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LG G3 blows rivals out of the water in battery life tests despite monster specs

Updated Dec 19th, 2018 8:48PM EST
LG G3 Battery Life Tests

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LG’s recently announced flagship Android handset has monster specs, including a 5.5-inch 2K display that has no rival – at least when it comes to flagship handsets from leading Android manufacturers – but that doesn’t mean the device won’t offer amazing battery life. In Phone Arena’s G3 battery life tests, the handset came on top of the competition, beating every top Android handset released this year, including the Galaxy S5.

When performing the same battery tests on the Galaxy S5, the publication found it to have tablet-grade battery life, with Samsung’s handset scoring 8 hours and 20 minutes of battery life in tests. The Sony Xperia Z 2 and the HTC One (M8) scored 8 hours and 10 minutes, and 7 hours and 12 minutes, respectively.

The G3 beat the Galaxy S5 by a full half hour, scoring 8 hours and 50 minutes in the same test. Even in charging time tests, the G3 beat this year’s top handsets, scoring 120 minutes, or 2 minutes faster than the Galaxy S5. The One (M8) and the Xperia Z2 need 207 and 212 minutes, respectively, to reach a full charge.

The publication notes that LG’s battery optimizations for the G3 are apparently working as described during launch, although LG has not mentioned all the tricks it uses to make sure its 2K display smartphone can offer great battery life.

“For example, the LTPS panel dynamically tweaks variables such as frame rate when viewing static images, in order to arrive at a lower power draw in the longer term,” Phone Arena wrote. “As far as the user-replaceable, 3000mAh juicer is concerned, LG claims to have replaced a lot of metal on the inside with graphite, and to have also implemented further, unspecified battery optimizations. Well, whatever it is the company did, it’s clearly working.”

In addition to adaptive frame rate, LG also said the G3 users adaptive clocking and adaptive timing control battery-related technologies.

A screenshot showing smartphone rankings based on battery life tests follows below.

 

UPDATE: Phone Arena on June 25 acknowledged a major error in its battery life tests for the Galaxy S5 and the LG G3, revealing that instead of 8 hours and 20 minutes, and 8 hours an 50 minutes of battery life, respectively, the correct times for the two devices are 7 hours and 38 minutes, and 6 hours and 14 minutes. Thus, the LG G3 doesn’t offer better battery life than the Galaxy S5, as it was initially suggested.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.