iPhone 6 vs LG G2: What Buyers Need to Know

This month Apple released the highly rumored and much anticipated iPhone 6 with a bigger 4.7-inch display. The phone is finally here, available as we speak, and consumers are likely weighing all the options available this fall for a new smartphone.

While many manufacturers have released flagship phones this year that compare nicely to the new iPhone 6, some from 2013 do too. In fact, here we’ll compare the new iPhone 6 to last years LG G2. A phone that is still extremely capable. While there are tons of options to choose from in 2014, below we’ll rundown a few things you’ll want to know about the iPhone 6 and the still impressive LG G2 from 2013.

Read: iPhone 6 vs LG G3: What Buyers Need to Know

The new iPhone 6 shows some major changes for Apple. First with a new and improved iOS 8, and then a major redesign of the iPhone for the first time in two years. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are both big, rounded on the sides, and look completely different from past models. LG has a new G3 this year that can take on the iPhone 6, and below we’ll explain why last years G2 is still a good alternative to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6 was finally released on September 19th and sold millions of units. In fact, reports suggest over 10 million were sold in the opening week alone, meaning the phone is doing extremely well thus far. It’s a great phone for a lot of users, but so is the LG G2. These phones are very different, but both have a lot to offer.

Display

First up is the display, considering this is the first time Apple has taken a major step in regards to screen size. The new iPhone 6 Plus has a massive 5.5-inch screen, but it’s only 1080p. This can’t compete with the LG G3 Quad-HD display, and the same can be said for the smaller versions.

The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch 720p HD display, and when compared to the LG G2 which offers a 5.2-inch 1080p HD display, size becomes important for the buyer.

To be exact, the iPhone 6 is 1334 x 750 pixels per inch. This should still look relatively clear, but most phones over the past year on the Android side in that screen size have already adopted the 1080p resolution that Apple saved only for its larger device.

After using the iPhone 6 since being released we can say that it’s an excellent display. All of Apple’s phones look great. The screen is bright and crisp, and viewing angles are rather excellent.

The LG G2 from 2013 though, is 5.2-inches and 1080p. Images will be more crisp, sharp, and possibly vibrant. While the colors or viewing angles don’t seem to be as good, it’s still a great viewing experience. If you want a bigger screen, but not an iPhone 6 Plus size, the LG G2 is a great middle ground. It also has tiny bezels to keep the physical size of the device rather small.

Design

The new iPhone doesn’t have any bold new changes, but the entire look is slightly new. They’ve changed out the look used over the past two years in favor of a more solid aluminum construction throughout the phone. There’s no more two-tone colors, as it’s all silver, black, or gold. However there are some gaps in the aluminum design for WiFi, 4G LTE, and NFC connectivity. This is essentially a gap to ensure proper performance from wireless radios, and to make sure you get enough bars to place calls. It can’t be all aluminum, or connections will suffer.

The overall design of the new iPhone 6 is pretty impressive. It’s sleek, thinner than previous generations while also being bigger and boasting better battery life, but there are a few compromises. One is the resolution of each screen as mentioned above, and the second is the new 8 megapixel iSight camera protrudes out a bit. We’d prefer it to be flat, but for whatever reason this wasn’t feasible.

Overall the design is what we’ve come to expect from Apple. It’s gorgeous, well made, and looks extremely durable. A few reports have surfaced claiming the bigger design and thin aluminum materials aren’t durable and the phones are bending in pockets. But that’s a bit overblown.

On the flipside, the LG G2 was built with one thing in mind, and that was to be sleek and offer nearly nothing on the front but a speaker grill and the huge display. The buttons are on the back in order to keep the sides clear. This allows for an edge-to-edge screen that just looks stunning. This allowed for a large 5.2-inch HD display on a phone not much bigger than most phones with smaller screens, including the new iPhone 6. Although it is slightly bigger.

The LG G2 is made of a lightweight plastic and certainly doesn’t look or feel as premium as the iPhone, but that isn’t what it’s going for. Whether that matters to you or not is up to the buyer, we’re just sharing the details. The LG G2 is lightweight yet durable, easy to hold, and has a stunning screen. We have a feeling the 6 Plus may be too big for many, but some still want a screen bigger than 4.7-inches, and the LG G2 could be a good fit.

Specs

Comparing specs doesn’t mean one is better than the other, especially considering one is Android vs iOS. While we won’t go into the discussion of quad-core vs dual core (or iOS vs Android for that matter) below is the detailed breakdown of what both have to offer in terms of specs, and size. These phones are nearly the exact same size, with the iPhone 6 of course being thinner.

LG G2 Specs

• 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD Display
• 2.3 GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM
• 32GB of storage (no micro-SD)
• 13 megapixel camera with OIS, 2.1 front shooter
• Plastic design, buttons on the rear
• IR Blaster for remote control
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 3,000 mAh battery
• 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm and 143 grams

iPhone 6 Specs

• 4.7-inch 1334 x 750 HD IPS Retina Display
• 1.4 GHz Dual-core Apple A8 processor with 1GB of RAM
• 16/64/128GB storage, no micro-SD
• 8 Megapixel rear and 1.2 front facing cameras
• Meal design all around
• Apple iOS 8
• Fingerprint scanner with TouchID
• 1,810 mAh battery
• 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm and 129 grams

Looking at the specs you’ll notice a lot of similarities, and differences. The overall size is extremely similar. With both being the same height, LG being a bit wider for the bigger display, and Apple’s new phone being a bit thinner. It’s worth nothing these are very similar in size while one has a bigger more HD display, bigger battery, and what could be a better camera.

One thing buyers should be aware of is storage. Apple never offers micro-SD cards for expandable storage, and LG didn’t either on the LG G2 in 2013. You get 16/64/128GB iPhone 6 options, vs a 16 or 32GB LG G2, and that’s the only option. This is a rare case where Apple wins over an Android in terms of storage, as most Android phones support a micro-SD card, including the newer LG G3 released back in May. This brings us to our next point.

Price

One major aspect of buying a new smartphone is the price. We all know Apple devices are expensive, and the new iPhone’s are no different. However, this year Apple buyers will have a few new choices in terms of storage configurations too, but at a cost. Here’s the breakdown for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus vs the LG G2.

• iPhone 6 16GB – $199
• iPhone 6 64GB – $299
• iPhone 6 128GB – $399
  

• iPhone 6 Plus 16GB – $299
• iPhone 6 Plus 64GB – $399
• iPhone 6 Plus 128GB – $499

• LG G3 32GB – Free (on contract from most US carriers)

As a reminder, these prices are when you sign a 2-year contract with your carrier of choice. Meaning the 128GB iPhone 6 is $499 along with a 2-year contract. The LG G2 however, is $499 outright, no contract required. It originally launched for a bit more, but now that it is a year old most carriers are offering it free vs $99 or $199 on contract, and the full retail price has dropped to only $499.

A bigger redesigned iPhone 6 with more storage options than ever before sounds great, but it comes at a price. If you truly need 64 or 128GB of storage the LG G2 isn’t a good option, but there’s plenty of other Android phones around.

Most likely users will opt for the 64GB iPhone 6 option, as 16GB isn’t much these days with all the impressive games and high quality applications available for smartphones. However, a 32GB LG G2 for free sure sounds nice, right?

Camera

Apple is known for providing good cameras in its phones, and the new iPhone 6 promises to deliver the best experience yet. It’s still 8 megapixels, like previous years, but has been overhauled to deliver the best camera on any iPhone. Last year the LG G2 was one of the first phones with Optical Image Stabilization. It took pretty excellent photos, but didn’t work as well as many hoped. The new G3 though, is even better, and both offer Apple some competition.

Initial impressions on the iPhone 6 camera are excellent, so camera-focused buyers will likely want to get the iPhone 6 over something like the aging LG G2, but it should do a great job for the vast majority of buyers.

Not to mention Apple’s TrueTone flash and 240 FPS slow-motion video capture are a few more features that LG’s smartphone simply can’t match. If the camera is important, you’ll want to try these both before buying one vs the other.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve used an iPhone or an Android device in the past you know what you’re getting with either of these phones, most likely. Instead of trying to compare each and every little bit, above are the important things buyers will want to know. Those being the design of each phone, the screen size and resolution, and of course the price. Both phones are readily available around the United States from all major carriers, and many still offer the LG G2 for a huge discount, if not free.

We’re still digging through everything on the new iPhone 6 and iOS 8 and reviews are coming, but in the meantime feel free to take a peek at our LG G2 Review from last year.