Any thoughts on these rather similar phones?

[tpapictures]

I've got a chance to get any of these for nothing basically in an upgrade.

• Huawei P20 Lite
• LG G6
• Samsung Galaxy A5

I know most people wouldn't even look at these but I have different criteria from most smartphone users.
1. Best camera possible, especially in low light
2. Enough CPU power and speed to let me game without lag, use heavy-internet apps like Maps and Browsers without lag (my current phone freezes when searching an address and often just crashes.
3. Good battery longevity would be useful
4. LOTS of onboard memory - seeing as how I clearly am someone who needs to have a number of apps that causes my phone to constantly run out of space even when passing apps to the SD Card. Besides, Android's infuriating need to constantly reinstall apps to the phone when updating makes this a mess.
5. I'd like the phone to be rootable to run things like Xposed and do image backups.

Where I differ from most users, I think, is I do not ever use my phone for music or video and can't imagine anything more useless than using a forward facing camera to take pictures. I don't mean I only do video and music occasionally, I mean I have a media player and I would never watch anything more than a news video on a small screen. I'm only saying this because nowadays when you ask about phones you get video and audio specs.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Good luck. Most of what you are looking for is found in flagship phones. Most budget and mid range phones compromise on RAM, processor, camera and storage.

 

[chanchan05]

Those phones on your list don't meet your criteria.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

The LG G6 is the best of the three phones you mentioned but won't meet all your requirements. Certain versions of G6 won't allow unlocked bootloader which is required to root. Are there any other options?

 

[tpapictures]

Just out of curiosity, which are the criteria that are really hurt by these options? (I've already ruled out the Samsung, so you can ignore that)

Others I can get free are no better, in fact worse: Moto E5 Play and LG Q6

Question:
1. Is it fair to say that the quad core G6 is better than the octo-core Huawei P20 Lite?
2. Is there a way to identify the G6 models that can have their bootloader unlocked?

 

[chanchan05]

Just out of curiosity, which are the criteria that are really hurt by these options? (I've already ruled out the Samsung, so you can ignore that)

Others I can get free are no better, in fact worse: Moto E5 Play and LG Q6

Question:
1. Is it fair to say that the quad core G6 is better than the octo-core Huawei P20 Lite?
2. Is there a way to identify the G6 models that can have their bootloader unlocked?

Criteria hurt:

1. Best camera possible: None of those have the best camera possible. Out of the choices I'd go with the G6 just because it was formerly a flagship and LG probably didn't skimp on the camera on that one. However LG was never really known for good low light cameras when compared to the likes of Samsung S series and Pixel. Comments on the P20 lite camera say that it was pretty mediocre for the price range. The G6 camera is good, but is oversharpened on auto and the smaller sensor does take a toll when compared to others. So both choices DO NOT have the best possible camera.

2. The G6 uses the same Snapdragon 821 as the Pixel 1, and it's slightly more powerful than the 820 on the S7 Edge, but even still there are some games now that will lag and stutter on that, depending of course on several factors, like things you have running in the background. The benchmarks on the P20 lite shows scores HALF that of the G6.

3. Regarding the battery life the P20 lite has a smaller battery than the G6 (3000mah vs 3300mah), but the same GSMArena tests have it perform better (77h vs 75h). So the G6 isn't looking good in this regard.

4. Both phones have 32GB storage (probably around 25GB usable). Not really a lot. Unless you can find 64GB versions.

5. No experience with rooting Huawei and LG, especially since rooting is more trouble than it's worth to me nowadays, but as been said before, certain versions of LG are not possible.

On your questions:
1. Yes the LG CPU is far better than the P20 CPU.
2. Since you're getting this on an upgrade, it's most likely locked. Most locked bootloader versions are carrier versions.

The G6 is the best phone you can get if those are your only choices, but it doesn't meet all of your criteria.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Just out of curiosity, which are the criteria that are really hurt by these options? (I've already ruled out the Samsung, so you can ignore that)

Others I can get free are no better, in fact worse: Moto E5 Play and LG Q6

Question:
1. Is it fair to say that the quad core G6 is better than the octo-core Huawei P20 Lite?
2. Is there a way to identify the G6 models that can have their bootloader unlocked?

My son has a P8 lite and it has been pretty decent for 2 years now. But even at the time it was a budget phone. It is ok for calls and texts and youtube. He enjoys listening to music on it. Camera below average, build meh and perfect for a young man who doesn't normally look after his phones. This is the one he has used and kept for the longest time.

So the P20 lite may be ok. It won't be as good as the full P20.

Tba I would recommend you go to GSM Arena website and Techrader and read reviews on these phones. They go into real detail with them and you should be able to get a good idea what each phone is like and where you will be compromised.

Good luck

 

[tpapictures]

Just need to clarify a few things that I may have not expressed clearly...
1. best camera possible - I thought it was clear I was meaning: among these three. Not compared to all phones out there today. I am aware these are not top of the line phones today. And low light, I mean I want to take pictures in an apartment or in regular city light at night and not get a horrible image. Anything important isn't taken on my phone, it's taken on my DSLRs or SLRs where I shoot all my good quality photos and video.
2. Gaming - I should have said "light gaming". I'm talking about time management and word games. At the MOST intensely graphics heavy end, maybe a simple sports game.
3. I'm coming from a BLU Life One X, again just to reiterate how my demands are not the same as the average smartphone user. The majority of features on today's smartphones are lost on me. And what are considered unacceptably bad phones are to me, probably fine. But a decent photo is important. Decent. Not as good as I can get on my pro photography gear. There is an article even here about how somebody used the G6 to take vacation photos and those look great to me.

The rooting is unfortunate. Luckily here in Canada, we can unlock whenever we want. But not having access to the bootloader sort of sucks. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which version we get here.

 

[chanchan05]

Just need to clarify a few things that I may have not expressed clearly...
1. best camera possible - I thought it was clear I was meaning: among these three. Not compared to all phones out there today. I am aware these are not top of the line phones today. And low light, I mean I want to take pictures in an apartment or in regular city light at night and not get a horrible image. Anything important isn't taken on my phone, it's taken on my DSLRs or SLRs where I shoot all my good quality photos and video.
2. Gaming - I should have said "light gaming". I'm talking about time management and word games. At the MOST intensely graphics heavy end, maybe a simple sports game.
3. I'm coming from a BLU Life One X, again just to reiterate how my demands are not the same as the average smartphone user. The majority of features on today's smartphones are lost on me. And what are considered unacceptably bad phones are to me, probably fine. But a decent photo is important. Decent. Not as good as I can get on my pro photography gear. There is an article even here about how somebody used the G6 to take vacation photos and those look great to me.

The rooting is unfortunate. Luckily here in Canada, we can unlock whenever we want. But not having access to the bootloader sort of sucks. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you which version we get here.

The thing is you also mentioned low light. The G6 uses small sensors so while G6 may look good in daylight, I can't say it will in low light situations, and what may seem decent to you may not be to others, so this is subjective. Although as I already said, the G6 is probably the best camera in the options.

In gaming, if it's "light" gaming, then any of the options should do, but again the G6 has the best CPU so it has the best bang for buck.

Both phones give a "decent" photo, but the G6 should be better.

In which case out of your criteria you'll be giving up on good battery life, probably the bigger storage since LG usually skimps on the US and Canada for some reason but hopefully not this time, and likely rooting.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

I'm assuming you'll get the Canadian G6 (H873) which doesn't have the option for unlocked bootloader. The European (H870) and US unlocked (US997) are the only versions of the G6 that have support from LG for unlocked bootloader.

 

[tpapictures]

Ok, thanks everyone. And honestly on the bootloader, I have a rooted phone now and the only thing I use the root for is to do full backup images which I hardly ever use and to run Xposed to make available things that Lollipop doesn't offer and to fix some things that the Vanilla OS on the BLU phone makes really annoying. I imagine on an Oreo Android system, bloatware is bound to be the only thing I'll wish I could get rid of. I spent four years on unrooted Windows Phone. I'm sure I can go back to that. It's usually a massive relief to be honest.

 

[Rukbat]

You can't run Xposed in Oreo, so that's out. (There are modules that will run in Magisk, if the phone will run it, but you need an unlocked bootloadet for that.) The rest is doable - if you don't mind putting up with a phone that's not that fast at some things. (Even some light games - like a fire - take a lot of graphics processing power.)

Address lookup is another matter - that depends on your internet connection, from the phone to the server. So even with a 100mbps connection to your provider, if there's a segment of the path that's running at 1mbps because of a lot of traffic, that's your throughput speed. (Packets will come into your phone at 100mbps, but for 99% of the time, there won't be anything coming in.) If you use MyDirections, and set it up beforehand, it sends the lat/lon to Maps, so there's no lookup - the GPS knows what lat/lon it's at, and Maps knows how to route from there to the one you're going to. (And it's a nice little Contacts-like "get me to there" [as opposed to "connect me to him"] app. Just keep all the places you go to in it.)

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Why are those the three phones? Can we replace them with a better phone?

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

If coming from a BLU then I think the LG G6 may be your best choice from the 2 you mentioned. I would have ruled out the Samsung as well.

 

[tpapictures]

If coming from a BLU then I think the LG G6 may be your best choice from the 2 you mentioned. I would have ruled out the Samsung as well.

Agreed. I've done lots of reading on the device on photography sites, I'm happy with its abilities.

Why are those the three phones? Can we replace them with a better phone?

I'm not answering this again.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Agreed. I've done lots of reading on the device on photography sites, I'm happy with its abilities.
I'm not answering this again.

I saw it asked earlier but not answered. Just read through again and same thing, no answer.

 

[tpapictures]

I saw it asked earlier but not answered. Just read through again and same thing, no answer.

Doesn't matter. No, there's nothing else I can get.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Doesn't matter. No, there's nothing else I can get.

Ok in that case the G6 is the only device of the 5 worth considering.

 

[rap1]

I have an LG G6+ (more storage - 128gb). I don't know if that is an option for you. Probably not. I got mine from Amazon Prime. I've been happy with it. I havent done a lot of photography but it seems pretty good. Slight lag occasionally lately but I think something I installed might be contributing to that. I wouldn't consider the other 2 and frankly I wouldn't have bought any phone with only 32gb but I like a lot of apps. I've used about 50gb so far. I am willing to make a few compromises not to pay top dollar but I still want a flagship. G6 fit that.

 

[Morty2264]

I'd say the G6 or P20 Lite are your best bets. My first thought was actually the P20 Lite. I personally love the G6 and you can always download apps and switch up camera modes to get the camera experience you are looking for.

I have used an Honor 8 before and I absolutely loved that phone; so I highly recommend the P20. EMUI is an awesome operating system and is so highly customizable. I loved being able to customize everything every month or so!

Let us know what you decide!