It’s time to settle in again for another edition of Phone Wars. This time we have two current beasts, both running on the powerful Quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processors and 2GB of RAM. So it’s no doubt that both of these are some fast beasts on LTE. In one corner we have the HTC Droid DNA that is available on Verizon with a 5″ 1080p display. Then in the other corner we’ve got the LG Optimus G (comparing the AT&T model in the table below), which is available on both AT&T and Sprint. It’s packing a 4.7″ 720p IPS+ display. So let’s get this started with some specs.
Specifications
HTC Droid DNA
The HTC Droid DNA is a great device, it’s the American (well Verizon) variant of the J Butterfly announced for Japan a few months ago. The Droid DNA is only available on Verizon here in the States, but does feature some nice specs, especially that 1080p screen. On the outside you’ll notice that the battery is non-removable, and the power button is still on the top. Making it a bit awkward to turn on/off the device. Especially given it’s 5″ display. Onto the software side, you get Android 4.1 – Jelly Bean along with Sense 4+. Lately Sense has been scaled back quite a bit compared to Sense 3.x. With the Droid DNA you’ll be getting Google Now, expandable notifications, Project Butter and more.
Pros:
- That 5-inch, 1080p display; I just can’t say it enough. The display is gorgeous!
- Android 4.1; not the latest version of Android but close enough unless you’re looking for a Nexus
- Sense 4+; not everyone likes Sense, but for those that do this is a plus!
Cons:
- Small battery; with a display like this and LTE, you’d expect a battery size to be at least 2500-2700mAh so it can last more than a few hours
- No expandable storage; all you get is 16GB, well its more like 14GB of usable space.
- Sense 4+; like I said above, not everyone likes Sense, so for those don’t like it, you’ll want to pick up something different.
- Only available on Verizon
LG Optimus G
Here we have the Optimus G, the big brother to the Nexus 4. The reason why I say big brother is that the Optimus G has LTE while the Nexus 4 doesn’t. Other than the fact that the Optimus G has LTE, and Android 4.0 instead of 4.2, the Optimus G and Nexus 4 are exactly the same in specs. On the software side you’ve got Android 4.0 – Ice Cream Sandwich along with LG’s user interface which isn’t to bad compared to Touchwiz and Sense. But it’s still not stock Android which is what the most of us want nowadays. On the hardware side we’ve got a non-removable battery just like the HTC Droid DNA and many other newer Android devices. So you get a 2100mAh battery for the Optimus G.
Pros:
- Relatively similar to the Nexus 4
- Closest to Stock Android you’ll get without having a Nexus or being on Verizon
- Expandable storage; up to 64GB in addition to the 16GB internal
Cons:
- Android 4.0; Not that ICS was a bad release, it wasn’t, but it’s over a year old and 2 full versions behind.
- Non-removable battery
- Only available on Sprint and AT&T
Winner…
While it was pretty close, the winner would have to be the HTC Droid DNA. While specs are pretty close to the same on these devices until you get to the screen, OS and battery size. The HTC Droid DNA wins based on its screen and Operating System. Since it’s running a more up-to-date version of Android it wins this Phone War. You can pick up the HTC Droid DNA from Verizon for $199 right now. And the LG Optimus G is available on both Sprint and AT&T right now for $199.99.