Introduction

Boy do we have a good one for you today – the newly announced LG G Flex 2 goes up against Samsung’s attempt at a metal smartphone with their Samsung Galaxy Alpha.  The larger, wild and free G Flex 2 versus the conservative, junior executive-type smartphone – it is like the young Democrats against the older, conservative Republicans.

Both devices are beautiful in their own right.  The LG G Flex 2 is sexy and curved with a bold, self-healing back…and when we say curved, we mean from its top to its bottom and everything in between – display and battery are included.  The Samsung Galaxy Alpha takes its full metal body and trim to a designer level – small, detailed and functional.

These devices have very little in common, as one might expect.  Both devices use the OLED technology, both use a Snapdragon processor, although different models, both have 32MB of internal storage, the cameras are close in size, but different in features.  They have the usual suspects – Dual-Band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC capable and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer.

Please look at the detailed Specification and feature sheet below and there you will be able to see how they compare spec-by-spec.  After that, we will take a closer look at the individual devices, weigh their pros and cons, and decide which one of these great smartphones will win this comparison.

Specifications

LG G Flex 2

The LG Flex models continue to fascinate me on what a loyal following the original G Flex had with only a 720p display and no real social value – so what if the is display curved from top-to-bottom.  The same design question ponders me with the G Flex 2, but at least this time around, LG put some great hardware with the curve and the LG G Flex 2 delivers in that department.

The new G Flex 2 has a smaller, 5.5-inch, curved display than the original 6-inch – which is really a better size for its design – however, this time LG bumped it up to a FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 403 pixels-per-inch (PPI).  Both devices use the OLED technology – P-OLED in the G Flex 2 and Super AMOLED in the Galaxy Alpha, although the Galaxy Alpha only has an HD resolution and 312 pixels-per-inch (PPI).

LG wasted no time in putting in the newest 64-bit Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor clocked at 2GHz and 1.5GHz, whereas the Galaxy Alpha is using the 32-bit Snapdragon 801 from two prior generations.  The G Flex 2 is packing 3GB of RAM and offers 32GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot to add additional memory.  The Galaxy Alpha only comes with 2GB of RAM and 32GB model of storage, but no room for expansion.

The G Flex 2’s main camera certainly tops this comparison as well.  Although the both have the pedestrian 2.1MP front-facing cameras (FFC) for social media selfies and video chatting, the G Flex 2 steps it up with a main camera of 13MP with Laser autofocus, a dual-tone LED flash and OIS+ – the Galaxy Alpha has a basic 12MP, autofocus with standard LED flash.  Even in the battery department, the G Flex 2 shines with a 3000mAh battery versus the small 1860mAh battery in the Galaxy Alpha.

As far as extras, the LG G Flex 2 does have the self-healing back panel, an IR Blaster, Dolby Mobile and a FM Stereo Radio.  They both offer Quick Charge thanks to their Qualcomm Snapdragon heritage; however, the G Flex 2 offers the 2.0 version.  It comes with Android 5.0.1 Lollipop on board with LG’s UI running on top, and is available on AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular for $300 on a two-year contract and it should be available for purchase in February.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Samsung was in a strange position – their usually popular flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S5, did not sell like the previous two models.  Customers were crying for a change in design and all Samsung did was add more gimmicks and no real substance and in the end, it was Samsung that was doing the crying.

Samsung came out with the Galaxy Alpha model to test the waters with an all-metal frame, sculptured metal frame and a faux leather material on the back.  It was a nice looking device, felt good in one hand, but lacked specs, raised the price and made it an AT&T exclusive.  I guess nobody ever told Samsung that when you experiment, you only change one variable at a time.

When Samsung made the Galaxy Alpha, they basically took a Galaxy S5, made it out of metal, shrunk the display to 4.7-inches, gave it a 2012 HD display of only 1280 x 720 pixels with 312 PPI, put in an inferior camera, put in a smaller battery, made it an AT&T exclusive and charged the same amount…it was not a formula for success.

The Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED HD display with a resolution of only 1280 x 720 pixels and 312 PPI…not quite up to the FHD and 403 PPI found on the G Flex 2.  The Galaxy Alpha uses the same Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5GHz that is found in the Galaxy S5, but it is two models removed from the Snapdragon 810 in the G Flex 2.  It also only has 2GB of RAM compared to 3GB in the G Flex 2.  While they both have 32GB of internal storage, Samsung, surprisingly, left out any means to expand that memory, while the G Flex 2 offers the microSD card slot.

The camera is the other area that Samsung chose to cut-corners on (but again, not the price) using only a 12MP sensor, autofocus and LED flash – nothing to compare to the 13MP shooter, dual-tone LED flash, Laser Autofocus, and OIS+ in the G Flex 2 and both FFCs are identical at 2.1MP.  The 1860mAh battery is small compared to the 3000mAh battery in the G Flex 2.

Looking at the other features that help define the Samsung Galaxy Alpha – It has a bottom mounted speaker, a fingerprint scanner, Heart Rate Sensor, is LTE Cat-6 capable, it is VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling capable and uses Samsung’s Ultra Power Saving Mode (UPSM).  It is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung’s infamous TouchWiz overlay.  It is an exclusive on AT&T’s network at a price of $200 on a two-year contract or $613 off-contract.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

As much as I think the LG G Flex 2 is an unnecessary and expensive device, it certainly beats out the Samsung Galaxy Alpha in this comparison and is the device I would want in my pocket.  It has a better, unique look, a larger display, better processor, more RAM, expansion for storage, a better camera, a larger battery, and an IR Blaster (sorry, but I use mine on my Smart TV).  It also comes with 5.0.1 Lollipop – who knows when the Galaxy Alpha will get the upgrade, if ever, and the G Flex 2 is available on AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular (and Verizon, if they decide to jump on board).  It is rather expensive at $300 for a two-year agreement, but so is the Galaxy Alpha at $200 for its specifications.

I can find no compelling reason to choose the Galaxy Alpha over the LG G Flex 2 – it may have a fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor, a metal frame and bottom mounted speaker…but I said “compelling.”

Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which device you would pick and WHY…as always we would love to hear from you.