We wrote about the LG G3 microphone area cracks here, thinking it was an isolated case of a device problem, but apparently it’s more widespread than we thought. Initially, it was only the case of the purple device pictured there, but we started receiving emails with numerous other cases all over the world.
We got an email from Indonesia, from Kharizmi Tavtazani, who supplied the pictures below and showed us a similar problem with a crack around the microphone area of his LG G3. It goes all the way through the mic, from top to bottom and it doesn’t look well. People on T-Mobile are confirming the problem and they say that the microUSB is a bit tough to insert properly in the associated port, something we also found out when we reviewed the device.
It’s very likely that annoying with the difficulty of inserting the microUSB jack, people are forcing it and causing the cracks in the plastic case. There’s an Indonesian forum here, where the problem is being discussed and more sightings have been confirmed. Meanwhile, the problem also appeared in Hong Kong, on another forum and we have yet to see a reaction from LG regarding the issue.
We have dealt with such problems before, like the iPhone and HTC One having their cases chipped, or the Galaxy Tab S being deformed by heat. It’s strange that LG isn’t reacting to the matter just yet, probably still laying on the laurels of the many Red Dot awards they received this week. I’m not accusing them of anything, but it would be nice to know two things:
1) Why is the bottom of the LG G3 cracking in so many cases around the globe? What’s causing it and what’s the warranty status for that?
2) Why is the microUSB jack so hard to slide comfortably into the port?
We’d really like an official answer from LG if possible. In the meantime, feel free to contact us, if you have problems with your LG G3.
Update: Below is another example from Mumbai, India (LG G3 international variant from Doha Qatar).
Update 2: Kharizmi Tavtazani got back to us regarding the story of his cracked LG G3. He’s happy that we spread the story about his issue and more people found out about it. He also claims that he went to the LG Service Center, in East Jakarta, Indonesia to solve the problem. They agreed to replace the phone case with a new one free of charge. The problem is that they have no sparep arts available, so they have to preorder it.
This means that the user will have to wait one more week till the case is replaced. This can mean one of two things: LG wasn’t prepared for this necesity and has no spare parts laying around or they’re in high demand because of the problems… Once again thanks Kharizmi Tavtazani for getting back to us!
