-Facing Camera: 2.1 MP

Sound: 1W Speaker with Boost Amp

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE (APT-x); A-GPS, Glonass; USB 2.0HS; HDMI supported through SlimPort; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; NFC

Memory: 3GB RAM

Storage: 32GB Memory (24GB user memory), expandable with microSD up to 2TB

Battery: 3,000mAh, removable

Size: 146.3x74.6x8.9mm

Weight: 149g