Android Gamer: LG G3 performance: benchmarks vs reality

Flagship phones are intended to set the standard for smartphones each year, so they need to meet a certain level of performance to compete. To account for that, most manufacturers use the best chipset available to give the best performance possible. Testing benchmarks is an easy way to look at the raw power of a device, so let’s get started.

Benchmarks

Benchmark Test	Score
AnTuTU	35487
Quadrant	24331
Geekbench 3	989 (single-thread) 2495 (multi-thread)
AndEBench Pro	7628
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited	17,028
SunSpider 1.0.2	931.9ms

There you have it. The benchmarks from the LG G3. The results are mostly similar to its biggest high-end competitor, the HTC One (M8). In a few cases, there’s variation with the G3 scoring higher or lower than the One (M8). Across the board, the G3 is a solid benchmark device and handles itself well, even with that demanding QHD display.

It’s important to take benchmarks with a grain of salt as manufacturers can optimize devices for them. Benchmark performance rarely translates clearly into everyday usage, so if your device seems like it should have scored higher on benchmarks, don’t sweat it. If it runs well, that’s what counts.

Reality

Moving onto the important question. How does the G3 perform in everyday use? We’re happy to report that the G3 clips along quite well. Opening apps is snappy and doesn’t require much loading time. The same goes for the on-screen buttons. Some phones have a tendency to take their sweet time, but the G3 isn’t one of them.

Scrolling is smooth and responsive and less jittery than most Android phones, which made the G3 a pleasure to read and browse the web on. Games also run well, as would be expected with such a high-end device. Streaming videos and music is quick to load and keeps going along quickly.

There is one thing to note, however. As has been pointed out many a-time, the G3 features a QHD (2560×1440) display. All those pixels mean extra work thrown on the processor and RAM. Occasionally, when flying along through different tasks, opening and closing apps, scrolling, etc., there can be a stutter when the G3 misses a beat while pushing the pixels around. It’s certainly not a problem and we’ve seen much worse stutters on other devices, but it is something to note. The stutters don’t hinder performance at all, but when they crop up, they destroy the flow that has been present.

Even with the stutter, the G3 is still one of the fastest devices to date. If nothing else, it can at least hold its own against other flagships, and in some cases, perform even better.

Conclusion

It’s pretty easy to sum up the performance of LG’s G3. In one word: great. The G3 can handle practically any task you throw at it, and it does so with ease. Even with one of the most demanding displays on the market, the G3 is up to the challenge of keeping your phone running smoothly.

So on performance only, can we recommend the LG G3? Yes. Yes we can.