The LG G3 has arrived, bringing some of the best specs available and packing an extremely impressive Quad HD display. Now that LG has entered the race, you might be wondering how other previously announced 2014 flagships compare.
While having superior on-paper specs doesn’t necessarily equate to having the best real-world performance, looking at the spec sheet is still a good way to get a clearer picture of what each handset brings to arena.
So let’s jump in and see how each of the major flagships compare in terms of display, processing package, camera and more.
Display
| Display (inches) | Resolution | PPI | Display Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG G3 | 5.5 | 2560x1440 | 538 | LCD |
| LG G2 | 5.2 | 1920x1080 | 424 | LCD |
| HTC One M8 | 5 | 1920x1080 | 441 | LCD |
| HTC One M7 | 4.7 | 1920x1080 | 469 | LCD |
| Galaxy S5 | 5.1 | 1920x1080 | 432 | AMOLED |
| Galaxy S4 | 5 | 1920x1080 | 441 | AMOLED |
| Moto X | 4.7 | 1280x720 | 312 | AMOLED |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | 5.2 | 1920x1080 | 424 | LCD |
| Oppo Find 7 | 5.5 | 2560x1440 | 538 | LCD |
| LG Nexus 5 | 4.95 | 1920x1080 | 424 | LCD |
While most of the 2014 crop pack beautiful 1080p Full HD displays, the LG G3 one-ups most of the competition by offering an extremely impressive 5.5-inch screen with a 2560 x 1440 resolution. Of course, the G3 isn’t the only handset to offer QHD, though it’s the first major manufacturer.
Compared to other flagships from Sony, Samsung and HTC, the LG G3 is a bit of a monster at 5.5-inches. That said, LG’s ability to squeeze big displays into small frames mean the actual dimensions aren’t that much bigger than devices like the Galaxy S5.
So how much better looking is the LG G3’s display when compared to the competition? Although color contrast, brightness and other factors are important, PPI is a relatively good measure of display clarity. The LG G3 manages a PPI of 538, which matches the Oppo Find 7 but blows the Galaxy S5 (432) and HTC One M8 (441) out of the water.
CPU and GPU
| SoC | CPU Speed (MHz) | CPU Cores | GPU | RAM (GB) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG G3 | Snapdragon 801 | 2500 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 2 or 3 |
| LG G2 | Snapdragon 800 | 2260 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 2 |
| HTC One (M7) | Snapdragon 600 | 1700 | 4 | Adreno 320 | 2 |
| HTC One (M8) | Snapdragon 801 | 2300 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 2 |
| iPhone 5S | Apple A7 | 1300 | 2 | PowerVR G6430 | 1 |
| Moto X | Snapdragon S4 Pro | 1700 | 2 | Adreno 320 | 2 |
| Nexus 5 | Snapdragon 800 | 2300 | 4 | Adreno 300 | 2 |
| Oppo Find 7 | Snapdragon 801 | 2500 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 3 |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | Snapdragon 600 | 1900 | 4 | Adreno 320 | 2 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | Snapdragon 801 | 2500 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 2 |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | Snapdragon 801 | 2300 | 4 | Adreno 330 | 3 |
Looking around, one thing you’ll find in common for most modern smartphones is the presence of a Qualcomm chip. For all the latest flagships, it is the Snapdragon 801 that seems to be the crowd favorite. Even though the LG G3 was originally rumored to offer a Snapdragon 805, it turns out that LG’s flagship follows in the footsteps of other 2014 flagships by offering a 2.5GHz Snapdragon 805 CPU.
Aside from a few minor changes, the Snapdragon 801 is very similar to the older Snapdragon 800, which was actually found on the LG G2. Overall the LG G3 isn’t really any different in the processing department than other 2014 flagships.
On the graphics side, you’ll see a similar story. Like all other Snapdragon 800 and 801-based handsets, the LG G3 offers an Adreno 330 CPU. For the LG G3 and other 801 devices, however, there is a slight clock increase to 550MHz over the 450MHz speed on older devices.
Bottom-line, the LG G3 doesn’t offer much new in terms of CPU/GPU when compared to other 2014 flagships. That said, the LG G3 does offer a reasonable jump forward when compared to the older LG G2.
Camera
| Rear Camera MP | Front Camera MP | 4K video fps | 1080p video fps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG G3 | 13 | 2.1 | unknown (will update later) | 60 |
| LG G2 | 13 | 2 | n/a | 60 |
| HTC One (M7) | 4 | 2.1 | n/a | 30 |
| HTC One (M8) | 4 | 5 | n/a | 30 |
| iPhone 5S | 8 | 1.2 | n/a | 30 |
| Moto X | 10 | 1.3 | n/a | 30 |
| Nexus 5 | 8 | 2.1 | n/a | 30 |
| Oppo Find 7 | 13 | 5 | 30 | 60 |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | 13 | 2 | n/a | 30 |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 16 | 2 | 30 | 60 |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | 20.7 | 2.2 | 30 | 60 |
At first glance, the LG G2’s camera might not seem much different from its predecessor. Like the LG G2, the G3 camera offers a 13MP shooter, which isn’t nearly as impressive as Sony’s 20.7MP Exmor Sensor or even the 16MP ISOCELL camera on the Galaxy S5.
Of course just because it packs the same number of megapixels doesn’t mean there aren’t any improvements. While it’s still unclear how the actual shooter might differ, we do know that the camera app has been greatly updated and that LG is introducing a new laser auto-focus hardware component that is very unique and could make a massive difference in the quality of pictures when compared to the LG G2.
On the front, the camera also remains about the same as the G2, taking a minor jump up from 2MP to 2.1MP. LG also promises several software improvements for its improved “selfie” experience.
Storage options, batteries, and more
| Max Internal Storage | Micro SD | Fingerprint Scanner | Water Resistance | Thickness (mm) | Weight (g) | Battery | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LG G3 | 16GB (32GB option?) | yes | no | no | 9.1 | 151 | 3000mAh |
| LG G2 | 32GB | no | no | no | 8.9 | 143 | 3000mAh |
| HTC One (M8) | 32GB | yes | no | no | 9.4 | 160 | 2600mAh |
| HTC One (M7) | 32GB | no | no | no | 9.3 | 143 | 2300mAh |
| iPhone 5S | 32GB | no | yes | no | 7.6 | 112 | 1560mAh |
| Moto X | 32GB | no | no | no | 10.4 | 130 | 2200mAh |
| Nexus 5 | 32GB | no | no | no | 8.6 | 130 | 2300mAh |
| Oppo Find 7 | 32GB | yes | no | no | 9.2 | 171 | 3000mAh |
| Samsung Galaxy S4 | 64GB | yes | no | no | 7.9 | 130 | 2600mAh |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 32GB | yes | yes | yes | 8.1 | 145 | 2800mAh |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | 16GB | yes | no | yes | 8.2 | 163 | 3200mAh |
While the LG G3’s biggest claim to fame is its high-res display, of equal importance is the company’s change to both a removable back and expandable memory. This means LG is essentially taking away one of the biggest advantages that Samsung usually holds over its competitors.
Storage wise, 16GB isn’t a ton, but there is a 32GB option with an upgrade to 3GB of RAM as well. You can also expand both models with microSD, adding more space as needed.
In terms of battery, the LG G3’s 3000mAh removable battery might seem to be at least a little on the disappointing side. While the same battery size was more than enough to provide a reasonably decent battery life for the LG G2, remember that the QHD display is likely to be a least a little bit of a power hog.
So does that mean the battery life will be poor? Not necessarily. The G3 has been designed to optimize battery consumption with its 3A optimization system. This system results in 20% more efficient battery consumption, and means that the LG G3 should have comparable battery life to the LG G2.
Wrap up
So who is the winner? Honestly, the winner is the consumer. There’s so many choices out there in 2014 in all sizes, some with dust/water resistance, some without. Some with removable batteries and microSD, some without. Ultimately it comes down to exactly what features you’re looking for in a handset.
Performance wise, the LG G3 will easily perform on the same level as other 2014 flagships and it has the added advantage of packing one of the most impressive displays around.
How do you feel about LG’s new flagship, how does it compare to other devices released in 2014 and even those from last year?