LG Optimus 4X HD vs Samsung Galaxy S III

Okay, folks, are you ready for the ultimate Korean Kombat? We know we sure are! In the left corner, we have the pebble blue Samsung Galaxy S III, flaunting a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD display and a quad-core Exynos processor, and in the right corner, dressed up in an all-white outfit, we have the LG Optimus 4X HD, touting a 4.7-inch True HD display and a quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Wanna find out which one of these Android 4.0 high-ends is superior? Then let's put them through their paces and find out!

With smartphones like these, picking a clear winner in the design category is a pretty tough call. It is certain, however, that both the LG Optimus 4X HD and the Samsung Galaxy S III look outstanding, just like a handset of this caliber should. We also appreciate that the two devices come with removable batteries and slots for microSD cards.

At the end of the day, stating which design team has done a better job depends on what your priorities are. The Galaxy S III feels a lot more user-friendly with its curved edges, slimmer profile, and smooth finish, not to mention that its hardware buttons are well-positioned considering the unit's dimensions.

On the other hand, the Optimus 4X HD is more compact, and the texture on its plastic back cover does not feel bad at all. Another advantage that LG's smartphone has is that it comes with a regular SIM card slot, so switching from an older device will be pretty straightforward, instead of having to get a Micro SIM replacement, as the case is with the Galaxy S III.  

It doesn't take an expert to conclude that the LG Optimus 4X HD has an awesome 4.7-inch “True HD” display. In fact, we find it slightly better than the 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD screen on the Samsung Galaxy S III. Yeah, it might be a tad smaller, but in real life, a tenth of an inch is a difference we can neglect. The LG “True HD” displays are made using IPS-LCD technology and a standard RGB pixel arrangement, so the color representation is really accurate, and the amount of detail the screen can deliver is impressive. On top of that, the 4X HD's screen is much more usable under the sun's scorching rays of light. Don't get us wrong for the Galaxy S III's display is pretty good as well, offering comparable amount of detail and colors that can be as natural or as overblown as you want, depending on the smartphone's display settings. Nevertheless, it is the Optimus 4X HD's screen we'd ultimately pick as our favorite between the two.

The Samsung Galaxy S III and LG Optimus 4X HD come with Android 4.0 out of the box, which is a must if a smartphone is to be suitable for the high-end category. To no surprise, both companies have tweaked the appearance of these two Android heavyweights with skins of their own, yet Samsung's efforts have yielded better results.

The TouchWiz Nature UI, as Samsung calls it, feels a bit more polished and designed with attention to detail. You can place shortcuts on the lock screen for convenience, and a whole bunch of additional apps and features have been thrown in. But if you can live with an interface that is not as heavily customized, or if you prefer third-party solutions from the Google Play store, then the Optimus UI 3.0 will do just fine. Overall, it feels just as snappy and retains most of the traits that the stock Google experience is acclaimed for.

No matter which one of these two smartphones you pick, chances are you will be delighted by its on-screen keyboard. Given the width of the devices' displays, it is not surprising that in portrait mode, keys feel well-distanced from one another, and typos are quite uncommon. But even if you happen to tap the wrong letter, the auto-correct feature, which is enabled on both devices, will take care of it.

We have absolutely no complaints about the stock browsers on either the Samsung Galaxy S III or the LG Optimus 4X HD. Anything that you need in order to enjoy the web to its fullest is present on these devices, namely the support for Adobe Flash, the seamless text reflow, and the buttery-smooth navigation, not to mention that web pages look pretty nice when rendered across all that display real estate.

Pitting the LG Optimus 4X HD against the Samsung Galaxy S III is like having a drag race between a Ferrari and a Lamborghini. No matter the winner, you still have one mighty piece of hardware on your hands. But if synthetic benchmarks is what you trust, the Galaxy S III with its quad-core Exynos processor seems to have the upper hand. The Optimus 4X HD, however, with its quad-core Tegra 3 chip, does not trail far behind.

These noteworthy scores are complemented by excellent real-life performance under almost any circumstances. Apps launch in the blink of an eye, and virtually no lag exists when switching between tasks, which should come as no surprise since each one of these two smartphones has been given 1GB of RAM. All in all, performance under every-day conditions is top-notch with both the LG Optimus 4X HD and the Samsung Galaxy S III.

If storage capacity is of utmost importance, the Samsung Galaxy offers more flexibility as you can have it with 16, 32, or 64 gigs of on-board capacity, which can be expanded further with a microSD card of up to 64 gigabytes. That is plenty of storage space – perfect for carrying around all those Big Bang Theory episodes. The Optimus 4X HD comes in a 16-gigabyte variety only, but the good thing is that microSD cards of up to 64 gigs can be installed as well.

It is a bright, sunny day here – perfect weather conditions for these two smartphones to show what their 8-megapixel cameras can do! Well, the results are in, and in our opinion, the Samsung Galaxy S III is a more capable shooter than the LG Optimus 4X HD. Yet that is not because it takes better photos. In fact, both smartphones take photos of above average quality, under outdoor and indoor lighting conditions, but nothing that you would want to exhibit in an art gallery.

What makes us go with the S III, however, is its much greater set of features, with a burst shot mode capable of taking 20 full-resolution photos faster than you can say “gherkins”. Besides, it has a wider field of view, meaning you can capture a “bigger” picture without being too far from the object. The panorama mode works pretty good as well, and a camera shutter lag is non-existent. In contrast, the 4X HD takes terrible panorama pictures and it has a bit of a hard time locking the focus on objects. Last but not least, the S III's camera can be conveniently launched straight from the lock screen, unlike on the Optimus 4X HD.

When it comes to shooting 1080p video, the Samsung Galaxy S III dominates with its clear, detail-rich footage. Video taken with the Optimus 4X HD looks quite unimpressive, despite its high resolution.

We are surprised to see that the music players on the LG Optimus 4X HD and the Samsung Galaxy S III share the same drawback, namely that neither of them has playback controls on the lock screen. Other than that, they come with any feature you might expect, such as a home screen widget, controls in the drop-down menu, and an equalizer. Their interfaces look mostly stock, but we find nothing wrong with keeping things simple. Overall, no matter which smartphone you choose to be your music player, the experience will be identical. 

Without a doubt, watching videos on these two handsets is a pleasant experience. That is mostly due to the giant, high-res displays they are equipped with, but also because their video players support any popular video file format you can think of, all the way up to 1080p resolution.

Undoubtedly, the Samsung Galaxy S III is the clear winner when it comes to in-call audio clarity. Voices are loud and clear on both sides of the line, without any hints of digitizing or distortion. On top of that, the secondary microphone does an excellent job canceling out background noise, regardless of whether we are speaking or not. The LG Optimus 4X HD delivers above average audio quality, but its microphone and earpiece are a rank below those on the Galaxy S III.

There is a pretty good loudspeaker on the S III's back, but the one on the Optimus 4X HD does not impress with its volume. We played back the same YouTube video simultaneously on the two devices and the sounds coming out from the S III could be heard a lot easier. At least the stock ringtones sound equally loud on both smartphones.

Battery life should not be an issue with either of these smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S III comes with a 2100mAh battery, while the Optimus 4X HD is equipped with an even larger 2,150mAh cell. Both handsets are capable of delivering over 11 hours of continuous talk-time on 3G and should last for over a month on stand-by. Furthermore, a full charge should be more than enough to last you through a day of moderate usage.

There is a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S III and the LG Optimus 4X HD. Both devices come with powerful, top-end hardware, absolutely no major drawbacks, and will surely serve you well for years to come. The pros with the S III, however, seem to outnumber those of the 4X HD. Samsung's flagship has a better camera, superior in-call audio quality, and we quite like its aesthetic features. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the 720p screen on LG's pride and joy, with its neutral color representation and superior outdoor visibility, outperforms the S III's Super AMOLED HD display, at least from our point of view. Besides, the device itself feels more compact, and is therefore, a bit easier to handle.