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The LG G2 has just been unveiled and it’s definitely looking like a promising smartphone (check out our hands-on). The device has all the powerful specs you can expect from a high-end smartphone, but it’s debatable whether or not it can beat the competition.
The specs are not everything nowadays. A good smartphone has to stand out from the crowd. It has to be different, and LG accomplishes this by offering a form factor never seen before. The G2’s power and volume buttons are placed on the back, right below the camera.
Other highlights include a great screen, powerful camera, studio-quality sound and the UI. But just how much can these features do for the LG G2 in today’s fiercely competitive market? Let’s see how other devices stand against it.
LG G2 vs Moto X
On paper, the LG G2 leaves the Moto X in the dust. There is much more to the Moto X than specs, though. It has good hardware, but it is the mixture of software and hardware that make the Moto X an awesome smartphone.
Motorola and Google have worked hard to make the Moto X succeed. It can be beat by none in terms of customization, offering many colors that you can choose from. The device’s “always listening” features and 20-hour battery life are also very impressive. These features will make for a great show at your local retail stores.
I believe the Moto X’s innovation will beat the G2’s back buttons and UX features. Even if the Moto X does happen to offer a smaller, lower-resolution display and older processor for the same price. Plus, the back buttons may be a feature, but many will just find it weird. We are used to having buttons on the side.
LG G2 vs Galaxy S4
The LG G2 will never beat the Samsung Galaxy S4 just because Sammy happens to be the most powerful Android manufacturer. It’s popularity and success go a long way, but which phone is really better?
We would have to test the LG G2 to be able to really tell, but the G2’s raw specs do beat Samsung by a bit. The LG G2’s processor is more powerful and clocked at higher speeds, and those who love realistic colors will be impressed by LG’s 5.3-inch, full HD, IPS display.
I happen to prefer AMOLED’s deep blacks and saturated colors, but LG is known for its great IPS “true-to-life” displays. Aside from that, other specs are nearly identical and it will probably be a matter of preference. Do you like Samsung’s abundant UI features, or will you go for LG’s UX innovations? Do you even care for the back buttons?
Of course, you can always check out our Samsung Galaxy S4 review if you want to learn more about the device.
LG G2 vs HTC One
The HTC One falls very close to the Samsung Galaxy S4 (read our review of the HTC One), which means the LG G2 also beats it in terms of specs. The HTC One has a smaller 4.7-inch display, but it is a Super LCD 3 screen (very real colors, as well).
The One’s processor is also the same as the Galaxy S4 (except clocked a bit lower), making the LG G2 the phone with the best processor in the list. HTC has also given its flagship device a very good camera and astounding build quality. In fact, the HTC One arguably beats all these devices in terms of build quality. Not to mention, those BoomSound speakers are probably the closest competitor to the G2’s studio quality sound.
The HTC One has its reputation as well, so we are not sure LG can take on it. But if you want that larger display, back buttons and newer processor you will probably go for the G2.
Conclusion
It’s a matter of preference, but it’s hard to compete with the big guys. It will probably beat none of these in sales. The general consumer tends to go with the popular choices, from manufacturers like Samsung, HTC and Motorola. This does not mean the G2 wouldn’t be the best bet for many of you, though.
You may enjoy the G2’s bigger screen and small bezel, or the “comfortable” placement of the buttons. Maybe you want to enjoy the better sound quality or the IPS display’s natural colors. Those intuitive UX features are not bad either.
In general, though, LG will have a hard time competing. The few innovations it brought are not jaw-dropping, though they are cool. I loved the LG Optimus G, but times have changed and we are looking for different features now. I would personally still go for one of the other high-end smartphones. Would you?
[polldaddy poll=7305917]
LG G2 trumps the competition in every category.. my next purchase!!!!
not every category. HTC and Samsung has this phone beat outside of specs alone.
You can’t be sure of that until a real review. Also, software preferences are just opinions
When it comes to LG, stability isn’t always an option.
But STOCK Android is an option :-)
True that. It’ll be interesting to see if there’ll be a Google Edition of this phone. I hope so. Even though HTC have been pretty awful with updates, I’m hoping my One is supported to a desert beginning with ‘L’, at least on stock Android.
It’ll be interesting to see if the S4 and One have GE updates longer than their customised counter parts.
Based on the photo comparison on Engadget (or some other site that I can’t remember), this LG clearly beats HTC (One) and Samsung (GS4)
I’ve been waiting for the G2 for a while, even opting to skip the G Pro in anticipation. But I am a little surprised, given the general lack of love shown for LG, that the G2 topped this poll, and somewhat significantly to boot.
Because it has some monster specs.
This is true. But the real world difference between it and the S4/One is somewhat negligible and the S4 has, near as makes no difference, half the support in this poll. Plus, people are pretty critical of how devices look, especially when they’re made of “cheap plastic”. I don’t disagree with the results, I’m just a little surprised.
they all have their flaws. G2 hardware seems good but the software not so much. How about the Moto X software on the G2 hardware.
Man hell yeah!
Then everyone will get the moto x and not other devices. They will never make a perfect device.
I personally would love any of these phones but I love the stock look of android and the fastest system updates. Moto X is close (though I do wish the processor and battery were a little better) but I think I may just wait for the Nexus 5.
The good news is this is probably pretty close to what the Nexus 5 will be :-)
Would love it if this is N5. However, I guess the pricing will be higher. Around $400 (IF it happens). Still I am in.
I can see this as a possible base for the N5, scaled down of course. If past devices are of any indication, the next Nexus won’t play the spec game (it will surely have modest to mid-tier specs) and certainly not the screen size game.
The nexus 4 has good specs and so the new nexus 7 :)
Now I didn’t say that the N$ had bad specs, it just didn’t launch with top of the line specs. The N4 ‘s specs greatly compliment vanilla android and so top of line specs aren’t really needed, just as iPhones don’t really need top of the line specs to provide a great user experience. Google learn this from Apple I believe.
I picked the One… I mean after all these months I still love this device. The G2 is a close second but I hoped they would have revised the UI a bit but its still “blah” to me… If the HTC one had a 5″ I would be content for the rest of the year. But I may have to opt for the G2 later on this year.
one thing to note.. customization for MotoX is only on the ATT side and will be for quite a while. That shouldn’t really be factored in when discussing phone value across the spectrum of carriers.
^^ THIS
Is.. Sparta!!!
G2 seems to big, almost like a phablet and LG’s UI doesn’t look good at all even touchwiz looks better imo.
I kinda enjoy LG’s UI over the others. Some things look mediocre and iphone-ish, but others look really good (lockscreen) and I do enjoy the quick memo feature.
In regards to what? Its basically the same size as the s3 and s4 (less than a tenth of an inch lengthwise).
Ever heard of ‘Launchers’?
Launchers can’t cover up the settings menu or the notification bar so really the only true solution for phones with an ugly UI is to root it.
I vote for LG G2 AS the Nexus 5. The hardware is perfect, now I just want vanilla android at a Nexus price.
Placing this phone in my pocket will:
a) Power it off if I bump into anything
b) Lower the volume to 0 effectively killing my morning alarm.
c) Both a and b.
and you know this because…. you don’t own it
I don’t need a weather vane to know which way the wind blows.
Because you think where the tree bows at is where the wind is coming from.
I’d say your problem then isn’t with the button placement but that you may need glasses. I can count one finger how many times I’ve bumped into anything in the last month and that includes drunken nights out at the club/lounge.
How do you stay so stable when drinking? LoL!!
Lowering the volume doesn’t silence the alarm. =.S
Unless you deliberately turn the setting on to Silent Mode silences the alarm as well.
Gosh i wish these companies were smart enough to make tablet counterparts like Samsung does. A 8 inch LG tablet with that bezel would be love, a 8 inch HTC tablet with that sound would be boomin, a customizable 8 inch moto x tablet would be hot and a samsung tablet copying all of these for the Note 8 2.0 would be superior
I would love a 10-Inch HTC One. Hmm… The HTC One [insert tablet name]. I’d buy that in a heartbeat. LoL!! Listen to me. I’m all HTC fanboy right now. =.P
But I’m more than sure that they’d be able to put larger speakers in a tablet. But that may create a tad bit too much bezel for some. The device would already be larger. Hmm…
Where are them concept arts?
I was told this phone doesn’t have a microsd slot. bummer.
I picked the SG4 because I went off being able to do my own hands-on. The LG G2 isn’t even available yet so I can’t see picking it based off official specs and features alone.
The SG4 is last in this poll but I’d pick it as well with HTC One as a close second. MotoX is attractive to me mainly for its software features but at some point I’d clear them out for a ROM of my choosing.
LG G2 has nice specs and I’d likely enjoy them with any ROM of my choosing but the choices LG made with the buttons just kills it for me. Watching the hands-on video further illustrates how much I’d dislike it. If all I’m about is specs I’ll just wait for the next monster phone with more familiar button placement. I don’t see this configuration catching on.
To be honest I was more on the same lines as you are with the button placement. I say was because I had to really think about it for a second and thought well maybe it won’t be as bad as it looks once I can actually test this out for myself. I’m rarely on the phone to talk so the button placement wouldn’t be that advantageous for me but maybe there are some benefits I just can’t see yet, lol…idk. I’m trying to keep an open mind.
i cant see it being great for music volume while u have a case on
Unlocking the phone should be easy on this phone. However, I haven’t seen the hands-on video. I’ll take a look when I get off work.
I like to unlock my phone with one hand, but I can’t unless I root. Which I did, so I can. Though, rooting shouldn’t have to be an answer for things.
I may just get me a G2. I still have to see what the Nexus 5 has in store.
It looks promising if lg manage to update this thing fast.
Jesus Christ that g2 a pure monster. its clocked higher than my laptop.
That kind of stuff makes me feel bad to have the devices I have. I mean my laptop is just 2.5 years old, but seeing things like that. LoL!! But I have to remember it’s just clock speed.
Just because it’s clocked higher doesn’t mean it’s faster. In fact, it will be no where near as fast. There is a very big difference between x86 and arm architecture.
No SD card slot? Really? ALWAYS LISTENING???? You are clearly not listening at all, go home!!!!
It has an SD slot
nope it doesn’t
Only the korean model does.
ah, that makes sense now. I know I saw several reviews that showed it as a spec. Looking now I see a bunch that don’t. Thanks.
Crap.
Although I have the HTC One and don’t plan on getting one, but I selected the LG G2. Why? Because of the HTC G2. =.3
LoL!! I’m kidding. It’s a pretty cool phone. I’d never given it a try. I would try it out. I wouldn’t try out the S4, because I had the E4GT (GS2) and felt like I did “try” it with some of the S3 features. But Samsung devices are known for their features which only work in the stock apps. Hmm…
If the HTC One Maxx wasn’t rumored to come out, I’d most likely JUMP to this phone. Maybe I’m shying away from Samsung because I used a phone for a full 2 years for like the 1st time. LoL!!. Stock Android ROMs didn’t work too well on my E4GT (GS2) so I stayed with TouchWiz. I’m tired of TouchWiz. LoL!!
get smart launcher with fatro or element icon packs.
i had a couple lg phones and had nothing but problems unfortunately…. htc one is still phone to beat
They forgot to include the thermometer, barometer and humidity sensor for the S4.
All useless features that the average joe, won’t use. I’m a power user and I know I don’t need those features. I have mobile internet to check the weather.
You cant check room and ambient temperature online. You cannot check your room,tent, kitchen humidity online. This is very useful for health reasons (monitoring humidity when you have flu). Useful for a guy who overclocks his PC. Useful in camping when there is no internet. If your brain limits you to think for its usefulness doesn’t mean it is useless. You imagination is obviously the limit.
Also, is it fair that they will not list these sensors if the S4 have it?
Again, as I said useless. I don’t know anyone who checks their room temperature for over clocking. Which is also not really necessary. Who needs an extra 2fps? I know I don’t.
I have an S4 running the Touch Wiz, and I have to say all of Samsung’s bundled software and swipe features are, in one word, useless. I turn them all off, and wish they weren’t there. The LG, for better or worse, has some truly interesting innovations which I at least would love to play with and try. I commend them for trying to bring something fresh to the table (even if their past track record has been defined by being a Samsung clone of sorts).
You don’t use multiwindow?
No. It doesn’t seem to work when using 3rd part launchers. I currently use Apex (not a touch whiz fan at all).
Hmm OK. I use it all the time – youtube on one, web browser on the other.
I can see the benefits, but not on a 5″ screen. Each to their own though :)
No worries mate. I’ve upgraded from a Xperia x8 (2.8” screen, resolution’s something like 320×480), so this is a huge benefit for me :)
3.8″? Whoa! That is a huge upgrade. Understandable then.
“No worries mate?” One would almost think you were an Aussie or a Kiwi.
I’m still liking the looks of the G2 despite not having an SD slot and being made of cheap looking plastic. I’ve got a DAP for music and the specs on the G2 are hard to pass up, and I’m a sucker for fancy UI elements, and LG’s lock screens are the best. (<IMO)
Note 3. Nuff said
This thing looks like an S4. nothing new here other than the new processor. I rather wait for an Opo with the 800 or a redo of the butterfly S with an 800. something unique and different. As it is now I think the Butterfly S is the best looking phone out there
It’s almost sad how much they look alike. Android have a hard time being anything else than a spec-race at the moment.
Moto x is the device of the year. I keep telling the geeks that. They truly innovated the moto x.
Does the G2 have an LED notification light? I haven’t seen anything about that.
are you crazy (author) the lg g2 smokes these old a$$ phones bro. lmao come on. well they not old but when the g2 drop they will be consider old in the smartphone world
The Moto X will only be out for about a month or two by the time we see the G2 so it definetely won’t be considered old in the smartphone world. I highly doubt you’ll be able to tell the difference between the Snapdragon 600 and 800 either. Those buttons on the back must be what does it for you. Talk about turning the smartphone world upside down. WOW!
I picked the GS4 because of its expandable storage and removable battery….Not to mention that they tend to update their flagship more often then the rest….Moto X still needs to be tested on the update schedule….
5.3″ screen…..why?….give me an htc one or moto x these koreans need to stop compensating for their physical shortcomings
Screens never should have gotten bigger than ~4.7″ in my opinion. The Nexus and Moto X are perfect.
I still love my GS3, but I do wish I had a bigger screen sometimes. Though, I wish the phone didn’t have to be that much bigger. #bezelfreein2013
if by best you mean whole package, I’d say GS4. but each phone has some features (that you like) that others dont, that’s why you its hard to pick.
LG has been doing great work since the Optimus G, but maybe they dont market products well.
I love the image comparing the specs, but I wish it included battery info, both size and “swappability”. Those are major considerations for me.
just as Rose responded I
cannot believe that some people can get paid $9128 in one month on the
internet. have you seen this link www.KEP2.com
Any of these phones, but with stock android. I’ve played with an s4, and the ui clutter was too much for me. I wouldn’t trade me nexus for it, and its a galaxy nexus
Damn. My brand new s4 feels a little less awesome now . Thanks LG