Samsung Galaxy S4 or the LG Optimus G LTE?

[Beth]

My hubby and I have our three year contracts up soon so we'll be getting new phones.

Currently we have it narrowed down to the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the LG Optimus G LTE. Does anyone have either of these? Any pros or cons to either?

[SuperFred]

Did you search on Google for reviews on your phones?

[Jonathan · Accepted solution]

The Galaxy S4 is the cream of the crop. It is the fastest selling Android to date. Quick and dirty tech specs:

Android 4.2

5" super vivid and bright 1080p display (but in a thin, light chassis).

1.9GHz quad-core processor for fast multitasking

2GB of RAM (keeps thing running smoothly in the background)

13MP camera

Huge battery at 2600 MAh

Pros: Air view gestures that allow controlling your phone without touching it, new apps like S Translate (speak into your phone and it will speak out another language for you, how cool is that??) among other tricks up its sleeve. Camera - in well-lit conditions - is one of the best in class. Battery life is good because it's the biggest on any phone out right now (excluding Note and Note II). It's fast and it's beautiful to look at. The list of features this phone can do and the "little things" built into it is longer than anyone else's...

Cons: ... but that is both a blessing and a curse. I find many of the features a little gimmicky. I don't really need to preview messages in my conversation list by hovering my finger over it, I'll just open the thread thanks. Also, controlling music by waving my hand over the screen... really? It's so hard to just press the screen? Granted my friend says it's useful while he's driving his car but still seems a little too much if you ask me. Build quality is decent but still feels a bit cheap, especially compared to the HTC One or Optimus G or even the One X+.

Also, the price... I know it went down to $99 for Mobile Shop over the weekend but normally it's $200 on a new 3-year plus a $50 monthly spend. If you have the money and don't mind sticking with it for a while, go for it - but the Optimus G has some great deals of its own.

The Optimus G! Quick and dirty tech specs:

Android 4.0 (upgradable to 4.1)

4.7" 720p display

1.5GHz quad-core processor

2GB of RAM

8MP camera

Good battery at 2100 MAh

Pros: It's FREE on a 2 year (in your case, renewal) AND you don't need to take a $50 monthly plan - start with the $30 Voice and Messaging or go with the special $43 or $63 plans to get nationwide calls by default and some data thrown in. Think of how quick that subsidy is paid off... Telus is going to be giving you around $27 in credits off your device balance every month. That's huge!

32 GB of storage! It's non-expandable but hey, 32GB is a lot for most consumers anyway. It's a nice gesture. I find the build quality of the phone a bit better than the S4's plasticky feel. It's got a 1.5GHz quad-core, which is enough to handle most big tasks thrown at it. It can also be controlled to conserve energy. LTE is also there, which is nice for downloading stuff quickly but just be careful not to use it too much as it can drain your battery.

Cons: The battery life could be better, and the camera is good but now that phones are moving towards 13MP, it feels a tad behind.

If both of these phones were still 3 year/$50 monthly spend commitments, the choice might be a bit tougher, but for me to accurately make a suggestion, tell me: which phones do you and you hubby currently have? Based on the age of your terms, I'm feeling like the Optimus G will be a fantastic option for you guys since it will already be quite an upgrade AND it's more wallet-friendly. 🙂

[Beth]

Thanks for your reviews!  I currently have the Blackberry 8530 so any new phone will be a step up for me.  My husband has an android Motorola Milestone.  We  had it narrowed down to those two choices but now my husband is thinking we should add the Samsung Galaxy S3 in to the mix.  It won't be the newest version obviously but it still seems to have a lot of great things about it and would be cheaper than the S4.

[Jonathan]

It's also an awesome phone but I would still go with the Optimus G only due to the subsidy and price. It'll do most of the same things as the S III when it comes to the home pages and widgets, but the font/layout will be different. The app selection is the same, camera is nearly the same, battery is the same, NFC is on both, LTE is on both, plus it's actually got more storage space out of the box AND it's a quad-core processor, not a dual on the S III.

On top of all that, the main difference is you're cutting an entire year off your DB repayment and you have more freedom in which rate plan you want to choose!

Other than some motion gestures like swiping your palm for a screenshot or double tapping to go the top of a list, the Optimus G is much better value for your dollar. The Galaxy phones are obviously great devices, but they're too hyped up. Gems like the One X+ (statistically better than the S III in several categories) and the Optimus G (see above), which are now on 2 year terms with no $50 monthly spend required, fly under the radar.

[sampledbeats]

If you're not budget conscious, I'd say go for GS 4. The specs are great, the OS is great, the camera is great.