Just when we were beginning to wonder there for a moment, out comes LG’s “phablet” for 2013 – the strange and unique looking LG G Flex. Naturally, it’s a peculiar thing out in the space right that’s hoping to be a viable competitor against the arguable king in the arena, Sammy’s versatile Galaxy Note 3. Two phablets, two big phones that are armed to the tooth with impressive gear, so let’s find out which of them has the tools and performance to outclass the other.
Design
Let’s be serious here folks. From a design perspective, there isn’t anything necessarily new with their design language, seeing the G Flex looks like the G2 – while the Galaxy Note 3 takes from the Galaxy S4. However, there’s some innovation found with the curved design of the G Flex, which at the same time, gives it the more comfortable and ergonomic feel in the hand. Throw in the fact that its rear casing has a neat self-healing property, it absolutely is more intriguing than the faux-pas leather casing of the Galaxy Note 3. When it comes down to it, the G Flex’s uncanny curve is what’s most interesting between the two designs.
Display
We have to stress the cool flex in the G Flex’s design, which is primarily attributed to the one-of-a-kind 6-inch 720p P-OLED panel it’s packing along. Unlike the Galaxy Note 3’s 5.7-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, the G Flex’s panel is more durable and can withstand pressure that would otherwise prove too much for the Note 3’s display. Therefore, instead of cracking or shattering, the G Flex’s display maintains its strength and integrity.
Indeed, there’s something cool with the G Flex’s display, but when it comes to other aspects that make a screen attractive, the Note 3 proves to have the goods. Specifically, it’s highly more detailed, produces the more vibrant colors, has wider viewing angles, and it’s brighter too – all the essentials to make it the more attractive thing to look at. And finally, we can’t forget about the other tech in play with the Note 3, like how it’s able to track our finger/S Pen as we hover either of them over the panel.
Interface and Functionality
It’s crazy how the two respective customized Android experiences look and perform very close to one another, but at the end of the day, we feel as though that there’s slightly more depth with the Note 3’s enhanced TouchWiz Nature UX experience. Well, the customized Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean experience of the G Flex is pretty good too, but it just doesn’t have the same arsenal of note-taking functions. Most importantly, there are also some notable features, like the various Air Gestures and View functions, that aren’t replicated by the G Flex’s experience.
Surprisingly, multi-tasking is handled in nearly the same capacity with these two, seeing that their respective Multi-Window and Dual-Window features give us the ability to simultaneously use two apps.Even their notifications panels complement one another. From the secondary set of features we’re given with various notifications, to being able to access several different connectivity functions from it, they’re both equal with their arsenal. For the productivity focused users out there, the G Flex and Note 3 are preloaded with Polaris Office 5 to give us something to work with on the road. However, the Note 3’s S Pen stylus and accompanying note-centric apps is more ideal and encompassing to appease hardened users who prefer a tasetful paper and pen experience.
Processor and Memory
It’s all about Qualcomm’s piece of silicone under the hoods of both these beasts, which means they handle almost anything we dish at them. Powered by the same chipset, a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU coupled with the Adreno 330 GPU, they’re only separated by the amount of RAM they’re complemented with – 2GB with the G Flex, and 3GB with Sammy’s offering. Between them, there’s more of a snappy performance with the G Flex. Packing an ample 32GB of internal storage with the two competitors, it’s the Note 3 that’s able to supplement its capacity thanks to its available microSD card slot.
AnTuTuHigher is better
LG G Flex36180
Samsung Galaxy Note331543
GFXBench Egypt HD 2.5 onscreen(fps)Higher is better
Let’s not argue that they can handle even the most complex of web pages with their browsers, but again we see the usefulness found with the Note 3. Yes, they feature fast page loads via LTE, instantaneous page rendering, and buttery navigational controls, however, the Note 3 continues to show its more comprehensive features set. They include being able to scroll vertically with our eyes, precise selection via its S Pen, and the zoomed view when we hover our finger over the display.
Well, there’s nothing too surprising here, especially they’re highly prized things – meaning, they’re armed with the same set of connectivity features. They consist of LTE, aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, NFC, and IR blasters.
Camera
More, more, more. That’s the name of the game with their camera apps, since they’re filled to the roof with several shooting modes and manual controls to give shutterbugs everywhere something to be content about.
It’s the battle of the 13-megapixel cameras, that’s what these two are flaunting! Impressively, they produce the same lovable looking photos that are rich in detail, properly exposed, and boast lively looking colors. With the latter, though, it tends to be warmer for the G Flex – and cooler with the Note 3. Under lower lighting situations, shots taken by the G Flex come out brighter, allowing it to draw out slightly more details. Finally, their LED flashes cast pretty much the same amount of lighting to our subjects.
We’re also split when it comes to recording 1080p videos. No doubt, they’re ample for the task at hand, but there’s just a smidgen more consistency with the Note 3’s quality, seeing that it’s just crisper with its visuals – whereas with the G Flex, details tend to be a bit subdued, which results in a softer tone. Also, the G Flex is more prone to prominent artifacting elements as we’re panning.
Multimedia
Looking at their music players, we again take notice how they similarly match one another with their presentations and functions. Likewise, their internal speakers emit boisterous and commanding tones that allow us to easily discern them – and without strain or distortion at the loudest volume setting. Having big screens that are iridescent, they make for ideal video watching experiences. With the subtle curve with the G Flex’s display, it’s mentioned to have less reflection, but in our experience, it’s hardly noticeable to the trained eye. Essentially, we’re pleased by the performance that each delivers – more so when they provide us with their complementing multi-tasking features.
Call Quality
By far it’s the G Flex that offers the superior call quality, seeing that it consistently delivers voices that are clear and distinct with both the earpiece and speakerphone. On top of that, its volume output is incredibly loud too. As for the Note 3, crackling tones are evident through the earpiece at the loudest volume setting.
Battery
Power users will especially drool over by the long lasting battery life that we experience with them, as their high capacity batteries give us that “all day” battery life with heavy usage. After using the G Flex more, we notice that it’s able to give us more juice, but then again, we need to stress the fact that we’re using it with only 3G connectivity, as opposed to the more demanding LTE connection with the Note 3.
We measure battery life by running a custom web-script,designed to replicate the power consumption of typical real-life usage.All devices that go through the test have their displays set at 200-nit brightness.
We can’t deny the new innovations that accompany the LG G Flex, which makes it so impressive in many fronts. It’s obviously unique and very different in the space right now, seeing that no one else has really done it before, but at the end of the day, it’s a solid showcase device that shows us what is possible. In comparison to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, it’s a good rival, but doesn’t have enough of the practical “goodies” for power users.
There’s good reason why many believe that Sammy’s phablet is the one to beat, mainly due to the fact that it’s still a class ahead of everyone else in what it can do on any every day basis – to help us get through things, get the work at hand accomplished. Although it’s not perceived as a new or fresh feature, its S Pen stylus continues to bring forth new enhancements and functions that aid the overall smartphone experience. Additionally, it’s a true high-spec’d device in every single hardware category.
And then there’s the matter of pricing. Right now, if you’re to import the LG G Flex from South Korea, you’re going to need to fork over a whopping $940 out of your pockets. Certainly it’s a hefty tally, but it’s a warranted one because of the innovative qualities it brings to the table. Are they practical? Yes, but from a design and ergonomics vantage points. Conversely, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 can be purchased outright for $750 through many US carriers. It’s still expensive in terms of smartphone pricing, but its deeper and more meaningful offerings give it a more well-rounded finish.
The LG G Flex has the looks and cooler next-generation tech behind it, but at the end of the day, it’s the Note 3 that will appease a wider array of consumers at the moment with its outstanding and diverse software experience.
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