LG G2 or Nexus 5?

LG G2 or Nexus 5?

  • LG G2

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Nexus 5

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1

N0isy

Honorable
Aug 26, 2013
11
0
10,560
Hello everyone,

I'm thinking about buying a new smartphone and these two are the best for me. I can get them for the same price in my country, so money isn't a plus. I know G2 has better camera, battery and display but has awful glossy plastic back and body like one of the Samsung mobiles which I'm sick and tired of after my Note II phone. Nexus on the other hand has plastic too but it's soft touch and is comfortable in hand. I'm thinking about flashing CM on G2 if I'll get it, so bloatware isn't a problem at all.

I have no idea which one to get after so many reviews I read. What would you recommend me then?

I'm using my phone primarily for SMS, calls and internet. Maybe for some arcade games when I'm in bus or like that but that's it.

Thanks a lot for any help!
 

Guavas

Honorable
Sep 24, 2013
11
0
10,570
Personally, I'd get a Nexus; it's just one of the best phones on the market. The G2 is really good too though, and it really depends on what you want (try them, hold 'em, play games on them, etc.) , but keep in mind that it's always better to go for a phone that doesn't have to modified than one that does.
 

g-unit1111

Distinguished
Moderator
They're almost identical phones - the current version of the Nexus 5 is actually manufactured by LG and almost identical in every way shape and form to the G2 except the main difference is in the back power and volume buttons.
 

randomizer

Distinguished
Join the club. I couldn't decide between them, so I bought both :lol: I will mostly likely be sticking with the Nexus 5, primarily because it's lighter and smaller, has more accessories, receives updates quickly and is a bit nicer to hold. I'm a fairly light user, so the battery lasts me around 2 days. The G2 will get to 2.5-3 days on light use with relative ease. I don't feel like I can be bothered with custom ROMs.

I don't use the camera much, but the G2's camera is usually better except for the fact that the stock software tends to keep the shutter open too long and this makes low light photos a bit blurry. There's a modded version on xda-developers that tweaks the software and supposedly improves this, though I haven't used it myself. It appears as though the N5 reproduces the colour of objects in the photo more accurately, but that's most likely down to the display (I've not compared them on the same screen). Regardless of its flaws, the LG camera software is simply better than the AOSP one in almost every way, and yes, that's taking into consideration the 4.4.2 update.

The N5 has a more accurate display with average-at-best contrast (blacks are charcoal) while the G2 is oversaturated and has a cooler white point and much stronger contrast. You will be at home with the G2's display if you've come from Samsung's eye-bleeding AMOLED displays.

The G2 has a greasy back. I think it is more grippy in the hand than the N5 despite popular opinion, but it's awful nonetheless. Get a case and the problem is solved, though you'll have a larger and heavier device if that concerns you. A TPU case will significantly improve the usability of the G2 while lying on a hard surface too, as it slips very easily compared to when it's in the hand.

If you are into glass screen protectors you'll find that there are some which are incompatible with the G2 despite being designed for it. Many have resolved problems with their initial batches though. The issue is that the G2's glass has a tapered edge and this means that thick pieces of glass tend not to stick around the edges. The good ones are all cut small so that they don't cover the tapered area and then peal. Might not be an issue for film SPs since they're much thinner.

Knock on is cool. I like being able to check the time without having to abuse the power button. Definite plus for the G2, and necessary given that the power button is on the back. I'm not a fan or a hater of the back buttons. They're a bit weird, but at least you don't keep pressing them when picking up the phone.

G2 has an IR blaster. If you want to use your phone as a remote then the N5 won't do you any good. A bit gimmicky but it has its uses.

Stock Android is faster and smoother. There is simply no getting around the fact that LG burdened their phone with a huge amount of software and this hampers it. It's not night and day, but you can easily tell the difference. Worse still is that the LG skin is trying too much to be like Touchwiz. The notifications screen has almost no room for notifications. Most issues can be resolved with custom ROMs or by rooting and modifying the stock ROM, with the latter possibly being preferable because the LG camera software is far better than the AOSP one.

What else have I not incoherently rambled about.... hmm... the G2 comes with earphones, or at least mine did. I've not used them, but they're supposedly pretty decent. G2 has a slightly better speaker, and can get louder out of the box. The G2 creaks a little when stressed, while the N5 does not, giving it a slightly less sturdy feeling.
 

N0isy

Honorable
Aug 26, 2013
11
0
10,560
Yeah I think I'll buy the Nexus 5 because of it's weight and more comfortable hold.

I know I could buy a case for the G2 but I'm sick of flip covers from my Note II. It just gets in the way everytime and it's annoying when you want to call or type SMS on the way. Probably I could buy normal case with some nice material on the back but that would add another layer to the back. If the case would replace the original back, I'd had no problem with that but there's just that flip cover for that and no normal case. Just those "attach" cases.

Another thing I mentioned is the body which really feels cheap and Samsungish on the G2 with it's silver "ring"on the sides which ruins the nice black design there.

I like minimalistic style so the rear key on G2 would be a good thing for me but on the other side Nexus is more minimalistic with it's speaker, camera and back cover so it looks nice.
 

randomizer

Distinguished
The G2 is probably a good choice if you've come from a Note and want something with a big (saturated) screen but more manageable. Otherwise, if you come from a phone that is 1/3 of the size of both of them like I do, you may find that a few mm makes a real difference, especially with a case added. It's probably not a bad idea to get a case regardless of your choice of phone. Neither device is particularly resilient to even small drops. I have a Diztronic TPU case on the G2, but none yet on the Nexus.

The silver edge didn't bother me, but the wider, flatter edges of the Nexus are definitely easier to grab on to when taking photos. The G2 is tapered at the back as well as on the screen edge, so it's thinner at the edge despite being thicker overall. A case alleviates this by giving more room for the fingers.
 

N0isy

Honorable
Aug 26, 2013
11
0
10,560
After Note I want the thinnest and average sized phone I can get tbh. The size of the screen isn't a problem at all too, they are both large enough.

Problem is that If I wanted to use those nice LG features like knock, tap unlocking etc. I'd had to use the stock ROM which looks quite chaotic and is similiar to TouchWiz. Notifications panel looks weird too. So with G2 I'd surely flash CM 11 with 4.4 or 4.3, so those features would disappear.

It's a really tough decision. Nexus 5 with it's pure Android and premium look or G2 with it's better battery and a little bit better performance, but awful look. I'm still not sure.
 

N0isy

Honorable
Aug 26, 2013
11
0
10,560
Not at all.

I'm using phone just for texting, calls and internet. Sometimes I play Arcade/casual games when I'm in bus or tram.

That's really all.
 

randomizer

Distinguished
Well, you'll get around 4 hours of screen on time while surfing the net on the Nexus 5, at least over wireless. Cell data will chew the battery a bit more. The G2 should easily manage 5-5.5 hours of SOT. I'm not sure how much games will affect that number as I don't play any.
 

N0isy

Honorable
Aug 26, 2013
11
0
10,560
Just bought the Nexus 5 and I'm really happy with it. Looks amazing, the body is well build and feels not cheap like the G2.

Shame it doesn't have the Knock feature like on the G2. That would really help a lot when I have it on table and just want to look on notifications but doesn't matter. As I said even if I bought G2, first thing would be flashing CM on it, so I wouldn't have those features anyway.

I bought the official bumper case so protection shouldn't be a problem when it arrives and maybe I could use the wireless charging too!

So I'm happy with my choice and think I won't be looking back.
 

Gfresh404

Distinguished
Feb 11, 2011
1
0
18,510


These phones are using quad cores CPUs clocked at about 2.3 ghz - no human will be able to tell a difference between a phone running stock android and a phone running LG's copy of touch wiz. And I actually like the fact that LG copied Samsung, the more options the better, but that just boils down to personal preference. And fyi getting rid of QSlide provides plenty of room for notifications: http://i.imgur.com/zeWo1VS.png

FYI PhoneArena did a head to head of these two phones - the LG just barely won, and frankly it should have - it's $200 more without a contract but either way you really can't go wrong, they're both great phones.
 

randomizer

Distinguished


Despite my avatar I am actually human, and I can tell a difference. Perhaps you can't. Perhaps many people can't. However, you are making a sweeping generalisation without even anecdotal evidence to support it. Everything I have said in this thread is based on my experience while owning both phones.



That's the Verizon model's notification screen. Verizon's model differs from models supplied by other US carriers and the international model (which I have outright), especially in hardware. A tidier notifications screen is one of the software differences. The other models have brightness and volume controls as well. This application may help to reduce the clutter although I've not used it myself. There are custom ROMS as well, including modified stock ROMs that keep the goodies are clear the clutter.

I think LG had a winner with the G2, but they just made some choices that remove some of the sheen. The rear buttons are a good differentiator from other devices (something that LG desperately needed) but possibly a little too controversial. They could have improved the software by going for more polish and fewer gimmicks. Finally, the plastic. Why burden a premium phone with cheap, greasy plastic? Going with something nicer would have further differentiated it from a Galaxy.
 

charliehill

Honorable
Jan 10, 2014
5
0
10,510
Impression of WIWOFIT Wireless Charger got from Amazon for Nexus 5

Good: Cool circle design
Not big, easy to carry
Response quickly
Works well
USB cable is stronger and long enough

Just so-so: no color option, only black
Needs a little bit longer time than cable charger

Bad : Not found