Key Difference: LG Optimus G Pro has major updates to its predecessor, the LG Optimus G. The device sports a massive 5.5-inch True Full HD IPS touch screen with multi-touch capability and a pixel density of 401 ppi. Under the hood, the phone is powered by 1.7 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 600, making it pretty fast and speedy. Samsung Galaxy S4 is the successor to the very popular Samsung Galaxy S3. The company boasts new features into a slightly smaller and sleeker design. The phone’s screen has been increased to a stunning almost 5 inches with only slight decrease in size of the phone. The screen is a full HD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that provides a greater resolution of 1080 pixels, almost 441ppi density.

Since smartphones have become the ‘most important’ device in people’s lives, every smartphone company has been constantly in R&D to try and manufacture new phones with new features to capture the market. LG Electronics is one such company that has been releasing phones in various sizes, trying to boost its product portfolio to draw in customers. LG has been specially giving Samsung direct competition by releasing similar phones within the same time frame. The LG Optimus G Pro is the successor to the original LG Optimus G and resembles the Samsung Galaxy Note II in size and features. The phone has already been announced and launched in Korea, with launch date yet to be released for the rest of the world.

The LG Optimus G Pro has major updates to its predecessor, the LG Optimus G. The device sports a massive 5.5-inch True Full HD IPS touch screen with multi-touch capability and a pixel density of 401 ppi. The screen is truly amazing in viewing and the bigger screen is perfect for multi-purpose use (things people usually whip out their tablets or laptops for). The high resolution ensures crisp and sharp images, while the phone has great viewing angles. The large screen also ensures that the device is hard to hold and function with one hand. The G Pro has a sleek plastic chassis, which makes it a slippery when trying to maneuver single-handedly. However, the plastic chassis does not make the phone weak; in fact it is very resilient. LG has made it a bit easier by placing the power and the volume buttons on the right side of the device, rather than placing the power button on the top. Operating the phone requires the person holds the phone in one hand and operates using the other.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by 1.7 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 600, making it pretty fast and speedy. The device can handle running multiple operations as well as high-res games, without major glitches. The device offers internal memory capacity of 32 GB, which can be expanded further using the microSD slot by 64 GB. The device provides 2 GB worth of RAM, decreasing the lagging effect when running too many apps. The device comes with an NFC, Infrared port, USB and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. The Infrared port ensures that the phone can be made into a remote for any supporting device, while the hot-spot allows the person to share internet with others.

The device houses a 13 MP primary camera for picture taking that supports 4208 x 3120 pixels, and a 2.1 MP secondary camera for video conferencing or calls. The camera is pretty decent in terms of taking hi-res, sharp photos, however, according to The Verge review; the camera has a tendency of washing out colors from the images. The huge viewfinder on the device is great for taking images. Both the cameras have the ability to take videos at 1080p@30fps. One pretty nifty feature on the phone is the Dual-recording feature (similar to the one on the S4), which allows the user to record videos simultaneously from both of the camera. Another feature that is boasted by the company is the Virtual Reality Panorama shot that allows the user to take images and stitch them together for 360 degree panorama shots (this feature is very similar to the Photo Shoot on the Nexus 4).

The device houses a massive Li-Po 3140 mAh battery that is removable, a must feature for many smartphone lovers. The company has yet to release the official data about the Talktime and the Stand-by time offered by the phone. LG has also added the QSlide apps and the QButton feature on the phone. The QSlide apps are widgets that allow the user to do multiple jobs on the same screen, such as take notes, see the calendar, check e-mail and can also allow the user to watch a video and text at the same time. A similar feature is available in the Note II, but it the system only allows the user to access limited apps on the phone. The QButton located on the left side of the device allows the user to access any apps on the phone by pressing the button. The device is yet to hit other shores and prices will also be announced accordingly with the release dates.

Samsung Galaxy S4 is the successor to the very popular Samsung Galaxy S3. The company boasts new features into a slightly smaller and sleeker design. The phone’s screen has been increased to a stunning almost 5 inches with only slight decrease in size of the phone. The screen is a full HD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that provides a greater resolution of 1080 pixels, almost 441ppi density. The weight of the phone has also been reduced to 130 g and the width of the phone has been reduced by 1mm. The phone has sharper and straighter lines with just curved edges. In terms of design it is quite similar to the S3. The chassis is made up of polycarbonate plastic and the display is highly sensitive that accepts touch through gloves. The phone is available with either the 1.6 GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 5 processor or the 1.9 GHz Snapdragon Fusion Pro quad-core processor, depending on the market. It is available with 16/32/64 GB internal capacity options and if that is not enough it can be upgraded by another 64 GB using the SD slot. The S4 comes with 2 GB RAM, which has become a norm for smartphones these days.

The phone comes with a stunning 13 MP primary camera, a 2 MP secondary camera and HD video recording capability. The S4 runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but it has yet to be seen if it will offer an upgrade to the new Key Lime Pie version when it is available in mid-2013. The phone is available in two colors Black Mist and White Frost, though there may be chances for other colors once the phone is available for purchasing. Now for the fun part! The phone offers brand new features that are sure to pull in some big spenders. The S4 offers hovering capabilities known as Air Wave, which allows users to swipe between screens, videos, photos without actually touching the screen. Another fun feature is the Smart Scroll and Smart Pause; Smart Scroll uses a sensor and the front camera to automatically scroll when a person is done reading a certain paragraph. The scrolling can also be controlled using tilt. Smart Pause uses the sensor to pause videos automatically when the phone senses that the person is no longer looking at the screen and then resumes when the person looks back at the screen.

Group Play is a feature that allows users to use NFC or Bluetooth to tap and transfer videos, photos, music and even engage in multiplayer games with other S4 users. There are many new camera features as well including dual camera, sound & shot, drama shot, story album, cinema photo and eraser mode. Dual camera allows users to use both the cameras at the same time including when trying to take a photo. The person taking the photo can place their face to the photo taken using the secondary camera or vice-versa. Sound & Shot feature takes 9 seconds of audio when capturing a photo. Drama Shot combines all the actions from a Burst shot into one screen. Story album enables the users to create an album using their shots and audio. Cinema photo feature allows the users to animate one portion of an image, while keeping the rest simple. Eraser Mode allows users to erase objects from the image that they do not wish to include. Other features also include S Health (users can track their diet, steps, exercises, etc.), S Translator, S Voice assistant, Galaxy S Voice Drive and Integrated Optical Reader. Samsung has yet to announce the release date and the price of the S4.

The information for the detailed table about the two phones has been taken from theverge.com, engadget.com, Samsung Mobile website and GSMArena.com.

Image Courtesy: engadget.com, samsung.com