Apple's iPhones and Samsung's Galaxy phones are the most popular in the U.S., but that doesn't mean you have no other choices.
Plenty of other electronic companies, including LG, HTC, Sony, Asus, Xiaomi and others are weighing in with their own take on the ubiquitous personal device we call the smartphone, and they are doing a pretty good job at it.
In fact, these companies are doing a great job at taking an approach quite radical to Apple's and Samsung's that, if you're tired of the same old iPhone and Galaxy phone, which lately look more and more like each other, other smartphones can give you a refreshing view.
The recently announced LG G4 and the HTC One M9 are two of the best smartphones you can find outside the Apple-Samsung lockout. Both smartphones are flagship devices and represent the best their manufacturers have to offer. Take a look at how each one compares to the other to help you decide the next smartphone for you.
Design
The G4 makes a rather bold statement with the use of genuine leather for its back panel, while the One M9 sticks to the tried-and-tested formula of using an all-metal design for a premium feel. Whether you prefer tanned calf skin to cold, hard aluminum is more a matter of preference, but LG also makes available some casing options in plastic that will undoubtedly tone down the phone's high-end feel if you decide to take that route.
There are also a few design elements to consider, such as the slightly curved, ergonomic back of the G4 that makes it easier to hold. The One M9, on the other hand, is as straight as a rod, but it is a little smaller and narrower than the G4, which makes it a sure winner for people with smaller hands.
LG also keeps on with its unorthodox placing of the power and volume buttons at the back, while HTC keeps the buttons at the center on the side, which makes for some confusing fiddling as you figure out which buttons are for which functions.
Display
On the display front, LG chose to come swinging with a 5.5-inch screen touting a 1,440 x 2,560 Quad HD display that is becoming the standard in most flagship phones, making the 1,080 x 1,920 resolution on the 5-inch One M9 look like it comes from the previous generation. In the real world, however, you'll find no noticeable difference between the two displays, with both phones showing the same clear, sharp images.
However, where LG takes the win in this category is in the use of the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) display standards, which is expected to replace the more traditional sRGB color gamut used in the One M9. This gives the G4 better color reproduction, more brightness and greater contrast, while eagle-eyed color experts will see that the One M9 leans a little bit to the cooler side of the spectrum with a bit of blueness, which is in no way intolerable or even noticeable for most people.
Performance and Storage
The One M9 is one of the first smartphones to use Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 810. Paired with 3GB of memory, this gives the HTC phone blazing-fast performance expected from a flagship. The Snapdragon 810 is, however, not without its problems, such as the overheating and throttling issues that are believed to have caused Samsung to use its homegrown Exynos chips for its own flagships instead.
This might also have been the reason why LG opted for the lower-end 1.8 GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 808 with two ARM Cortex-A57 less than the Snapdragon 810 and a slightly less powerful Adreno 418 GPU. This is paired with 3GB of RAM.
Benchmark tests by various testing tools including AnTuTu and Geekbench show the One M9 fares a little better than the G4 on the scoreboard. Benchmark scores, of course, are only one way to look at performance. With real-world use, you'll realize that there is not much difference in both smartphones, which can both power up apps and power-intensive games without lagging.
Both phones offer 32GB of built-in storage, with a microSD slot that can accommodate up to 2 TB of extra space.
Software
Both the G4 and the One M9 run on Android Lollipop, but the G4 temporarily has the edge by running Android Lollipop 5.1 out of the box. This gives the LG device stability improvements and security features that are not available in Android Lollipop 5.0.2, which is what the One M9 currently runs on. It's likely that HTC will jump to Android 5.1 later on, though, so LG doesn't have a firm solo hold on that.
On top of Android, both manufacturers have placed their own skins, the LG UX 4.0 for the G4 and the HTC Sense UI 7.0 for the One M9. The LG UX features the same unique Knock Code feature that garnered attention for the platform when it was first introduced, and a number of other remarkable features, such as apps that you can slide over whatever you are doing and Dual Window for multitasking.
Meanwhile, HTC Sense focuses more on evolutionary improvements, the biggest one of which is the ability to customize the look of your screen by using themes. This will allow you to change the elements of your screen, from the wallpaper to the sounds and even to the style of the navigation keys. The Sense UI also features HTC's BlinkFeed, a social news aggregator that brings you the latest updates from news sites and your social media accounts.
Camera
HTC packed in 20 megapixels into its rear camera, which is more than the 16 megapixels on the G4. On the front, you'll find a 4-Ultrapixel shooter on the One M9 and an eight-megapixel camera on the G4. However, as every photography enthusiast knows, the number of pixels alone will not determine the quality of pictures that a camera can take.
LG has, in fact, put quite a lot of work into its camera, throwing in tri-axis optical image stabilization and a laser autofocus technology that gives the G4 faster autofocus than the M9. Also, it has a wider f/1.8 aperture and a color analyzer that results in better-quality photos with better color balance and higher contrast.
To complement these new camera features, LG also packed in additional settings that allow you to tweak your shooting options even more. On the G4, you can shoot in raw format and manual mode and can adjust advanced settings such as ISO, shutter speed and white balance.
Clearly, the G4's camera wins hands down over the One M9, but that doesn't mean HTC's phone has an awful camera. It actually is better than the G4 in one aspect, namely when you're shooting with flash. The One M9 touts two-tone LED flash, which nicely balances up the light as opposed to the mostly centric lighting on the G4 when using the single LED flash.
Sound
Photographers might favor the G4, but audiophiles will want the One M9 for its BoomSound front-facing speakers. Equipped with Dolby Audio surround sound, these speakers will give you a richer, more immersive listening experience than the G4, which has decent speakers but not as impressive as those on the One M9. If you're fond of using headphones, however, HTC's advantage disappears.
Battery
LG opted to fit the G4 with the same 3,000 mAh battery found on the G3, which doesn't sound too good considering LG bumped up the size and pixel number. Meanwhile, the One M9 carries a 2,850 mAh battery. It is slightly smaller but various tests have pegged both devices at a similar 6.5 to 7.5 hours of battery life with heavy use. With normal, everyday use, you can expect to squeeze out a couple more extra hours from the battery on both smartphones.
If you're thinking of getting the G4, though, it is best to get it now until June 21, since LG has a promo that will give you an extra 3,000 mAh battery, a charging cradle and a 32GB microSD card for additional storage. Being able to swap out the empty battery for a new one is one advantage you get from the G4, while the One M9 has jumped into the iPhone bandwagon and decided to trade off a removable battery for high-end design.
Price
The One M9 is sold off-contract at $650, but users can buy it with a two-year agreement with any of the major wireless carriers for $199. LG has not yet launched the G4 in the U.S., but T-Mobile is already accepting pre-orders for $600. With a $50 edge and even without the additional battery and storage you get, the G4 is definitely the winner in the price department.
Conclusion
It's a close call between the LG G4 and the HTC One M9, with both smartphones touting certain strengths over the other. Although varied in their approach, both phones feature premium, high-end design and powerful performance.
However, the G4 pulls in slightly ahead of its rival with a better camera, a richer UX and an extra battery to double your juice. Still, if you prefer to listen to music sans the headphones and like being able to customize the various elements of your phone's screen, the One M9 is your phone.
