Another month has come to a close, and that means it's time to check on the Android device offerings out there. There are dozens of devices to choose from on the big four carriers, and the choice is harder than ever with so many premium phones. You don't want to make the wrong, call, though. Two years with a phone you hate is a long, long time.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is still a top pick on all four carriers, but the LG G4 is now available for pre-order everywhere and is even shipping on some carriers.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 vs. The LG G4
This is the main event -- most users should be perfectly happy with one of these devices. Since these phones are both available on all carriers, we're going to see how they stack up, then find a potential alternative for each carrier if neither of them strike your fancy.
Samsung talks up the AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S6 (and S6 Edge) quite a lot, and with good reason. It's stunningly beautiful. It's one of the few screens on a phone that I just can't find fault with. It gets very bright, very dim, the colors are good, and it's extremely crisp. It does consume a lot of power, but that's not really the fault of the screen. This is a 5-inch 1440p AMOLED, after all.
LG does produce some AMOLED panels, and in fact it has used them in a few devices like the G Flex 2. However, they aren't particularly great screens, and can't compete with Samsung. The LG G4 has an LCD as its past flagship phones have, but this one is slightly curved (like a banana). I don't know that there's any usability advantage here. As with the Nexus S days, it's mostly a gimmick. The resolution is a 5.5-inch 1440p, though, and LG has bumped up the brightness and colors compared to the LCD on the G3.
Comparing the screens, Samsung wins in overall quality. The colors, viewing angles, and brightness are noticeably better. The G4's size is actually very nice, though. If you feel like a 5-inch phone is a little too small, the G4 might be just right at 5.5-inches.
Inside the LG G4 runs on a Snapdragon 808, which is probably quite embarrassing for Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 810 has been plagued by heat and throttling issues in the first few devices it has powered, but the 808 is a more modest chip. It's hexa-core rather than octa-core, but it's still a 64-bit chip. The two Cortex-A57 cores do all the heavy lifting, and the four A53s handle the small stuff. It's more than fast enough in daily use, but the Exynos in the Galaxy S6 is a beast.
Samsung's octa-core Exynos has those two extra A57 cores, and it doesn't overheat like the Snapdragon 810. It does get warm, but that's an inevitability. The benchmark scores are off the chart and it might handle some high-end games and complex apps a little better. This isn't a big consideration, though. Both phones are fast enough.
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The rest of the G4's specs include 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (plus microSD card slot), and a 3000mAh removable battery. That compares to the GS6 with its 3GB of RAM, 32/64/128GB of storage, and 2550mAh non-removable battery. You might notice the G4 is a bit more modular and has a bigger battery. Sure enough, it gets great standby time and above average screen time. The GS6 is a little worse (still average), and the battery is non-removable.
On the camera front, this is a very close match. The Samsung Galaxy S6 has a fantastic 16MP shooter with optical image stabilization and an f/1.9 lens. The LG G4 also has a 16MP camera with optical image stabilization, but the aperture is a slightly better f/1.8. Both phones take excellent images in bright light, but the G4 does slightly better in dim settings. The Galaxy S6's HDR mode is much better, though. The G4 might edge the GS6 out here, but it's close.
Samsung is still working on the Galaxy S6 Android 5.1 update, which is expected to start hitting devices soon. Until then it's 5.0.2 with TouchWiz. The UI is certainly tolerable and the design is consistent. I haven't seen any issues with performance over time on this phone either. Many of the unnecessary junk feature have been removed from the new build of TouchWiz too.
The G4 ships with Android 5.1, which is a nice surprise. LG's Android skin is less garish than it once was, but it's rather lacking in polish now. It's not offensive to look at, but I feel like the company could have done more with Lollipop than they have. LG still seems obsessed with pushing some of its built-in app experiences on the G4 as well, but they mostly stay out of the way.
One place Samsung absolutely killed it is with the build quality, The Galaxy S6 has an aluminum rim and Gorilla Glass front and rear panels. Everything is put together extremely precisely. There aren't any weird gaps or spaces in the casing as there have been with some past Samsung phones. On the flip side, LG had to make some compromises to have a removable battery and card slot in the G4. The leather back panel is not my taste, but it's not objectively bad. It simply feels like a cheaper phone than the Galaxy S6.
I still think the Galaxy S6 is a better overall device than the G4 because the screen is amazing and the form factor is more appealing. The Edge vs. Regular GS6 is up to you. The software tweaks for the Edge are minimal. It's mostly an aesthetic thing. The GS6 feels like a premium device while the G4 is too flexible and plastic. That said, The G4 is a great choice if you need a removable battery. I don't think the difference in camera quality is appreciable enough to sway this one way or the other.
AT&T and Verizon
There are a few excellent phones on AT&T and Verizon, which have almost identical lineups right now. Let's see how they might help you cope with your Galaxy-phobia. The top options here are the Nexus 6 and Moto X. I Think it's time to pass on the Note 4 as a new version will be out soon, and the Nexus 6 takes care of the phablet territory well enough on its own. The big difference between the N6 and Moto X is the size, but otherwise they're very similar.
A Nexus 6 or a Moto X are options on AT&T or Verizon, should you not want a Galaxy S6 or G4. I'm bundling these together mainly because they address the same problem with the Galaxy S6 -- the software. As previously mentioned, the GS6's version of TouchWiz is fine for most people. If TouchWiz is a deal breaker for you, there are these phones.
The Moto X and Nexus 6 are both Motorola devices, and they have a lot in common design-wise. The Nexus 6 has a huge 6-inch AMOLED screen that clocks in at 1440p. It's a serious phablet, but the Moto X is a much more modest 5.2-inches. This is an AMOLED as well, but just 1080p. The panel technology is a few years old here, so they won't be as good as the GS6. Still, they're nicer to look at than most LCDs.
On the inside, the Nexus 6 edges out the Moto X, with a newer ARM chip, but both are still 32-bit. It has a Snapdragon 805, 3GB of RAM, and 32-64GB of storage. The Moto X has a Snapdragon 801, 2GB of RAM, and 16-32GB of storage. Neither of these phones has a removable battery or a micro-SD card slot. You'll have to make do with the 3220mAh battery in the Nexus 6 or the 2300Mah one in the Moto X. The Moto X will last you about a day on a charge, G t the Nexus 6 will go a little longer. The screen-on time isn't much different, but it has longer standby.
To differentiate these two phones. the Moto X can be used one-handed. The Nexus 6 cannot. Unless you're a giant.
The selling point for the Nexus 6 is the pure Nexus build of Lollipop. It gets updates direct from Google, and while it's true that automatic rollout dates can vary by carrier, you can always manually update a Nexus. The bootloader is also fully unlockable so you can play around with ROMs and other software. It's also slates to get Android M as soon as it's available.
The Nexus 6 is fast, clean, and close to future proof, but the Moto X's software has a few tricks of its own. It's basically stock Android, plus useful extras like Moto Display for displaying notifications on the screen while the phone is asleep.
The Nexus 6 is about $250 on contract from both carriers, but the Moto X has dropped to $50 or free, depending on the day. Motorola also sells the unlocked version at a steep discount every few weeks. The Google Store is having a promotion right now with the 32GB Nexus $150/off as well. Both are good alternatives to the Galaxy S6 if software is your primary concern.
T-Mobile and Sprint
You can't get a Moto X on Sprint or T-Mobile, so that option is out. The Nexus 6 is for sale on both, but T-Mobile customers also have the Xperia Z3 for a more modestly-sized option. Let's start there.
The Xperia Z3 looks a lot like Sony's other Z series devices, not that this is necessarily a bad thing. It's kind of a "no nonsense" design with straight lines and a slim profile. I've always though Sony's phones looked a bit basic, but the Z3 has good build quality. One thing the Z3 has that the Galaxy S6 ditched is water and dust resistance. The other main advantage of the Z3 is the presence of a microSD card slot.
On the inside, the Z3 packs 2014 flagship-level hardware with a Snapdragon 801, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. The 3100mAh battery lasts about two days paired with the 5.2-inch 1080p LCD. The screen won't be able to match the Galaxy S6, but it looks fine. I'd even say very nice for an LCD.
The Xperia Z3 was unavailable on T-Mobile's site for several weeks, but came back last month at a steep discount. The full price is $500, which is just $20 per month. It is still waiting on a Lollipop update, though. I'd say that's the biggest drawback right now. The price makes it appealing, but this might be a clearance situation.
Sprint and T-Mobile will sell you a Nexus 6. It's worth noting that the Nexus 6 being sold by these carriers is slightly different than the one you can get from Verizon and AT&T. First, there's no carrier logo plastered on the back. Also, they're completely carrier unlocked.
As mentioned above, the Nexus 6 is a fine alternative to the Galaxy S6 when it comes to the software. If you just can't handle TouchWiz, the stock Android experience of the Nexus 6 will make it all better. Google updates this device frequently and it will probably continue to see fas updates for at least another 18 months. It already has a preview build of Android M. The final version will be out in a few months while other phones are left waiting.
There are no carrier logos of apps on the Nexus 6 from Sprint and T-Mobile. The phone will download a few apps from the Play Store when set up with a SIM card already inserted, but they are just regular apps that can be uninstalled. The Nexus 6 doesn't have a ton of apps built-in to take advantage of its massive scale, it's really just a big phone. Taking advantage of the extra space is all up to you.
Again, this phone has plenty of processing power with a Snapdragon 805, 3GB of RAM, and 32-64GB of storage. The 3220mAh battery should be good for a bit more than a day of moderate usage. The 6-inch 1440p AMOLED is very good, but not quite a match for the Galaxy S6 or the Note 4. Sprint recently dropped the price of its Nexus 6 to $200 on contract. T-Mobile is asking for $27 per month. Remember the Google Store deal mentioned above for the Nexus 6 too. $499 is a good price.
Wrapping up
The Galaxy S6 is still the best overall phone available on US carriers, and they all offer it. Even if you've been turned off by TouchWiz in the past, give this phone a look. The software is fine, and even good in places. It's a little more snappy than the G4 as well.
The Nexus 6 is also a solid pick on all four carriers, but it's huge. The Moto X offers a better modestly sized alternative on AT&T and Verizon.
Sourcee : tested