Today we have the Samsung’s current flagship, the Galaxy S4 and LG’s first phablet – Optimus G Pro. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 was announced in March and has been available in the market since April while the G Pro was announced in February, but has been available in the market only since July. Both the devices pack powerful processors under their Full HD display. The Galaxy S4’s more fierce competitor is the newly launched LG G2 and we will be bringing you that comparison pretty soon.
Category: LG
LG G2 gets priced online in India for Rs. 40,499
LG’s latest flagship device is expected to launch in India on 30th September and it has already been listed online. Popular online retailer, Saholic, has listed the device at a price point of Rs. 40,499 and promises to deliver the device on 30th itself. Continue reading “LG G2 gets priced online in India for Rs. 40,499”
LG Vu 3 with 5.2-inch HD 4:3 display, Snapdragon 800 processor announced
LG has officially announced the Vu 3, the company’s latest smartphone in the Vu series. It has a a 5.2-inch (1280 x 960 pixels) HD + IPS display at 4:3 aspect ratio, powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a front-facing camera. Even though the phone has a larger display, the size of the phone would be similar, and is just 0.2 inches larger than it’s predecessor, says the company. Continue reading “LG Vu 3 with 5.2-inch HD 4:3 display, Snapdragon 800 processor announced”
Sony Xperia Z Ultra vs LG Optimus G Pro
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is Sony’s biggest phablet and the LG Optimus G Pro is LG’s first Full HD smartphone. Xperia Z Ultra was just recently announced and has been available in India for more than a month now. Optimus G Pro was announced way back in January, but has been available in Indian only since July.
LG G2 vs Optimus G Pro Hands-on
LG launched their latest flagship, LG G2 in August, a month before IFA 2013 and the Optimus G Pro was announced way back in February. G2 is meant to be a direct competitor to Samsung’s Galaxy S4 while the Optimus G Pro is aimed at the phablet market and as a competition to Galaxy Note 2. Check out our quick hands-on comparison video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bubDpakA9s
Continue reading “LG G2 vs Optimus G Pro Hands-on”
LG G2 Camera Samples
LG announced their latest flagship, LG G2 during early August. G2 is one of the first smartphones to come with a Snapdragon 800 SoC. Among the many features, that LG introduced in their new flagship, one of the key aspects was that the 13-megapixel camera on the G2 comes with Optical Image Stabilization(OIS).
Continue reading “LG G2 Camera Samples”
LG G2 to launch in India on 30th September
LG just sent invites for the launch of the new G2 here in India. We’ve previously taken a look at the handset at IFA and found the hardware to be seriously impressive. We’re already working on the review and here is our unboxing of the LG G2. Under the hood is the latest Snapdragon 800 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. There’s also very interesting hardware design going around here with all the physical buttons placed at the rear of the phone below the camera module.
The screen is a 5.2 inch Full HD panel and has an edge to edge screen with almost zero bezel on the sides. The camera is a 13MP unit with optical image stabilization built in. The phone has 16GB of storage paired with a micro SD card slot. You also get WiFi ac support because of the Snapdragon 800 processor being used. The operating system is Android 4.2.2 with LG’s custom interface layer on top of it. We’re not huge fans of this OS layer and have taken a look at it previously on the LG G Pro as well. We’ll have more on the LG G2 closer to launch, in the meanwhile you should check out our hands on video with the phone.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6C96cKeWCQ
LG G2 Benchmarks
LG unveiled the G2, the company’s latest flagship smartphone at an event last month. We brought you the unboxing of the device recently. Here we have the benchmarks of the device. The device is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) 28nm HPm Krait 400 CPU clocked at 2.27 GHz with 480 MHz Adreno 330 GPU. The Xperia Z Ultra was clocked at 2.15 GHz, but the G2 is clocked at 2.27 GHz as you can see in the CPU-Z in the image above. We brought you the benchmarks of the Snapdragon 800 on a reference smartphone few months back. Here we have also compared it in these benchmarks to show you the difference. Even though this one is slightly undercloked than the original chip that is clocked at 2.3 GHz, benchmarks are almost similar.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VomcUTCWJU0 Continue reading “LG G2 Benchmarks”
Galaxy S4 S-View cover vs LG G2 Quick Window case
Alongside the Galaxy S4 earlier this year, Samsung announced their new range of cases, which included the S-View cover that comes with a unique window on the front. The S-View cover offers a glance at the clock and notifications and was the first to be used in that way. At IFA we managed to grab a look at the official Quick Window case for the LG G2, which comes with a similar touch window in the cover to display information at a glance.
With LG also launching their accessories range, how do the two covers compare? Continue reading “Galaxy S4 S-View cover vs LG G2 Quick Window case”
Nexus 5 shows up in a short video with Android 4.4 KitKat
Another year, another Nexus smartphone and another bar story. The relationship between bars and yet to be announced phones never ceases to amuse the internet folks. A couple of weeks ago, just ahead of the IFA, Google announced their next version of Android – 4.4 KitKat with some theatrics and “accidentally” showed off the next Nexus smartphone in their video. Recent images from FCC filings have also identified the same device and it shows stronger evidence of a new Nexus device.
Yesterday, a Google employee supposedly left a Nexus 5 device unattended while it was put for charging in a bar(Yes, you heard it right, A bar) and an employee of the bar was able to make a quick video and get a couple of images of the supposed Nexus 5. The images show that the device is quite identical to the one spotted at FCC filings and the one Google showed off in their video. It has the Nexus logo at the back in horizontal orientation and there is a huge camera which was seen in the video. There is a LG logo at the bottom and a Not for Sale text above it. The design language seems to be quite similar to the Nexus 4, but with less rounded corners and a bigger screen. There are no navigation keys which is quite typical of a Nexus device.
The boot screen shown in the images supposedly belongs to Android 4.4 KitKat, but it seems quite similar to the ones on the Google Play Edition phones. And the video shows just the lockscreen of what is believed to be Android 4.4. KitKat.
The rumored specifications of Nexus 5 include
- 5inch 1080p True-Full HD IPS display
- Snapdragon 800 SoC
You can check out the video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPYVbaF1Jmg
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yJSYSuyKfY
What do you think of the new Nexus 5? Is it impressive enough?
LG rumored to be working on a 6.4-inch smartphone
Sony unveiled the Xperia Z Ultra with a huge 6.44-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) display and a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor back in June. Now rumors have started to crop up that LG is also planning to launch a large sized smartphone. According to a report from AndroidSAS, LG is working on a smartphone with a 6.4-inch display with 418 ppi pixel density, a quad-core Snadpragon 800 (MSM8974) processor and 3GB of RAM. Continue reading “LG rumored to be working on a 6.4-inch smartphone”
LG G Pad 8.3 Hands-on
LG announced their first tablet in nearly two years at IFA 2013 in Berlin – LG G Pad 8.3. The G Pad 8.3 has its design language from the company’s current flagship, G2 and has a very big 8.3inch display. We managed to get our hands on the LG G Pad 8.3 and do check out that video right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AosOVdjrIZA Continue reading “LG G Pad 8.3 Hands-on”
Google Nexus 5 images spotted at FCC
LG device with the codename – LG D820 has passed the FCC for approval last week, now images of the same device has been spotted in the FCC filings. First spotted by PhoneScoop, these images look similar to the upcoming Nexus device spotted in the official video that surfaced last week with a large camera. However this doesn’t have a Nexus branding on the back, since this might be a prototype device for testing. Continue reading “Google Nexus 5 images spotted at FCC”
LG G2 Unboxing
We covered the launch of the LG G2 in New York just a few weeks back and and this fully loaded smartphone is about to go on sale in the US and several other markets soon. We managed to grab one just in time for a quick unboxing. The G2 is one of the first phones to be powered by the blazing fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor like the Sony XPERIA Z Ultra. LG has done away with all buttons on the front and the sides of the phone and decided to put them on the back for easy access.How do the volume keys and power button look on the back of a phone ? Find out in our unboxing video below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdG2bT0WD8o
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 vs LG Optimus G Pro
Samsung has a wide range of Android smartphones in the form of its Galaxy series and it even touched the 6inch+ phablet territory with its Galaxy Mega 6.3. LG announced the Optimus G Pro with dimensions similar to Samsung’s yesteryear phablet champion – the Galaxy Note 2.
Samsung announced their Galaxy Mega 6.3 at the end of May earlier this year and it has been available since June. LG announced the Optimus G Pro way back in February, but it was launched in India only in India to very little fanfare. The Samsung Galaxy Mega is on its way to become the most wanted big phone while Optimus G Pro tries to succeed as a LG smartphone.
Lets check out how they perform.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiC7pYpMYCM
Design, Build Quality
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 looks like any other Samsung Galaxy phone and has an all plastic build with a plastic aluminum running across the device. The LG Optimus G Pro, on the other hand, has a solid glass front and back supported by a solid and heavy metal rim at the center . The Optimus G Pro feels quite solid and feels extremely premium than the huge and sturdy all plastic Galaxy Mega 6.3.
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is taller and wider than the Optimus G Pro, but is considerably thinner. The Galaxy Mega 6.3 weighs around 200 grams while the Optimus G Pro weighs around 170 grams.
On the front of the phones, we have the display above which we have the earpiece and front cameras along with ambient and proximity sensors on the right side. The earpiece on the LG Optimus G Pro is along the edge.
Below the display, we have a physical home button with capacitive touch keys on either side on both the phones, but the home button is surrounded by LED light only on the G Pro. The LED notification is found on the left side of the earpiece in the Galaxy Mega.
The positioning of keys is similar with only the power lock key on the right side.
The bottom of both the phones have the microUSB port and the microphone.
On the left side, the Galaxy Mega has just the volume rocker while we have the volume rocker and a special Q-Slide key that is customizable for various functionalities.
On the top, we have the IR blaster and 3.5mm audio jack along with secondary microphone on both the phones.
Moving to the back side, the 8MP camera on the Galaxy Mega is at the top center along with the LED flash while we have the 13MP camera on G Pro with LED flash and speaker grill on its sides. Both the phones have a very glossy textured back, however, we liked the glassy finish on the G Pro.
The back cover is removable on the both the phones and removing it, we have the 3200mAh battery along with the microSIM and microSD card slot in the Galaxy Mega while we have a 3140mAh battery and microSD and microSIM card slots.
Overall, the LG Optimus G Pro has a very premium finish and solid build quality while the Galaxy Mega has a more common all plastic build which makes it less solid.
Display
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 has a 6.3inch HD(1280×720 pixels) SC LCD display with a pixel density of 230ppi while the Optimus G Pro has a 5.5inch Tru IPS+ Full HD display sporting a pixel density of 401ppi. The Optimus G Pro is way ahead of the Galaxy Mega in terms of pixel density. The display on the LG Optimus G Pro is better than the Galaxy Mega in almost all factors like Contrast, viewing angles, color reproduction and sunlight legibility.
Hardware and Performance
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 is powered by a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 400 SoC with two Krait cores, has 1.5GB RAM and graphics is taken care by the Adreno 305 GPU while the LG Optimus G Pro is powered by a 1.7 GHz QuadCore Snapdragon 600 SoC, has 2GB RAM and Adreno 320 GPU.
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 comes in two variants ( 8GB/16GB variants – we have the 16GB variant) and the Optimus G Pro has 16/32GB variants(we have the 16GB variant). Out of the 16GB, both the phones have around 12GB user accessible memory and have a microSD card slot for expansion.
Out of the 1.5GB RAM in Galaxy Mega 6.3, only 1370MB is usable and when the device is idle, there is 700MB available. On the Optimus G Pro, out of the 2GB RAM, 1.8GB is usable and when the phone is idle, there is 1.3GB usable RAM.
The faster processor and more RAM give the LG Optimus G Pro a big upper hand in terms of performance. The G Pro is smoother and faster in opening apps and switching between them.
In benchmarks, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is no competition to the LG Optimus G Pro.
Camera
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 has a 8MP camera at the back and 1.9MP camera at the front while the Optimus G Pro has a 13MP camera at the back and 2.1MP camera at the front. Both the phones can record 1080p videos at 30fps with stereo sound from the rear camera while only the Optimus G Pro records 1080p videos from the front camera as well.
The camera UI is different on both the phones as it is always the case with Samsung and LG phones. The camera app on the Galaxy Mega 6.3 is borrowed from Samsung’s Galaxy S4, but it does not have all its shooting modes. The LG Optimus G Pro’s camera app is better than it was on the Optimus G and has more shooting modes. It can record dual videos(both front and rear camera) and there is a HDR mode for videos as well.
In terms of image clarity, the Optimus G Pro was much better with less noise, more details, better contrast and true colors.
Software features
Galaxy Mega 6.3 has the Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI on top of it while LG Optimus G Pro has LG’s own UI. Underneath, the Galaxy Mega runs on a more recent Android 4.2.2 Jellybean while the G Pro is still stuck on Android 4.1.2 JB. So, features like quick toggles in the notification bar, lockscreen widgets and other under the hood optimizations are currently restricted to Galaxy Mega until Optimus G Pro gets a software update from LG. The Galaxy Mega has a lot of Samsung software goodies like Smart Stay and Multi-window, Samsung’s Beam while the Optimus G Pro comes with its own version of those features like Q-Slide. There are small floating apps that can be used in LG’s phone which reminds us of Sony’s small appss.
Galaxy Mega 6.3 is better in terms of software features.
Gaming
Both the phones are quite good for gaming and the Galaxy Mega was mainly good because of its bigger screen. All the games ran smoothly on both the devices although there were a few occasional glitches on the Galaxy Mega, but the gameplay experience was good. The Optimus G Pro is an excellent device for gaming as all the games ran lag free and very smooth. After continuous gaming, we noticed that the Optimus G Pro got heated up near the home button.
Battery
The Galaxy Mega 6.3 has a 3200mAh battery while the Optimus G Pro has 3140mAh battery. In terms of battery life, the bigger battery in the Galaxy Mega is definitely better as it has to power a relatively low resolution display and less power hungry chipset.
In terms of connectivity, both the devices are equipped with features like WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, NFC, WiFi Direct and microUSB(MHL) connectivity.
Conclusion
LG Optimus G Pro was meant to be LG’s bet in the phablet market and it pretty much gets the job done. The Samsung Galaxy Mega on the other hand was not Samsung’s flagship with top of the shelf features, but it was meant to be a huge phone with decent specifications and it does pretty well.
Advantages of Galaxy Mega 6.3 over Optimus G Pro
- Bigger display
- Relatively cheaper price point
- Better battery
- Better software features
Advantages of Optimus G Pro over Galaxy Mega 6.3
- Solid build quality and premium feel
- Pocketable size
- Better performance
- Better camera
- Better gaming performance