LG Optimus 4X HD vs HTC One X

Introduction:

Is four times X greater than one time X? If X is greater than zero, then yes, it is. But that is valid only in the ideal world of mathematics. When you are dealing with smartphones, it gets a bit more complicated.

As you can surely tell, today we are comparing the LG Optimus 4X HD and the HTC One X – two top-of-the-line smartphones that have quite a lot in common. The list of similar traits starts with the Tegra 3 quad-core processor that they are both powered by. Moving further down their specs sheets we see high-res 4.7-inch displays present on both devices. The two run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, which may not be the platform's latest version anymore, but it is the best one available here and now.

So yeah, we are expecting a photo finish at the end of this competition, but there is only one way to know for sure. Without further ado, let's fire up these babies and put them through their paces.

Design:

In our opinion, the two smartphones are equally good when it comes to design. The HTC One X is more visually appealing, with its polycarbonate unibody construction and gently curved slopes on its back, but on the other hand, the plastic body of the LG Optimus 4X HD is slightly more narrow, making the device more compact and easier to grasp.



Not that it is too big of a deal for the average consumer, but the LG Optimus 4X HD has a removable battery, regular SIM card slot, and support for storage expansion via microSD cards. The One X does not offer any of these advantages, - meaning that with it you won't be able to swap batteries on the go, you will rely solely on internal and cloud storage, and you might have to go through the hassle of getting a Micro SIM from your carrier.




Display:


We are really torn between the IPS LCD on the LG Optimus 4X HD and the Super LCD2 screen on the HTC One X. It is just that at 4.7 inches in diagonal and with resolution of 720p, both panels are a pleasure to admire. You will hardly ever notice any pixelation on either of these screens due to their high pixel density. Besides, they are both bright enough to be used comfortably outdoors.

The only significant difference between the two is their color representation. While the 4X HD's screen is more neutral in that aspect, colors on the One X's display look warmer and more saturated, but not overly. That said, it all depends what your personal preference is. If fidelity is your cup of tea, go with the LG. If vivid hues are what you fancy, go with the HTC. To us, both displays look simply awesome.

Interface:

As we mentioned earlier, both smartphones run Android 4.0 out of the box, and hopes are high that an update to 4.1 Jelly Bean will be released one day in the future. To no surprise, we have custom overlays running on these handsets: the Optimus UI 3.0 for the LG Optimus 4X HD and Sense 4.0 for the HTC One X.

We are more satisfied with Sense 4.0 simply because it looks prettier and more consistent. Also, the lock screen is more versatile as it allows app shortcuts to be placed on it – something that you cannot do on Optimus UI 3.0. (UPDATE: Turns out you can have lock screen shortcuts on Optimus UI 3.0 too.) But the 4X HD's interface is not bad at all as it retains the simplicity associated with Android 4.0. Besides, it does not lag or anything, so it is perfectly usable on a daily basis, and if you are not happy with the way things look, there are plenty of customization solutions available at the Google Play store.




On-screen keyboard:

Although the two smartphones are wide enough to accommodate spacious portrait on-screen keyboards, we find typing on the Optimus 4X HD a bit easier. That might have something to do with the way the keys are arranged on the HTC One X – with an extra row of arrow keys underneath, which pushes the ones with the letters slightly higher and further away from your thumbs. Nevertheless, our fingers gradually got used to that positioning, although we'd still prefer the 4X HD when it comes to typing text. Besides, there is always landscape mode, in case if dealing with the portrait keyboard is proving too difficult for you.




Processor and memory:

There is no need to say much about the performance of these two devices. The Tegra 3 quad-core processor that powers both of them delivers excellent real-life results no matter the circumstance. One whole gigabyte of RAM comes standard with both handsets for seamless switching between applications. Unsurprisingly, that level of power output is reflected by the pretty high benchmark scores the handsets can achieve.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
LG Optimus 4X HD	3742	11184	52
HTC One X	4848	11024	47,4

Even though the HTC One X does not have a microSD card for storage expansion, its 32 gigabytes of on-board capacity should be plentiful even for power users. The LG Optimus 4X HD has half the gigs, but up to 64GB of additional storage can be added using a microSD card.

Web browser:

HTC has attempted to enhance the browser on the One X with a few twists of its own, yet we are not blown away by the results. Quite the opposite – there are several interface issues that spoil the whole experience. For example, the “Tabs” and “Bookmarks” buttons on the One X are located on a pop-up bar at the bottom, but that bar seems to appear only whenever it feels like it. Also, the whole page is redrawn each time you zoom in or out, sometimes with a slight, but annoying offset to the side. At least we have no complaints when it comes to fluidity, but then again, the same trait applies to the browser on LG's flagship, which is why we'd definitely pick the 4X HD for surfing the web.

Camera:

Although they both are considered high-end smartphones, neither photos taken with the Optimus 4X HD nor the ones shot with the One X look spectacular. In fact, the results are good, but nothing out of the ordinary for this smartphone class. Something that bothers us is that the 4X HD has a hard time finding the right focus and exposure values, while the One X has some troubles with macro photography. Yet perhaps you might be a bit more satisfied with the camera on the HTC One X simply because it takes full-res photos pretty fast in burst mode, and the camera interface is a bit easier to use. Also, there appears to be more detail present in the 1080p videos that it takes.



LG Optimus 4X HD Sample Video:



HTC One X Sample Video:



Multimedia:

Beats Audio – that is what it says on the back of the HTC One X. We have to say, however, that it isn't that big of an advantage. The enhancement, which is more or less an advanced equalizer, is more impressive when you listen to modern music, but does not make things much better if you prefer more sophisticated genres.

The audio players on both the HTC One X and the LG Optimus 4X HD offer similar functionality, but the former has a few neat tricks, such as the lock screen playback controls and the SoundHound integration. All in all, the One X does a better job as a portable music player.



But when it comes to videos, we think that both smartphones are equally good. Any popular video format you can come up with is playable, and watching video on these massive, high-resolution displays is a pleasure.

In-call audio quality:

To tell you the truth, both smartphones sound okay during calls, although there is definitely room for improvement. The sound quality of their earpieces is decent, and the volume level goes high enough for us to easily understand the other party. On the outgoing side, we are more satisfied with the microphone on the LG Optimus 4X HD. However, the built-in loudspeaker on the HTC One X sounds a tad better than that on the 4X HD, and is noticeably louder.

Battery life:

On paper, the LG Optimus 4X HD should last longer than the HTC One X on a single charge. That is because it has a larger, 2,150mAh battery versus the 1,800mAh cell on the latter. But in real life, it all depends on how the smartphones are being used – how bright their displays shine, and how far you are pushing that power-hungry processor of theirs. From our experience we can conclude that both devices should last for a reasonable amount of time before they need a recharge.

Conclusion:

So there you have it, guys. The LG Optimus 4X HD and the HTC One X are two well-made devices – with performance so similar that we cannot really pick a clear winner between the two. No matter which one you choose, chances are that you will be impressed by the overall experience. Perhaps pricing will be the key factor when choosing between one of the two, but that variable depends on where in the world you live, so we won't take it into account in our conclusion.