Preordered this- it was tough between LGG2/Note3/iPhone5S -anyone else?

This one seems like a no-brainer if you're staying stock. I'm worried about a possible lack of support from LG or the development community, though not enough to prevent me from going with the G2. If the S4 would refresh to the 800 processor like the Korean lte-a model, I'd probably lean that way.

Like you, i am deciding b/w G2 and 5S. Note 3 is too big since i already think that my Note 2 is too big. In addition, i hate SAMOLED screens outside! I absolutely think that Samsung should junk SAMOLED forever! Useless under the sun!

The problem with G2 are two folds. Display is OK, not class-leading...but you guys heard enough from me about that! The other issue is LG. LG does NOT have a good record of updating their phones post-sales.

I would buy G2 instantly IF i knew better about LG's update plans. For example, it would be tremendous if LG CEO would announce that they will keep their G2 (and subsequent flagships) up to date as much as possible. That is all i need...a verbal commitment on their end that they will TRY to keep their phones updated.

LG Optimus G got Jellybean...but no word on 4.3. Samsung and HTC already have published their full intention on giving 4.3 to their flagship phones in October. But where is LG in all this? No where to be found. Dead silent.

LG G2 will have 4.2.2 when it comes out. No word from LG about 4.3. In 2011, LG guaranteed ONE update for your phone. One. On a 2 year contract. One. So, that means that G2 will probably get 4.3 later this year or early next year...and that's it. If you're lucky, then maybe 4.4 (KitKat) mid 2014 or later...which is likely 6-12 months behind the official release.

Remember, after G2 comes out, LG is already working on Optimus PRO 2, which should come out next February. So, they don't have much time (and resources?) to work on G2 updates. It is a vicious cycle. And once Pro2 comes out, they are working on G3. etc.

Although Google piece-meal their updates nowadays thru PLAY Store, it is still nice and advantageous to have software updates. I am not sure if i can sit on 4.3 for two years while Nexus (and Samsung?) phones are on Kitkat and beyond. That would stink IMHO.

If i were to stay on Android, then i would wait until next month when Google hopefully will announce the Nexus 5. Recent leaks show that N5 will be quite a powerhouse, made by LG. It will have most (if not all) G2's stuff, but without the heavy UI and (controversial) buttons.

For me though, i am leaning towards iPhone 5S. My Note 2 will go to my son as a gaming device, which is great with the big screen. Apple copied some stuff from Android (and Windows) and made it better. Apple is like Toyota...they are slow in adopting stuff, but when they do, it usually runs perfect...see Facetime and iMessage. And since iOS7 has most of the important stuff of Android (like notification, quick settings, etc.), i won't miss Android too much by switching. With iOS, the software (and hardware) runs smoother. Camera from iPhones tend to be very well done...but G2 camera is mighty impressive though.

99, I think you made up your mind a long time ago and are hoping that others join you in jumping into the shallow pool.

For me battery life is big and iOS blows in that category. iOS also lacks in any type of multitasking category, it just doesn't stack up to android or even BB for that matter. It does have a beautiful display(though tiny) and takes great pictures. Display and picture quality are already being closely rivaled by flagship android phones. So for me there is no way I lock myself in a 2 year cycle hooked to Apple.

As for the original question. Dev commitment is maybe the biggest unknown if that is your number 1 must have I would wait to see if LG will get the love this time around. I am hopeful.

I don't blame anyone for waiting on the Nexus 5, it'd be my first choice too but I'm confident it won't be offered by vzw, so I'm going for the G2. I do share the update concerns but I feel moderately optimistic this one will get unlocked so in that light, updates shouldn't be a huge deal.

What I'm seeing so far...they're hard to find on vzw. I went to some of my best contacts that shoot me straight with what they have and some are not even aware of the phone and moreover, they have none in stock today for sale tomorrow. Samsung, Moto and the upcoming iphone are overshadowing this release to the point it'll be invisible to anyone but those following it intentionally. The lack of press releases makes me believe they haven't changed much in the way of update potential.

TritonDroid said:

For me battery life is big and iOS blows in that category. iOS also lacks in any type of multitasking category, it just doesn't stack up to android or even BB for that matter. It does have a beautiful display(though tiny) and takes great pictures. Display and picture quality are already being closely rivaled by flagship android phones. So for me there is no way I lock myself in a 2 year cycle hooked to Apple.

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What phone do you have now? From Anandtech, iPhone 5 battery life rivals the best of Android...exceptions being Droid MAXX and maybe Note 2. 5S promises to be a bit better.

As for multitasking, iOS7 fixes some of that. But then again, i have the current king of multitasking smartphone (Note 2)...and it lags and stutters when i have many things open at once, more so if one or two of those things are games. So much for multi-tasking with a quad-core processor! I find myself closing off as much as i can to keep things running smoothly, esp. if i am currently playing a high-demanding game (such as Modern Combat 3).

You want to try iMessage. It is far far superior to anything Android has. And yes, i tried all messaging apps on my Note 2. Facetime? Better.

And you know what else bothered me? Play Store (NOT 3rd party) apps sometimes install crap files on your phone. Even after deleting the app, these files stay on your phone. Overtime, it causes lagging and stuttering to the point of crashing your phone. What do you have to do? Erase everything and start over. Unlike iTunes, you cannot back up everything on Android. So, just over a month ago, i had to spend a whole day setting up my Note 2 again. Sucks. iTunes backs up your iPhone down to the littlest detail, including different ringtone for your contacts. Thus, restoring your iPhone is a quick affair. THIS alone is a major plus for me.

More? Play Store movies have a resolution of a VHS movie! 1080p my ass! Worthless, esp. when you have such a big screen to play it on! What a waste! My Note 2 just screams for high quality playback! Samsung Media Hub actually gives you HD movies (on par with iTunes), but selection is so limited that it becomes useless.

Sprint stores are useless with Android trouble-shooting. Their answer is always the same...erase everything and restore. At least with Apple, you get excellent customer service immediately AND even a new phone if they can't fix it. What does Android offer? Sent it into manufacturer for several weeks turnaround? Sent it to carrier repair shop for them to gut it? Nah, no thanks.

Android is good...but not without faults. Same with iOS, like what you mentioned above. Another thing you forgot...iPhones don't get the best cell signal. (My Note 2 is superior to iPhone 5 in this regard.) But, for me, the faults with iOS is less than Android.

I have a Gnex and I thank you for making my point that you are not here to discuss the G2.

To bad you didn't root your device as backup would have been easy for you....

TritonDroid said:

I have a Gnex and I thank you for making my point that you are not here to discuss the G2.

To bad you didn't root your device as backup would have been easy for you....

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Ahh, and you pick GN for the amazing battery life? Hypocrisy?

And if my Note 2 with Exynos 4 has issues with multi-tasking, i can only imagine how well TRUE multi-tasking works on your GN!

Sorry, you're right...i don't root (nor jailbreak).

Actually, i had every intention on buying G2...but recent events have caused me to re-consider. Feel free to search my previous posts regarding G2! Huge fan of it ever since it was rumored.

tigmd99 said:

Ahh, and you pick GN for the amazing battery life? Hypocrisy?

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Umm no. Priorities were different at the time of that purchase.

TritonDroid said:

Umm no. Priorities were different at the time of that purchase.

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Oh ok...if you say so.

tigmd99 said:

Ahh, and you pick GN for the amazing battery life? Hypocrisy?


Sorry, you're right...i don't root (nor jailbreak).

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The Iphone is the perfect device for you then. As much i dislike them , they really are good phones. They do what they are supposed to do, and they do it very well. Once you get beyond though android becomes far superior. IMO

back to topic:

My 2 main concerns with the G2 are battery, dev support. being a Spectrum owner, we didn't really have a lot of dev support. We recruited dev and pitched in for devices for them to use. Now we have CM 10.1, AOKP, Pacman, so it worked great. Battery life isnt the greatest either, so it scares me not being removable. I'm about 75% decided on the G2 though. Just have to wait untill the 28th.

hollywoods14 said:

The Iphone is the perfect device for you then. As much i dislike them , they really are good phones. They do what they are supposed to do, and they do it very well. Once you get beyond though android becomes far superior. IMO

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Can you expand on this since this thread is about the OS? Beyond what?

One positive about Android that i enjoy is the ability to put movies that i rip from DVD onto my SD card. That is great. With Apple, you're locked into iTunes, which can get expensive!

Another negative that i face sometimes is the lack of recognition by my laptop for my Note 2. My laptop would say that my driver is bad or that my phone is bad or not recognized. It sucks because i need this to transfer photos that i take on my phone to my laptop or vice versa. Not sure how Apple does it, but my wife's iPhone 5 always connects to iTunes successfully.

Actually, right now, my laptop can't recognize my phone! Errrrrr!!!

tigmd99 said:

Can you expand on this since this thread is about the OS? Beyond what?

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This thread is not about the OS. It's about a guy who simply posted about his difficulty deciding between the G2, Note 3 and Iphone 5. This is the LG G2 forum so in that spirit, let's talk about LG G2 type things rather than debate Android vs. IOS as operating systems.

iowabowtech said:

This thread is not about the OS. It's about a guy who simply posted about his difficulty deciding between the G2, Note 3 and Iphone 5. This is the LG G2 forum so in that spirit, let's talk about LG G2 type things rather than debate Android vs. IOS as operating systems.

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Fair enough. My mistake.

TritonDroid said:

I have a Gnex and I thank you for making my point that you are not here to discuss the G2.

To bad you didn't root your device as backup would have been easy for you....

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Isn't there an app called helium that backs up your stuff...without root? It may not be called helium but i know there is one out there.

I didn't have a hard time. I'm on an s3. I want to move on. I am not a spec-leading person but i do like newer things. The note 3, at this time is too big for me. 6 inches and under is fine but when samsung starts working on shaving bezels more I will consider it. But, then again if the call quality is on par with my s3 i'd pass all together.

This phone will be a huge step up.

Also, tim why do you think the LG display is just ok? Sure it isn't number one but based on "benchmarks" it isn't very far behind number one. I'd think you'd truly be hard pressed to say one display is better than the other. And if you can the findings are sooo miniscule its not even worth a breath over.

darkestred said:

Also, tim why do you think the LG display is just ok? Sure it isn't number one but based on "benchmarks" it isn't very far behind number one. I'd think you'd truly be hard pressed to say one display is better than the other. And if you can the findings are sooo miniscule its not even worth a breath over.

Click to expand...

I assume that you're talking to me and not "tim". I don't care about benchmarks. I care about brightness.......then color accuracy. That's it. As you know, SAMOLED sucks in sunlight...can't a read a darn thing on your screen outside your house. Anandtech is right...the bare minimum to outside visibility/readability is around 400 nits (brightness). From Anandtech, LG G2 scores at this minimum level. The LG LCD display technology (in theory) can achieve 535 nits...but for whatever reason, LG turned down the ceiling on the G2 to around 400 nits. They did this to preserve battery life i am sure. However, why not give the owner the ability to crank it up (at his own risk)? AUTO brightness can limit at 400 nits...fine! But, let the owner be able to manually crank it up.

Not sure on other phones, but on my Note 2, if i crank up the volume on my earphone, i get a WARNING about hearing damage at high volume. Why not do that when someone manually cranks the brightness above 400 nits? Something like..."Increasing brightness above this level will result in shorten battery life...." So, yeah, allow the owner to do that with this warning...instead of just cutting off the ceiling permanently.

Maybe i am just harping on this brightness issue because my Note 2's SAMOLED is driving me nuts outside! I exercise outside with my earphones a lot. Can't read anything quickly outside! I have to stop and put my phone close to my eyes to read the name of the song or have to put my hand over my phone. So, yeah, this is why i want my next phone to be nice and bright!

There is a reason for my madness!

PS...does helium back up your settings and preferences? Does helium re-install all your apps from before the restore?

kkel19 said:

i hope LG pulls through with the updates..my main concern...however...please enlighten me....do cyanogen mods...roms usually have versions for most phones that come with 4.3 (down the line, assuming there is dev support for this? or does it not that way...i havent put a rom on a phone since the motorola atrix 2 years ago.

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I think CM will only support certain phone in house, usually the popular ones ( S3, note, nexus, etc..). If a Dev ports cm to an unsupported device and meets certain criteria cm will add it to the official build list. That's what happened with the LG Spectrum ( TDM is the man). Being that there is already root for the AT&T version I'm going to say the G2 stands a good chance of getting good dev support and even possibly CM support.

I was on the fence with the Note 3 and G2. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the G2.

tigmd99 said:

I assume that you're talking to me and not "tim". I don't care about benchmarks. I care about brightness.......then color accuracy. That's it. As you know, SAMOLED sucks in sunlight...can't a read a darn thing on your screen outside your house. Anandtech is right...the bare minimum to outside visibility/readability is around 400 nits (brightness). From Anandtech, LG G2 scores at this minimum level. The LG LCD display technology (in theory) can achieve 535 nits...but for whatever reason, LG turned down the ceiling on the G2 to around 400 nits. They did this to preserve battery life i am sure. However, why not give the owner the ability to crank it up (at his own risk)? AUTO brightness can limit at 400 nits...fine! But, let the owner be able to manually crank it up.

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Since you like the Anandtech article so much (and I agree, Anandtech does good reviews), I suggest you go back and reread it where they mentioned the software build wasn't final (several times). That can certainly affect the display brightness if they didn't finalize it. I'd also direct you to the part where they praised the display for it's color accuracy. That's my last post on displays.

Release day we'll know a lot more. Hopefully. Still wondering why everything is so quiet.

The engadget review of the g2 said the screen was"suitably bright in harsh sunlight," so I don't foresee that being a problem. I'm more leaning towards the note 3 at the moment, but the screen and camera on the g2 is tempting. If the g2 had a 64gb storage option, I would've jumped all over it. Not sure if I can do 32.

kkel19 said:

jesus what do people store on their phones?! 32 gigs is plenty for me!

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Lol..lots of music, movies, seasons of tv shows, psx roms you name it. I hate having to delete files to make room for more, and with a limited data plan the cloud isn't a viable option for me.

Holy cow, I just watched this video from PhoneArena. I never realized the size difference until watching this. Maybe this will help somebody on the fence. Of course holding it in store is always better, but thought this might help with a comparison of the 2...

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs LG G2: first look - YouTube

This phone is great. Unless you plan on nitpicking, this phone is wonderful. Once the sales person handed me the phone to enter my gmail information I fell in-love. The phone felt great and looked amazing. Really happy with this coming from an s3.