LG G2 Users Thread!

[digiblur]

Well there went the UPS truck and not a stop was made... Said arrival in new Orleans this morning at 10:30 so I figured it would have been here today.. This is taking forever..

10:30 arrival means it will be unloaded in the evening sort.

[eml626]

I'm really stuck between LG G2 and the new Galaxy Note..but I'm leaning on the LG side of things....

I was thinking about going in today, but I'm not sure yet.

 

Having had the Note 3 for 40 days and the G2 now since Monday I will say what makes the Note 3 great is the size.  I do notice the G2 being noticeably smaller and this is the screen itself and not just the actual slimmed out phone.  I like the N3 screen better for everyday tasks (homescreen, email, internet, ect) but the G2 screen in my opinion hands down beats the N3 for video.  I do not like having the G2 buttons on the screen as it is just weird having them on the phone and I keep missing spacebar and hitting the buttons.  With that said the hard Samsung buttons are typical Samsung garbage and feel like they will eventually break (I am looking at you home button) which indeed did get stuck on me a few times in my short time of usage.  I don't think Samsung has improved much on their button issues since the galaxy S2 with its noted power button failure.  The removable back of the N3 also seems flimsy and had an annoying squeak if you touched it in the right place.  As for the cheap silver material running around all 4 sides of the N3 it is really weak and dents if you even look at it the wrong way.  I am extremely careful with my phones and never have scratch or dent issues but the N3 was denting from day one.  If it is in your pocket with anything else expect some dings.  All cases I tried just made the phone 2 bulky and the Samsung s view case does not protect the 4 sides.  The G2 while plastic seems much more sturdy.  I have read many complaints about the dirt and print issues with the G2 in black but I got white and the phone stays very clean.  I have not tried a case on it yet.  I would not get a white N3 as the back cover will be dirty and discolored in no time.  The G2, for me at least is far easier to use one handed and while in the car to quickly send a message while at a light ect.  While things like S Voice on the N3 and some of the other Samsung apps (their activity, diet and pedometer app was nice) will be missed initially I don't think over time I will regret not having them. S Voice would probably really shine with the Gear.  I have yet to really have time to play with the G2 Voice Mate app to see if it is ok for sending voice texts ect (as Google voice search does about everything else I need) but I hear it is just not as good as S Voice.  The ir remote on the N3 had very limited range and I have not yet played with the remote app on the G2 to see if it is any better.  I don't think it could possibly be worse.  Knock on on the G2 is for sure a welcomed feature that I think Samsung should look into.  I have not found the back buttons any better or worse then the side buttons on the Samsung as the N3 is so wide that its side buttons are not that accessible either.  At least in my average to larger sized hands.  Again, the N3 buttons seem doomed to break.  The G2 buttons actually seem sturdy and somewhat easier to access on the back of the phone then the N3.  The Sprint configuration of the buttons with raised power is certainly better then the flat disaster that big red used.  I use knock on almost exclusively for waking the device and putting it to sleep.  The back buttons I use pretty much only as a screen shot shortcut or to restart the phone.  I keep my phone on vibrate almost exclusively though.  Volume is also accessible in the notification pull down unless and until you mod and remove it. Both phones are snappy and responsive.  While I had the N3 for longer then the G2 so far I did experience issues with the N3, as with every TouchWiz phone I have used, with force quits and apps failing to properly load.  I have yet to have one such issue on the G2. The camera on the G2, while not as crisp, is much better in low light and at reducing image blur, especially when snapping photos of my moving dogs.  The 1 gig less ram in the G2 does not appear to make a difference.  The battery life actually seems to be slightly better for me with the G2.  I will miss not being able to carry a spare battery though.  Also I am still not loving the idea of not being able to have the microsd card slot.  I like to transfer data from phone to phone this way and like knowing I can still get the card out if I submerge or otherwise destroy the phone.  I know the cloud helps with some of this I am still just not a fan of not having this option.  I also miss the extra storage.  Saving a few NAND backpus on the phone with a little music and some photos and video and you are out of space.  32GB of storage (really around 26GB) will take some getting use to.  I guess iPhone people have been doing it a while though.  I also miss the N3 being able to connect to voice and data at the same time.  However, tri-band probably outweighs this.  The multitasking is far better on the N3 both split screen and by drawing a pen window.  With the pen window, a few mods and you can use it with any app on the phone.  It is pretty awesome to play with, but in actuality I never really used it in the wild.  I also only used the pen a small number of times to take notes.  I still believe the phone to be a bit to small for me to use it to replace my legal pad.  it is however good in a pinch.  I bet the features of the pen are awesome on a full sized tablet.  My wife also drew a few pictures with the pen.  That was not a reason to keep the phone. 

 

All in all I do think I will keep the G2.  It is a great device witch I planned to get from day 1.  I only tried the N3 due to the late release of the G2 and my need for a phone.  Had I not had it, I would not miss it I am sure.  Upgrading to the G2 from any other device should be major and you will feel the screen to be extremely large and the phone more powerful than any other.  I believe the N3's lack of tri-band and cheap buttons and exterior will take away from what is otherwise a stellar device.  I love the G2.  I think it is a great phone.  Had I not had a N3 I would be writing and telling you that you are nuts to even consider the N3 over the G2 as I told myself when I initially decided on the G2 in early September hoping it would get a normal release date.  However, part of me does miss my N3 a little.  The keyboard was so nice and big (stock keyboard had a separate number line, was integrated with swiftkey and permitted swype function) which I rarely mistyped on.  Although, with the device being so wide one handed typing was nearly impossible (even one handed holding of the phone) and 2 handed use slowed me down.  It also made the phone tough to use while sitting someplace where I generally like to read and respond to messages (wink).  For me the G2 is just more practical and the radios seem to be a bit better than what Samsung put in.  The call quality is also a bit better I believe on the G2.  I think what I miss most about the N3 is having a phone that no matter where you pulled it out someone looked at you with their jaw dropped trying to figure out what that device in my hands was.  It made my wife feel like her 5s was a child's toy when compared to my big boy N3 and she would actually reach for and use my N3 when we were lounging around.  The N3 had some great functions but the lack of tri-band, the build quality and its lack of smooth integration just made it feel like it was missing something.  I feel like after the initial intrigue wore off and I was using it as an every day phone I would have been a tad disappointed to be running another Samsung device.  I do not feel that way about the G2.  It seems like a phone I will enjoy using every day and, as Sprint's network improves (as we pray) so to will the joy of using this device.  Throw in the fact that the G2 is $99 or less and the Note 3 is $350 on contract and it is a no brainier.  I have no idea why I ever look back.  I personally bought the N3 without a contract (had Best Buy match Sprint's $699 price as Best Buy had it at $799) knowing it would not last in my possession past the Note 4 and likely I would have replaced it before that. (On a side not if you decide for some reason on a Nexus 5 buy from Playstore for $399 as Sprint's $150 contract price is a joke for a device that retails so low.  Don't waste the upgrade.  You would be better served to buy a G2 on contract, sell it, then buy a full price Nexus 5).  So after all of this, if you are still reading, buy the G2 and you will not regret it.

 

I hope you found this review helpful, its just my opinion having used both.                     

[The_Chemist]

Having had the Note 3 for 40 days and the G2 now since Monday I will say what makes the Note 3 great is the size.  I do notice the G2 being noticeably smaller and this is the screen itself and not just the actual slimmed out phone.  I like the N3 screen better for everyday tasks (homescreen, email, internet, ect) but the G2 screen in my opinion hands down beats the N3 for video.  I do not like having the G2 buttons on the screen as it is just weird having them on the phone and I keep missing spacebar and hitting the buttons.  With that said the hard Samsung buttons are typical Samsung garbage and feel like they will eventually break (I am looking at you home button) which indeed did get stuck on me a few times in my short time of usage.  I don't think Samsung has improved much on their button issues since the galaxy S2 with its noted power button failure.  The removable back of the N3 also seems flimsy and had an annoying squeak if you touched it in the right place.  As for the cheap silver material running around all 4 sides of the N3 it is really weak and dents if you even look at it the wrong way.  I am extremely careful with my phones and never have scratch or dent issues but the N3 was denting from day one.  If it is in your pocket with anything else expect some dings.  All cases I tried just made the phone 2 bulky and the Samsung s view case does not protect the 4 sides.  The G2 while plastic seems much more sturdy.  I have read many complaints about the dirt and print issues with the G2 in black but I got white and the phone stays very clean.  I have not tried a case on it yet.  I would not get a white N3 as the back cover will be dirty and discolored in no time.  The G2, for me at least is far easier to use one handed and while in the car to quickly send a message while at a light ect.  While things like S Voice on the N3 and some of the other Samsung apps (their activity, diet and pedometer app was nice) will be missed initially I don't think over time I will regret not having them. S Voice would probably really shine with the Gear.  I have yet to really have time to play with the G2 Voice Mate app to see if it is ok for sending voice texts ect (as Google voice search does about everything else I need) but I hear it is just not as good as S Voice.  The ir remote on the N3 had very limited range and I have not yet played with the remote app on the G2 to see if it is any better.  I don't think it could possibly be worse.  Knock on on the G2 is for sure a welcomed feature that I think Samsung should look into.  I have not found the back buttons any better or worse then the side buttons on the Samsung as the N3 is so wide that its side buttons are not that accessible either.  At least in my average to larger sized hands.  Again, the N3 buttons seem doomed to break.  The G2 buttons actually seem sturdy and somewhat easier to access on the back of the phone then the N3.  The Sprint configuration of the buttons with raised power is certainly better then the flat disaster that big red used.  I use knock on almost exclusively for waking the device and putting it to sleep.  The back buttons I use pretty much only as a screen shot shortcut or to restart the phone.  I keep my phone on vibrate almost exclusively though.  Volume is also accessible in the notification pull down unless and until you mod and remove it. Both phones are snappy and responsive.  While I had the N3 for longer then the G2 so far I did experience issues with the N3, as with every TouchWiz phone I have used, with force quits and apps failing to properly load.  I have yet to have one such issue on the G2. The camera on the G2, while not as crisp, is much better in low light and at reducing image blur, especially when snapping photos of my moving dogs.  The 1 gig less ram in the G2 does not appear to make a difference.  The battery life actually seems to be slightly better for me with the G2.  I will miss not being able to carry a spare battery though.  Also I am still not loving the idea of not being able to have the microsd card slot.  I like to transfer data from phone to phone this way and like knowing I can still get the card out if I submerge or otherwise destroy the phone.  I know the cloud helps with some of this I am still just not a fan of not having this option.  I also miss the extra storage.  Saving a few NAND backpus on the phone with a little music and some photos and video and you are out of space.  32GB of storage (really around 26GB) will take some getting use to.  I guess iPhone people have been doing it a while though.  I also miss the N3 being able to connect to voice and data at the same time.  However, tri-band probably outweighs this.  The multitasking is far better on the N3 both split screen and by drawing a pen window.  With the pen window, a few mods and you can use it with any app on the phone.  It is pretty awesome to play with, but in actuality I never really used it in the wild.  I also only used the pen a small number of times to take notes.  I still believe the phone to be a bit to small for me to use it to replace my legal pad.  it is however good in a pinch.  I bet the features of the pen are awesome on a full sized tablet.  My wife also drew a few pictures with the pen.  That was not a reason to keep the phone. 

 

All in all I do think I will keep the G2.  It is a great device witch I planned to get from day 1.  I only tried the N3 due to the late release of the G2 and my need for a phone.  Had I not had it, I would not miss it I am sure.  Upgrading to the G2 from any other device should be major and you will feel the screen to be extremely large and the phone more powerful than any other.  I believe the N3's lack of tri-band and cheap buttons and exterior will take away from what is otherwise a stellar device.  I love the G2.  I think it is a great phone.  Had I not had a N3 I would be writing and telling you that you are nuts to even consider the N3 over the G2 as I told myself when I initially decided on the G2 in early September hoping it would get a normal release date.  However, part of me does miss my N3 a little.  The keyboard was so nice and big (stock keyboard had a separate number line, was integrated with swiftkey and permitted swype function) which I rarely mistyped on.  Although, with the device being so wide one handed typing was nearly impossible (even one handed holding of the phone) and 2 handed use slowed me down.  It also made the phone tough to use while sitting someplace where I generally like to read and respond to messages (wink).  For me the G2 is just more practical and the radios seem to be a bit better than what Samsung put in.  The call quality is also a bit better I believe on the G2.  I think what I miss most about the N3 is having a phone that no matter where you pulled it out someone looked at you with their jaw dropped trying to figure out what that device in my hands was.  It made my wife feel like her 5s was a child's toy when compared to my big boy N3 and she would actually reach for and use my N3 when we were lounging around.  The N3 had some great functions but the lack of tri-band, the build quality and its lack of smooth integration just made it feel like it was missing something.  I feel like after the initial intrigue wore off and I was using it as an every day phone I would have been a tad disappointed to be running another Samsung device.  I do not feel that way about the G2.  It seems like a phone I will enjoy using every day and, as Sprint's network improves (as we pray) so to will the joy of using this device.  Throw in the fact that the G2 is $99 or less and the Note 3 is $350 on contract and it is a no brainier.  I have no idea why I ever look back.  I personally bought the N3 without a contract (had Best Buy match Sprint's $699 price as Best Buy had it at $799) knowing it would not last in my possession past the Note 4 and likely I would have replaced it before that. (On a side not if you decide for some reason on a Nexus 5 buy from Playstore for $399 as Sprint's $150 contract price is a joke for a device that retails so low.  Don't waste the upgrade.  You would be better served to buy a G2 on contract, sell it, then buy a full price Nexus 5).  So after all of this, if you are still reading, buy the G2 and you will not regret it.

 

I hope you found this review helpful, its just my opinion having used both.                     

Hey, that was a very well written comparison!  I agree with you 100% as I too had a Note 3 before the G2.  I actually had 3 Note 3's.  The first one on Sprint had to be exchanged for a second GN3 because as you mentioned the "Home" button got stuck under the front bezel.  I had to push the opposite side of it to get it to pop back out agian.  This got to be really annoying after a while.  My second GN3 on Sprint had a weak radio.  Upload and Download speeds were noticeably slower than my original unit.  I also have a Verizon phone line and had a Verizon version of the GN3.  Theirs had abysmal RF quality.  In places where my Motorola Droid Bionic would hold a 4G LTE signal in a fringe area, the GN3 would only get 1X or no service.  That went back.  Definitely not a keeper. 

 

I agree as well, that I do miss the large keyboard and screen size of the GN3, but Tri Band (if it ever gets up and running here in Harrisburg) far outweighs all other parameters.  I also feel that the in-call sound quality of the G2 is slightly better than the GN3. 

 

From what The_Dave was saying, he can hold an LTE signal with his G2 very well below -120 dBm!  That is indicative of a good radio/antenna system. 

 

I wouldn't worry too much about storage space as Sprint gives you unlimited data, so just keep everything on the cloud. 

 

I am grandfathered in with Verizon unlimited data as well, but from what I have read, it is pointing to BIG RED finding a way to dump us out of unlimited when they start VoLTE - in a few more years of course...  WIth Sprint you are Guaranteed unlimited for life!  Can't beat that. 

 

You really can't go wrong with the G2.  The build quality is much better than any Samsung Device. 

 

I won't sit here and repeat everything that eml626 said, but I am in full agreement.

 

Good Luck!

[eml626]

has anyone played with the G2 governors.  I switched from stock ondemand to interactive after reading device was faster, more responsive and had better battery life.  As far as performance my benchmarks tend to disagree.  Antutu scores: Ondemand 33652 v. interactive 28837.  Does anyone have any thoughts on governors or does anyone know how to do the temp mod for lag on the Sprint G2?

[Redx]

Good thing the GN3 doesn't have Triband. I am missing the screen size, I had the N2 and loved the screen. The first at my job and not the last. The N2 was damaged easily. I dropped the G2 three times, no dents, or cracks. I may need to replace my phone though the rf performance is about the same as the N2's. Though I had B41 connected even in a building. Anyway I'm glad I have the G2 now, the best build quality since..... Droid 2? Well out of the phonesthat I have had. Battery is good gets me throughout a days use. Cyanogenmod messed up my rotation, so for now I have that off, but everything works, except for GPS(on the rom).

[4GLTE_Danno]

I received my G2 I pre-ordered on BB.com Monday morning if anyone is interested.  Just had to wait 3 more days, and saved myself a lot of hassle.

 

When did you Pre-Order?

[lilotimz]

When did you Pre-Order?

Fuck best buy pre-order. Cancelled the order yesterday and just walked out of best buy...

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

[Ascertion]

Fuck best buy pre-order. Cancelled the yesterday and well just walked out of best buy...

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

I cancelled on release day and they sent me a survey to complete rating my experience online...lol

 

Sent from my LG-LS980

 

 

[stlman314]

Are all MSL numbers the same or different per phone?

[teeitup]

I just barely got a shipping notification of my Best Buy 10/16 preorder.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Redx]

Are all MSL numbers the same or different per phone?

Different

[The_Chemist]

Good thing the GN3 doesn't have Triband. I am missing the screen size, I had the N2 and loved the screen. The first at my job and not the last. The N2 was damaged easily. I dropped the G2 three times, no dents, or cracks. I may need to replace my phone though the rf performance is about the same as the N2's. Though I had B41 connected even in a building. Anyway I'm glad I have the G2 now, the best build quality since..... Droid 2? Well out of the phonesthat I have had. Battery is good gets me throughout a days use. Cyanogenmod messed up my rotation, so for now I have that off, but everything works, except for GPS(on the rom).

I'm waiting for the GN4.  Supposed to have a 16 MP camera.  I'm sure the next generation of phones for Sprint will be Tri Band.  I miss my GN3 screen and keyboard too, but I think the G2 is actually a better device.

[ericdabbs]

I'm waiting for the GN4.  Supposed to have a 16 MP camera.  I'm sure the next generation of phones for Sprint will be Tri Band.  I miss my GN3 screen and keyboard too, but I think the G2 is actually a better device.

 

They are going to be all triband LTE phones going forward.

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/5032-sprint-says-all-phones-next-year-will-be-triband-get-hd-voice/

[metayoshi]

has anyone played with the G2 governors.  I switched from stock ondemand to interactive after reading device was faster, more responsive and had better battery life.  As far as performance my benchmarks tend to disagree.  Antutu scores: Ondemand 33652 v. interactive 28837.  Does anyone have any thoughts on governors or does anyone know how to do the temp mod for lag on the Sprint G2?

As someone who's messed with Android way too much since the Evo 4G, I will have to say that benchmarks aren't everything. The Galaxy S 4 destroys the Nexus 4 in benchmarks, but in my opinion (and probably many others' opinions), the Nexus 4 just feels smoother. This proves that it's not really the HW holding back "responsiveness" or "smoothness" from Android devices. It's really the extra UX framework that slows down the experience. I have always felt that TouchWiz, no matter how powerful a chip you put in there, was a piece of garbage in terms of performance. Heck, the Nexus 5 is getting crap numbers in certain benchmarks, but reviewers mainly stick with the idea that the Nexus 5 is the smoothest Android experience today. That's my take on benchmarks.

 

As for governors, if you do the research, interactive should technically yield better results in terms of performance, but you should stick with what feels better to you. Ondemand is a very aggressive governor. If it thinks it needs performance, it will crank up the clock speed. However, the downside is that as soon as it *thinks* you don't need performance anymore, it will aggressively crank down the clock speed. These decisions happen in the milliseconds range, so you could have had the governor decide that it was time to lower the clock speed, and then you see a frame drop, and then the governor cranks up the clock speed again, and then it's smooth again. Interactive is still aggressive when it comes to cranking up the clock speed, but it kind of leans toward the performance side. So not only does it crank up the clock speed faster, it also lowers the clock speed slower. One other specific feature to Interactive, is that if you just turned on the screen, it assumes you will use the screen immediately, so it cranks up the maximum frequency immediately. It's pretty much the best governor out there for performance without sacrificing too much battery.

 

For more information on governors, I suggest you do a Google Search, but this thread at XDA also helps:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1663809

[LTEfanboy10]

Anyone had any battery issues with the G2? Ive heard how this battery is one of the best out there, but I'm not getting more than 2.5 hours of screen time on a full charge with maybe 30 minutes of calls. I was expecting it to be similar to the Note 3 which i would get 5-6 hours of screen time on a full charge. Ive only had it a couple days so maybe it will get better. Anyone else running into this?

[stlman314]

Anyone had any battery issues with the G2? Ive heard how this battery is one of the best out there, but I'm not getting more than 2.5 hours of screen time on a full charge with maybe 30 minutes of calls. I was expecting it to be similar to the Note 3 which i would get 5-6 hours of screen time on a full charge. Ive only had it a couple days so maybe it will get better. Anyone else running into this?

 

I haven't had any issues. I've used XBMC to watch hour tv shows without charging and doing other things.

[4GLTE_Danno]

Best Buy online order made 10/18 finally shipped today!

[lilotimz]

A mini and not very accurate comparison between the G2 and Nexus 5 Cameras.

 

 

Albums are linked but I won't tell ya which is which.. make your own guesses 

 

Album Alpha: http://imgur.com/nSS87yP,Fp3fFYi,L1KCIJR,kZYXTyo,F0KfQN9,fV6ecPv,sWLLPD5,afgNj7t,I7fhsar,HuGkGru,V5YziNj,NT3ywOv,d0GdJFY#12

 

Album Beta  : http://imgur.com/VetR9YA,vipkIik,Lpkghqt,4Py1KTU,mRfzDjX,JP06vfD,h9gLJjD#5

 

Album 1 Sample - 

 

 

A2

 

 

[SpenceSouth]

 

A mini and not very accurate comparison between the G2 and Nexus 5 Cameras.

 

 

Albums are linked but I won't tell ya which is which.. make your own guesses 

 

Album Alpha: http://imgur.com/nSS87yP,Fp3fFYi,L1KCIJR,kZYXTyo,F0KfQN9,fV6ecPv,sWLLPD5,afgNj7t,I7fhsar,HuGkGru,V5YziNj,NT3ywOv,d0GdJFY#12

 

Album Beta  : http://imgur.com/VetR9YA,vipkIik,Lpkghqt,4Py1KTU,mRfzDjX,JP06vfD,h9gLJjD#5

 

Album 1 Sample - 

 

 

You have me stumped.  I think I am going to be missing the camera from my EVO LTE lol. 

[LTEfanboy10]

I think Alpha is the G2. Beta doesnt look as good IMO

[stlman314]

So if I enable Band 41 & 26 and there some towers in the area would I be able to pick them up if they are on for hotspots?

[Mobilesolutions]

So if I enable Band 41 & 26 and there some towers in the area would I be able to pick them up if they are on for hotspots?

From prelininary reports by Premier sponsors the answer seems to be yes.

[stlman314]

From prelininary reports by Premier sponsors the answer seems to be yes.

 

Be nice if there were some screenshots out there of it. 

[Mobilesolutions]

Be nice if there were some screenshots out there of it.

 

There are.

[ericdabbs]

Be nice if there were some screenshots out there of it. 

 

We only have screenshots of B41 LTE but not B26 LTE.  We don't know at this point which sites have B26 LTE.  Here are some B41 LTE screenshots that I took last night.

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4886-lg-g2-users-thread/?p=237898