Nokia Lumia 1520 vs LG G2

You’d think they would have a new offering to compete against other recent phablet releases this holiday season, but Korean based LG has yet to unveil one – surprising to say the least, especially when everyone has something on the table. Then again, its current flagship, the LG G2, can be regarded as a mini sized phablet of sorts, just because it’s packing a sizable 5.2-inch screen of its own. And it’s also the best thing they have on their lineup!

Well, it’s going to be one interesting comparison pitting it up against the heavy stacked hands of the Nokia Lumia 1520, which continues to make a lot of noise in the space, not only for its high-end specs, but for its aggressive on-contract price point from the onset. Don’t count out the LG G2 just yet, mainly due to the fact that it has proven to use time-after-time that it’s a viable competitor in the space. It’s the best from LG versus the beast from Nokia, so let’s dig right on in!

Considering that the G2 isn’t necessarily regarded as a phablet, it’s really hard to say which of the two has the better looking design. Well, the more we look at them, we kind of get this feeling that the Lumia 1520 has an edgier looking design – enough to catch our attention more than its rival. Additionally, the plastic casing of the Lumia 1520 feels sturdier than the more brittle plastic in use with the G2. And best of all, Nokia’s monster is available in various colors to give the handset some much desired variety.

Due to the gigantic size of the Lumia 1520, it poses a problem for those trying to grasp it, as two-handed operation is most ideal with it. In contrast, the G2 is far more forgiving when we hold it in the hand, which is aided by its curved edges and smaller footprint. Even though the glossy finish of the G2 attracts smudges and fingerprints more, we’re able to grip it better than the slick feel of the Lumia 1520’s casing. And it doesn’t help when Nokia’s phablet has a wider figure and pointy corners – making it less comfortable to hold.

Obviously, one of the main hallmarks of the G2 is its choice of having its power and volume controls placed in the rear of the phone – as opposed to around the sides, which is what we see with the Lumia 1520. At first it feels very alien, but after some time, it becomes second nature. Both sets of buttons on each device look flat, making it difficult to feel out with our fingers, but at least their responses are decent.

Around their trims, they feature common items such as their 3.5mm headset jacks, various microphones, speaker grills, and microUSB ports. With the latter, it’s only the G2 that benefits from having video-out functionality with the aid of an MHL adapter. Furthermore, the G2 also boasts an IR blaster, which transforms the phone into a universal remote. Don’t count out the Lumia 1520, just because it’s packing along a useful microSD card slot to supplement its internal storage capacity.

There was a time when 5-inches was highly regarded as insanely big for a smartphone. However, our perception has changed with the introduction of phablets and their even more ridiculous sizes. On one side of the ring, we have the LG G2’s still large 5.2-inch 1080p IPS LCD display, which gives it an amazing pixel density count of 423 ppi. And on the other, we have the Lumia 1520’s gigantic 6-inch 1080p IPS LCD display – giving it a slightly lower 368 ppi pixel density count. Even though LG’s pride and joy has the edge on paper in the details department, in real life usage, it’s almost indistinguishable to notice which of the two is better, seeing that they both produce crisp results.

Since they rely on IPS LCD technology, they exhibit similar qualities we deem as lovable – like theirpotent brightness output and wide viewing angles. These result in making both displays extremely visible outdoors where the sun can sometimes be an annoyance. When it comes to color reproduction, both are rather natural, yet have somewhat cool blueish colors, making them not perfect. At the end of the day, it’s just a matter of size preference.

Nokia Lumia 1520 360-Degrees View

LG G2 360-Degrees View

Let’s cut to the chase folks, seeing that we’ve compared these two platforms in great detail with past comparisons. Quite simply, the customized Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean experience of the LG G2 has an eclectic arsenal of features that puts the Windows Phone 8 experience of the Nokia Lumia 1520 into its place. There’s no comparison, seeing that it’s rich with totality from head-to-toe. Power users will undoubtedly be pleased by the G2! Well, it’s still okay with the Lumia 1520, even more if you’re willing to experiment with Microsoft’s budding mobile platform, but it’s still only offering a small fraction of the things we can get out of the G2.

For starters, notifications continue to be better incorporated with the customized Android experience of the G2, since its notifications panel offers us several secondary features – while also being accessed to other connectivity features. As for the Lumia 1520, its dynamic live tiles handle all of the notifications, which can be a messy process when trying to track down each and every notification.

In addition, multi-tasking is on steroids with the G2. Not only can its select QSlide apps be layered on top of whatever we’re doing, giving us miniaturized versions of their full-sized counterparts, but the G2’s SlideAside feature becomes especially useful in organizing up to three apps simultaneously. Conversely, the Lumia 1520’s implementation is more like task switching – as opposed to true multi-tasking.

Beyond the baseline functions of each experience, we know that the G2 benefits from having a deeper selection of quality apps – that’s essentially due to Android’s longer development. In contrast, Windows Phone 8 still doesn’t have the same breadth of apps as its rival, but nonetheless, it continues to grow with a diversified portfolio.

Out of the box, there’s not one that has more of an encompassing set of productivity features. Sure, we absolutely appreciate that we get the full Microsoft Office experience out of the Lumia 1520, but the G2 is preloaded with Polaris Office 5 to give us something similar.

Visual presentation is more appealing with Windows Phone 8, seeing that it shines with its animated approach. Well, we see some of that too with the customized Android experience of the G2, but it still has a conventional approach. Despite that, we can’t forget to mention how the G2 is stacked to the roof with an impressive features set with its experience – like its note-taking apps, multi-tasking prowess, and much more. In the end, it’s plainly evident that Windows Phone 8 has its limitations, more so when it’s stacked against the G2’s offering. 

Under the hood, these two are both powered by the quad-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM and the Adreno GPU – arsenal that’s befitting for any high-end smartphone. As expected, they perform swimmingly with all operations, both simple and complex. Even though they closely match one another, we do notice that the G2 is snappier with its responses – barely showing off any delays between operations.
Storage wise, the G2 is stuffed with 32GB, which is double the tally we see from the AT&T version of the Lumia 1520. Regardless of that, the Lumia 1520 gives us some flexibility by having a useful microSD card slot in tow.

Well folks, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone, seeing that they both feature 4G LTE connectivity, detailed screens, and peppy performances. With all of these qualities in tow, these two are just simply awesome when it comes to the web browsing experience. Sure, the stock and Chrome browsers of the LG G2 offers a few extra goodies over Internet Explorer, but nevertheless, the core functions between the two are intact.

It’s a beautiful thing being cutting-edge devices, which these two are no doubt obviously. Having that notoriety, they’re blessed with the same set of connectivity features, which consist of 4G LTE connectivity, aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (not available with the AT&T version of the Lumia 1520), and dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi. Adding a useful element to the mix, we really appreciate that an IR blaster is incorporated into the LG G2 – basically turning it into a handy dandy universal remote. Also, the G2 provides us with the useful feature of video-out functionality, but it requires an MHL adapter.

Cameras are in full force with these titans, ensuring photogs that they’ll have something to look forward to using. Specifically, it’s a 20-megapixel PureView camera in the Lumia 150, which features extraordinary large sensor, Zeiss lens, an aperture of f2.4, dual-LED flash, optical image stabilization, and 1080p video recording in 24, 25, and 30FPS. Meanwhile, the LG G2 isn’t a slouch either, seeing that it’s outfitted with an equally mighty 13-megapixel camera that features an f2.4 aperture lens, optical image stabilization, single LED flash, and a unique 1080p video recording mode in 60FPS.

Showing off its diversity, the G2’s camera app is filled to the brim with an exhaustive set of shooting modes – while still dishing up some manual controls into the mix as well. In contrast, the Lumia 1520’s camera app is known for its precise controls as well, but we need to resort to using separate apps, or other lenses, in order to cast various filters or effects into our shots. Then again, we really appreciate how we’re offered manual focus with the Lumia 1520, which is a rarity in itself amongst smartphones.

Camera aficionados will especially eat up these two devices, mainly due to the fact they take some amazing looking shots. Generally speaking, they produce nearly the same results when lighting is sufficient and plentiful – like those outdoor shots. To be exact, photos pop with excellent details, colors are rich in tone, and images as a whole are properly exposed. However, the higher resolution 19-megapixel samples of the Lumia 1520 is able to meticulously snap the most finest of details from the scenery.

Surprisingly enough, they both excel under lower lighting situations too – though, the G2’s shots seem to be brighter, at the expense of having an over-exposed look, resulting in some loss with details. Nevertheless, they’re brighter and deliver visuals that are more appealing than other smartphones. Additionally, even though the G2 is outfitted with a single LED flash, its potency actually matches that of the dual-LED flash of its rival.

Indeed, it’s a close call with still image quality, with the slight overall advantage to the Lumia 1520, but when it comes to shooting 1080p videos, it’s the G2 that gets it done in the right way. Not only are we attracted to its super smooth 60 FPS capture rate, but it’s able to snag the sharper and clearer looking details. In fact, it’s very apparent when compared to the subdued visuals put out by the Lumia 1520. Ultimately, we gravitate more towards the G2 in this particular category.

Running their respective music players, we’ll admit that they both shine with their presentations. Windows Phone 8’s Modern UI extends into the stock music app, as the hub has a subtle dynamic look with its presentation value. Conversely, the stock music app of the G2 has a neat function in the way it can populate YouTube videos related to the song that’s being played. Setting their volumes to the max, it’s the Lumia’s speaker that emits the stronger, more potent, and commanding tones.

Okay, so these two handsets effortlessly all sorts of 1080p videos – while also laying claim to supporting various codecs out of the box. Now it’s a matter of size preference, as the Lumia 1520’s larger display might prove to be the deciding factor for some. Nevertheless, the G2’s screen is pretty snazzy on its own too, but we appreciate how we can minimize a video we’re watching, which can then be layered over anything to provide us better multi-tasking.

Average. That’s basically what we can say about their call quality performance. Neither one really manages to impress us, which is a shame in a way considering their high-end reputation. Nonetheless, we’re able to get through phone calls without being terribly annoyed. Well, the earpiece volume of the G2 is noticeably stronger than the Lumia 1520.

Laying claim to the larger battery, we’re not shocked to find that it’s the Nokia Lumia 1520 that churns out the longer battery life. Specifically, it’s packing along a 3400 mAh battery, which gets us close to 1.5 with heavy usage. For having a smaller 3000 mAh battery, the G2 is able to pull in a day of heavy usage, which is pretty darn good for any super spec’d phone, but of course, it’s unable to match its rival.

Pricing is such a huge win for the Nokia Lumia 1520, to the point that people will really fall head over feet for its value for the buck. At $99.99 with a 2-year contract, it’s undoubtedly showing the LG G2 that it’s aggressive and not messing around. Heck, it’s even more amazing knowing that it’s outfitted with nearly the same cutting-edge hardware that’s under the hood of the mighty LG G2.

So why would anyone decide to go with the more expensive LG G2, especially when it’s being sold normally right now for $199.99 on-contract? The obvious reason is that it’s a well-balanced performer that hits the high marks in several departments, but out of everything, it’s comprehensive and enhanced software experience of the G2 that shows off its value.