LG's second stab at a curved and flexible smartphone is a bit less experiment, a bit more flagship. Let's see how the features and specs of the G Flex 2 compare to those of Apple's flagship phablet, the iPhone 6 Plus.
Size
Dimensions
The two handsets have identical screen sizes, but the G Flex 2 makes more economical use of its face. It's 6 percent shorter and 4 percent narrower than the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone is technically 24 percent thinner, but those numbers are skewed a bit, as the G Flex 2 has a tapered back and the above depth only counts its thickest point (it slims down to 7.1 mm at its thinnest points, near the top and bottom edges).
Weight
The smaller G Flex 2 is also 12 percent lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus.
Build
No other mobile device maker can match Apple's combination of light, thin and aluminum. Many rival handsets, like the G Flex 2, are made of plastic. And when you do come across a non-iPhone smartphone that is made of metal (like the HTC One M8), you can bet that it will be thicker and heavier.
Colors
LG gives you two color options for the G Flex 2 while Apple gives you its token space gray, silver and gold options for the iPhone.
Display (size)
As we mentioned, no differences here, as both phones give you spacious 5.5-in screens.
Navigation buttons
Navigation button location (below screen = more available screen in most areas)
In many apps (and on your home screen), though, the iPhone will give you a little extra real estate to work with. That's because the G Flex 2 uses the bottom row of its display for navigation buttons (except for when Android's Immersive Mode fades them out).
Curved screen
Curved (and flexible) display
The G Flex 2's differentiating feature is its curved and flexible display. Just know that "curved" comes before "flexible." You can briefly flatten its screen against a hard surface, but you won't want to bend it in any other direction.
We still aren't sold on the curved form factor adding anything meaningful to the smartphone experience, but we'll keep an open mind until we get our hands on a review unit.
Display (resolution)
Not only is screen size the same, but they both have the same 1080p resolution.
If these slightly different pixel densities look confusing, that tells us that the G Flex has a slightly smaller screen (probably around 5.46 inches, rounded up to 5.5).
()
Display (type)
LG's plastic OLED display tech is what makes the curved and flexible screen possible.
Fingerprint sensor
Apple's Touch ID sensor is the best in the business, not only letting you easily secure your handset, but also opening the door to Apple Pay.
Battery
Battery capacities are close, and LG's power-efficient Snapdragon 810 processor will also likely bode well for its uptimes.
Fast charging
The G Flex 2 uses Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 tech, which can juice up a dead battery to a 50 percent charge in less than 40 minutes (as long as you're using a compatible charger, like the one it ships with).
Just note that the more juice your battery has, the less Quick Charge 2.0 will show any kind of boost.
Cameras
On paper, the G Flex 2 looks like the clear winner in this category, but you'll always want to take megapixels with more than a few grains of salt. The latest iPhones have excellent cameras.
With that said, it looks like the G Flex 2 has the same cameras as LG's 2014 flagship, the G3, and we were very happy with its results.
Laser autofocus
A big part of that is the G3's laser-based autofocus, which returns to the G Flex 2. While shooting, it lets you simply tap the point on screen that you want in focus, and it will quickly snap a pic, using a laser that quickly measures the distance between phone and subject.
OIS
Both handsets also have Optical Image Stabilization onboard, in case you get a case of shaky hands while shooting your masterpiece.
Storage
Once you get past the entry-level tier, the iPhone has the internal storage advantage.
MicroSD card slot
Though the G Flex 2 does support microSD cards, which you'll likely never see in an iPhone.
Processor
This is another category that looks like a blowout for the G Flex 2, but remember that iPhones' performance typically far outweighs the cores and clock speeds that you see on paper. It's a very fast phone, and we'd be surprised if the G Flex 2 wasn't as well.
RAM
Similarly, 1 GB of RAM in 2014-15 would normally mean a phone is mid-ranged and underpowered – but that isn't the case with the iPhone.
Software
The G Flex 2 is going to launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop (with the LG UI on top). The iPhone 6 Plus runs iOS 8.
Release
We don't yet know when the Flex will hit the US, but it's launching in South Korea at the end of this month. For what it's worth, the G3's US release was about two months behind its Korean release.
Starting price (full retail)
Starting price (full retail)
LG hasn't yet revealed what the Flex will cost.
Ditto for on-contract pricing, as none of the US carriers that will be selling the G Flex 2 have tipped their prices just yet.
For more on these two, you can read Gizmag's full review of the iPhone 6 Plus and our hands-on with the G Flex 2.
Size
Dimensions
The two handsets have identical screen sizes, but the G Flex 2 makes more economical use of its face. It's 6 percent shorter and 4 percent narrower than the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone is technically 24 percent thinner, but those numbers are skewed a bit, as the G Flex 2 has a tapered back and the above depth only counts its thickest point (it slims down to 7.1 mm at its thinnest points, near the top and bottom edges).
Weight
The smaller G Flex 2 is also 12 percent lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus.
Build
No other mobile device maker can match Apple's combination of light, thin and aluminum. Many rival handsets, like the G Flex 2, are made of plastic. And when you do come across a non-iPhone smartphone that is made of metal (like the HTC One M8), you can bet that it will be thicker and heavier.
Colors
LG gives you two color options for the G Flex 2 while Apple gives you its token space gray, silver and gold options for the iPhone.
Display (size)
As we mentioned, no differences here, as both phones give you spacious 5.5-in screens.
Navigation buttons
Navigation button location (below screen = more available screen in most areas)
In many apps (and on your home screen), though, the iPhone will give you a little extra real estate to work with. That's because the G Flex 2 uses the bottom row of its display for navigation buttons (except for when Android's Immersive Mode fades them out).
Curved screen
Curved (and flexible) display
The G Flex 2's differentiating feature is its curved and flexible display. Just know that "curved" comes before "flexible." You can briefly flatten its screen against a hard surface, but you won't want to bend it in any other direction.
We still aren't sold on the curved form factor adding anything meaningful to the smartphone experience, but we'll keep an open mind until we get our hands on a review unit.
Display (resolution)
Not only is screen size the same, but they both have the same 1080p resolution.
If these slightly different pixel densities look confusing, that tells us that the G Flex has a slightly smaller screen (probably around 5.46 inches, rounded up to 5.5).
()
Display (type)
LG's plastic OLED display tech is what makes the curved and flexible screen possible.
Fingerprint sensor
Apple's Touch ID sensor is the best in the business, not only letting you easily secure your handset, but also opening the door to Apple Pay.
Battery
Battery capacities are close, and LG's power-efficient Snapdragon 810 processor will also likely bode well for its uptimes.
Fast charging
The G Flex 2 uses Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 tech, which can juice up a dead battery to a 50 percent charge in less than 40 minutes (as long as you're using a compatible charger, like the one it ships with).
Just note that the more juice your battery has, the less Quick Charge 2.0 will show any kind of boost.
Cameras
On paper, the G Flex 2 looks like the clear winner in this category, but you'll always want to take megapixels with more than a few grains of salt. The latest iPhones have excellent cameras.
With that said, it looks like the G Flex 2 has the same cameras as LG's 2014 flagship, the G3, and we were very happy with its results.
Laser autofocus
A big part of that is the G3's laser-based autofocus, which returns to the G Flex 2. While shooting, it lets you simply tap the point on screen that you want in focus, and it will quickly snap a pic, using a laser that quickly measures the distance between phone and subject.
OIS
Both handsets also have Optical Image Stabilization onboard, in case you get a case of shaky hands while shooting your masterpiece.
Storage
Once you get past the entry-level tier, the iPhone has the internal storage advantage.
MicroSD card slot
Though the G Flex 2 does support microSD cards, which you'll likely never see in an iPhone.
Processor
This is another category that looks like a blowout for the G Flex 2, but remember that iPhones' performance typically far outweighs the cores and clock speeds that you see on paper. It's a very fast phone, and we'd be surprised if the G Flex 2 wasn't as well.
RAM
Similarly, 1 GB of RAM in 2014-15 would normally mean a phone is mid-ranged and underpowered – but that isn't the case with the iPhone.
Software
The G Flex 2 is going to launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop (with the LG UI on top). The iPhone 6 Plus runs iOS 8.
Release
We don't yet know when the Flex will hit the US, but it's launching in South Korea at the end of this month. For what it's worth, the G3's US release was about two months behind its Korean release.
Starting price (full retail)
Starting price (full retail)
LG hasn't yet revealed what the Flex will cost.
Ditto for on-contract pricing, as none of the US carriers that will be selling the G Flex 2 have tipped their prices just yet.
For more on these two, you can read Gizmag's full review of the iPhone 6 Plus and our hands-on with the G Flex 2.
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