LG G3 First Impressions: Your move, Sammy

Apple and Samsung, for quite some time, have been the largest duelists of the mobile phone market, pitting the latest iPhone and Galaxy S models against each other. However, other mobile phone makers also have significant potential, such as HTC, Sony, and LG. Today, LG has revealed the G3, acting as a direct rival towards Samsung's Galaxy S5, and ultimately against the Apple ecosystem. Has LG brought forward a worth competitor against good ol' Sammy?

The answer: indeed.

Design

The G3 is a gargantuan phone, with a diagonal screen measurement of 5.5" and an extremely minimal bezel. There are no touch-capacitative buttons (a la the Galaxy S line), with the three default Android buttons on-screen only (back, home, and recent apps). The back side of the G3 is curved vertically, which should make it more comfortable to hold, though even the longest of fingers and largest of hands will still find navigating the phone's screen a challenge. The back of the phone is a brushed metallic texture and comes in purple, white, gold, black, and pink. Also on the back are the camera, lock button, and volume rocker, with the button being in the center of the rocker and the rocker directly below the camera. On the bottom of the phone are the microUSB port and the headphone jack. Since there aren't any physical buttons on the top or spine, the G3 is very thin and light at .35 inches thin and weighing in at .35 ounces.

Features

LG is trying to attack Samsung with phone features, and it seems that laundry lists of them are in fashion. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

-Knock On: create a tapping pattern to unlock your phone even when the screen is off

-13-megapixel camera on the back with Laser Auto Focus allows quicker focusing of pictures by using a laser which measures the distance between camera and subject (2.1 megapixel vanity camera as well)

-huge 3,000 mAh battery should mean plenty of time on your phone without having to carry around a charger or extra battery

-Smart Keyboard is resizable based on the user's needs, amongst other features

-microSD slot returns after absence in the G2

-Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor inside, clocking in at 2.5 GHz.

Outlook

LG has a solid phone here. I'll be interested to see how the G3 stacks against the S5. It may not have all the little bells and whistles, but it has enough firepower to challenge Sammy here. Samsung asked if anyone could rival them. This is LG's answer.

Photo credit: phonearena.com