Is LG's G3 underwhelming? That's a tough call, honestly. I can see why some people might think so, especially when we look at the leaks we saw before the launch of the new flagship device, and mix them together with the rumors we heard out of the Rumor Mill. The G3 was looking to be even more powerful than it ultimately turned out to be, all in a metal frame that many believed would easily go head-to-head with HTC's One M8.
As is par for the course, though, we got something that was just a bit different than what all the rumors and leaks suggested we were going to see. The unconfirmed information wasn't completely wrong, but it wasn't completely accurate, either. However, now that the device is official, it's important to forget everything we had heard before, and just look at the device as it is. Comparing it to the competition is obviously going to happen.
Comparing it to its predecessor is the burden the G3 carries for being a follow-up.
Based on that, and that alone, I don't think I'm all that unimpressed with the G3 at all. The company improved pretty much everything I can think of when it comes to the original G2. The buttons on the back are more refined, the curve of the device makes it more comfortable to hold, and the front of the phone is pretty much all display, with a severe lack of bezels. Even the software has been taken to the chopping block, and trimmed of any truly offending aesthetic details. It's all flat with round icons, now, with a far more professional looking color palette to boot. As my fellow Editor Anna said, the G3 is indeed a solid phone.
I have one major problem with the device, though. It's not the larger, 5.5-inch display -- at least, not directly. It is connected to that display, though. Apparently, while the teams at LG were designing the G3, they decided to go with plastic for the phone because they wanted to shy away from adding any weight to the handset. Because, at 5.5-inches, having a metal phone would apparently make it very heavy. (That's perfectly possible, but I just don't buy too much into it.) So, LG went with a plastic phone that looks metal. Kind of. I don't like this idea at all.
Yes, I've become okay with the idea of plastic phones, but that doesn't mean I've changed my mind about still wanting metal devices. I prefer them. My favorite devices of recent memory are the metal-backed iPhones, and HTC's metal-clad One flagships. Having a device that only looks metal, but is actually plastic, confirms that manufacturers realize people want metal phones, but making the leap to that specific design decision is still far off.
HTC's One M8 is a 5-inch, metal device, and it's not particularly heavy. Yes, it obviously has some weight to it, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all. Moreover, I don't think a 5.5-inch device is going to be considerably heavier, either. Yes, it'll have weight to it, but a plastic phone that doesn't weigh anything feels more like a toy than a $600+ piece of technology.
If this is the trend we're going to continue to see, then I'd gladly trade bigger phones for smaller ones if it meant I got to have more devices designed with metal frames. As it stands, I'm happy that HTC and Apple have decided to go this route. I hope they stick to it.
How about you? Would you trade these larger devices for smartphones with screens around 4.7-inches, if it meant they could boast a metal design? Or are you perfectly okay with the plastic-and-light design, as long as the display's over 5-inches? Let me know!
