OnePlus One vs LG G2

I was fortunate to get an invite to buy a OnePlus One, and at this time I was using an LG G2, which itself is a pretty solid device. Since I have these two, here’s a note on how they stack up against each other. Some would find an ideal comparison to be between the LG G3 and the OnePlus One, but I felt the LG G2 gives it a pretty strong fight, and on the other hand, this is all I have to compare J

Below are my observations on some main areas, and for a quick spec comparison, go to this link.

Display

Both IPS displays are extremely crisp, and show HD content very well. The extra 0.3” on the OnePlus One over the 5.2” LG G2 adds significant real-estate for viewing. While both had almost similar very wide viewing angles I noticed that the OnePlus One display is more to the warmer side. This has been a common observation, and I also know that CM calibrates it a little warmer – probably to get deeper blacks. Also with the color tuning options provided by CM, you get push this to the whiter side a bit more. However, I think the LG G2 display is better in terms of colors and sharpness and probably the additional PPI (424 PPI vs 401 PPI) and a more mature panel is making that happen. Icon borders etc were very crisp on the LG G2 display and the OnePlus One display seemed a tad bit less crisp. Not a deal breaker, but comparatively it was an observation when you try them side-by-side.

However when in direct sunlight, the LG G2 panel tends to reflect and show its construction a bit. I can see the some arrays, probably from the polarizer (I am not sure). The OnePlus One’s panel showed nothing else than the actual intended content. Just a minor observation.

Both panels have linear polarization, and if you view it through polarized sunglasses you’ll have a problem viewing it in landscape mode when it is exactly horizontal. All other angles work, while portrait view giving the best intensity.

Based on the perceived level of quality, the LG G2 wins this round.

Performance

Despite having to draw more on the screen, the extra processing power and additional 1 GB of RAM seemed to work quite well to the OnePlus One. All interactions were very smooth, and during the time I used this, I did not notice a single stutter or issue. All bugs seemed to be fixed in this production version, and when I fired up the phone for the first time, there was an update which I believe included more fixes and enhancements. Switching between apps was very fast, and transitions within applications (eg: landscape portrait toggle on YouTube) was noticeably faster on the OnePlus One. The LG G2 wasn’t far behind at all, and in terms of application load time, it in fact beat the OnePlus One in some cases. During a mixed mode of work with stuff running in the background, I felt the OnePlus One was faster; owing to the extra working memory. But the G2 was surprisingly really, REALLY close.

Below is a side-by-side performance test between the two.

They both are finely tuned phones, but on the long run, I feel the OnePlus One will hold up better. Winner – OnePlus One.

Operating System

The LG G2 received the Android KitKat update few months ago, and the performance has been great so far. Both phones have Android KtKat as the platform, and specifically the CyanogenMod 11 on the OnePlus One takes it a bit further to add its own layers of added flexibility and improvements. I have been a big fan of CM for a long time, and it is at its best on the OnePlus One.  I didn’t see a lot of special attention being put by the system to help one handed operation by default, although you could do that after spending some time with some apps. The additional support for gestures on the locked screen were good, and the double tap worked pretty well. However, other gestures were a little over sensitive, and there were more than few times that I pulled the phone out with either the torch turned on (V gesture) or camera on (O gesture).  The Trebuchet launcher CM has is a nice flat look, but the default setting seemed to waste a lot of useful space, and I opted to go back to Nova Launcher. The basic platform provided with multiple flexibilities like screencasting, equalizer, screenshot, etc are very good.

I found the changes LG G2 had done on top of Android were a little cluttered and I got rid of most of the bloat like the QSlide, LG Launcher, LG Keyboard etc and kept it simple with the basic pull down layout, Nova Launcher and Google Keyboard  (The LG G3 seems to have learnt the lesson) . But the one handed operation options, the knock-knock feature, face tracking for videos and screen timeout etc are real winners on the LG G2.

Based on the available level of flexibility and overall customizability I give this round to the OnePlus One.

Camera

Both cameras have 13MP shooters. Apart from that similarity, key difference exist in the physical camera design as well as the camera app.  The LG G2 did well with incorporating Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) which helps a lot reduce camera shake and get good low light photos. The OnePlus One camera does not have OIS. I found the LG G2 to focus a lot faster and better compared to the OnePlus One. In well-lit situations, both took great pictures.

The camera apps are worlds apart, and both are good in their own ways. The OnePlus One’s custom camera app specific to this phone has the most intuitive mode selector I’ve ever seen. It is just a vertical swipe on the screen, and you scroll between Auto, HDR, Aqua, Mono etc modes. The panorama modes stitched images well. One let down for me was that in the 13MP mode, I can only take a 4:3 scaled photo and not a wide photo. I had to come down to 9.7MP for that ratio. For quick pictures, I sometimes found dealing with the Google Camera more convenient, although the image quality wasn’t much different.  The other options on the app were pretty good which spanned interesting settings like slow shutter speed (got to try this with a tripod), exposure mode, antibanding, slow-mo video, time-lapse etc. Slow motion videos looked great, and while HD videos were pretty impressive, I could not try the 4k capabilities.

LG camera app was more refined, but this too had the limitation of not taking 13MP wide shots. I didn’t like having to change picture modes through the menu which I have to set each time I get to the camera app. The reason is, on the G2, getting normal photos on HDR or Intelligent Auto modes used to give me nicer pictures. But each time the camera closes and opens it resets to the auto mode. The OnePlus One camera’s HDR pictures are insanely processed and they give out a very punchy image. I kind of like it in a way, but I am sure it is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Below are some comparison shots.

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G2 (HDR) 1+1 (HDR)

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G2 (HDR) 1+1 (HDR)

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G2 (No Flash) 1+1 (No Flash)

G2 (w/ Flash) 1+1 (w/Flash)

OIS is hard to beat in low light, and generally G2 pictures seem to come out slightly sharper for me in some cases. I do like the color reproduction on the OnePlus One, and the camera has so many options to tweak your shots and make them better.

I couldn't pick one. So, this camera round is a tie!

Design & Build

OnePlus One -  Pluses first. On the face it is a clean slab of awesomeness with no logos and stuff on the front. I like that clean look and kept glancing many times a day when it was on my desk.  I find the design very appealing with the raised glass, metal outer rim and the removable back plate. I am sure the metal rim take care of vertical drops although the glass might not stand a chance in an on-the-face drop. After all, what does? Also, the metal portion gives the phone a real sturdy premium feel when you hold it. They hit the bullseye  with coming up with a replaceable back plate design which can take up every day abuse. I am sure this sandstone surface will hold up very well every day and it adds good grip to the phone too. I am looking forward to the other backplates they’ve planned like Kevlar, denim, wood etc. The device feels very slim considering its surface area, and it felt great in the pocket. I do like the fact that they used capacitive keys hidden away on the bottom bezel, which allows the entire screen area to be used for other stuff. Some had chosen to turn on the on-screen keys, but I personally think it is a waste on a device which has dedicated physical keys. The side keys were appropriately placed on the middle of the sides, but I think they could have been a bit thicker. Not a big deal though. Overall – great sleek design!

Now for the LG. The thin bezels on the LG G2 help it be a smaller phone than it should be. I really like the layout of the components and the signature back buttons. I have grown in to the back volume buttons of the LG G2 so much, now I am finding all other designs so inconvenient. It was such a smart design decision LG made right there! What I didn’t like it the shiny plastic finish on the back which I had to protect using a cover that adds a bit more bulk to the phone. I found the G2 with the cover more bulky in my pocket than the OnePlus One. Overall – solid, intuitive, safe design.

I pick the OnePlus One as the winner for design & build.

Audio

I am looking at the external speaker quality, output via the aux jack and call quality under this category.

In terms of audio playback, I found the OnePLus One to be a little louder while the G2 sounded a little bit more refined. But the quality of the OnePlus One – specially with the real stereo speakers were quite impressive. Both these phones might not stack up against the iPhone 5S in terms of external speaker quality as it provides a warmer tone to the sound. But, between these two, they are almost in par. I could tweak things around with the equalizer built in to CM, and that made some good improvements to fit my taste. Both phones give out a balanced audio output through the external speakers even at high volume with no distortion. All this translated directly to the aux output playback through the 3.5mm jack, and I felt the OnePlus One was pushing out more power to the earphones compared to the G2.

Call quality in noisy environments seemed to be  better with the OnePlus One with the 3 microphone design for extreme active noise cancellation. The receiver of the call perceived a better experience when I called from the OnePlus One.

It is fair to say the  OnePlus One wins in the sound department.

Battery

LG G2 – OnePlus One – 3000mAh vs 3100mAh. Two of the largest batteries in their class. I generally didn’t have much of a problem running an entire day with the LG G2’s battery with above average use. But, during my testing, the OnePlus One held up a lot longer. I did not really do a video loop test or anything of the sort as I did not have time. But I tried it out with my regular use cases for few days, and the OnePlus One gave me better mileage easily by at least 5-6 more hours. Also you could remove the backplate and replace the OnePlus One battery if needed – although it is not specifically designed to do that.

With the power optimizations on CM I am sure the battery usage on the OnePlus One can only get better.

For the extra juice and the replaceable nature, the battery round goes to the OnePlus One.

Other

Apart from the main criteria highlighted above, the following extra features might be noteworthy for each phone.

LG G2 - The LG G2 has an IR blaster to use it as a universal remote with devices. I found this convenient, but I am not dazed by too many remotes. So, I was ok to use the remotes I have. The LG G2 internally has an FM Radio as well. If you are an on-the-go radio persone, this may be useful. I haven't used this even once. LG has been creating some solid devices in all fronts, and the brand value and track record will be something to consider as well. 

OnePlus One - OnePlus One screen has a Gorilla Glass 3 panel in contrast to the G2 having Gorilla Glass 2. GG3 is a bit more scratch resistant that GG2. The amount of additional features given through CyanogenMod is nothing to hark at. All those are really useful and much integrated to the OS than running few apps with the same functionality. If you liked the design choices of the Moto-X, you will appreciate the backplate replacement options too. 

Verdict

For the package you get for the price, hands down the one plus one is a clear winner! All minor glitches and personal gripes which are mostly fixable by software upgrades can be forgiven for the price this all comes at. For someone starting up or has a phone older than say – 1-2 years  - it’s a no brainer. The OnePlus One is an amazing device, and I’d say go for it!

In my mind, ignoring all external reasons, given the choice to buy G2 and the OnePlus One, I’d grab and embrace the OnePlus One in a heartbeat! Put it against the LG G3 – and then we’ll have a bit more to think there to see if the price difference justifies what more we get with the G3.

Whether I am going to continue using my G2 or OnePlus One or if I am attempting to get a G3 -  all depends on some external factors like carrier upgrade eligibility, contracts, resale value of phones, discounts etc. So, I personally have some decisions to make there in the coming few days.

Viva La OnePlus One!