Mobile Technology

LG G Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3

LG G Pro 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the LG G Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the LG G Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
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The Galaxy Note 3 centers around stylus input, but the G Pro 2 is meant for fingers only
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The Galaxy Note 3 centers around stylus input, but the G Pro 2 is meant for fingers only
Battery capacities are identical
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Battery capacities are identical
Both phablets are made of plastic, but the Note's plastic tries to simulate leather
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Both phablets are made of plastic, but the Note's plastic tries to simulate leather
Megapixel counts are almost identical, but the G Pro 2 has a few extra camera-based features thrown in as well
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Megapixel counts are almost identical, but the G Pro 2 has a few extra camera-based features thrown in as well
If you look at the LTE version of the Note 3, then both devices, then both devices will have the same processor
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If you look at the LTE version of the Note 3, then both devices, then both devices will have the same processor
The size arms race continues, as the G Pro 2 is even bigger than the already-enormous Note 3
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The size arms race continues, as the G Pro 2 is even bigger than the already-enormous Note 3
Both devices have 1080p displays, which means a slightly higher pixel density for the slightly-smaller (or less enormous) screen on the Note 3
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Both devices have 1080p displays, which means a slightly higher pixel density for the slightly-smaller (or less enormous) screen on the Note 3
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the LG G Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
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Gizmag compares the features and specs of the LG G Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Both phablets tote 3 GB of RAM
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Both phablets tote 3 GB of RAM
The G Pro 2 is launching with KitKat, along with LG's custom Android skin pasted on top
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The G Pro 2 is launching with KitKat, along with LG's custom Android skin pasted on top
Storage options are a bit more generous with the Note 3
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Storage options are a bit more generous with the Note 3
The Note 3 is only a smidge lighter than the G Pro 2
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The Note 3 is only a smidge lighter than the G Pro 2
View gallery - 12 images

LG's smartphones and tablets aren't as popular as Samsung's, but that doesn't mean the company hasn't been making some nice mobile devices in their own right. Let's take a look at LG's latest phablet, the G Pro 2, and see how its features and specs compare to those of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Size

The size arms race continues, as the G Pro 2 is even bigger than the already-enormous Note 3
The size arms race continues, as the G Pro 2 is even bigger than the already-enormous Note 3

Sizes are pretty close, with identical thickness. The LG G Pro 2 is, however, 5 percent longer and 4 percent wider than Samsung's Note 3.

Weight

The Note 3 is only a smidge lighter than the G Pro 2
The Note 3 is only a smidge lighter than the G Pro 2

Both phablets should feel relatively light in hand. Despite its bigger size, the G Pro 2 is only 2 percent heavier than the Note.

Build

Both phablets are made of plastic, but the Note's plastic tries to simulate leather
Both phablets are made of plastic, but the Note's plastic tries to simulate leather

Both devices have plastic finishes, but the Galaxy Note 3 is a simulated leather. Apparently Sammy liked what it saw on the Note 3, as all of its new Galaxy Pro tablets use that same pleather material.

Display

Both devices have 1080p displays, which means a slightly higher pixel density for the slightly-smaller (or less enormous) screen on the Note 3
Both devices have 1080p displays, which means a slightly higher pixel density for the slightly-smaller (or less enormous) screen on the Note 3

Both phones have gigantic screens, and the G Pro 2 shows that the screen size arms race is still alive and well. Its display is about seven percent bigger than the already-humongous Note 3 display.

Have you seen the Knock-On feature that LG included in the LG G2 and G Pad 8.3? Well, the G Pro 2 is taking the next step with a security-focused version called "Knock Code." It lets you unlock your device by rapping a pattern of knocks on the screen. The pattern can include anywhere from two to eight taps which leads to, according to LG, 86,367 knock combinations.

Stylus

The Galaxy Note 3 centers around stylus input, but the G Pro 2 is meant for fingers only
The Galaxy Note 3 centers around stylus input, but the G Pro 2 is meant for fingers only

In our time with the Galaxy Note series, we've thought the marriage of oversized smartphone screen and S Pen (stylus) works pretty well. Despite the two devices' similarities, stylus input is something that the G Pro 2 doesn't give you.

Storage

Storage options are a bit more generous with the Note 3
Storage options are a bit more generous with the Note 3

Your storage options are doubled in the Note 3, though both devices do let you augment that with a microSD card.

Processor

If you look at the LTE version of the Note 3, then both devices, then both devices will have the same processor
If you look at the LTE version of the Note 3, then both devices, then both devices will have the same processor

We don't expect any performance issues with the G Pro 2, as it runs the zippy Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. If you live in an area with LTE, then you should get the same CPU in the Note.

RAM

Both phablets tote 3 GB of RAM
Both phablets tote 3 GB of RAM

The G Pro 2 also matches the Note's 3 GB of RAM – an impressive amount for a mobile device.

Battery

Battery capacities are identical
Battery capacities are identical

Both phablets' batteries hold the same amount of juice, but we'll have to wait for some extended time with the G Pro 2 before we know if its battery life can keep up with the lengthy uptimes we saw from the Note 3.

Cameras

Megapixel counts are almost identical, but the G Pro 2 has a few extra camera-based features thrown in as well
Megapixel counts are almost identical, but the G Pro 2 has a few extra camera-based features thrown in as well

If we're looking at resolution alone, then both phablets' cameras are looking pretty similar. There are a few other features, though, that can't be captured in the above graphic.

The G Pro 2 can record video in 120 frames per second, which can be edited in three different slow-motion speeds. It also has a "Natural Flash," which supposedly captures flash photos with a more balanced color and exposure (sound familiar?) and "Magic Focus," that lets you select a shot's depth of focus after shooting, but before saving. Both phones can also record video in 4K Ultra HD resolution.

Software

The G Pro 2 is launching with KitKat, along with LG's custom Android skin pasted on top
The G Pro 2 is launching with KitKat, along with LG's custom Android skin pasted on top

The G Pro 2 is launching with Android 4.4 KitKat, but it has LG's custom UI sitting on top (which looks more than a little like Samsung's TouchWiz UI). The Note 3 has technically been updated to KitKat, but that update is still rolling out globally. So depending on your region and carrier, you might be stuck on Jelly Bean for a little while.

Unknowns

There are still a few things we don't know about the G Pro 2. LG has only announced the phone for the Korean market, so we don't know exactly when it will start popping up in other countries. That means we also don't know about pricing. If we had to guess, we'd say it will hit the US and other non-Korean markets by May (that's when last year's version, the Optimus G Pro, hit the States).For more on Samsung's phablet – which has already been on store shelves since September – you can read our full Galaxy Note 3 review.

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2 comments
2 comments
BleedingEdge
Amp hours are fine Will, but there's an issue almost everyone is being coy about. Does the LG have a replaceable battery, or will it be a throw-away phone in a couple of years. If it has an embedded battery - no thanks. Sooner or later - usually within about 2 years, the battery just fails to charge to a full charge. You'll be lucky to get half of your original talk time. Your phone will say it's fully charged. But watch how fast the battery dies. And it will keep getting worse until it fails to charge at all..
I guess this is the manufacturer's solution to getting customers to buy a new phone more often. Apple, HTC, Motorola, LG/Nexus have all started using embedded batteries (sealed-in batteries that aren't serviceable). About the only major manufacturer bucking this trend...Samsung. Nearly all their phones have a removable back cover exposing a bay where their replaceable batteries live. Oh, and yeah, while most carriers now recycle your old phone for you - when it's two years old they'll give you maybe twenty bucks for it.
So instead of being able to pass that 'older but still useful' phone around in your family to get some extra mileage out of it, most of today's cell phones will be annoying bricks that wont charge. But hey cheer up, that six to seven HUNDRED DOLLAR purchase you made can still be traded in a couple years for about twenty bucks. Yay!
Graham R
The LG apparently does have a removable battery. The LG also has an FM radio which the Samsung doesn't - important to me which is why I bought a HTC One instead of an S4. Other differences are an IPS LCD display in the LG vs an OLED in the Samsung - a big problem with OLED displays is if they get cracked (from dropping) they stop working completely whereas the LCD's still display at least something.