OnePlus 2 vs LG G4 quick look

OnePlus has taken the wraps off of its latest flagship offering, and naturally, a question that a lot of you will have is with regards to how it fares against the latest and greatest that the world of Android flagships. We’ve already pit the device against the Samsung Galaxy S6, and now, we take a quick look at the OnePlus 2 vs LG G4!

The OnePlus 2 retains a lot of the design language of its predecessor, but with some minor tweaks and refinements along the way. The big change comes in the build material, with the OP2 featuring a metal frame and stainless steel accents. When it comes to the rear backing, apart from retaining the sandstone black version, new options include Kevlar, bamboo, rosewood, and black apricot, all as a part of the StyleSwap series. OnePlus also promises that switching between this rear backing options will be much easier this time around, and will not require any additional tools to do so.

The big change that is noticeable immediately is the introduction of a home button up front, and like most devices that feature the same, this button is home to a fingerprint scanner. Another added control is the Alert Slider, found on the left side, that lets you toggle between your notification settings (none, priority, and all) quickly and easily, without needing to unlock your phone. Another big addition with the OnePlus 2 is the use of a USB Type-C port, found at the bottom of the device, making it one of the first devices to adopt the latest USB standard.

On the other hand, the LG G4 brings together the best design elements of their last two high-end offerings, the G Flex 2 and the LG G3, culminating into the LG G4, with its subtle curve to the display, that is more pronounced when turning over to the back, as well as the signature LG rear button layout. While the design isn’t a dramatic departure from the the company’s norm, what LG tried to do in terms of uniqueness is seen in the material options available for the rear panel. Available in a plastic backing with a ceramic finish, or in leather, with a variety of color options, the LG G4 is a head turner in its own unique way.

Both devices feature 5.5-inch displays, with dimensions that are quite similar. As such, the handling experience is also similar between the two, although the LG G4 does get some points for easier access to the button layout courtesy of their unique position on the back, compared to the more standard placements found with the OnePlus 2.

Both devices feature 5.5-inch displays, but of the 1080p variety in the case of the OnePlus 2, compared to the Quad HD screen of the LG G4, resulting in a pixel density of 401 ppi and 534 respectively. The In-Cell IPS LCD display with a 178 degree viewing angles means that viewing angles are great, and with a brightness of 600 nits, the OnePlus 2 outperforms most devices in the market, including the LG G4, and in this regard, outdoor visibility should be of no concern. While many may be disappointed with the lack of Quad HD, 1080p certainly still gets the job done.

A big focus with the LG G4 was on making this display rival the DCI standard found in general television and cinema, with the Quantum display hitting 98% of the mark.The LG G4 display may not pop as much as the AMOLEDs of the world, but the color reproduction is certainly very accurate, and there are no issues with brightness or viewing angles.

Given that both smartphones are current generation high-end flagships, it’s no surprise that they feature the best that Qualcomm has to offer. The OnePlus 2 comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, clocked at 1.8 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 430 GPU, while the LG G4 comes with a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 and 3 GB RAM in the case of the LG G4, with an additional gig of RAM available with the OnePlus 2 64 GB version.

The performance is as smooth as ever with either device, and doing anything, from opening and closing apps, scrolling through various elements of the UI, to playing graphic-intensive games are handled easily, even though the hexacore processor of the of the LG G4 is considered the inferior of the two, it doesn’t really translate when it comes to real world performance. The Snapdragon 810 is notorious for getting uncomfortably warm though, and we will have to wait and see if that issue comes with the OnePlus 2, even though OnePlus claims that this shouldn’t be a worry.

The OnePlus 2 comes with either 16 GB or 64 GB storage options, which also dictates how much RAM you get, 3 GB or 4 GB, but there is no expandable storage available, so users will have to pay a little more to get the latter. On the other hand, the LG G4 comes with 32 GB of on-board storage, but with a microSD card slot that allows users additional storage of up to 128 GB. On the hardware front, the big addition in the case of the OnePlus 2 is the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner that is integrated into the physical home button up front. The OnePlus 2 packs a larger 3,300 mAh battery, compared to the 3000 mAh unit of the LG G4, and given the overall similarities between the two devices, the battery life story should also be along the same lines, with the OnePlus 2 maybe offering better battery life because of its lower resolution screen.

One feature that is conspicuously missing from the OnePlus 2 is a NFC chip. OnePlus claims it removed it because users don’t really care about it, but given that NFC is crucial for mobile payments and other applications favored by OnePlus’ target audience, we’re skeptical about this decision.

In the case of the G4, a f/1.8 aperture package outshines the competition with a larger sensor over ones found in other flagships. OIS is also enhanced with a wider stabilization range. Color has been given a big focus, with LG adding in a color spectrum sensor found right next to the optics that will analyze the scene to help achieve the right white balance automatically and accurately.The manual mode is another big story, as LG has put in all of the big features photographers get in full cameras – a full white balance gamut, a lot of ISO stops, manual focus, a histogram, and even the ability to shoot RAW and JPEG simultaneously. Overall, the LG G4 camera is one of the best in the business, and is certainly a very hard act to follow.

If there was any issue with the OnePlus One, it had to do with the camera, which, while definitely not the worst, wasn’t particularly great either. OnePlus is hoping to change all that with the 13 MP rear camera of the latest device, which comes with an f/2.0 aperture, OIS, and also a laser auto focus system similar to what the LG flagship is packing. The OP2 camera also supports 4K video recording and capturing images in the RAW format. While things look great in our initial time with the device, a more thorough testing will be required before we can make any final judgments.

The OnePlus 2 is running OnePlus’ own Oxygen OS, based on Android 5.1 Lollipop, which retains a lot of the stock Android and Material Design elements, while also adding some interesting and very useful features. It is filled with features though, including off-screen gestures, such as double tap to wake, drawing an O to open the camera, drawing a V to toggle flashlight, drawing two straight vertical lines with two fingers to play/pause music, and drawing < or > to play previous or next track respectively. Custom LED notifications lets you set a particular color for a certain type of notification, easy notification access, custom hardware and software navigation keys, a dark mode for better night time viewing, and Shelf, which is essentially a large widget that houses your most used apps and favorite contacts, and that is to only name a few.

In software, the G4 comes with a very familiar user interface that hasn’t changed much – but an optimized processing package allows for lag and stutter to be kept at a minimum. Many of LGs features have been retained, ranging from the useful, like Knock Code and Multiwindow, to the not so useful, like Smart Bulletin and Smart Notice.

Of course, the big story here is the price, and OnePlus continues to break the mold in this regard, by bringing to consumers another fantastic high-end smartphone, at less than half the price of its direct competition, including the LG G4. It’s difficult to argue against a device that offers all that the OnePlus 2 does, for just $389 for the 64 GB version, and even cheaper at $329 for the 16 GB iteration, which is more than enough reason to overlook any flaws that the device may have. It is actually quite unfortunate that OnePlus is re-introducing the dreaded invite system once again, because other than that, the company seems to have a sure fire winner on their hands, and hopefully, it’ll be much easier to get your hands on the device this time around.