The G3 is the brand new flagship phone from LG, released on the 26th June in the UK and 27th June in the EU (Rest of the world has varied release dates, Korea had the phone in May).  It includes a 5.5 inch screen with what can only be described as the thinnest bezel on any android phone to date, which can make it quite vulnerable if dropped.

There are plenty of cases already available for the G3, but the one I was most excited about using was the LG QuickCircle case.  This is a flip-case that comes in two forms either as a replacement back (like Samsung flip cases) or as a snap-on case, which adds a bit of bulk, but can be easily removed when required.  This review is for the latter, the snap-on case.

Before I delve into the specifics, the LG QuickCircle is a case that offers more than just protection for your device, it adds a software element too in the “QuickCircle” mode on the LG G3 (which has its own SDK for people to build apps).  Basically this is a circle window on the case that enables you to quickly access the clock and other specially designed apps without opening the case or using the full screen.

Aesthetics

The case adds little weight or bulk to the G3, which is nice as the design is part of what makes the G3 such a nice device.  It is easy for cases to add too much bulk to offer greater protection, but here this case is a happy middle ground.

Materials

The case is made of high quality synthetic materials which is effectively an extension to the design of the LG G3.  Consistency is very good when it comes to official cases and LG have done well with this one.

The material feels very grippy especially on the back, which means you won’t feel like it could slip out of your hand at any time.

There is branding on the front and rear, but this looks neatly done saying “LG G3”  on the front with the LG logo on the rear.

Build Quality

The case feels very solid and well made, the materials do not feel like they will damage easily, which is a problem I have had with other flip cases in the past (Samsung in particular) where the material used on the front cover part gets damaged very easily.  Early signs suggest that the LG will not suffer from that problem, although you cannot expect the case to stay perfect forever, but maybe for the reasonable life of a smartphone these days.

Port Accessibility

One of my main gripes with flip cases is it covers up some vital parts of the device however I am pleased to say that “LG” have thought of everything.

The case doesn’t completely cover the bottom edge of the phone so charging port, headphone jack and mic are all uncovered and fully accessible.  The position is the same at the top for the IR sensor and second mic.

The sides of the G3 are button-less so there are no issues there.

The rear has everything cut perfectly for camera including flash and laser, and a hole for the speaker grill.

The front, has the window for the QuickCircle mode, speaker and what I am really pleased with is the LED so you can still see when your phone has a notification.

Fitting and Removing

The case snaps-on quite easily, removing is a little tricky but is just a case of snapping off - it doesn’t feel like it is going to break doing so and I would have no issues regularly fitting and removing this on my device, if I felt the need to do so.

Protection

The case offers significant protection to the rear left and right and sides of the device it offers a fair amount of protection to the top and bottom of the device too.

It offers limited protection to the front of the G3, although this will not offer much protection if the damage is to the QuickCircle window or if you drop the device as the cover will likely flap open.

Software

The QuickCircle mode is activated by the magnet hidden in the front “flip” part of the LG QuickCircle case, it can be activated by double tapping the circle window (knock-on) which gives a really cool light ring animation (which can be seen in the YouTube video above) before displaying the time.  There is quite a wide choice of analogue and digital clock faces to choose from.

A swipe will give you the app launcher where you can have 6 apps selected at one time (5 plus the settings app).

LG provide a few apps including phone log, LG Health. LG Music (for the LG Music app) and very usefully a camera and have opened an SDK to allow other developers to make apps which they have started to do.

Some third party apps for LG QuickCircle currently in the play store include calendar, torch, notifications viewer, music player (for all music apps) and plenty more are planned for the future.

LG have also released a game for QuickCircle called Puppy Pop.

Finally, you can also react to events on your phone from the window e.g. answering or rejecting a call, turning off your morning alarm etc.