Last night, LG unveiled its flagship handset for 2014 — the LG G3. When it finally hits the shelves later next month, the G3 is bound to battle it out against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and the Xperia Z2 for the best smartphone of the year crown.

Compared to its competition, the G3 does have some unique and innovative features up it sleeves that makes it the number one contender for the best smartphone of this year including a sexy design, the relative lack of bezel around its display and wireless charging.

As a mobile enthusiast, the G3 checks the boxes for nearly all the features I want from a phone — something which all the previous flagships announced this year have lacked. Read below to find out what these features are and why the LG G3 should be your next smartphone as well.

Design

I loved the design and build quality of original HTC One M7 but hated the bezels surrounding its display. I was hoping that HTC would reduce the bezels further with the One M8, but the company in all its senses, did just the opposite. Even Samsung, which has always kept bezel size at a minimum on its devices, increased it greatly on the Galaxy S5.

On the other hand, LG went all out and has reduced the bezels on the G3 to a bare minimum. The bottom and top bezels have been further reduced in size compared to the G2, which actually puts the G3 with its 5.5-inch display at the same height as the HTC One M8 and Xperia Z2. The lack of bezels also give the G3 a very futuristic design language and makes it stand out from the crowd of rectangular shaped smartphones.

Even though the G3 is still made of plastic, LG has greatly improved its build quality bidding adieu to the glossy plastic back found on its predecessor and replaced it with a very premium looking metal finished plastic.

One can only hope that another Korean company takes some inspiration from LG and improves the build quality and design of its handsets.

Camera

The LG G3 makes use of the same 13MP Sony IMX179 sensor as its predecessor — the G2. However, LG has added OIS+ on the handset, which allows the camera shutter to be open for a longer time, allowing the sensor to take in more light. It also helps in reducing the shakiness and jerkiness usually associated with shooting videos from a smartphone camera.

However, the highlight of the G3’s camera setup is the Laser AF sensor on its back. The infrared sensor (Laser is just a marketing term from LG) allows the camera to focus on a subject in less than 3/4th of a second. In fact, the camera system is so fast that it actually focuses and takes a picture at the same time when you tap on the screen. Even in low-light, where most phones struggle to focus on a subject, the G3 is able to retain its quick auto-focus speed.

With OIS+ and Laser AF on-board, the camera performance of G3 is probably going to blow away the likes of HTC One M8 and the Xperia Z2.

Display

The highlight of the G3 has to be its 5.5-inch Quad HD display with an insane pixel density of 538ppi. The Galaxy S5, on the other hand, comes with a measly 1080p 5.1-inch display and a pixel density of 430ppi.

While most people will say that such a high resolution display on a smartphone does not make much sense, the clarity and sharpness offered by the G3 display is unparalleled by any other device. Add in an impressive color reproduction and contrast levels and the LG G3 display almost becomes impossible to beat in any department.

Yes, nearly all the Android apps and games and even content on the web is not yet optimised for 2K content, but that does not deny the fact that the G3’s screen is just gorgeous to look at.

Knock Code

Knock Code is by no means a new feature but it is so damn useful that it has made its way to this list. With Knock Code, G3 owners can tap on their screen in a specific pattern to wake up the device. The screen is divided into four “hotspot” areas, which allows for up to 80,000 different combinations.

This feature alone makes up for the lack of a fingerprint scanner on the LG G3. In fact, I’d say it is actually better than the fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S5 as it allows users to wake up and unlock their device in one single step.

Wireless Charging

None of the flagships announced this year have featured Wireless charging right out of the box. Instead, all the OEMs require users to purchase an aftermarket accessory to bring Qi-enabled wireless charing to their device. LG, however, has included wireless charging on the G3 right from the get go.

While wireless charging might seem like a gimmick to many, the feature becomes an indispensable part of your smartphone life once you get used to it.

Apart from the above, LG has also included a microSD card slot on the G3, which should please many users. Even better, the company has reduced the bloatware by a whopping 2GB (compared to the G2), which should lead to better performance as well as battery life.

Even though I just got an Xperia Z2, I am already tempted to buy the G3. The device has everything that one would expect from a flagship smartphone released in 2014 to pack and easily ranks above the likes of the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 for me.

What do you think about the LG G3? Are the above features enough to make you skip the Galaxy S5 and buy the G3? Drop in a comment and do let us know!