Unlocked LG G3 gets Android 5.0 Lollipop in the U.K.

It's finally here. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

It’s finally here. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

LG has begun rolling out its Android 5.0 Lollipop update to unlocked G3 handsets in the U.K., less than three weeks after the update first arrived in Poland. The release weighs in at just over 522MB, making it the G3’s biggest and most significant update yet. In addition to Material Design, it brings a whole host of new features.

The G3 is one of the first third-party handsets to get a Lollipop upgrade, with only Motorola’s Moto X received the release first. But unlike the Moto X, the G3 doesn’t get the software in its purest form; LG’s own user interface is still laid over the top, but its flat icons and bright colors actually suit Android 5.0 pretty well.

And of course, Material Design isn’t the only thing to look forward to. This update also packs things like lock screen notifications, Smart Lock, multi-user support, and significant improvements to performance and battery life.

This update comes just a day after Vodafone began seeding Android 5.0 to G3 users in several countries throughout Europe. We haven’t yet seen other carriers following in its footsteps, but it shouldn’t be too long before that happens.

If you’re in the U.K. and you want to pick up an LG G3 now that it has received its Lollipop upgrade, you can get some pretty excellent deals through Carphone Warehouse right now. Prices start at just £22 ($35) a month on a two-year contract — and that’s without paying a penny upfront.

The G3 is one of 2014’s finest flagships, and the first mainstream smartphone to deliver a super sharp Quad HD display. Other specifications include a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization and laser autofocus, a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a 3,000 mAh battery.