LG G3 Review

The smartphone market is going through a predictable cycle. Has been for a few years now. That is: specs get bumped up, and designs change in a marginal way. Amazon noted this when it introduced its Fire Phone just last week—and it’s true. The HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy S5 are essentially identical to last year’s models; we’ve hit a kind of summit where new flagships suddenly don’t seem like must-have upgrades.
That makes it difficult for companies to stand out, like LG. But it also presents an opportunity. People are going to choose Samsung because the company has unprecedented brand recognition. HTC’s popularity, meanwhile, is at an all-time high because of its incredible design and fluid software. But outside of the Top 2, there isn’t much room for anyone else to nudge in. But damn if LG isn’t going to try.
Last year, when the G2 was released, LG made the truly unique and bold decision to put the power and volume buttons on the back, just under the camera. That’s a good way to stand out—but also a quick way to isolate potential customers. Specs for the device were great, as expected, but the handset was largely undermined by LG’s insistence to add an excess of software tweaks; it made Samsung’s additions look minor by comparison, which is no easy feat. To that end, the LG G2 wasn’t much of a success—a device with brawn but no brains.
The LG G3 is similar in many ways; the specs are raw, the design is suitable, and the software is familiar. But, best of all, it manages to stand out without shooting itself in the foot. This is a more refined experience, one that shows a company willing to adapt and evolve. If you were a fan of the G2, this is a much more impressive package that can easily challenge the biggest devices in the Android market.