Introduction

Have we got a good one for you today – the newest Xiaomi Mi Note Pro goes up against the newest LG G Flex 2.  These are the newest and most powerful devices from these two manufacturers – in fact, neither device has been released into the wild yet, we only saw the LG G Flex 2 at CES and the new Xiaomi Mi Note Pro at their own private event in Beijing.

These two devices have a very similar sized display and are very similar in overall size, although very different in design – the Mi Note Pro is an all glass and metal trim design and the G Flex 2 has both a curved display, battery and body.  One place they are on the same page is they both use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 64-bit 810 octa-core processor with one quad-core clocked at 2.0GHz and the other quad-core clocked at 1.5GHz.

The main cameras are also similar – 13MP sensors, dual-tone LED flash, OIS and autofocus, although the LG G Flex 2 employs their faster, Laser autofocus.  The batteries are almost identical size as well – 3090mAh on the Mi Note Pro and 3000mAh on the G Flex 2.  Both devices have the usual Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, a microUSB port, enhanced sound components and Quick Charge 2.0.

Check out the Specifications below and really compare them side-by-side…then we will take a look at each device on an individual basis and point out their strengths and weaknesses.  After that, I will pick the winner based on specs and execution.

Specifications

Xiaomi Mi Note Pro

The Xiaomi Mi Note Pro is a beautiful phone and unapologetically copies the older iPhone design – it uses 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3 for the display panel and 3D Gorilla Glass 3 for the back of the device and a metal strap holds it all together.  The Gorilla Glass 2.5D and 3D means that the display the glass is angled down slightly towards the metal band and on the back the glass is actually curved up all around the edges to form something like a ‘cup’ shape.  With the metal band holding it all together it forms a smooth, rounded and polished look, making it very comfortable to hold and giving it a very premium look.

The new Xiaomi Mi Note Pro comes with a 5.7-inch Quad HD (QHD) IPS LCD Display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 515 pixels-per-inch (PPI).  This out does that LG G Flex 2 with a 5.5-inch FHD P-OLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 403 PPI.  Either one of those displays are easily powered by the same 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor.  The Mi Note Pro comes with 4GB of RAM versus the 3GB on the G Flex 2.  The Mi Note Pro only has one option for internal storage – 64GB and no room for expansion, which is better than the 32GB only option in the G Flex 2, however, the G Flex 2 also has room for expansion via a microSD card for up to a theoretical 2TB of storage.

The camera should be very capable – 13MP sensor, autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and OIS.  The front-facing camera (FFC) is a full 4MP for selfies and video chatting.  A large 3090mAh battery powers the Mi Note Pro.  It has an extra microphone for noise cancellation, Dual-SIM, LTE Cat 9 (if you can find it), the speaker is on the bottom of the device and it is running 4.4.4 KitKat with Xiaomi’s MIUI 6 custom shell.  It will work on AT&T or T-Mobile – not LTE – and it will cost you $532 off-contract.

LG Flex G2

The newest LG G Flex 2 will not even be available for purchase until probably February, but it really stirred up some excitement at the CES show in Las Vegas.  The original G Flex had a very loyal cult of followers, even though it only had a 720p display – the big deal was its curved display.  LG did nothing but improve upon its original design as they reduced the display size from 6-inches to more likable 5.5-inches and upped the dismal 720p display up to 1080p.  They also threw in the latest 64-bit octa-core processor, increased RAM, increased the camera specs, and improved the self-healing back – LG listened and responded very nicely to its customers.

The new LG G Flex 2 now sports a more manageable 5.5-inch display – down from 6-inches on the first G Flex – and bumps it up from a measly HD to a FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a very respectable 403 PPI.  This is certainly down from the QHD and 515 PPI of the Mi Note Pro, however, with its P-OLED technology, the G Flex 2 has nothing to apologize about when it comes to the looks of the display.

Both devices come with the exact same Snapdragon 810 octa-core 64-bit processor clocked at 2.0GHz and 1.5GHz.  The G Flex 2 comes with 3GB of RAM versus the 4GB found in the Mi Note Pro – the G Flex 2 also only comes with 32GB of internal storage versus the 64GB found in the Mi Note Pro, but the G Flex 2 also has room for an internal microSD card to add up to (theoretically) 2TB of storage.

The main camera on the G Flex 2 is also a great improvement over the original and even slightly better than the Mi Note Pro – while they both have a 13MP sensor, dual-tone LED flash and OIS, the G Flex 2 adds their Laser autofocus for quicker and more precise focusing than the standard autofocus on the Mi Note Pro.  The 2.1MP FFC for social media selfies and video chatting is slightly smaller than the 4MP on the Mi Note Pro, but at those sizes do not make that much of a difference for their purpose.  Same with the 3000mAh battery versus the 3090mAh battery found on the Mi Note Pro – both batteries should easily get you through a day and both offer Quick Charge 2.0 thanks to their Qualcomm processor.

As far as extras go, the G Flex 2 does offer a self-healing back to help with nicks or scuff marks, it does have a built-in IR Blaster, FM Stereo radio and the curved design is a big plus for some consumers.  In my opinion, two of the most important elements are the facts that the G Flex 2 works on the LTE networks in the US and it will come sporting the newest Android 5.0.1 Lollipop.  It is being claimed by AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular at this point for approximately $299 on a two-year contract and about $650 off contract.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

I am not a fan of the curved display, but of these two devices, and living in the US, I have to go for the LG G Flex 2 as the winner in this comparison, because I am also not a big fan of an all glass device.  I will give up the QHD display and additional 1GB for RAM for the MicroSD Card, Laser autofocus, IR Blaster, FM Stereo Radio, NFC compatibility…but especially the ability to use 4G LTE networks in the US, not to mention Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with Optimus UI.

Xiaomi will sell a lot of their new Mi Note Pros, just not in the US…but once they add the bands for the US LTE, they will also likely sell many of their devices in the US.  The Mi Note Pro is a beautiful looking, designed and built smartphone.  If you live in the US and do not mind the lack of LTE, or if you live outside the US, then you would be very happy with the Mi Note Pro.

The $532 price tag of the Mi Note Pro is a great price, but not low enough to sway me from the LG G Flex 2.  Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know which one of these devices you would pick as the winner of this comparison and WHY…as always we would love to hear from you.