LG G3 rumor round-up: specs, price, design and release date gossip
LG G3 is expected to come with a 5.5" Quad HD display and a polycarbonate chassis
LG nailed it last summer, with the innovative G2 flagship, that had its physical buttons placed on the back for the first time. Now, with the upcoming G3 successor, the company will seemingly have the last word for the first half of 2014. The G3 is slated to appear in May or June - after Samsung, Sony, and HTC's top-shelf offerings. It is supposed to bear at least three codenames internally - LG D-850 (allegedly heading to AT&T), D-851, and Verizon's VS985.
Given that the LG G3 will be released after the competition has had its say, the expectations towards it will naturally be somewhat higher. Judging from the barrage of recent leaks, LG is not going to disappoint us, so let's recap what has been speculated so far about the G3's shot at smartphone glory.
Design
In fact, recent pictures that claim to be of the G3 itself, show a similar approach, but the shape of the power/lock key, and the volume rocker, are quite different than what we have now. They jibe with the render mockup we saw not long ago, that speculated a 5.5" Quad HD display will be stuffed in a very compact for the screen size polycarbonate body, imitating brushed metal coating.
The volume keys are again situated on the back of the handset, which is not surprising, given that LG's new G Pro 2 and G2 mini handsets keep that unique design proposition, which commenced with the G2. There are also rumors that LG is mulling the perennial fingerprint sensor, which might be placed on the back, too.
In addition, LG has allegedly followed in the footsteps of its fellow countrymen from Samsung, and made the G3 chassis water-tight in its turn, and will offer a gold color variation of the handset, too, if a leaked box of the G3 is any indication.
One possible solution is to go with a minimal top bezel, like in the leaked picture of the LG isai LGL24 handset - a brand that the Koreans use to market exclusive handsets for a Japanese carrier. Last year's LG isai LGL22 was based on the G2, so this pretty boy might hint at the final G3 design, too. Sharp has a 4.5" phone with the so-called EDGEST design, which is as big as a 4" iPhone 5s, so if LG G3 follows this trend, it might fit into the footprint of its predecessor, which would be a pretty ordeal.
In addition, on the back of the LG isai LGL24 handset, we see a small sensor of sorts, next to the volume keys, just like on the G3 pics on the right. This elliptic opening seems to be an assist auto-focus light that will help you achieve sharp, in-focus images even in nearly complete darkness. We've seen this before on Nokia's Symbian smartphones, but not in the latest couple of years.
Display
LG's very own 5.5" Quad HD panel with record 538ppi pixel density is expected to land on the G3
At the time, LG called it the "slimmest and narrowest" mobile display, as it sports 1.21mm thickness - a 12% reduction from the G2 panel - and just a 1.2mm thin bezel. Of course, since then, the Galaxy Round and the LG G Flex happened, and those sport much slimmer display packages, but the narrow Quad HD LCD screen might still result in an excellent screen-to-phone-size ratio for LG.
5.5" 1080p vs 5.5" Quad HD display closeup shows a much better definition of text and image from the QHD panel
Processor and memory
AnTuTu benchmark claimed running on an LG G3
Camera
Alleged LG G3 camera sample
Software
A new, flatter LG interface overlay is primed for the G3, painted on top of Android 4.4 KitKat. Flat iconography is all the rage now, with Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, and even Google going in that direction, so we won't be surprised to see a redraw of the venerable Optimus UI.
We've been tipped that the interface of G3 will also feature "advanced personalization." LG apparently wants to go beyond Google Now's personal assistant options, like location-based reminders, calendar organization, traffic alerts, and intelligent push of news and location-based recommendations. The feature is apparently going to be called Concierge-Board, as the leaked G3 UAProf on Sprint suggests. The addition of PayPal and LG Account apps there also seems to sync with the fingerprint sensor rumor, as it might be used for payment authentication.
The G3 software will allegedly learn your usage patterns and adapt to your habits, in order to serve you "helpful ideas" on better productivity. It is said that the user interface itself would adapt and change based on your usage and needs, which sounds a bit like Aviate, but as of now there is no clear notion how this might have been implemented in a useful yet unobtrusive manner.
Price and release date
The LG G3 will be announced on May 27th at an event held simultaneously in San Francisco, New York, and London. Last year LG lifted the veil from the G2 on August 7, but the earlier release of Samsung, Sony and HTC's 2014 flagships, seems to have forced LG's 2014 flagship launch date earlier than last year. As for the pricing scheme, with these stellar specs that are rotating in the rumor mill, we don't expect anything less than the usual $200 on contract, or $600+ without carrier subsidies. Are you excited about the LG G3 from what we've heard so far? Do you think it will be better than the Xperia Z2, Galaxy S5, or HTC One (M8)? Chime in with your take in the comments below.
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