Home > Android Phone Comparisons > LG G2 vs. Moto X Comparison

Moto X vs. LG G2 Comparison Smackdown

Posted September 17, 2013 by Lisa Gade, Editor in Chief (twitter: @lisagade)

When we did our LG G2 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 smackdown, it was a much closer race than today's Moto X vs. LG G2 comparison. No, that doesn't mean one is wildly better than the other, though the LG G2 certainly wins on paper with some of the best specs you'll find in a 2013 smartphone. I mean that the phones' sizes and core design philosophies diverge about as much as two Android flagships could. Both are new phones released in the early fall of 2013, and will be available on many if not all major US carriers for $199 with contract (T-Mobile no longer offers contracts, so you'll have payment plans with them).

Design and Ergonomics

This is an important difference. Moto designed the X to be as small as a phone with a 4.7" display could be. It's comfortable and curved in all the right places--you just want to hold onto it once you've had it in your hand. The Kevlar composite surface on the woven black and woven white models sets it apart visually from other phones and it's not slippery or a fingerprint magnet. The custom Moto Maker colors likewise buck the "me too" look in Android phones. If you have smaller hands but want a large screen phone, the Moto X is for you. If you detest plasticky looking phones or slippery phones, the Moto X is for you.

What if you embrace big phones and you want the biggest display possible within reason. The LG G2 has the largest display on a non-phablet phone, and it's the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, though its display is bigger at 5.2". Yes, it's slippery and not very distinctive looking, but you just might find the perfect case to jazz it up while improving grip. Oh, and did we mention that the buttons are on the back? A little weird, but I don't think it's a problem.

Winner: Moto X for better styling, a more comfortable design and custom color options (depending on carrier).

Software and Android

Wow, for two phones running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, you can't get much different. Like the Samsung Galaxy series of phones, LG's high end phones are rife with software. The LG G2 is no exception, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. They've refined the LG UI over the years, and I find a lot of that software genuinely enhances the user experience. Much of the tweaks actually allow you to set up the phone just the way you like, for example you can change icons and even set up the software buttons at the bottom as you wish (the ones that are hardwired on other phones). And there are plenty of Samsungy features: the front camera can keep an eye on you so they display won't turn off when you're looking at it. It can pause video playback if you look away. It can answer the phone if you raise the LG G2 to your ear when a call comes in. To wake the phone, simply double-tap on the screen (LG Calls this Knock). Their multitasking enhancements are pretty sweet too. And best of all, none of it compromises speed. I know many of you like software customizations since phones with plenty of customizations like Samsung Galaxy models sell well.

Enthusiasts often prefer a clean experience and a fresh palette that they can tweak with software downloads from Google Play like Nova Launcher. The Moto X will appeal, since the UI is nearly as clean as a Nexus phone. Little has been done to alter Android's stock appearance. Motorola's customizations instead come in the form of always-on voice command that actually works without killing battery life, the lovely active notifications (no need to turn your phone on to see the time or if you have new notifications), and clever use of motion detection and GPS to make life easier and safer to navigate.

Me personally? I'm still trying to decide! I generally prefer little UI customization and haven't been a fan of TouchWiz or feature overload. I think Motorola's got an eye for the future and the way we will use our phones (and tablets and laptops) in years to come. It's a great step toward more human interaction with a smartphone. But I also find many of LG's software features thoughtful and they make using the phone easier and more fun. This one is up to you: do you want a clean, near Nexus experience with always on voice command and active notifications added, or do you want lots of nifty features like a floating video player and widgets, knock to wake up, and some good motion based usability enhancements?

Winner: this one depends on you!

LG G2 vs. Moto X Comparison Smackdown Video

Display

The LG G2 has one of the best displays on a smartphone. The 5.2" IPS full HD display is the biggest you'll find in a non-phablet and it has excellent color balance, contrast and saturation. It gives the excellent HTC One serious competition. On paper it's a winner with 424 PPI pixel density. IPD displays are viewable outdoors.

The Moto X actually has a lovely AMOLED display that's surprisingly color neutral (whites are white) and colors are a bit zingier than life, though not as exaggerated as some Samsung phones with Super AMOLED displays. But it's 720p vs. 1080p on the LG G2 and pixel density is 312 PPI. Anything over 300 is gravy for average eyes at average handheld viewing distances, and I honestly can't see pixels on the Moto X display and text is very sharp. It's plenty enough in terms of density and sharpness and I think some folks actually prefer better than life colors. But I have to give the point to the LG G2, whose display is simply huge, stunning and easier to see outdoors in sunlight. If you want a lot of video or read ebooks frequently, you'll love the LG G2's display.

Winner: LG G2

Performance and Horsepower

Again, different philosophies are at work here. LG took the usual Android (and iOS) route: increase CPU and graphics power as quickly as you can. It works for PCs, so why not for smartphones? Moto took the Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core CPU clocked at 1.7GHz and halved the cores to 2, while keeping the capable Adreno 320 graphics. They did this as part of their Moto X8 processing platform, and added in two cores that handle voice commands and motion detection and response instead. They also wanted to keep battery life and phone size manageable. If you like the voice command, active notifications and Moto Assist features (who wouldn't), you might say who needs 4 cores--I'll take the features instead. The phone is fast and responsive, so you're not getting a slug.

But there are those of you who love having the fastest possible phone. You know it might actually make it to the end of a two year contract without crawling like a slug drunk on beer. You're into the latest 3D games and want to be sure your phone can play the most demanding games a year or two from now? Then the LG G2, currently the fastest phone on the US market, is for you. It beats everything right now, and will fly with the best for the next 6 months or more. The 2.26GHz quad core Snapdragon CPU with Adreno 330 graphics has more power than any of us can use right now. A year from now, that might be just what the doctor ordered.

Winner: LG G2 (at least for those who want and need the fastest smartphone possible).

Camera

We're happy to let the Moto X slide when it comes to horsepower since it's more than fast enough and Motorola put the processing power into some great usability features. But the camera? It's a slaughter and the LG G2 wins by a landslide. It's not just megapixels where the Moto X's 10MP RGBC camera loses to the 13MP LG G2 and its Sony Exmor RS sensor. Photo and video quality are much better on the LG, and it's a top pick for camera buffs. The camera also has many more features from dual video recording (front and back camera can record simultaneously for picture-in-a-picture style video), to many scene modes and a wealth of manual settings.

Related:

Moto X Review

LG G2 Review

LG G2 vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Comparison

LG G2 vs. HTC One Comparison

Moto X Specs:

Display: 4.7" AMOLED (RGB) display. Resolution: 1280 x 720. Has ambient light sensor, accelerometer and proximity sensor.

Battery: Lithium Ion Polymer rechargeable. Battery is not user replaceable. 2200 mAh.

Performance: Motorola X8 mobile computing system: 1.7GHz Dual core Snapdragon S4 Pro (two Krait 300 CPUs) with Adreno 320 graphics running at 400MHz. Processors to handle voice recognition and motion detection. 2 gigs RAM and 16 or 32 gigs internal storage.

Size: 5.09 x 2.57 x 0.22-0.41 inches. Weight: 4.59 ounces.

Phone: GSM quad band with 3G HSPA+ and 4G LTE. Verizon model has CDMA, 3G EV-DO Rev. A and 4G LTE plus GSM world roaming. 3G HSPA+ bands: 850/900/1900/2100MHz. LTE Bands 2, 4, 5 and 17.

Camera: 2MP front camera and 10MP rear camera with RGBC sensor, HDR and LED flash. Can shoot 1080p video and slo-mo video.

Audio: Built in speaker, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack.

Networking: Integrated dual band WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0 LE +EDR.

Software: Android OS 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Expansion: None.

LG G2 Specs:

Display: 5.2" IPS display (424 ppi). Resolution: 1920 x 1080. Has ambient light sensor, accelerometer and proximity sensor.

Battery: Lithium Ion Polymer rechargeable. Battery is not user replaceable. 3000 mAh.

Performance: 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core CPU with Adreno 330 graphics. 2 gigs RAM. 32 gigs internal storage.

Size: 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches. Weight: 4.6 ounces.

Phone: GSM quad band world phone with LTE 4G and HSPA+. Sprint and Verizon have CDMA dual band digital with EV-DO Rev. A 3G and 4G LTE.

Camera: 2.1 megapixel front video chat camera and 13 megapixel rear camera with LED flash, BSI and HDR for photos. Optical image stabilization, can use front and back camera simultaneously.

Audio: Built in speaker, mic and 3.5mm standard stereo headphone jack.

Networking: Integrated dual band WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0.

Software: Android OS 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with LG UI. LG and 3rd party apps include Quick Memo, Quick Translate, Quick Remote, QSlide apps, Polaris Office (MS Office compatible suite that can view, edit and create Office docs), carrier applications and standard suite of Google apps.

Expansion: None.

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