Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the new powerhouse Huawei P8 goes up against a perennial favorite, the new LG G4. The P8 is all-new with a gorilla glass display and all-aluminum body that wraps around to meet the glass ala the HTC One M9, although it looks more like an iPhone in its design. The new LG G4 is Gorilla Glass on the display following by a plastic back with a ceramic coating the looks like metal – this comes in several colors, as does the optional ($50) leather back. Both devices look and feel well built and premium in nature.
These two great smartphones have a few things in common, starting with their overall dimensions, with the LG G4 coming in slightly larger, but then so is its 5.5-inch versus 5.2-inch display. Both displays are using the IPS LCD technology, although different resolutions. Both devices have a 64-bit processor, but different brands. They also are packing 3GB of RAM with room for the expansion of internal memory via a microSD card slot…the P8 comes with a base of 16GB or 64GB and the G4 comes with 32GB as standard. The camera area is fairly similar with both devices offering an 8MP front-facing camera (FFC). The Huawei P8 and LG G4 both have one speaker with the P8’s located on the bottom and the G4’s located on the back of the device. They both have the usual suspects – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC capable, FM radio, and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
LG G4
There are times when a manufacturer will do a complete redesign of a phone from the ground up – like Samsung did with their new Galaxy S6 series – but for the most part each year brings a few new refinements to last year’s model, like the LG G4. The device is slightly larger and they added a slight curve too, but not near the curve of the LG G Flex 2, just enough to make it easier to hold in your hand. Along with the improved ceramic-coated metallic plastic backing, for an additional $50, you can also special order a real leather one in several colors…complete with stitching.
Although the LG G3 already gave us a QHD display, LG greatly improved the display on the LG G4 by switching to a new IPS Quantum display technology. LG claims this allows for a 25-percent brighter display with a 50-percent increase in the contrast and 56-percent improvement to the color accuracy. What a difference this makes over the LG G3’s rather dull looking display. The new LG G4 sports a 5.5-inch QHD LCD Quantum display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 538 pixels-per-inch (PPI)…a vast improvement over the Huawei P8’s FHD and 424 PPI. The changes make the G4’s display much brighter than last year’s and the increase in light and contrast really make the colors pop out.
LG decided to bypass the Snapdragon 810 that they used in their LG G Flex 2 and instead opted to use the 64-bit Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor. It has been optimized by LG and Qualcomm for the LG G4 and should be kinder to its battery and offer the user a more consistent experience. This is going up against the 64-bit octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 930 and the two processors should match up nicely with one another. The LG G4 is packing 3GB of RAM, as is the P8 and 32GB of internal storage as well as having room for expansion via a microUSB card – the P8 offers 16GB or 64GB models with room for expansion.
The LG G4 has a first rate camera area with a 16MP sensor, laser autofocus, dual-tone LED Flash, a wide f/1.8 aperture and OIS for their main camera. They also included a huge 8MP FFC with the f/1.8 aperture that should take excellent selfies and provide great video chatting. The Huawei P8 has a smaller sensor for the main camera – 13MP – and the same size FFC – 8MP, but the excellent features on the LG G4 will yield better overall results. It uses a 3000mAh removable battery, compared to the non-removable 2680mAh on the P8, and both batteries should easily get you through an average day.
The LG G4 does offer optional wireless charging, a built-in IR Blaster and comes with controls that are easily accessible on the back of the device. It also incorporates some great software features in the camera app and uses knock-knock and split screen multitasking. The LG G4 is available in a variety of colors in both the standard ceramic coated plastic back and the optional ($50) real leather. It is running the latest Lollipop and will cost you about $200 on a two-year contract and about $600 off contact and is available on all major US carriers.
Huawei P8
The new Huawei P8 is one of those devices from China that merits your serious consideration. It is certainly in the premium class of devices, even with its 1080p display, after all, many gush over the HTC One M9 and it is only a 1080p display. It is designed with an all-aluminum body and available in a Titanium Grey or Mystic Champagne shell for the 16GB model and Carbon Black and Prestige Gold in a 64GB model. It uses enough LTE bands that you should be safe on AT&T or the T-Mobile network (but always check first) and will cost you anywhere from $545 to $765 depending what configuration and where you purchase it.
The Huawei P8 sports a 5.2-inch IPS LCD Full HD (FHD) display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a respectable 424 PPI as compared to the QHD display of the LG G4 and 538 PPI. A homegrown 64-bit HiSilicon Kirin 930 octa-core processor powers the device with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz and a Mali-T628 MP4 GPU. This is backed up with 3GB of RAM – just like the LG G4 – and either 16GB or 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded via a microSD card for an additional 128GB of storage. The LG G4 has only the 32GB option, but also allows for memory expansion.
The camera on the Huawei P8 ranges from very good in good lighting to okay in poor lighting. It has 13MP camera with autofocus, dual-tone LED flash and OIS with a huge 8MP FFC. The LG G4 has a 16MP sensor, but adds a large aperture of f/1.8 on both cameras and has laser autofocus for quick and accurate focusing and is simply one of the top two cameras currently on the market. Power for the entire device comes from a non-removable 2680mAh battery, that just might get you through an entire day of normal usage, as compared with the larger 3000mAh battery in the LG G4.
The Huawei P8 is running the latest Lollipop and comes in Titanium Grey or Mystic Champagne in the 16GB configuration and Carbon Black or Prestige Gold in the 64GB model. It will cost you from $550 – $765 depending on your configuration and where you purchase it.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
While the Huawei P8 is, as our review stated, “a damn good” device, the LG G4 is an excellent device, and for that reason, I have to pick the LG G4 as the winner of this specification comparison. Make no mistake…the Huawei P8 is a formidable foe, but it does not quite muster up to the LG G4.
The LG G4 has a much better display, and is slightly larger, although in about the same space. When it comes to processors, the Snapdragon 808 is a little more sophisticated with better graphics, especially for gamers. The main camera with more megapixels, laser autofocus and larger aperture of f/1.8 is much better than the Huawei P8…right now the LG G4 and Samsung Galaxy S6 probably have the best cameras on a smartphone. The LG G4 also has a built-in IR Blaster, more options for the back of the device and can use Quick Charge 2.0 because of its Qualcomm processor. It has a larger battery, 3000mAh versus 2680mAh, and is removable, while the Huawei P8 is non-removable. The LG G4 also has a wireless charging option built-in. The LG G4 also offers an excellent user interface and software for multitasking on the display with two applications, as well as a very strong camera app that offers a Professional or manual Mode for those that like complete control over their photos.
The Huawei P8 is a solid device at a reasonable price, although not much less than the LG G4, and for the extra $70, the easily found LG G4 is worth the price of a ticket.
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