It’s the first true battle of Samsung, Sony and LG in 2014. Lets see which of these star players has the potential to win over the people in the coming months.
As the dust settles on Mobile World Congress, which just took place in Barcelona, we wanted to determine which newly announced flagship smartphone could become the people’s champion of 2014. We have the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony’s new Xperia Z2 flagship and the sizable LG G Pro 2 to compare side-by-side.
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | Sony Xperia Z2 | LG G Pro 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm | 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm | 157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3mm |
| Weight | 145g | 163g | 172g |
|
Screen size |
5.1-inches | 5.2-inches | 5.9-inches |
|
Resolution |
1920×1080 | 1920×1080 | 1920×1080 |
| Waterproofing | Yes. IP67 certified | Yes. IP55 and IP58 (also IP55 dust-resistant) | None |
| OS | Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) | Android 4.4 (KitKat) | Android 4.4 (KitKat) |
| Processor | 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 | 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 | 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 |
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB | 16GB | 16GB/32GB |
| Expandability | Yes. MicroSD up to 128GB | Yes. MicroSD up to 64GB | Yes. MicroSD up to 64GB |
| Connectivity | LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR remote | LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC | LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, IR remote |
| Camera (megapixels) |
16 (rear), 2 (front) | 20.7 (rear), 2 (front) | 13 (rear), 2.1 (front) |
| Battery | 2800mAh (removable) | 3200mAh (non-removable) |
3200mAh (removable) |
All three handsets run on the latest version of Android (4.4 KitKat), but each company has tweaked and changed the standard experience to better suit its own skill set and services. Samsung’s new TouchWiz interface uses flatter, more colourful icons (think iOS 6 to iOS 7). It’s also cleaner and easier to navigate without losing any functionality.
Sony meanwhile continues to revise its minimalist Android UI with minor alterations to the settings menu, however the fundamental experience remains unchanged from the Xperia Z1. The G Pro 2 sports a similar experience to the LG G2 and G Flex too, that for the most part looks and feels the same with multi-window and one-handed functionality in easy reach to make better use of the extra screen real estate.
Whilst CES gave us the LG LifeBand as a potential partner, the G Pro 2 seems more focused on entertainment and multimedia whilst the S5 and Z2 push the lifestyle angle in a similar fashion.
The Galaxy S5 launched alongside the new Gear Fit smart watch, but as a standalone product, it’s more than kitted out to serve as your digital training partner. Primarily using the new S Health 3.0 app, users can keep track of their activity using the phone as a pedometer and it can even read your heart rate with the inbuilt monitor on its back.
We’re yet to see much of Sony’s SmartWear family in action. The Core, which was initially unveiled at CES and had grown a camera by MWC, is designed to interface with the Z2’s Lifelog app, expected to come preinstalled on the device at launch. It’s implementation for the meantime, remains somewhat of a mystery, but it’s clear that Sony’s looking to go toe-to-toe with Samsung in turning your smartphone into some sort of fitness tracking hub.
The LG G Pro 2’s biggest addition is the inclusion of 4K and 120fps slow-motion HD video recording with editing capabilities in tow. Just like an iPhone 5S, the Pro 2 also boasts a Natural Flash feature, which should even out a subject in awkward lighting conditions.
It’s also worth considering that all of this could be for naught if the handset solely sticks to its home country of South Korea. It may be a powerful phone, but one that’s out of our reach. The Samsung Galaxy S5 meanwhile should be hitting stores in the UK around April 11th and the Sony Xperia Z2 around the same time, albeit without a specific day in mind.
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