Today, it's the Sony Xperia Z4 versus the LG G4 in the battle of flagship phones. The South Korean manufacturer's flagship already made its way to the US and the rest of the world will follow suit soon, while the Japanese phone maker's flagship was announced in China with other regions on stand-by. Both the LG G4 and the Sony Xperia Z4 were launched initially in their home territories for a limited exclusive time.
A comprehensive specs sheet comparison between the both the Sony Xperia Z4 and the LG G4 could be seen here.
The LG G4
Launched in South Korea on 28 April the LG G4 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 chipset with two CPUS: a dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57 and a quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53; an Adreno 418 GPU, and 3GB RAM.
This 5.5-inch LTE-ready smartphone has an internal memory of 32GB which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD. It comes with a 16MP main camera - which has received widespread positive response - and a 8MP secondary camera. A removable 3,000 mAH battery - which was seen as the company's response to user requests - provides power to this Android 5.1 unit. It uses a nano-sim, and comes with a stylus as well.
The LG G4 is 148.9 x 76.5 x 9.9mm in dimension, and has a curved back design with a large camera lens cover. It has leather and plastic housing variants.
Various carriers currently offer the unit to US customers for around $600 on a straight up purchase.
The Sony Xperia Z4
The Sony Xperia Z4, now called Z3+, is expected to come out next month worldwide, but has already made its debut in Japan earlier this month. The 5.2-inch LTE-ready Sony Xperia Z4 has a 146 x 72 x 7mm dimension.
Behind its Android 5.0 (Lollipop) OS is a Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset are two CPUs, a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and a Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57, and an Adreno 430 GPU. It comes with 3GB RAM.
Its internal storage is 32GB, expandable to 128GB via microSD. The Sony Xperia Z4 Uhas a 20.7MP main camera and a 5MP secondary camera.
Finally, a non-removable 2930mAH Li-Ion battery provides power to the unit. The Z4 is initially available in black, white and yellow. The Sony Xperia Z4 is expected to have a price tag of around US$630. It is confirmed to have a Compact version, and rumored to have an Ultra one.
The Verdict
Everything is close between the two phones, from the physical design - which look great - to the inside stuff. However, the LG G4 could actually have the edge over the Sony Xperia Z4.
"From the subtle curve of the device and the way it fits in your hand to the rear mounted controls. The extra camera features, such as laser auto focus, dual-tone LED flash, OIS, the wide f/1.8 aperture and the large 8MP FFC that are becoming more popular/needed with the selfie craze that does not appear to be ending anytime soon," one review said.
Aside from its widely-praised camera, one thing that has set the G4 apart is its removeable battery. A small thing, yes, but it is a sign that LG respected users' request for it as it really helps with getting more power options (spare battery, anyone?) and troubleshooting options.
Nonetheless, both the LG G4 and the Sony Xperia Z4 are undoubtedly ahead of the other flagships that have come out this year so far in terms of functionality and design.
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