• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

First impressions.

AntimonyER

AntimonyER

CHANGED FROM AF ADDICT MIKESTONY
Well as of today, the G3 is released on all 4 major carriers, so it's time to hear what people think about it. I'll start.

The look and feel of the device is second only to the One M8. LG did a really fantastic job of the design. It really doesn't feel that much larger than my DNA (although I have a bulky case on the DNA, the G3 is still naked, so I'm sure that's why).

The screen may not be quite as bright as some of the others, but let's face it, you aren't going to be having screens side by side to compare all the time. It is extremely sharp, especially noticeable on the smart notice weather text on the home screen. It's so thin, yet perfect. I do notice halos, especially when dealing with anything other than black & white text and backgrounds.

Signal strength is very close to my DNA, perhaps 1-2 dbms less. It was my biggest concern, but seems like it's going to be good enough. Really need to get on Verizon about it, AT&T and T-Mobile just put up a new tower, and they all get solid LTE in the building.

The speaker is really loud and clear. Almost too loud. I was trying to find my ring tone and notification tone at my desk at work, and had to stop, even at lowest volume and covering up the speaker hole, it was too loud to continue. But it sounded great.

I think I'm really going to love this UI. I've been a sense fan for a long time, but this is pretty nice. Also the noteworthy features are great. Already set up guest mode with an easy to remember knock code, with all my kids favorite apps, and nothing else. They will use that code each time, and I don't have to worry about them hosing up my home screens.

Battery life seems great compared to my DNA, albeit its battery was pretty tired considering it was an 18 month old phone. But with this phone I can get a new one when that happens.

Over all I'm very pleased with it, and have no regrets.

Now I just need to decide what to do about a case :P (LG, hurry up with a slim guard case for the US version!)
 
Glad to hear you like it! I'm going to track one down over the weekend at VZW store to play with (probably buy :P).

When you get a chance can you play with the camera? I'm really interested in how well it performs, especially in medium/low light areas...
 
I also came from the DNA and love this phone. It is a very well constructed phone, and the LG software is excellent. Only ever using HTC phones prior (other than my wife's Motorola Ultra and my daughter's Moto X) I was nervous about leaving Sense. I actually think I prefer LG's implementation.

I had a brief stopover with the M8 which I picked up on launch day. The next day one of my coworkers asked if I liked it, and I was unsure. I ended not preferring it over my DNA so back it went. Today that same coworker asked me about the G3 and my answer was a quick "it's awesome". This one isn't going back. Other than battery life (potentially) and the speakers (which I don't really use that much), I prefer everything about the G3 over the M8.
 
phone is great, picked it up yesterday from att.
Only complaint so far is that email for some reason does not fit screen.
i have looked for fit to screen menu, so far no luck, other than that it is a keeper.
 
chgachet said:
phone is great, picked it up yesterday from att.
Only complaint so far is that email for some reason does not fit screen.
i have looked for fit to screen menu, so far no luck, other than that it is a keeper.
Click to expand...

Pinch to zoom works great in the email app. I agree, though, I'd like it to resize it to fit by default.
 
Crashumbc said:
Glad to hear you like it! I'm going to track one down over the weekend at VZW store to play with (probably buy :P).

When you get a chance can you play with the camera? I'm really interested in how well it performs, especially in medium/low light areas...
Click to expand...
It's great. Here's a shot from under my desk at work with no lights on overhead, and no flash.

havy2u3u.jpg

IHateMyTreo said:
Anti, what's the screen like in direct sunlight?
Click to expand...
Um, I mean you can see everything. Are there brighter screens out there? yes. If you use your phone outside a lot, you may want to go a different route, but you aren't going to need to cover the screen with shadow to see what you are doing. It's good enough for 95% of people imo.
 
I'm coming from an HTC M7, but have owned just about everything. I really, really like this phone so far.

Highpoints: The screen, while the added resolution didn't blow me away, it IS a bit noticable. Aside from that (mostly a non-factor), the brightness is PLENTY bright, very good in direct sunlight (this was a deal breaker for me), and the size is just glorious for the form factor. I wouldn't have thought an additional .5 from my S4 would make such a difference, but it really does. To the point I'm not sure I can go smaller, which is ludicrious.

The speaker is very loud and very good for music. M7 good? Not quite, but very close.

The UI has become my new favorite. It doesn't flow quite as smoothly as Sense, but the level of customization is fantastic, in a useful way. I feel like Samsung always throws stuff at you because the CAN, LG did it because someone thought you might like it. Little things like transition animation and custom rings, buzzes, colors...you can make this phone anything you want it to be. But you don't HAVE to either. If you just want to activate and go, it's fine.

The whole button on the back thing is genius.........should be the evolution of the genre. I NEVER use the power button because Knock is so easy. I hated the button on the top of my M7 which was smaller, but I have zero issues with this. It's a joy to use.

Downside: The battery while good, isn't up to S5 standards. For me, it isn't an issue because I still get through a day, bump charge where needed, and can carry a spare on an excursion. It's not BAD by any stretch, but just a slight improvement from last year's flagships, below this year's.

Also, the volume from the earbuds isn't nearly as loud as my M7 was, I was spoiled there. Certainly fine, but I loved jamming tunes with the M7 and this is just OK.

Anyone on the fence, I strongly recommend taking a test drive. Don't listen to the standard negatives (battery, heating, sunlight, lag), try it for yourself. I was obsessed with all of them and none turned out to be even remotely an issue for me.

I'll have this puppy for 2 years, feeling very good about it.
 
From the time I opened the package till now, this phone still amazes me. There is just so much to it that every time i look at the i learn something new and exciting. Here are the main features so far and i will go into more detail on them later in another blog.


Picture from ibnlive.in.com
Picture Quality:
The Quad HD is just amazing. I have never seen a better picture on any phone than this LG G3. With 538 pixels per inch the picture is stunning

Camera:
With the 13MP camera and all the features you have like the gesture shutter (For all you selfie people out there), the laser focus, the touch and shoot. These things alone make this the best camera experience i have seen

Keyboard:
Ok, so alot of people are probably saying "Yah, so, every phone has a keyboard". BUT, not every phone has a keyboard that you can adjust and that learns from you!

Sound:
Wow. a 1W speaker with a 1.5W boost amp. the sound is incredible.

Knock Code:
So we cannot forget about the knock code. Probably my favorite feature so far!

I cannot wait to go into detail on these things and many more! Remember to follow me for new blogs and more details on this amazing phone!
 
meganoobie said:
The UI has become my new favorite. It doesn't flow quite as smoothly as Sense, but the level of customization is fantastic, in a useful way. I feel like Samsung always throws stuff at you because the CAN, LG did it because someone thought you might like it. Little things like transition animation and custom rings, buzzes, colors...you can make this phone anything you want it to be. But you don't HAVE to either. If you just want to activate and go, it's fine.
Click to expand...

The UI on the G2 was what kept me away from it... however you're right, the UI is nice. The only thing I dislike is the inconsistency with the colors. Blueish grey for menus but mustard yellow for messages? Come on now.
 
meganoobie said:
I wouldn't have thought an additional .5 from my S4 would make such a difference, but it really does. To the point I'm not sure I can go smaller, which is ludicrious.
Click to expand...

I remember people talking about how a 4.5" screen was pushing the boundaries of what you anyone would actually carry. Then 5" was the max. Now that we are dealing with 5.5" screens that most people wouldn't even call a phablet :D...I'm wondering when the train will actually stop LOL! We're going to be walking around with what appear to be 7" tablets up to our ears very soon haha!

After about 72 hours with the device...I'm impressed. Any one particular thing about it that sets it apart? Not really LOL! It just doesn't have an Achilles heel that I can find yet. Screen, camera, battery, form factor, design, feel, and even the UI are all acceptable if not great. HTC One M8 was another phone on my watch list but even with the speaker sound and metal design I wanted...the camera on the M8 and the big bezel and the 0.5" smaller screen killed it for me. Samsung makes ugly hardware IMO and the S5 is just blah to me even though that screen is indeed very nice! The Note 3 is about to be replaced...and the Note 4 will be $300 on contract when it comes out and stay there until the Note 5 is about to be launched :rolleyes:.

I suppose there are things that people will find about the G3 that they don't like (buttons probably) but I think it just got the most amount of things right (or conversely...just didn't screw up as much) versus the competition.
 
Here in the Uk I got my G3 a week ago today. Always been a Samsung fan, but the G3 is cheaper than the S5 and car phone warehouse where I always get a my phones from offered me an amazing deal.
 
Crashumbc said:
Glad to hear you like it! I'm going to track one down over the weekend at VZW store to play with (probably buy :P).

When you get a chance can you play with the camera? I'm really interested in how well it performs, especially in medium/low light areas...
Click to expand...

Outstanding in good light, in low light without flash still very good, light years ahead of my ONE M7
 
I got my G3 on Monday and I'm using it way more than I expected. Previously I owned the lucid and used it exclusively for note taking. That was my intention as well when ordered the G3. However the only time I'm not using it when I get a call or email on my iPhone. XD

I love that Swype was integrated into the keyboard. Saved me installing yet another app.

The display is brilliant. I watch a lot of tv on my iPhone but since Monday I've done all my media consumption on the G3.

Sound is incredible. I don't use the external speakers for anything besides notifications. I use Harmon Kardon BT Headphones and music and video sound is like sitting in a theatre or at a concert.

My dislikes are more like inconveniences and barely affect my experience.

I love the LG stock launcher so much that I haven't needed to install a third party launcher on this device. There are only a couple of things that I miss such as a bigger icon selection as well as hiding the notification bar. But as I said, the smooth and aesthetically pleasing stock launcher is worth passing on those missing features.

Setting wallpaper on the 5.5" display takes some practice and patience as the preview during the cropping process is a little misleading.

Now about those updates! :)

I wonder when if we'll get them in the states.
 
Tv/movies are fabulous on the g3. I watched several shows and a couple of movies in hd on the xfinity go app and the sound and video was great. Wish Amazon would put out an Amazon prime app.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom