LG G4 vs Google Nexus 6

Introduction

Phablets, they’re the perennial behemoths in the space. Just when we all thought they couldn’t get any bigger, companies continue to push the envelope, trimming wherever they can find, to bring us even larger sized smartphones that we can try to fit in our pockets. Not everyone fancies these gargantuan beasts, especially when they’re sometimes just obnoxiously big, but on the other end of the spectrum, they certainly have their unique qualities and claims.

One of them in particular, the Google Nexus 6, surely doesn’t try to hide the fact that it’s a gigantic phone in the space. However, despite its Goliath size, it’s a monumental phone that’s rich with drool worthy specs and the power of vanilla Android to win over hardened enthusiast of the platform. Meanwhile, the LG G4, being the newcomer and all, intends to establish itself as a formidable rival with all of the improvements that accompany any successive phone – though, it’ll need to prove to people that it has more value over the Nexus 6, to reign supreme in this comparison.

Design

It’s the tough construction and gigantic size of the Nexus 6, versus the sophisticated look of the G4. The decision is yours!

First and foremost, there’s the matter regarding their sizes, which is arguably the most apparent thing about their designs over everything else. Certainly, the Nexus 6 is a handful of a phone to handle – primarily due to its wider and taller stature, making it really tough to use single-handedly. In comparison, the LG has been trimmed in areas where appropriate, to give it less of an overbearing feel in the hand. Technically, though, it’s the Nexus 6 that offers the better screen-to-body ratio of 74.03%, versus the 72.46% mark of the G4.

Aesthetically, it’s a tough call definitively saying what phone flaunts the superior design. In terms of construction, there’s more of that sturdy feel with the Nexus 6, thanks in part to its solid metal trim bezel and sturdier polycarbonate casing – plus, it’s a closed design. Indeed, LG adds a new level of sophistication to the G4’s design thanks to the new leather backing option, but it doesn’t have that overall solid feel we get from handling the Nexus 6. Ultimately, though, it purely comes down to personal preference.

For something occupying a whole lot of real-estate, the only unique thing crammed into the Nexus 6 is its dual front-firing speakers. Beyond that, there’s little to get excited about. Although it’s not particularly the most feature-rich smartphone we’ve encountered, the LG G4 bears a fair amount of goodies that include an IR blaster, removable battery, and microSD card slot.

Display

Quad-HD resolution is in effect here, but it’s the G4’s display that ultimately flaunts the more favorable characteristics.

Big versus bigger, that’s the essence of these two displays. For the LG G4, it continues the company’s tradition of being forward-moving with its new 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 IPS Quantum Display. As for the Google Nexus 6, it’s certainly a head turner as well thanks to the 6-inch 1440 x 2560 AMOLED display it’s been graced with on its façade.

In terms of brightness, the G4 proves to be the better choice, as it achieves a higher maximum brightness of 454 nits, compared to the Nexus 6's overly modest 270 nits. When it comes to color accuracy, however, things aren't so simply. As far as RGB balance goes, the Nexus 6 tends to outdo its counterpart, thanks to a color temperature of 6550 K – pretty much bordering on the reference 6500 K point, whereas the G4 suffers from considerably bluish tones with its 8000 K temperature. However, color tones tend to be overly saturated and intensified with the Nexus 6's AMOLED screen, leading to unpleasant effects such as unrealistically reddish skin. The LG G4 isn't so shy to boost its colors either, but overall, things do look more down-to-Earth on its IPS panel.

All told, we tend to favor the LG G4’s display with this comparison, although it does need a lot of improvement as well..

Interface and Functionality

LG UX 4.0 faces stock Android Lollipop

Ah, stock Android versus LG’s interpretation? Enthusiasts will no doubt vouch for the Nexus 6’s stock Android 5.0 Lollipop experience for its straightforward, no-hassles approach, rich software features, and modern styling thanks to Material Design. Still, it has to be noted that while going with the Nexus 6 has many perks, like being greeted to the latest and greatest Android updates faster than most handsets, it doesn’t have the army of features attached to the LG UX 4.0 experience of the G4.



And that’s the biggest differentiators between them, seeing that some people will appreciate the extra features in tow with the G4’s experience. In particular, it’s pretty good at real multi-tasking with the aid of its various QSlide apps and Dual-Window feature. On top of that, LG sprinkles in some additional benefits in the form of its Smart Notice tidbits, as well as a useful theming option that changes up the look of interface, that help to deepen its experience over what we’re normally treated to with stock Android.

Nevertheless, some folks will forgo all of those added features for the simplicity that accompanies stock Android. There’s a toss-up, obviously, so the deciding factor is simply personal preference. Power users will gravitate to the extensive and encompassing features of the LG UX 4.0 experience, while the stock Android 5.0 Lollipop experience of the Nexus 6 screams performance and straightforwardness.

Processor and Memory

Both handle most basic tasks with no fluff

Separated by almost 6 months with their releases, there’s undoubtedly a degree of separation regarding their processing hardware. The older Nexus 6 is outfitted with a last-gen quad-core 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM and the Adreno 420 GPU. Due to it being newer, the LG G4, on the other hand, is greeted with a 64-bit based hexa-core 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chip with 3GB of RAM and the Adreno 418 GPU. Needless to say, one can presume that the G4 has the upper hand, but does it really?

Based on our benchmark runs, the two handsets possess nearly the same processing punch – whether they’re basic or intensive processes, the outcome can sway to either device. Benchmarks aside, when we use the two day-to-day, we find the Nexus 6 exhibiting the smoother and snappier responses. Then again, LG’s custom skin definitely adds some touches that require more processing power.

Lucky for all of us, they’re offered with the minimum storage capacities of 32GB, which we feel to be adequate for today’s flagships. However, the G4 benefits from memory expansion via its microSD card slot.

Internet and Connectivity

Botching the web surfing experience is a rarity nowadays, but for these high-end flagships, they’re differentiated by their buttery smooth operations and impressively sharp displays. There’s plenty of that present here with these two, as we have no complaints whatsoever in what they have to offer. In fact, complex pages load properly, pinch zooming is tight, and all elements rendered effortlessly – with only their screen sizes being the differentiator. For some, the larger screen of the Nexus 6 is more ideal, but the LG G4 is also quite spacious as well.

Both the LG G4 and Google Nexus 6 are dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, GPS, 3G, and LTE-connected, which means they cover all the necessary networking bases. Also, both have microUSB 2.0 connectors for data and charging. Still, the G4 goes the extra step by offering an IR blaster to make it double as a universal remote as well.

Camera

It’s a solid effort by the Nexus 6, but the G4 shows why it’s one of the best when it comes to taking photos and videos.

The 13-megapixel camera on the Nexus 6 features an f/2.0 aperture lens, optical image stabilization, dual-LED flash ring, 2-megapixel front camera, and up to UHD 4K video recording. Conversely, the G4 answers back with an equally impressive brand new 16-megapixel 1/2.6” camera sensor with a wide, f/1.8 aperture lens on top of that sensor, improved optical stabilization (OIS 2), the same lickety-split laser-assisted autofocus from before, color spectrum sensor, and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens.

The snapping app on the Nexus 6 is Google's Camera – one that’s been available for quite some time as a downloadable app in the Play Store. Yet again, we can see Lollipop’s favor of offering a cleaner and simpler UI, since the Camera app’s interface is predominantly reserved for the viewfinder. In terms of shooting modes, we’re given photo sphere, panorama, HDR+ and lens blur. For serious photographers, the styling of the G4’s camera interface closely mimics the layout we see in full-featured DSLR cameras – like having the histogram integrated into the interface. Expanding deeper, the G4 features a manual mode that hardcore shutterbugs will appreciate, giving us even control over the shutter speed.



While the Nexus 6 boasts an improvement over the Moto X, it just can’t compete against the impressive photos snapped by the G4’s even more impressive camera. Okay, we’ll certainly agree that their outdoors shots fair well against one another – where they deliver plenty of details to allow for proper cropping. However, we find the G4 handling dynamic range a lot better because the Nexus 6 tends to favor an over-exposed composition at times.

Turning down the lights paints an even more promising picture for the G4, as its shots are noticeably brighter, which allows details to become more visible. Not only that, but the G4’s quality is less noisy and more sharpened in tone – whereas with the Nexus 6, it’s underexposed and grainy. Better yet, using the manual mode of the G4 takes things to the next level, since a longer exposure allows details to become even more profound. Factoring everything into account, there’s just no denying that the G4’s camera is simply better.



Likewise, we prefer the G4’s video recording quality as well, primarily because the Nexus 6 exhibits a softer tone with details and it’s rather slow with its focus. Another win for the G4, it’s minutely better in this category with its attention to detail, stabilization, and moderate exposure adjustment. Our only complaint with its quality, in fact, is related to its thin and light audio recording.

Multimedia

There’s plenty of love in the multimedia department, they’re just perfect for the occasion.

Google Play Music is preloaded with the two phones, but LG offers its own native player as an alternative – albeit, it’s pretty conventional. Thanks in part to it projecting audio towards us and producing a powerful audio output of 75dB, the Nexus 6’s dual front-firing speakers delivers a commanding presence with its quality. Despite its higher production of 79dB with its single speaker, the G4’s audio quality sounds a bit flat unless an equalizer setting is enabled.


More than capable of playing all sorts of videos, the Nexus 6’s larger screen size might prove to be more ideal, but the G4 undoubtedly has some slick qualities that make it in some cases the preferred handset. In addition to its vibrancy thanks to its IPS Quantum Display, the experience is further strengthened on the G4 by its multi-tasking component – where videos can be played on top of whatever we’re doing.

Call Quality

Again, the G4 has a stronger command with call quality.

Between them, we’ll go with the G4 when it comes to call quality – mainly because the overall result is nearly excellent in every category. Not only is its earpiece and speakerphone deafening in tone, but voices are for the most part audible, despite its somewhat artificial sound. In contrast, the Nexus 6 has some noticeable static sounds in the background through the earpiece.

Battery

The Nexus 6 just can’t be beaten, it just offers the longer battery life – plus, it features built-in wireless charging.

Just by looking at them, the Nexus 6 is sporting the higher capacity battery – a 3220 mAh one to be exact, while the G4 clocks in with a respectably sized 3000 mAh battery cell. Very close indeed, our battery benchmark test reveals it’s a one-sided affair. Specifically, it reaches a mark of 7 hours and 53 minutes, which easily blows past the G4’s final tally of 6 hours and 6 minutes. In our day-to-day use, we also find the Nexus 6 simply at a higher capacity at the end of a single day of normal use.

Another thing to note, too, is that the Nexus 6 features built-in wireless charging – whereas with the G4, it’s wired for it, but you’ll need to purchase the optional rear casing to actually gain the feature.

Conclusion

Crowning a champion is always a difficult thing to do, requiring us to see how they compare against one another in all areas – while also thinking about the kind of value they bring to the table. Factoring their pricing, the Nexus 6 can be picked up as low as $600 outright, or $200 with a 2-year contract. That puts it in a better position than when it was initially released, making it pretty competitive to the G4’s anticipated on-contract pricing of $200.

Quite frankly, it’s a tossup and mainly hinges on what matters to you the most. Combing through how they perform in all the categories, the LG G4 impresses us with its sophisticated looks, fine-looking IPS Quantum Display, impressive camera, better call quality, and versatile LG UX 4.0 experience. Not one to be outdone because it’s the older model, the Nexus 6 can still outbox its newer rival, as it delivers a commanding presence with its sturdier construction, gigantic screen size, longer battery life, and stock Android experience.

The latter, of course, might be a huge drawing factor for those who yearn for the latest and greatest in terms of Android. Nevertheless, the G4’s experience is still a versatile one that's rich in personalization and multi-tasking. At the end of the day, however, both phones have the guts and performance to prove to everyone that they live up to their claim of being flagship phones.