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LG builds its own mobile VR headset for the G3
Korea's two largest companies are Samsung and LG, and while Samsung has been making a big splash in the VR world, LG has remained conspicuously silent. That's because the company has been working with Google to build a headset for the LG G3 that'll do a similar job to the Gear VR. The charmingly-named VR for G3 is a plastic headset that'll let you slide the phone into the hardware, with special holes cut for the smartphone's rear volume keys.
LG sells a record-breaking 16.8 million smartphones, doubles profit in the process
As Samsung struggles and Apple starts to encroach on the Android mainstay of giant screens, LG's smartphones are doing alright. In fact they're doing pretty darn well. Announcing a record number of smartphones sold and the best quarter in five years, LG's sales totaled 16.8 million devices and the company announced an operating profit of $450 million, roughly double from the same period last year. Shipments of the mobile arm leapt 39 percent, although the good news was tempered (if only a little), by lower operating profits in the same quarter from its Home Appliance and a $2.44 million operating loss from its Air Conditioning arm, although LG reckons weather conditions were the cause for lower sales in its native Korea. TV and Home Entertainment profits increased five percent, with demand for LCD TVs increasing across the world. LG expects its high-end 4K displays will be responsible for some more impressive financial results later this year -- and probably hopes you're already saving up for the holiday season.
iPhone 6 Plus vs. the competition: Bigger is better, right?
Phones have been getting bigger and bigger, with many consumers embracing large handsets even as their screen sizes start to brush against the 6-inch mark. But those who prefer a larger screen have really only had Android as an option -- until today. The larger iPhone 6 Plus is here, and it's beautiful. While time will tell whether the iPhone 6 Plus has what it takes to challenge its more-established competition, we can still take a look at its specs versus the Galaxy Note 4 and LG G3 to see who's coming out of the gate with the strongest start. Want to see how it compares to other phones, both big and small? Build your own specs comparison with our compare feature!
LG's G3 A is a stripped-down version of its flagship smartphone
LG has to be pleased by the overall reception to the G3, from press and consumers alike. That said, perhaps in an effort to keep the momentum going, the electronics company just launched the G3 A, a smaller and slightly lower-specced version of its popular flagship handset, the G3. This isn't to say LG's new, 5.2-inch G3 A, which will be available in South Korea through SK telecom, is by any means a dud, as it does sport some pretty good features of its own. The smartphone comes with a 1080p screen, a Snapdragon 800 processor (2.6GHz) alongside 2GB RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, Android KitKat and, best of all, the same 13-megapixel camera found on the G3. Of course, growing the G3 family is nothing novel to LG -- the company announced the G3 Beat recently and, apparently, there's also a G3 Stylus on the way.
AT&T will sell the G Pad 7.0 for 99 cents -- with a couple catches
We can't say for sure how great a tablet the new LG G Pad 7.0 is -- we haven't had the chance to try it out yet. But if you were already planning on buying the G3 smartphone on AT&T, you might consider picking up the tablet too: Starting on Friday, Ma Bell will throw in the tablet for just 99 cents extra. Now, before you get too excited, there are of course a couple catches. Maybe some dealbreaking ones. To qualify for that insane 99-cent price, you'll have to purchase either the G3, G Flex or last-generation G2, and you'll need to either sign a new two-year service agreement or renew your contract through AT&T's "Next" early upgrade plan. Also, the tablet needs to be on-contract too. Ouch.
You can get LG's flagship G3 on Verizon next week for $99 on contract
Historically, Verizon's not often the first carrier in the US to announce availability for a new phone. In the case of LG's latest flagship smartphone, the G3, it's actually the last. But good things come to those who wait -- and are willing to sign two-year contracts: Big Red's version of the G3 will go for $99 when you sign the dotted line. This is $100 less than AT&T's on-contract price. Pre-orders start today and will ship out on July 17th. There's no special discount for Edge customers or for those who want to buy the phone outright, however: it'll be $30 per month or $600, respectively.
Where to buy the LG G3
The G3 is LG's latest flagship, and as far as we're concerned, the best handset the Korean company has ever made. It also officially launches for the UK market today. Despite the G3 having top-of-the-range hardware including a frankly insane 5.5-inch Quad HD display (2,560 x 1,440), LG hasn't yet managed to build a mobile brand that's as popular as some of the big players. As such, carriers and retailers aren't all as keen on the G3 as they are on, say, the perpetually advertised Galaxy S5. There are still plenty of ways to get your hands on one, however, whether you're looking for a new contract, pay-as-you-go device or an unlocked model.
Engadget Daily: LG G3 review, Xbox One performance and more!
Today, we review LG's latest handset, gain insight into how significantly the Kinect affects the Xbox One's performance, go hands-on with Google's secretive 3D-mapping tablet and learned about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
LG's G3 is surprisingly repairable for a smartphone
LG's new G3 has some impressive internals, but just how impressive can't be seen until you take the thing apart. That's just what the folks at UBreakIFix did: they got their collective hands on a newly released Korean G3 and couldn't seem to help themselves. Turns out, the G3 is incredibly easy to take apart (and more importantly, repair) as long as you've got a steady hand and just a little gumption. By their count, all that holds LG's finest flagship together are 14 screws that are revealed once you pry a bit of plastic casing off. The rest of the components are fastened to a single large board instead of multiple like in the G2, which UBreakIFix's Justin Wetherill says makes the prospect of fixing a busted G3 less of a headache. They're still doing a deeper dive on what makes this smartphone tick, but for now, here's a peek into its tightly packed innards.
Inside LG's G3: How vacuums, focus groups and competitive pressure shaped a smartphone
Nine months ago, deep in a heavily guarded lab in Seoul, South Korea, LG's mobile design team set out to create a phone to rival Samsung's flagships. It was no light responsibility: According to IDC, Samsung dominated smartphone sales in 2013 with 31.3 percent of the market compared to LG's 4.8 percent. Yet, in the amount of time it takes a newborn baby to blossom from conception to her first appearance in this world, LG cranked out a compelling piece of circuitry. The G3, announced today, comes with the highest-res display on the market, a 5.5-inch body that feels smaller than it really is, a fresh metallic finish and a never-before-seen imaging component invented by a robotic vacuum company.
The LG G3 has a keyboard that grows, shrinks and learns
Despite an occasionally groan-inducing press conference in London, there's little denying that LG's new G3 has plenty going for it (personal aside: I've never been more smitten by an LG phone). It's usually the little things that make the biggest difference, though, and the G3's thoughtful Smart Keyboard seems to fall right into that category. Why? Because it pays attention.
LG's G3 flagship is a bigger, simpler, higher-res smartphone
Simple is the new smart. That's how the invite to today's LG event in London reads. But what's simple about the newly announced LG G3 flagship LTE phone? We'll decode the marketing talk soon, but for now lets look at the simple facts about the hardware. As suspected (and oft leaked), the G3 has a 5.5-inch display, again with a much-talked-about Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) display. As for the innards, there's a Snapdragon 801 chip clocked at 2.5GHz plus 2GB of RAM to serve you up Android KitKat, along with 16GB of storage. There's also a 3GB/32GB variant if you want to up the ante. Other hardware highlights include a removable (3,000mAh) battery, wireless charging and SD card support. Budding photographers will want to know that the main camera is a 13-megapixel unit, and comes with OIS and tap to focus. And yes, again, as rumored there's the (infrared) laser auto focus -- we'll be exploring that in detail in our review for sure. That's the key spec list, but in this increasingly experiential mobile world, there's a lot more going on than just a laundry list of features, which we got a chance to explore for ourselves.
LG G3 leaks leave nothing to the imagination
LG hasn't been particularly guarded about its G3 smartphone, but the latest leak, coming from an official company site, really lets it all hang out. We've already seen plenty of the phone, slated for launch tomorrow, but this is by far the most detailed and official glimpse we've seen thus far. As previously reported, the phone will contain a 5.5-inch QuadHD display. According to the leaked product page, the phone will also contain a 12MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, a removable 3,000mAh battery and wireless charging support, and what appears to be an intuitive new software program called "Smart Notice."
LG offers first official glimpse of the upcoming G3
LG's G3 launch event is almost upon us, and the hype train is continuing to build momentum courtesy of a new, official teaser site. The highlight of this single page is three short clips that focus on what'll undoubtedly be some of the G3's biggest selling points. Yesterday, LG showed of its QuickCircle case for the handset, and now it's given us the first formal glance at the G3's design. The layout is no surprise, given we've seen leaked photos of the handset, but we're still left wondering whether brushed metal or a plastic imitation will be the main chassis material. The Quad HD display that's kinda old news is mentioned in another clip, while the camera is the focus of attention in the final video. Unfortunately, we don't speak Korean, but allegedly it confirms previous whispers of a laser-assisted focusing system, or heavily alludes to such a feature at any rate. Only the weekend (alright, and Monday) stands between us, the truth, and perhaps yet more proof that everything is better with lasers.
LG's probably going to announce the G3 and G Watch on May 27th
LG's new flagship phone is coming: the company told us to expect the G3 later this quarter, with a screen resolution going beyond the (increasingly standard) 1080p spec. New smartphone necessitates a glitzy press reveal, right? This time round, LG is going global, hitting up six different cities (San Francisco, New York, London, Seoul, Singapore, Istanbul) in the span of two days. "To be simple is to be Great" is the company's tagline, with that intentional capitalization likely pointing to said new smartphone, or dare we dream, the G Watch, one of the first smartwatches set to run Android Wear, Google's latest software effort aimed at making wearables a thing. We'll be in attendance at one or two of those aforementioned cities -- expect at least one product starting with the letter 'G'. Update: A French site, Les Numeriques, says it has confirmation that the G Watch will come out in June for 199 euros (around $199) -- if true, that's a hundred bucks less Samsung's Gear 2.
LG's top-end G3 phone will rock a Quad HD display
So far, we've only come across beyond-1080p panels in a couple of Chinese phones, like the Oppo Find 7 and the Vivo Xplay 3S. But the spec is definitely about to go mainstream, as LG has just confirmed to us that the successor to the G2 will deliver a "Quad HD" resolution, with four times as many pixels as 720p (that's 2,560 x 1,440, if you want to count 'em). Based on earlier leaks, it's likely that the G3 will have a 5.5-inch display, which means we'll be looking at a pixel density of around 530 ppi -- not far off double what you'd get from a printed glossy magazine.
LG mum on smartwatch rumors, but confirms that a wearable device is coming
Amidst rumors of 2K displays and octa-core CPUs for the LG G3, the Korea Herald has just added another: The upcoming smartphone will come with a G-Arch smartwatch and G-Health fitness band. The journal's insider sources pegged the devices as companions for the alleged LG G2 successor and said they'd arrive alongside it at Barcelona in February for MWC 2014. A possible smartwatch was actually leaked by an LG exec earlier this year and the company flaunted a FuelBand-like Smart Activity Tracker at CES 2013, which still hasn't been released. We reached out to LG, and though it wouldn't comment on the rumors, it confirmed to us that it does have a "wearable product" in the pipeline. Meanwhile, take any rumors with the necessary salt -- and if such smartwatches do exist, hopefully they'll actually be ready for the market.
