Smartphone wars are far from over as top manufacturers come out with some of the best technologies incorporated in their new smartphone models. While Samsung is in the lead already with wide range of Galaxy smartphones, there are many other players in the market trying to steal the competition by offering better devices at jaw dropping prices. In 2014, consumers are more inclined towards buying value for money devices, and so far there are two mid-range smartphones that are stealing the limelight. The all new Moto G is a result of team work between Motorola and Google and together they have come up with a great mid-range smartphone that offers value for money experience. LG, on the other hand, has come up with the smaller version of their flagship smartphone LG G2, rightly named as LG G2 Mini. Both these smartphones are going to rock the market soon giving other mid-range device manufacturers a run for their money. However, let’s examine which one of the two is better and can win the market competition.
Design
In terms of design, Moto G has its own appeal although it is a plastic phone that weighs around 143 grams and is 11.6 mm thick. The front side is dominated with 4.5 inch IPS display that also has Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Now, that is something that you won’t find on many smartphones that fall in that price range. Motorola has used water-resistant nano-coating technology that makes the device splash-proof. Moto G comes with interchangeable backs in 6 colors. LG G2 Mini takes design cues from the flagship device and uses the same glossy plastic making it identical to the G2. The smartphone is available in four colors, white, black, gold and red.
Design Winner – Moto G
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Display
We play hundreds of free games, watch videos, run apps and click pictures with the smartphones we have and therefore display is an important part of the smartphones we buy. Using a smartphone with poor display is not going to offer us any satisfaction, because at the end of the day it all comes down to bright and clear display that enhances the user experience. Motorola and Google certainly know the value of decent display and therefore Moto G is incorporated with a 4.5 inch screen that offers 1280 X 720 pixels offering 329ppi. For those who are not so technically sound, let me tell you that Apple iPhone 5S has a 4 inch Retina display with 1136 X 640 pixels and 326ppi. Now, do you clearly see the difference? Moto G has actually managed to offer better display resolution than Apple iPhone 5S in every possible way. On the other hand, LG fails to beat the competition in the display department. The LG G2 Mini has a bigger 4.7 inch IPS LCD screen, but with low resolution of 960 X 540 pixels and offering 234ppi. Now, that does not mean that the LG G2 Mini comes with an awful screen resolution. It still has a decent screen resolution, but with a bigger screen you will be able to see some amount of pixelization as the pixel density is low.
Display Winner – Moto G
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Processor
You need to be fast, if you want to last. Smartphones that have good processors certainly stay in the competition because they allow users to handle multiple tasks at the same time without any lag. The new Moto G is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad core 1.2GHz which means that the smartphone is going to perform exceptionally well as it is combined with Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB RAM. Interestingly, LG G2 Mini is also bundled with the same processor and GPU which mean in terms of performance both are identical. However, in certain markets, LG will launch this smartphone 1.7GHz Tegra 4i quad core processor for LTE technology.
Processor Winner – Both Moto G and LG G2 Mini
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Camera
In the last few years, camera has become an integral part of smartphone and therefore smartphone manufacturers have to provide a decent camera, if they really want to race ahead in the competition. Moto G sports 5 megapixels camera on the rear side and 1.3 megapixels on the front side. The rear side camera also has LED Flash, Auto Focus, Burst Mode, Digital Zoom, HDR mode and Panorama options. The rear camera can also capture 720p HD videos at 30 fps. LG G2 Mini, on the other hand, gets 8 megapixels camera with LED Flash and 1.3 megapixels camera on the front. While LG still has more megapixels and some of the camera features that are available in the flagship LG G2 device, but unfortunately both the devices are not truly made for shutterbugs, but both can offer decent pictures.
Camera Winner – Both Moto G and LG G2 Mini
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Memory
Consumers today store lot of data on their smartphones and therefore they look out for devices that can offer them better memory options for storing more data. In this department, Moto G fails to impress as it comes in 8GB and 16GB variants and offer no microSD card slot for expansion. This certainly works as an advantage for LG G2 Mini as this device comes with 8GB internal memory plus a microSD card slot for expansion. However, LG claims that users will not be able to use 64GB card with it, so users can still make use of 32GB card with LG G2 Mini.
Memory Winner – LG G2 Mini
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Operating System
Both the devices run Android 4.4 KitKat which is the latest version of Android. However, Moto G has the stock Android which means the overall usage is very quick and smooth. There are not too many added features and that makes the overall experience better. It also actually helps to consume less battery which is a plus factor for users that want better battery performance. LG G2 Mini comes with the same Android version, but it gets a slew of features like Guest Mode, Knock ON and Quick Memo which Moto G misses out on. However, if you are not really keen on those extra features and more concentrated on Android experience, Moto G is the right device for you. There is no lag and the powerful processor makes the Android KitKat experience so much better.
Operating System Winner – Moto G
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Battery Performance
Running out of juice can be frustrating and most smartphone buyers are keen on choosing devices that offer better battery performance that can handle their daily apps and activities. Moto G gets a 2, 070 mAh battery which is non-removable. Now, many of you may not like this because you cannot replace it with another battery, but some of the users prefer it. LG G2 Mini gets a bigger battery of 2, 440 mAh battery and is a removable unit. In terms of battery performance, both the devices are on par. Although, Moto G has a smaller battery it saves power because of stock Android operating system while LG G2 Mini uses various features but has a larger battery.
Battery Winner – Both Moto G and LG G2 Mini
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Conclusion
To conclude this it would be fair to say that both the devices are almost identical to each other in many ways and they perform almost on the same level, except certain features which will make a difference. While LG G2 Mini has not been released in the market yet and there is no pricing update from LG, let’s just say that at the moment it is Moto G that is clearly winning the competition. It offers extremely good display, great processor to offer superior performance, and better operating system experience. However, it fails in terms of camera and memory. LG G2 Mini manages to steal the thunder from Moto G by offering extra microSD card slot and better camera, but fails to deliver better display. Now, that brings us to the price factor and Moto G certainly offers value for money deal. In India, Moto G is priced at Rs. 12, 499 for 8GB and Rs. 13, 999 for 16GB version. In the United States, Moto G 16GB Unlocked is available for$199.99 while 8GB unlocked is priced at$179.99. In UK, Moto G 16GB unlocked is available at 158 GBP and 8GB is available at 129 GBP.