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”
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 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
Advantages of Optimus G Pro over Galaxy Mega 6.3
LG announced their flagship smartphone, G2, nearly a month back and the Moto X was announced just before it and is already available while the LG G2 is yet to be available. LG G2 is equipped with top of the shelf features like a monstrous Quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC and a Full HD 1080p display while the Moto X is a lot more subtle with a dual-core processor and a 720p display. Check out a quick comparison video of the two just right below.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLnr5lvV9SQ Continue reading “LG G2 vs Motorola Moto X Hands-on”
LG announced a tablet after a long time in the form of LG G Pad 8.3 in September 2013 and Apple had launched the iPad Mini way back in November 2012. The G Pad 8.3 takes its design and features from the company’s flagship, G2 while the iPad Mini is a smaller version of iPad. Check out our quick hands-on comparison below to know more.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMeP-fx74I Continue reading “LG G Pad 8.3 vs Apple iPad Mini Hands-on”
The launch of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone earlier this year introduced yet another concept into the mobile space – smart covers that work in tandem with your smartphone to display information even when your screen is “off”. The Galaxy S4 S View cover only displayed the time but with the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung have managed to evolve their take on the smart accessory.
It’s not just Samsung who are getting in on the act, with LG bringing out a range of similar accessories for their new LG G2 smartphone. With a 5.2 inch Full HD 1080p screen, the LG G2 offers ample real estate for LG to make use of a smart window style accessory and as you’ll see in the video below, they’ve actually worked hard to make it a very useful feature.
The LG G2 Quick Window accessory is an S-View style cover with a large window through which you can access a range of features, including the weather and time. As we’ve seen time and time again, the first iteration of any new accessory or feature usually comes bereft with bugs and sadly this is the case with the LG G2 Quick Window which failed to respond at times and seemed to lag far too much to be used on a daily basis.
Nonetheless, it’s great to see a company like LG innovating and attempting to compete with the best Android OEM (Samsung) in an area that Samsung dominates mainly due to the incredible amount of resources they have available. The LG G2 Quick Window comes in a range of colours designed to act as the perfect companion for your LG G2 smartphone and should be available to purchase in selected markets alongside the LG G2.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-Y5DMBbHs
Although the LG G2 Quick Window case is far from perfect, it shows that the era of smart covers and accessories is firmly upon us and with this particular case offering, LG is sending out a firm message that they are willing to compete on every front to ensure their premium G series smartphone range is a success.
LG announced their flagship G2 nearly a month back and it is being showcased in IFA 2013 in Berlin. LG G2 runs on Snapdragon 800 and has a 5.2inch Full HD Tru IPS display. Along with the many features that LG introduced in its G2, we brought you the live demo of Knock On feature, here is the OIS demo.
It seems that LG is taking a leaf out of Samsung’s book with the new LG G2 smartphone coming with a range of new software-based features, each of which comes with its own name for clever marketing gimmicks. One of these features is Knock On, which is exclusive to the LG G2 and was on show at IFA 2013.
Similar to the double-tap to wake feature on Nokia Lumia smartphones, such as the Nokia Lumia 1020, Knock On allows you to wake your device from sleep with a double tap on the screen. LG rely on sensors to register the motion and we found that Knock On is actually a quite handy feature to have, especially as the LG G2 has the power button on the back.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diRoAr56GH4 Continue reading “LG G2 Knock On Feature Demo”
The LG G2 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone that was launched at an event in New York last month, and the Lumia 1020 is the latest smartphone with a 41-megapixel camera sensor that was announced back in July. The LG G2 is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with Adreno 330 GPU, while the Nokia Lumia 1020 is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Check out the quick hands on comparison from the IFA.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxkZEjmuMBw Continue reading “LG G2 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 Hands On”
The LG G2 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone that was launched at an event in New York last month, and the Apple iPhone 5 is the company’s flagship smartphone, till the iPhone 5S comes later today. The LG G2 is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with Adreno 330 GPU, while the iPhone 5 dual-core A6 CPU with the PowerVR SGX 543MP3. Check out the quick hands on comparison from the IFA.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9PcQRkMHk Continue reading “LG G2 vs Apple iPhone 5 Hands On”
The LG G2 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone that was launched at an event in New York last month, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the second phone in the Galaxy Note series that was launched last year. The LG G2 is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with Adreno 330 GPU, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos 4412 Quad-core processor, Mali-400MP GPU. Check out the quick hands on comparison from the IFA.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls1mGz_qlTw Continue reading “LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Hands On”
LG has announced that the G Pad 8.3 would be released in over 30 countries by the end of this year. The G Pad 8.3 was announced last month, ahead of IFA 2013. It packs a 8.3 inch (1920×1200 pixels) display at 273ppi, powered by 1.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and runs on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean). It is just t 8.3 mm thick and weighs about 338 grams. Continue reading “LG G Pad 8.3 global roll out begins next month, coming to 30 countries by the end of 2013”
The LG G2 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone that was launched at an event in New York last month, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the latest smartphone in the Galaxy S series that was launched earlier this year. The LG G2 is powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with Adreno 330 GPU, while the Samsung Galaxy S4 is powered by a 1.9 GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 600 / Exynos Octa Processor, here for the comparison we have the Google Play Edition with a Snapdragon 600 processor. Samsung even released the Galaxy S4 LTE-A with a 2.3 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor in select countries. Both these phones run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Check out the quick hands on comparison from the IFA.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI1vIIiK3qg Continue reading “LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Hands On”
The LG G2 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone that was launched at an event in New York last month. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is the first phone to feature a Snapdragon 800 processor. Both the phones are powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor with Adreno 330 GPU and run on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Check out the quick hands on comparison from the IFA.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfmSq0bD1_I
Continue reading “LG G2 vs Sony Xperia Z Ultra Hands On”
Just ahead of the IFA, Google revealed that their next version of Android will be Android 4.4 KitKat in a surprising manner with no events or anything of that. Last year, Google Nexus 4 was launched in November along with Android 4.2 Jellybean and looks like Google are getting ready to replace their flagship smartphone device. In the past, there have been rumors flying around that Motorola has been roped in build the next Nexus smartphone device. Certain rumors hinted at LG to repeat its favor last year and nothing was confirmed until Google released a video for Android 4.4 KitKat in which Google may have teased the new Nexus 5. Continue reading “Google Nexus 5 spotted at FCC as LG D820 with Snapdragon 800 and Android 4.4”
