Google have announced that Android 5.0 Lollipop will be available from the 3 November and we’ve already seen HTC, Motorola and Sony announce their plans to get Android Lollipop onto their devices. LG have been quiet on the matter (excluding the Google Nexus 4 and the Google Nexus 5 of course). Whilst there’s nothing official from LG on the matter, Dutch and Belgium website TechTastic has revealed that an unnamed LG official has said that the LG G3 will be getting it’s share of Android 5.0 before the year is out. The rumor is unclear if this means presenting the new software to carriers for their testing and approval; I suspect it will. It’s an ambitious target for the business, too, but hopefully LG’s experience with the Nexus project will help them release the update very quickly.
The LG G3 is a prime candidate for Android Lollipop as LG’s 2014 flagship handset. It has a stunning 5.5-inch, QHD display (2,560 by 1,440 pixel display), 2.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB or 3 GB memory (with either 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage respectively), a MicroSD card and a large 3,000 mAh battery complete with wireless charging. LG have also given the G3 many software features, such as the Knock Code and Knock On, partially because there are no buttons on the side: these are on the back. The main camera is an optically stabilized 13 MP unit featuring laser-guided auto-focus. There’s also a front facing 2.1 MP unit and the show is based on Android 4.4, which sits under LG’s Optimus user interface. Like Samsung, LG have also incorporated a large number of additional features into the device, including Knock On (tap on the screen to wake it up, something that’s made it into the new Neus devices), Smart Notice, Smart Keyboard, Smart Cleaning, Dual Window and Q Slide (nifty ways to multitask on the handset) and Q Remote, using the infrared blaster built into the device. These are all features that will likely be incorporated into the new software. And we don’t know if it’ll take on a new look and feel, reflecting the Material Design of Android Lollipop.
Of course, LG manufacture many handsets and I would also expect the G2 to also receive Android Lollipop too, plus the G Flex, the Mini versions of the G2 and G3, but that the G3 will be first in the queue. Let’s hope LG give us an official announcement soon!