LG G3

The LG G3 has a great camera, a brilliantly sharp display, a snappy quad-core processor, and a flat UI that makes Android 4.4 look good. LG's flagship has also improved on the previous model -- the new G3 comes with a removable battery and microSD card slot, both things the G2 lacked.

LG has always played second fiddle to Samsung in the smartphone market, especially in Korea, but it looks like its latest flagship, the G3, could cause a major upset. Early reports from Korea show the G3 selling like hot cakes, outdoing Samsung's Galaxy S5 by three times in the initial launch period.

It's not hard to see why. Unlike the Galaxy S5, which shows a more conservative approach in its design, LG's G3 goes bold with a new high-resolution "QHD" (2,560x1,440-pixel resolution) display, as well as adding a laser-guided autofocus for the camera.

That's not to mention the other design changes that address the issues of the previous flagship, such as the addition of a microSD card slot and removable battery. With a cleaner, toned-down redesign of the UI (it's running a reskinned Android 4.4 KitKat), the LG G3 has what it takes to be a top-ranked flagship smartphone for 2014.

The G3 is set to debut globally soon in the UK, US, and Australia. In the UK, the phone will be available on July 1 with a likely price of £490. In Australia, the 16GB version of the phone will go for AU$799, and in Singapore, the 16GB model will retail for S$868 without contract, while the 32GB will go for a slight markup of S$928.

In Australia, LG has said the G3 will go on sale "the first Monday of August" -- August 4 -- and will be mostly available in black with limited stock of the white version in some retailers. When local review units become available, we'll conduct some speed and call quality testing.

LG G3 SHOWS OFF HIGH-RES SCREEN, METALLIC BACK (PICTURES) SEE FULL GALLERY

Design

Sporting the same rounded corners and slim bezel as the G2, the LG G3 keeps the same buttons on the rear as well. Instead of the glossy plastic found on the G2, though, LG has given the G3 a metallic-looking back.

LG says the rear cover is mostly plastic (to allow wireless charging to work), but it added a metal film to give it that shiny, polished look. The result is a very premium finish, and Samsung should pay attention here. While the dimpled rear cover of the S5 was a marked improvement over the glossy finish of the S4, the G3's back cover conveys a more luxurious feel that you normally get from metal phones such as the HTC One M8 or the Apple iPhone 5S.

Buy LG G3 @ http://www.mobileciti.com.au/mobile-phones/lg/g3