LG G Flex 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: first look

LG has finally announced the successor of its radical G Flex – a smartphone, which wowed techies not only with its curved design, but also flexibility and self-healing properties of its back cover. While these features were undeniably cool, LG was still battling some technological limitations, which led to the original G Flex lacking in a few aspects, which solidified its place as an early adopter device, instead of a mainstream driver. Now, the G Flex 2 builds on its predecessor with a more compact body, a much sharper, albeit smaller, display, 64-bit capable CPU, and 3 GB of RAM. How does it look, when compared to the competition? Let's take a glimpse – in this article, we will make a quick hands-on comparison between the LG G Flex 2 and Samsung's potent all-rounder – the Galaxy S5.

Design

The G Flex 2 is a beauty to behold, no doubt. Its body is made of glossy plastic, though, its finish oozes “premium” and the two finishes that the device will commonly be available in (flamenco red and platinum silver) look deep and pleasing to the eye. The Galaxy S5's design is, by popular opinion, tired, though – functional – its faux metal frame looks nice, but is not as pleasant to the touch, as one would expect from a high-class device.



The G Flex 2 houses a larger, 5.5” display, which results in it having a bigger body than the Galaxy S5 and its 5.1” screen. Yet, thanks to the pre-bent

shape of LG's offering – it appears less taller than it would be if it were a straight slab. None the less – in terms of pocket-friendliness, Sammy's offering definitely has the upper hand.



The curve of the G Flex 2 adds a level of comfortability when held, and LG's signature power and volume button placement on the back of the device is also present here, giving us good accessibility to said controls via our index finger. With the Galaxy S5, Samsung didn't look to wow us with anything off-the-charts unique – the

flagship is light and compact, while the textured plastic on the back offers a very stable grip, and all of its buttons are placed on its sides, yet – just on the right spots, ensuring accessibility. All in all – both devices look to offer maximum comfort when held.



If we were to say which device instantly grabs our attention with its looks – it is hands down the G Flex 2.

Display

As we mentioned earlier, LG scaled down the display, from 6” on the G Flex to 5.5” on the G Flex 2 – a welcome change, we would say, as a mixture of a gargantuan display and peculiar shape didn't seem to do the original G Flex any favors. Additionally, the panel's resolution has been bumped up to 1080 x 1920 pixels, resulting in a dense PPI ratio of 401. Samsung's flagship also sports a 1080p resolution, however, it is crammed in a smaller display – a 5.1-incher – which results in a slightly sharper screen of with 432 PPI.

The two handsets employ slightly different display technologies – LG's offering had to rely on its flexible P-OLED panel, for obvious reasons, while the Galaxy S5 glows with Samsung's proprietary Super AMOLED tech.



The two displays are protected by Gorilla Glass 3, though, the LG says it has added some of its own sugar and spice to the G Flex 2's panels, resulting in a 20% tougher, yet still flexible, protective film.

Interface