LG G9 vs Galaxy S20 specs, prices and release preview
Gather around, high-end phone lovers, the ultimate battle of Androids for America - the LG G9 against the Galaxy S20 juggernauts - is about to begin, and we are pitting all the preliminary specs, prices and features to gawk at while you wait for the takedown.
The LG G9 and the S20 family just began to get fleshed out more in leaks and renders, indicating that they are a few weeks from announcement, so it's time to see what the best of South Korea will mean for our carrier store shelves this spring.
LG G9 vs Galaxy S20 design and displays
Both the Galaxy S20 and the G9 will build on the design of their predecessors with no drastic changes expected in this "toc" year for the body looks. Samsung will use a mix of the S10 and Note 10 designs, with a Premium Hole Infinity Display at the front, which will be curved less at the sides, and shaven top and bottom bezels.
The LG G9 ThinQ, on the other hand, employs the clean and stylish body language of the fairly new LG G8X ThinQ by adopting a tall display complete with a small, waterdrop-like notch towards the top. The big bonus? It still keeps the headphone jack.
Flip the phones on their backs, though, and a drastic difference in design approaches will occur - LG bets on a clean, symmetrical, and flush with the surface camera area, while Samsung had to stuff the kitchen sink of its new camera tech in a huge camera island at the top left corner, much like everyone else in 2020, but LG. Take a gander.
In terms of size, the giant LG G9 may have a display diagonal bordering on the 6.9" size, much like the eventual S20 Ultra, the largest and most souped-up member of the S20 family. As you can see below, it is taller but thinner and more narrow than the Ultra, indicating a difference in the display aspect ratio.
LG G9 vs Galaxy S20 chipser, memory and camera specs
Tables speak louder than words, so let's preview what specs are we to expect from the LG G9, against the two most decket-out members of the Galaxy S20 family - the Ultra and the S20+ that will be in its rumored 6.7-6.9 inch display diagonal range.
| Galaxy S20 Ultra (S11+) | Galaxy S20+ (S11) | LG G9 ThinQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and dimensions | Glass&metal 6.57 x 2.99 x 0.40 inches 166.9 x 76 x 10.2 mm (10.2 mm at the camera bump) | Glass&metal 6.37 x 2.90 x 0.35 inches 161.9 x 73.7 x 8.9 mm (8.9mm at the camera bump) | Glass&metal 6.67 x 3.06 x 0.35 inches 169.4 x 77.6 x 8.8 mm (9.4mm at the camera bump) |
| Display | 6.9" 2K AMOLED, Premium Hole Infinity Display, on-demand 120Hz refresh | 6.7" 2K AMOLED, Premium Hole Infinity Display, on-demand 120Hz refresh | 6.7" or 6.9" OLED display with waterdrop notch |
| Cameras | 108MP main 48MP periscope 'Space Zoom', up to 10x hybrid and 100x digital magnification 12MP Ultrawide-angle lens ToF camera(s) 10MP selfie camera 8K 30fps or 4K HDR 120fps recording | 12MP main, 1.8μm pixel size 64MP Telephoto12MP Ultrawide-angle lens ToF camera 10MP selfie camera 8K 30fps or 4K HDR 120fps recording | Quad camera setup 8K 30fps or 4K HDR 120fps recording |
| Processor(s) | Snapdragon 865, Exynos 990 | Snapdragon 865, Exynos 990 | Snapdragon 865, X55 modem |
| Memory | from 12GB RAM/256GB basic storage | from 12GB RAM/256GB basic storage | from 8GB RAM/256GB basic storage |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 4500mAh | 4000mAh |
| Price (expected) | from $1099 | from $999 (5G model) | ~$819 |
| Release date | Announcement 2/11, release 3/6 | Announcement 2/11, release 3/6 | February/March |
At the moment, there isn't much credible info about the exact camera setup of the LG G9 but it has apparently really stepped up its game in that respect, judging from the lens sprawl on the back which depicts at least four sensors. We'd wager to guess that it will enter the trendy universe of high-res main sensors, and, as the line first equipped with ultrawide-angles lens, will sport one such landscape-grabber.
The other two may be a telephoto lens and a time-of-flight sensor, though a periscope zoom like on the S20 Ultra seems unlikely given the round nature of all the visible lenses. Thus, the camera setup on the LG G9 could very well be nearer what the S20+ will offer, rather than what the S20 Ultra will have on board, with the lower price to match.
LG G9 vs Galaxy S20 prices and release date
Unlike every other flagship phone maker, LG has taken a reasonable approach with its G-line of high-end handsets. Instead of stuffing every known technology under the sun and maxing out the resolutions, it upgrades its spring flagships only where it really counts, and managed to issue them for prices that are at least two Benjamins lower than their competitors. The G7 landed in the US at just $750, the G8 and G8X were a bit over $800 at launch, and we expect nothing more from the LG G9.
The Galaxy S20, on the other hand, will likely match this price tag only in its lowly 6.2" edition so the price advantage will be on the G9 side again when the LG and Samsung flagships get released at some time in early March. The S20 has a firm February 11 Unpacked event to be unveiled, while the G9 will most likely be announced in the runup to the MWC2020 expo that begins at the end of February.
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