LG took the wraps off its successor to the LG G Flex - dubbed the LG G Flex 2 - earlier in January this year.
Like most successors, the G Flex 2 also packs in several capabilities the original phablet lacked.
"The original G Flex demonstrated LG's pioneering spirit and with the G Flex2 we have refined the curved form factor, staying true to our philosophy of innovation for a better life," said Juno Cho, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Company at the time of unveiling.
We take a look at how this "head-turner" phablet compares to the original LG G Flex.
Design
LG has stuck to some of the design sensibilities of the original LG G Flex and the LG G Flex 2 keeps some of the nuances and curved overall design of its predecessor. Like the original LG G Flex, the LG G Flex 2 has super-slim bezels and the volume and power buttons are located on the rear of the phablet. However, the layout of these rear buttons is more refined in the G Flex 2.
Another visible difference is the size of the LG G Flex 2, which is smaller than the original. This is attributed to the 5.5-inch screen size vis-à-vis the LG G Flex' 6 inches. An advantage of the shrinking in size is that there is a huge difference in how one can hold and handle the phablet with more ease. The manageable size also makes single-handed use easier and more comfortable.
A feature that sees a return in the G Flex 2 is the self-healing back albeit improved. Now scratches and grazes will "heal" in barely 20 seconds. By comparison, the LG G Flex took a few minutes to perform this function.
Processor
The LG G Flex touted a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.26GHz, as well as Adreno 330 GPU. The LG G Flex 2 raises the bar, as with most second iterations, and houses a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, which clocks in at 2.7GHz. The G Flex 2 also sees GPU improvements with Adreno 430 on board.
While the LG G Flex came with 2GB of RAM, the G Flex 2 will have 2GB or 3GB configurations - depending on the market and storage capacity of the device.
Display
The LG G Flex 2 touts a 5.5-inch curved P-OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, whereas the original sported a 6-inch curved P-OLED screen with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution. The pixel density of 403ppi for the G Flex 2 is also an improvement over the LG G Flex' 245ppi.
The LG G Flex 2 uses Gorilla Glass 3 as opposed to the original's Gorilla Glass 2.
Dimensions
The LG G Flex 2 measures 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1-9.4 mm, whereas the G Flex sports dimensions of 160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7 mm, making the former offering shorter and less wider than the latter.
Weight-wise, at 152gms the LG G Flex 2 is way lighter than its predecessor, which weighs 177gms.
Memory
The LG G Flex 2 come in 16GB and 32GB on-board storage memory options. The LG G Flex only came in 32GB. However, it seems LG has taken a note of memory requirements as the LG G Flex 2 has the option of expanding the memory via a microSD card unlike the original.
Camera
Both the LG phablets have a 13-megapixel primary and 2.1-megapixel secondary camera. However, what makes the G Flex 2 better is that its camera has OIS+ and laser autofocus, which are missing in the original.
It also touts Gesture Shot, Gesture Focus and Glance View capabilities.
Moreover, the G Flex 2's primary camera can take videos at both 2160p at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps, whereas the G Flex' can only take 1080p at 60fps videos.
Operating System
The G Flex 2 comes with the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, whereas the G Flex has Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Battery
The G Flex 2 houses a smaller 3,000 mAh battery when compared to the G Flex's 3,500 mAh one. Both the batteries are non-removable. The original's offered support for 15 hours, whereas the G Flex 2's battery can do a Fast Charge and can charge "up to 50% in just 40 minutes." The battery support time is not known.
Price and Colors
The LG G Flex 2 is available in Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red, whereas the original was available only in Titan Silver. The unlocked G Flex 2 costs EUR 600 whereas the G Flex is priced at EUR 360. The phablet is yet to go on sale in the U.S. and will hit the shelves on March 13 on Sprint with pre-orders on the carrier beginning Feb. 20.
