LG has been really aggressive in putting forward their newest flagship, the G2. But can they beat Samsung, their biggest Korean rival?

The Galaxy S4 is well beloved by so many satisfied users worldwide. Although the G2 seems to have more raw power under the hood, it’s going to be a tough battle against the S4.

At first sight, the two smartphones seem almost identical, both impressing with their specs. We’ll take a closer look and see which one can really deliver all the way.

Read also: LG G2 vs HTC One - Review

Design and Build

The two Korean rivals seem to have very similar design concepts. Both smartphones look sleek and shiny with their plastic exteriors. However, there are a few notable differences.

• The LG G2 has really thin bezels for it’s slightly larger size of 5.2”. LG also changed the positioning of the hardware buttons that can all now be found on the back of the device. That could be an advantage, although it could take some time getting used to it.

On the other hand, Samsung hasn’t changed much of the design features of the S4. However, a few extra design touches such as the faux-metal ring around its edges make it stand out a bit more.

Display

The difference in size between the two displays is negligible. The G2 has only 0.2” more than the S4, which is hardly noticeable.

• The G2 display uses the True full HD-IPS technology compared to the Super AMOLED of the Galaxy S4. One advantage of the G2’s screen is color accuracy and brightness.

However, the Galaxy S4’s screen behaves better in direct sunlight. You can also use it with gloves or use the swipe without touching the screen, definitely some extra points for the S4. Thus, the increased screen sensitiveness of the Galaxy S4 may be a much bigger plus than the color accuracy of the LG G2.

Power and battery

To be able to run countless apps and use numerous cool features, smartphones today need to be supercomputers. And that’s exactly what LG did for its newest flagship. LG G2 has a super-fast new generation processor, the Snapdragon 800 at 2.26 GHz. That’s more than enough horsepower for a tiny device that goes in your pocket. And it definitely beats the Snapdragon 600 at 1.9GHz on the Samsung Galaxy S4.

As for battery life, the 3,000 mAh on the LG G2 says it all. It will outlast the 2600mAh battery on the Galaxy S4, although the latter can save more energy during stand-by.

User interface

• Both the LG G2 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are due for an update to the 4.3 JellyBean, as they’re currently running the 4.2.2.

However, these smartphones have different concepts of user experience, which translates in different advantages for each side. The ‘pièce de résistance’ for Galaxy S4 are the advanced gestures apps, which includes Air View, Air Gestures and Smart Screen.

Air View lets you get a peek of what’s underneath by simply flying your finger above the screen. Air Gestures lets you scroll, swipe or answer your phone without touching the screen. Finally, a set of features called Smart Screen let the user control the screen through eye movements.

On the other side, the LG G2 does have some innovative features too. These include the Guest Mode, which comes in handy if you lend your phone to someone else. It disables certain features and apps that you don’t want anyone else to access. There’s also the QSlide, which lets you choose a few floating apps. However, this feature does need some tweaking, as finding compatible apps can be difficult for now.

Overall, it seems that the Samsung Galaxy S4 has an advantage due to its Smart functions and other innovative features.

Camera

The era of blurry Facebook pictures is now over. Most users out there want a decent to high quality phone camera. Why not? Considering the hefty prices of premium smartphones, having a good quality camera should be a given. 

• Both the LG G2 and the Galaxy S4 have 13 MP cameras, but the features differ, as well as picture quality.

The G2 camera does have some bonus features. These include the optical image stabilization that helps you snap better pictures in low-light conditions. It can also record videos at 60 fps compared to the 30 fps of the Samsung Galaxy S4. As for the interface, LG kept things simple and traditional.

As for the S4, the camera interface is a lot cleaner. There are also some interesting features, such as dual-shot that lets you take a picture with the front-facing camera at the same time. In addition, Time Catch takes a few shots before you actually snap your picture in order to catch that perfect shot. However, despite all the nice features of the S4 camera, the G2 wins by a nose with better image stabilization and wider field of view.

Bottom Line

Samsung is definitely known for the great quality phones they deliver with consistency. On the other hand, LG has had its problems keeping the customers happy once they’ve purchased a smartphone. Some glitches here and there are known to happen to LG phones. But the G2 does have an edge on the S4, especially if it comes to choosing the phone with more raw power and higher specs.

The LG G2 performs really well in all testing done so far. So it’s no secret that LG is trying to push this one over the top. However, the better specs may not mean much if they don’t deliver on consistent quality in the long run. Especially, as price wise, the LG G2 is somewhat more expensive than other flagship smartphones.   

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