The LG G4 brings a new hardware and new software but how does it compare to its predecessor and is there really a need to upgrade if you already have an LG G3? Well, that’s what we’re trying to find out. Welcome to the comparison of the LG G4 and the LG G3.
Starting off with the aesthetics of these two—they share a very similar design language. And overall, the design really hasn’t changed much but more like matured from the LG G3. In my eyes, the switch to the slight curve to the display and the beautiful sides of the LG G4 speak a little more sophistication. Yes it may look like a OnePlus One but who really cares at this point?
The back still houses those famous volume controls and the lock power switch but they’re not as comfortable as the ones found on the LG G3. And that’s basically it from the sides of the aesthetics. Though I did mention that the LG G4 is slightly taller than the LG G3 in my unboxing and hands-on and that’s because the bezels are slightly larger than before.
The display on the LG G3 was a 2560 x 1440p IPS LCD panel. It was the first Quad HD display available here in the States and it was brilliant in every single way. The LG G4 also has a Quad HD panel of the same size but they put their Quantum Pixel technology they released in their TVs at CES this year. This adds an extra color filter above the backlight, which should prove to produce more accurate colors across the whole spectrum.
Next we’re going to take a look at all the hardware. The G3 came equipped with a 2.5GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 801 chip, 3GB of RAM, and the Adreno 420 GPU. The new G4 comes with the Six-Core Snapdragon 808 chip with 3GB of RAM, and the Adreno 418 GPU. The two chips inside Six-Core processor are very powerful but it’s quite odd that LG did not use the Octal-Core chip found on the HTC One M9.
Next let’s take a look at how the camera compares. The LG G3 featured a 13MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization that moved in four directions. They recorded pretty good 4K UHD video and took very good photos. It also had a laser beam for autofocusing. The new G4 features a 16MP camera with a wider aperture lens f/1.8. It also features an 8 direction OIS motor. It is also able to record stunning 4K UHD video and shoots fantastic photos. Also with a larger aperture, low light photography performance has been increased significantly. Laser autofocus has also been improved with more accurate autofocusing and faster autofocusing.
Now over to the software. My LG G3’s actually running Android 4.4 KitKat but most G3s now have been updated to 5.0.1 Lollipop. The reason why my unit hasn’t been upgraded is it’s a Korean unit with Korean software and it’s not available to get updated here in the States. The G4 is shipping with Android 5.1 Lollipop with LG’s 4.0 UX software. It’s a slightly reworked version of the skin we saw on the LG G Flex 2. It has tons of Android Material Design. It has been reworked to run smoother than before. But the overall feel of the software seems to be on par with the LG G3. Even if it were running 4.4 KitKat. But if you want a more accurate feel for the software, go check out our LG G Flex 2 review.
So overall, from your first looks comparing these two, the G4 seems to be a nice upgrade. But is it enough to make you fork over more money to get rid of your G3 and buy a G4? We’re not 100% sure that it is. It’s really nice though and we’re liking it quite a lot. We definitely have to play with this phone for a bit longer to get a complete feel for how it is so be sure to be on the lookout for our review early next week.
But I definitely want to ask you guys a question and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing your answers. Would you guys go for the LG G4 or stick with an LG G3 if you already have one? Make sure to leave those answers in the comments below.