[Verizon LG G3] scottysize:
I guess you wanted us to chime in as well? Here's my review...

This is the second phone I’ve purchased without seeing it first. I have to say it’s a great phone, but if you’re looking to pay full price to keep your unlimited data, then I do not feel it’s worth the $600+ if you already have a premier device. I’d go so far as to say, if you have a G2, I wouldn’t upgrade to the G3. The differences between the two are not that big in my opinion. Since I was able get the phone for $99+ activation fee and tax, I do feel that it is well worth that price to upgrade from any device that you are unhappy with.

Screen – If you love AMOLED, you’ll hate this screen. It’ll seem washed out to you and not as crisp. If you hate AMOLED, you’ll love this screen. It’s that simple. AMOLED screen always seem to have that “In Your Face” feeling to me. They actually hurt my eyes and I’ve never been a fan of them. After spending years in the Motorola line, I never got used to a sharp display. The toned down QHD display of the G3 is perfect for my eyes even when it’s 100%.

Battery – A lot has been said about the battery life on this phone. The screen does pull down the battery more than other phones, but it still lasts all day. That’s all I care about. Can I get through an entire day with the phone? If so, then the battery is good. I typically watch a little NetFlix, read some emails, play a few games, maybe turn on the hotspot for a little browsing with my tablet, then go to bed with it around 20-30%. As far as I’m conserved, that’s good battery life.

Size – My opinion, this is one of the best features of this phone. The 5.5” display does not feel like it’s that big because the phone is not that much bigger than its predecessor the G2. The thin bezels are a thing of beauty and most of what you see is the screen, not blank real-estate. However, the bottom bezel is just big enough that it works great for holding the phone while playing games without touching the screen.

Software – While the Android software is pretty much the same 4.4.2 that LG put out for the G2, they have added a few features that work well with the bigger screen. QSlide is a nice feature and one, which if you remember it’s there, can be very useful. It allows you to open an app in front of the current app as a window. Of course there’s only certain apps this works with. I am mixed about the SmartTips. I haven’t seen anything that is useful to me, but maybe I don’t need anything “Smart” enabled? As for Smart Bulletin Screen, I turned it off. It would have been better if they had designed a “Blinkfeed” style window here instead of a combination screen for SmartTips and LG Health.

IR Blaster – This one is finicky. I found that the IR port had to be directly facing the equipment to work. I most cases, you have to point it right at the device and not in the general direction. For me, it’s not a big deal as I really never used it on the M8.

Camera – I love the camera. It’s basically the same one from the G2 and I loved the G2’s camera. I haven’t really noticed any difference in the focus speed of the camera, so I am not sure if the laser focus is a gimmick or not, but the camera itself works just as you’d expect and it is right up there with the premier phones of today.

Signal – I do wish LG had improved the radios. I went around with the G2 and G3 reading decibels in different areas. I saw no difference between the two phones leading me to wonder if they even did anything to the G3’s radios. SpeedTest were also identical and I live in an xLTE environment. I have even had the G3 slip into 3G mode where the G2 always stayed in 4G. I’d have to say this is the biggest disappointment for me. (If it continues to slip into 3G mode in certain areas, then I will consider switching back to the G2.)

Conclusion: If you’re looking to move from the latest and greatest phone (IE: HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5, or even the LG G2), I would advise against it. There’s just no noticeable upgrade from today’s premier devices. However, if you’re unhappy with your current phone, then the G3 is one to consider. I do believe that this phone will be my main carry device for the next year or so. Well, maybe until the iPhone 6 is released…