We’re spoilt for choice in the Android world. Many flagships with spec sheets each getting longer than the other are battling for our attention and our hard-earned money. However, as I spent days reading the rumors then the official announcements of the Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy S5 and new HTC One (M8), I found myself experiencing very little gadget envy. I own an LG G2 and I decided to skip all of these new devices for the LG G3. Here’s why.
My LG G2 is still an excellent device
Many users are just now buying an LG G2, proving that despite being several months old, it is quite an awesome phone. The screen, the battery life, the camera are excellent and are still unrivalled among other Android high-end smartphones. I’ve previously debated that you shouldn’t keep running after the next Android flagship, the current ones are just as excellent and the argument is even more valid when you factor in the price difference between the G2 now and the new breed of devices. There’s nothing that these handsets provide that would completely alter the way I use my phone now.
One step forward, two steps back
The Sony Xperia Z2 adds waterproofing, a slightly more capable camera, and better speakers compared to the G2, but at which price? The bezels on Sony’s devices are quite large, making the phone quite huge for my small hands. The G2 spoiled me with its minimalist bezels. It’s the maximum size I can hold and use one-handed, yet it packs a huge display. Whenever I’m reading or watching something on it, I almost feel like I am holding a screen and nothing else — the bezels disappear. The G3 is expected to push the screen to phone ratio even more, at which point the Z2 and its bezels would look like a design straight out of 2009.
The G2’s small bezels make you feel almost as if you’re holding nothing but a display
As for the HTC One, despite its luxurious metallic body, loud speakers, refined UI, improved battery life and added microSD support, its Achilles heel remains that camera. For all the singing and dancing features that HTC managed to add into their software, it is still only a four megapixel camera. For most situations, this could be more than enough, but I love going on hikes and taking nature photos. Can you imagine how far I can zoom or how much detail a 4MP camera captures? Yeah, pass.
And we get to the Samsung Galaxy S5. I’ll show my bias here and say that I’m not really a fan of Samsung. I like what they did for Android as a whole, I bought and used an S3 for over a year and I still have it for tinkering. However, I never actually liked using a Samsung device, I flashed a custom ROM immediately after because Samsung’s features never really brought any added value for my experience and were just slowing down the phone.
This is the same with the S5, the fingerprint sensor is clumsy and still a v 1.0 feature, the heart-rate monitor is similar to what an app on any other phone provides (albeit more precise), and the super fast internet is useless in my neck of the woods. With the S5, I’d be paying a premium for a bunch of features that I’d never use. Add the AMOLED screen that I hate (I prefer the more natural colors of an LCD), the slightly large bezels, those god-awful dots and ugly microUSB 3.0 connector, and all the S5 has to offer me are water-resistance and a microSD slot.
LG spoiled me with some of its features
I’m the first to admit that LG’s skin isn’t one of the most beautiful out there. However, you’d be mistaken to dismiss it because of that. It’s one of the most customizable skins and it offers a lot of really well-thought features. I’ve previously explained 5 of these excellent G2 options and there are many more I didn’t discuss. The G2 is the first Android phone that I haven’t needed to root or install a custom ROM on. I only installed Aviate because it’s way smarter than LG’s launcher, and the Google Keyboard because LG’s keyboard is as accurate as typing blindfolded while wearing bear paw gloves. LG knew how to win me with additions to Android that I actually use and I don’t see Sony, Samsung or HTC doing the same with their skins, so why would I switch to them?
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The G3 is rumored to be awesome
All of the current breed of 2014 flagships are still, arguably, borrowing from the same features of 2013 — 1080p displays and Snapdragon 800/801 processors. The G3 is supposed to be the first Android high-end device from a global manufacturer to offer a QHD screen and it might come with a true octa-core ship. There were also rumors from several sources pointing to the phone being water-proof too. Add these on top of the excellence that it the LG G2, and you have a significant step forward that shouldn’t compromise on the experience that I am now used to.
The only feature I really wish LG would add is a microSD slot in its G3. That alone would significantly improve my experience, as I have had to severely limit the amount of music I carry on my 16GB G2 because of it. I just listen to podcasts now, whereas I used to carry about 32GB worth of music in the microSD on my Galaxy S3. I miss that and it would tremendously help to have that option again.
What about you? Will you be buying any of the recently announced devices, or will you be waiting for the LG G3 or some other device to be released later this year?
