iPhone 6 Plus vs LG G3 Specs Battle

iPhone 6 Plus vs LG G3 Specs Battle

The iPhone 6 Plus was no doubt one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year. Apple ventures for the time into the land of 4+ inch smartphones, a land that is already overcrowded with Android rivals. Since Apple’s biggest new iPhone has a 5.5-inch screen we thought it would makes sens to put it in a head-to-head iPhone 6 Plus vs LG G3 Specs battle.

It was only last year when Apple bashed big screen phones and now their latest iPhones have 4.7 and 5.5-inch displays. The LG G3 is one of the most appreciated 5.5-inch Android smartphones, therefore we are curious to see how Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus performs against it.

If you were with us for our previous Versus articles you would probably know that the iPhone 6 Plus vs LG G3 battle will have 10 rounds where will be comparing the performance of the two devices based on Display, Dimensions, Processor, Camera, Memory, Operating System, Connectivity, Design, Battery Life, and Price. Each round is worth one point and the smartphone that manages to score most points is declared the winner.

Display

To me, and probably to many of you, the display is one of the most important characteristics when it comes to choosing a smartphone. After all, you will have to look at it each time you check your device.

The iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD screen with 1080 x 1920 resolution and 401 ppi pixel density. It also has a shatter proof glass and olephobic coating. On the other hand, the LG G3 boasts about a 5.5-inch True HD-IPS + LCD screen with 1440 x 2560 resolution, 534 ppi pixel density, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

As you can see for yourself, the LG G3 brings higher resolution and higher pixel density, so it wins the Display round. The LG flagship wins the first round of the battle.

Dimensions

Apple was know for build phones that are more suitable for one-hand usage. Well, it’s not the case anymore, because the new iPhones have grown in dimensions after Apple increased the size of their screens.

The iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm and has a weight of 172 grams. Despite having the same screen size, the LG G3 is considerably more compact than its rival. It’s 146.3 mm tall, 74.6 mm wide, and 8.9 mm thin. It also weighs in at 149 grams.

The LG G3 is both lighter and more compact than its Apple rival. G3 wins the Dimensions round.

Processor

Apple used 64-bit processors for the first time last year, on the iPhone 5S, and the iPhone 6 Plus makes no exception. On the other hand, the Android OEMs aren’t currently using 64-bit enabled on their smartphones.

The iPhone 6 Plus is underpinned by Apple’s custom-made A8 chipset. It has a dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) CPU and PowerVR GX6650 GPU. The LG G3 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 SoC with four Krait 400 cores clocked at 2.3 GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU.

Early benchmarks are indicating that Apple’s new A8 SoC is outperforming most of its rivals. The iPhone 6 Plus wins the Processor round.

Camera

I’ve always believed that the best camera is the camera you are always carrying with you. That’s why I want to have an above-average primary shooter on the back of my smartphone.

The iPhone 6 Plus arrives with an 8 MP iSight camera with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED flash. It also has 1/3″ sensor size and F2.2 aperture, while sporting geo-tagging, simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR (photo/panorama), while recording 1080p@60fps videos. The front panel of the new Apple flagship accommodates a 1.2 MP camera with 720@30fps video recording support.

LG’s G3 boasts about a 13 MP primary shooter with phase detection/laser autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual-LED (dual tone) flash, 1/3″ sensor size, F2.4 aperture, simultaneous video and image recording, geo-tagging, face detection, HDR, and 4K video recording capabilites. The front-facing camera has a 2.1 MP sensor and full HD video recording support.

Real-life tests have shown that the camera mounted on the back of the LG G3 out performs iPhone 6 Plus’ unit when it comes to image quality. Therefore, the LG G3 wins the Camera round.

Memory

There are over a million apps available in both Google Play Store and Apple App Store and you will need a large amount of storage to install the ones you need. Not to mention about your music collection, favorite TV shows, or the photos and videos you will capture using your phone.

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with 16, 64, or 128 GB of storage and it doesn’t have support for microSD expansion. It also comes with only 1 GB of RAM. The LG G3 has 32 GB of native storage with support for microSD cards up to 128 GB and 3 GB of RAM for your multitasking needs.

The LG G3’s storage can climb up to 160 GB and it also brings three times the amount if iPhone 6 Plus’ RAM. The LG smartphone wins the memory round.

Operating System

iOS and Android are the most popular mobile operating systems on the market, each having its fans and opponents. The iPhone 6 Plus runs iOS 8 out of the box, while the LG G3 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat with LG’s proprietary skin applied on top of it.

iOS 8 is the latest version of Apple’s mobile platform which continues the design philosophy introduced in 2013 by iOS 7. Because it’s a major update it brings some new features, but not a single one would make you jump off your chair. Probably because you’ve already seen them in the past on other Android devices. iOS 8 introduces Health a fitness app meant to track your activities and sleep. It also comes with a smarter keyboard, the ability to install custom keyboards from App Store, voice messages for the native Messaging app, widgets for Notifications Center, and reorganized Photo library.

Even though I am a stock Android fan, I have to admit that LG’s G3 skin is pretty cool. Among others, it brings a new smart keyboard that it size-adjustable, which is pretty nice, especially if you have small hands. The number of pre-installed apps is now smaller and you can even delete pre-installed apps to free up more space. G3’s Smart Notice is some sort of personal assistant that “suggests what you need, even before you need it,” giving you recommendations such as erase apps you haven’t used for a long time, to call back someone you’ve missed a call from, to enable Battery Saver when the battery level is low, and more. Another cool feature is the Q Slide multitasking that allows you to have up to three windows opened in the same time. Anyway, one of the most appreciated features is Knock Code, which allows you to wake or unlock your phone using a customized knocking patter.

The LG G3 brings far more useful features, so it has to win this round. Sorry iOS fans, the LG G3 wins the point allocated for the Operating System round.

Connectivity

The connectivity features of the iPhone 6 Plus include DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 150 Mbps DL, 50 Mbps UL, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC (for Apple Pay-only), and Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. This is the first Apple smartphone to come with an NFC chip.

On the other hand, the LG G3 brings all the connectivity options worthy of a high-end smartphone. It comes with HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 21 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL/ EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC, IR blaster, and microUSB 2.0.

Design

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus depart from Apple’s design philosophy. Since the debut of the iPhone 4, Apples phones looked pretty much the same. Of course, the iPhone 5 was taller, but the design lines remained the same. The sad thing is that Apple’s new iPhones are not as good looking as their predecessors. They are still made of premium materials and yes, they are very thin, but this isn’t necessarily good news. It seems that, with the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple went past the dimensions at which using aluminium is feasible. You probably heard how easy the iPhone 6 Plus bends, users complaining that they accidentally bent their devices while keeping them in the pocket. This is not what Apple’s smartphones used to be.

The LG G3 keeps the same form factor as its predecessor, the LG G2. It has rounded corners, sharp edges, and a very very thin bezel around the display which looks great. It even keeps the same placement for the Volume and Power keys as the G2: on the back, right below the camera. If you’re worried about the ergonomics of the said buttons, hear that in less than an hour after you first get your hands on the device you will find out that they are even more easy to use than conventional buttons. Even though it’s not made of aluminium, the LG G3 brings a brushed metal finishing for the back lid which looks great.

The iPhone 6 Plus’ bending issues are a major design flaw, so it’s out from the race for the Design round. The LG G3 wins another point.

Battery Life

Let’s face it, the battery life is the biggest issue of modern smartphones. Fortunately, most smartphone manufactures are making efforts to address that.

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a non-removable Li-Po 2,915 mAh battery. Its rival, the LG G3 features a 3,000 mAh battery.

Even though the G3 has a slightly smaller battery, the higher screen resolution seems to be draining its battery faster. A recent test performed by Tom’s Guide shows that the iPhone 6 Plus is superior when it comes to autonomy. The Apple smartphone wins the Battery Life round.

Price

Because the high-end phones are usually sold on-contract, this are the prices that we will be comparing. Of course, the cheaper smartphone wins the round.

AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint are all offering the 16 GB variant of the iPhone 6 at $299 with a two-year contract. The 64 GB model is $399, while the 128 GB model is $100 more expensive.

The LG G3 32 GB has a price of $199 with two-year Verizon and AT&T contracts, while Sprint is selling it at $99. If you purchase the G3 from Amazon, you will be able to get it at an even lower price. The AT&Tmodel is available for free on-contract, while the Sprint and Verizonvariants cost $99.99.

The LG G3 is cheaper so it wins the Price round. Another point for the LG flagship.

Conclusions

Here we are at the end of the iPhone 6 Plus vs LG G3 specs battle. Let’s start counting points and see which smartphone has won.

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus has managed to win two points. It outperformed the LG G3 in the Battery Life and Processor rounds because it has longer autonomy and a more powerful chipset.

The LG G3 has won the Display, Dimensions, Camera, Memory, Operating System, Design and Price rounds, therefore scoring eight points. It outmatched the iPhone 6 Plus courtesy of its higher resolution display, because it’s more compact, has more storage and RAM, it brings more features, a more robust design, and because it’s cheaper.

We believe that the LG G3 is better than the iPhone 6 Plus, but you may think otherwise. Please share your opinion the the comments section below.