With LG releasing its new smartphone – LG G2 – the hi-end mobile market is going to be hit by a new battle of flagship smartphones. Along with the Galaxy S4, Samsung is the reigning king of Android sales this year. With impressive hardware and ergonomics, lets see whether the G2 will be able to make a difference. Thus, today we’re putting Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2 in a head-by-head comparison to find it out.
Design and Built-quality
In terms of build-quality, the two could be cousins. Both are shiny, plasticky phones that capture more fingerprints than the new iPhone 5s Touch ID sensor. Unlike Galaxy S4, the G2 has a curved out back that makes the phone feel slimmer than its rival (but it’s not). But the real story here is the button placement of the G2. LG decided to do away with no buttons on the side of its new phone. The result is a simple volume rocker with the power button in the middle on the back of the phone. Surprisingly, users find this position as a very handy one. On the other hand, Galaxy S4 gains more points with its metal bezel on the sides, its removable back cover that gives you access to the battery, and its thinner and lighter body.
| Size | Thickness | Weight | |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | 137 x 70 mm | 7.9 mm | 130 grams |
| LG G2 | 139 x 71 mm | 8.9 mm | 143 grams |
Screen
We’re quite impressed with LG G2’s stunning 5.2” Full HD IPS screen that fits in a body that’s quite the same size as the 5” Galaxy S4. This is due G2’s extra-thin bezels which look very well. Having one of the best screens on the market, LG G2 makes Galaxy S4 look a little bit outdated. Most claim the G2, with its quality and more balanced colors, beats the HTC One’s screen too. Having an IPS screen, LG G2 looks even more brighter outside comparing to the Super AMOLED Galaxy S4, which fades out in the sunlight.
Hardware and Benchmark
Freshly released smartphones: Moto X, Droid Ultra, and LG G2 as well, show us how absurdly fast CPUs are getting. The G2 is one of the first smartphones to use Qualcomm’s fastest Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip. It derivers a fantastic core speed of 2.26 GHz, which is significantly higher than the 1.9GHz Snapdragon in Samsung Galaxy S4. The difference is immense even in benchmarks.
The biggest drawback about LG G2 is not having a microSD slot. Thus, you cannot extend the storage beyond the built-in 16GB or 32GB.
Software
The LG G2 is the winner of this compartment too. It has the advantage of always using the latest Android version available, whereas Samsung users have to wait for Samsung to make it available for them or to flash custom ROMs. This is, however, a subjective topics since millions of folks got used to TouchWiz from Samsung and don’t welcome changes. But let’s not forget the common discussion about TouchWiz having occasional lags and higher software load. My personal preference is stock Android over TouchWiz but one may feel different, so we have a draw here.
Camera
Both front and rear cameras have basically identical specs and features. While both handsets have 13-megapixel read cameras, the LG G2 features optical image stabilization, multi focus points, and manual focus. Not only does LG G2 have more features, the picture quality is really amazing compared to Galaxy S4.
Samsung Galaxy S4
LG G2
LG G2 – Low Light
The camera app interface on the G2 seems better as well. Its got large, intuitive, much more user-friendly buttons.
| Rear Camera | Front Camera | Video recording | |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | 13 megapixel | 2 megapixel | 1080p 30FPS |
| LG G2 | 13 megapixel | 2.1 megapixel | 1080p 60FPS |
Battery life
LG packs a bigger battery in its G2 smartphone and claims “it’s more than readt to support a full day’s work or play”.
Given these points, we think LG G2 is a better phone and will have a big impact on Galaxy S4 sales. Which of these two flagship smartphones would you buy? Leave your opinion in the comment section below.
Review: LG G2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4