LG Optimus G Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S III

Introduction

Even after almost a year since its introduction, the Samsung Galaxy S III remains one of the most sought-after handsets, that's why we are staging a quick comparison with LG's newest flagship darling, the Optimus G Pro. We use the Korean version of the G Pro that is currently out on the market, and sports a 5.5” panel, unlike the 5” variation announced for Japan. LG said the G Pro will arrive in North America next quarter, but didn't specify which screen size will make it across the pond.

Granted, being a newer generation device, the G Pro beats the S III in almost every specs category, but Samsung has managed to create its finest future-proof, and keeps it relevant with thoughtful software updates, so let's dig in and examine which is the one for you...

Design

If one-handed navigation is more important to you, or you are simply not into giant handsets, the much more compact 4.8” Samsung Galaxy S III will be right up your alley, as it is very thin and light for the screen size, and has a pretty ergonomic rounded shape throughout.


LG has done a very good job too, though, keeping the G Pro as light and compact as possible with this 5.5” panel, reducing the side bezel to a minimum. It is much taller than the S III, but not much wider, so one-handed navigation is still in the cards, provided that LG didn't slap the back button on the left, which requires finger acrobatics each time you have to use it, unless you are a leftie.


Both handsets use plastic for the chassis, and sport removable glossy back covers, allowing you to easily swap the battery, or add more memory.

The Optimus G Pro intros two unique features that the S III doesn't have – a physical QButton on the left, which lets you launch any app on the phone you've mapped to it, and an infrared sensor at the top to control your TV, AC, set-top box and the like, which we found to be very handy on a daily basis – you can change channels on your gym TV, for instance, without looking for the remote forgotten somewhere on the 20 treadmills.


Displays

The 5.5” LG Optimus G Pro panel sports excellent 401 ppi density on account of the 1080x1920 pixels of Full HD resolution. The Galaxy S III features a more humble 4.8” 720x1280 display with 306 pixels per inch.

With S III, the colors are oversaturated to the point of gaudiness, and they are also much colder compared to the toned down, accurate picture produced by the G Pro. Where the S III has the upper hand is in its deep blacks, which makes watching movies a joy, and there are also screen modes that scale down the color saturation if it annoys you. What you can't do anything about, however, is the very low screen brightness of Samsung's handsets. The Optimus G Pro is almost twice as bright, and with low screen reflectance, too, so it sports much better outdoor visibility under direct sunlight. As far as viewing angles go, both the Super AMOLED display on the S III, and the IPS-LCD panel on the G Pro perform very well from all sides.