I was once, like the majority of young-ish people, an iPhone user. I jumped on board in 2008 with the iPhone 3G and upgraded annually, fully immersing myself in Apple's intuitive yet highly restricting/limited eco-system. But in 2014, I saw my friend's LG G3 and was immediately blown away.
"Whoa, this phone has no buttons on the front? It's just all screen?"
I whipped out my iPhone 6 Plus and placed it side by side with the G3, and my device immediately felt clunky and bulky. The next day I walked into 188 Computer Center in the Wanchai district of Hong Kong, sold my 6 Plus and used the cash to buy the G3. Because the latter was also much cheaper, I had money left over to splurge on a sashimi dinner. It took a couple of days to get used to Android -- "wait, no notification badges over apps telling me I have a missed call?" -- but once I did, I fell in love with the open ecosystem and the freedom it afforded me.
The LG G3's bezels still hold up pretty well in 2017. Only the Xiaomi Mi Mix and Galaxy S8 have... [+]
It's no secret that I've remained a fan of LG's devices since, and while I may be partial to the G3 because it was my "first" Android phone, the truth is it was a revolutionary phone in many ways. Just look at the media hype surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S8 this year, with its slim bezels and elimination of the physical home button. The Galaxy Note 8, and the next iPhone (iPhone 8 or whatever it's called) will also go this route, according to very reliable leaks.
More on Forbes: Once You've Held The LG G6, You Can't Go Back To Large Bezeled Phones
And when these phones hit, expect mainstream media to gush about the "all screen, no buttons" face of the new iPhone. I just hope readers don't fall for the hype as if Apple/Samsung invented this, because LG actually did. Some critics at the time panned the G3's rear-power button (which later became the fingerprint reader in the V10), only to see Samsung and probably Apple essentially go this same route.
The size difference between the LG G3 (right) and iPhone 6 Plus (left) -- both phones have the same... [+]
Maybe it's the NBA fan in me, but I have a problem with overrating something while not acknowledging its influences. People who love the way the Warriors play today need to understand that Mike D'Antoni and Steve Nash paved the way with the mid-2000 Suns. Kobe fans should understand that he took all his moves from Michael Jordan. The next iPhone removing the physical home button to trim bezels is hardly a bold move on their part -- LG did this almost four years ago.
LG made a series of decisions with the G3 that were considered weird in 2014, and they took flack for it. Now the biggest phone companies are copying the idea and getting nothing but praise.
