Two big hits released this year while the reigning champion of big hit smartphones went down – we’re talking about the LG V20, the Google Pixel and the Note 7 in that order.
With Note 7 out of order, LG and Google have their work cut out for themselves. They’ve both been released only this week with various carriers and have to put their best foot forward for making those sales. But which one should the customers go for? It’s a good thing we’ve got that covered!
Display
The LG V20 and Google Pixel couldn’t be more different from each other on the hardware sheet. While the V20 may have hardware that now isn’t the latest anymore, it’s still got durable and mouth-watering internals that we really can’t find anywhere else.
It comes with a main display that’s qHD at 5.7” as well as a secondary always on display that’s just 2-inches wide – and like the V10, it can be used for a quite a bit of convenient optimizing for the user. The Pixel will come in two models – a 5” model and a and XL model at 5.5”. It will be an AMOLED panel on both the variants, the smaller one will feature a FHD display while the bigger of the two will feature a qHD panel.
Of course, LCD panels may provide brighter picture, but the AMOLEDs are not only more energy efficient, but also more colourful. Both LG and Google have outfitted their phones with Gorilla Glass 4 for protection. For users, the option of either having a really large display doubled with a secondary display strip will be the deciding factor over the standard screen sizes that the Pixel phones offer. LG and Google have both gone all out with their display tech, but it’ll take a user’s eye to find the difference.
Camera
The V20 comes with a dual camera set up with a main camera at 16MP with optical image stabilization and another one at 8MP for wide-angle shots. The secondary camera is a 5MP shooter, enough for some pleasing selfie action. The Pixels feature a more traditional camera set up with a 12.3MP camera at the back and an 8MP camera up-front.
LG and Google will both offer 4K recording in their cameras, but the functionality of the two companies’ phones will is a little different than most. Google is flat-out calling its optics the best in the world. It’s a tall claim, but early impressions of the camera have proven it right.
The LG V20’s camera is still good, and offers LG’s best camera we’ve seen in recent years. So Google has to really fight off the V20’s dual camera set up. Low-light shots and video recording are stellar on both. But users need to be weary that the Pixel doesn’t have OIS.
Hardware
The V20 comes with Snapdragon 820 – a beast of a processor and currently the second most powerful out there today. It’ll come with 4GB of memory and 32/64GB storage options. There’s also expandable storage, which is a Godsend nowadays – up to 256GB worth of it. LG gets brownie points for adding a special 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC for high quality audio, something that most manufacturers nowadays don’t concentrate on. It’s a pretty tight entertainment set-up!
The Pixels will come with the most powerful Snapdragon chipset on the market today – the Snapdragon 821. And safe to say, it will take down any task thrown its way. In 2016, it doesn’t get any better than that. The Pixels will also come in 32/128GB variants, with the latter being the highest. There’s no expandable storage unfortunately. And memory is topped off at 4GB.
There is a bit of difference in terms of hardware with these two devices. While getting a more current chipset on the Pixel, the option of expandable storage will be a distant dream. Both phones also come with a fingerprint sensor at the back.
Software
LG, just like its predecessors, has made its own skin atop the regular Android Vanilla we’re used to. And it’s a good job too, making the interface unrecognizable from the others out there. It’s brighter and colourful compared to stock. It runs buttery smooth and will offer different features thanks to that LED strip up top for customizations. It’ll be available with Nougat off the bat – something that no other manufacturer till now has accomplished apart from Google. So that’s a big deal.
The Pixel will come with the latest Android as stock and will feature its impressive Google Assistant tech pre-installed. The OS is more streamlined this time around, being more true to Pixel than it is to the Nexus line or any other kind of device. The perks of having a Google phone are the routine and fast updates, before anyone else gets them. And because it’s Google, the software is literally tailor-made for the hardware to run smoother than smooth phones get.
In this department, it’s safe to say that Google is the clear winner.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, both phones have the latest software out now and each have their merits and demerits accompanying them. But pricing? Well, right now, Verizon has launched both those phones and the V20 will be available for $672 compared to the Pixel’s XL at $769. To make matters better for the V20, Verizon will be offering B&O H3 headphones for that great Audio tech inside the V20, all for free!
Of course, it still won’t have specialized customer support like the Pixel will, nor will it have the latest updates like the Pixel will.