LG G3 vs HTC One (M8) vs Note 3 specs comparison: no reservations

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LG G3 vs HTC One (M8) vs Note 3 specs comparison: no reservations
The LG G3 is finally here, and with it the battle for the user's attention has become even more fierce, and the choices in the store or online even more perplexing. That's why we are listing a brief specs comparison between three of the hottest current flagships - the G3, the One (M8), and the Note 3 - to help you pick and choose.

As you can see from the listed dimensions below, the largest of the bunch is the Note 3, which is much taller and wider even from the G3, despite the just 0.2" difference in screen diagonals. The most friendly for one-handed operation is the One (M8), chiefly on account of its rather narrow body, which is otherwise no less tall than the G3. Granted, the One (M8) has a much smaller display, compared to the other two, though HTC outfits the tall handset with two BoomSound stereo speakers, which is a fine tradeoff for the extra top and bottom bezel. The One (M8) also has the most premium design of the three, but doesn't sport a removable back cover like the G3 or the Note 3, so you can't swap the battery at will, if needed.

Speaking of displays, the G3 undoubtedly holds the palm of honor here, as it's the first smartphone from a major manufacturer to break the arbitrary 500ppi pixel density barrier, thanks to a Quad HD panel with 538ppi. The increase in pixel density from the 1080p displays of the other two will likely only make a difference if you are perusing hieroglyphs, or watching 2K movies in their native resolution, but it still gives quite the bragging rights. Moreover, LG claims that it's display covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut, which should make for a very good color representation, something that can't be said for the Note 3 display, for instance.

When it comes to the silicon inside, only the Note 3 is left out of the Snapdragon 801 party, as it's outfitted with a Snapdragon 800 processor, but it can still record 4K video, and, frankly, the difference between the two processors will be negligible in real world usage. Note 3 has 3 GB of RAM, and the 32 GB version of the G3 sports as much, while the One (M8) makes do with 2 GB. All that jazz is backed up by a large 3200 mAh battery unit in the Note 3, a slightly smaller capacity 3000 mAh one in the G3, and a 2600 mAh in the One (M8). Note 3 and One (M8) have already proven that they have a great battery endurance with their respective pieces, so it's up to G3 to prove itself in our battery test now.

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Last but not least, the One (M8) and the G3 both offer something unique in the camera department. HTC has the Duo Camera, which uses a second sensor/lens combo for added depth perception, while the G3 offers a 13 MP camera with optical image stabilization and laser-assisted autofocus. Note 3 doesn't have any bells and whistles accompanying its 13 MP shooter, but it has proven to be a consistent performer in our camera comparisons, and can produce 4K footage, just like its Snapdragon 801-laden competition. Which one of these would you prefer?

LG G3 HTC One (M8) Samsung Galaxy Note3

Design

Dimensions
5.76 x 2.94 x 0.35 inches
146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm
5.76 x 2.78 x 0.37 inches
146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm
5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches
151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm
Weight
5.26 oz (149.0 g) 5.64 oz (160.0 g) 5.93 oz (168.0 g)
Materials
Back: Plastic Back: Aluminum
Resistance
Splash; IPX3
Features
Stylus, Interchangeable covers
Keys
Back: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, Gold, Purple, Pink, White Gold, Gray, Silver, Pink, Blue, Red Black, Pink, White

Display

Size
5.5-inch 5.0-inch 5.7-inch
Resolution
2560x1440px, 538 PPI 1920x1080px, 441 PPI 1920x1080px, 386 PPI
Technology
IPS LCD S-LCD 3 Super AMOLED
Screen-to-body
75.22 % 66.71 % 74.78 %
Colors
16 777 216
Features
Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor
Quad-core
2500 MHz
Krait 400
Quad-core
2300 MHz
Krait 400
Quad-core
2300 MHz
Krait 400
GPU
Adreno 330 Adreno 330 Adreno 330
RAM
3GB (LPDDR3) 2GB (LPDDR3) 3GB (LPDDR3)
Internal storage
32GB 32GB, available to use: 24 GB 64GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDHC up to 64 GB
OS
Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.2) Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.3, 4.4), HTC Sense UI Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4, 4.3)

Battery

Capacity
3000 mAh 2600 mAh 3200 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Polymer Li - Ion
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0

Camera

Rear
Single camera Dual camera Single camera
Main camera
13 MP (OIS, Laser autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal length: 29 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.06"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
4 MP (Autofocus)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal length: 28 mm
Sensor size: 1/3"
Pixel size: 2 μm
13 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal length: 31 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.06"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Second camera
4 MP (Depth information)
Flash
Dual LED Dual LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)
OIS
1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
HDR, Video light, Video sharing
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS, Video calling
Front
2.1 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 5 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0 4.0
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 3.0
Hearing aid compatible
T3
HDMI
Yes Yes
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Thermometer, Gesture, Humidity, Barometer
Other
NFC, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback Album art cover, Background playback, Preset equalizer
Screen mirroring
DLNA,Wireless screen share,SlimPort DLNA,Wireless screen share,MHL,MirrorLink DLNA,MHL
Radio
FM FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

4G (FDD)
Bands 3(1800), 7(2600), 20(800 DD) Bands 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) Bands 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 8(900), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower)
3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Micro SIM Nano SIM Micro SIM
VoLTE
Yes

Phone Features

Notifications
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: May 30, 2014
FCC ID value: ZNFD855
FCC ID value: NM80P6B100 Date approved: Nov 07, 2013
FCC ID value: A3LSMN9005
Measured SAR
Head: 0.21 W/kg
Body: 0.68 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 0.99 W/kg
Wireless Router: 0.76 W/kg
Head: 0.24 W/kg
Body: 0.72 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.07 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.04 W/kg
EU SAR
Head: 0.29 W/kg

Availability

Officially announced
May 27, 2014 Mar 25, 2014 Sep 04, 2013


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