Slamming the LG G2 in favor of the Ultra

[MikeLip]

I really thought I'd want a G2. On paper it looks like an incredible phone - the specs are consistently near the tops of all the benchmarks. People rave about the screen. But this is the ugly truth...

Screen. The G2 screen is dim and lacking contrast. The Droid screen is bright, contrasty and is a pleasure to read on and work with. LG made a big deal about the thin side bezels. Yeah, big deal. It's not materially less wide than the Ultra.
Controls. Obviously using a Verizon version - the buttons on the back are hard to sort out by touch. I can never tell if I'm pressing up, down, power, or futilely banging on the camera lens cover.
Skin. The skin is ugly. Really ugly. It's also far too cluttered and busy, to no real effect. There is no POINT to the clutter. It's not doing anything Android doesn't, and nothing a cleaner skin couldn't do. It looks like a poor adaptation of a Gingerbread skin with it's clunky and primitive looking controls.
Performance. Maybe this runs benchmarks faster than the Ultra, but know what? It sure doesn't make any real difference in performance. Seriously. Day to day, no difference at all.

One thing they did get right is that knock-knock thing to wake it up or put it to sleep. I really like that. The phone is very slightly smaller than the Ultra. But it's not as impressive as you would think. For a phone that's an actual pleasure to use, get the Ultra.

 

[sicario666]

I have a maxx. I looked the G2 also. I wanted the screen size. 5.2" would be perfect. The note 2 at 5.5" was just too big once the new wore off. If the maxx had that 5.2 over the 5 it would be perfect. Thank you for the feedback. I also hear that LG quits on their devices too quickly which was also a decision maker for me

53N7 FR0M M4 DMAXX V1A 7A9A7A7K

 

[MikeLip]

I have a maxx. I looked the G2 also. I wanted the screen size. 5.2" would be perfect. The note 2 at 5.5" was just too big once the new wore off. If the maxx had that 5.2 over the 5 it would be perfect. Thank you for the feedback. I also hear that LG quits on their devices too quickly which was also a decision maker for me

53N7 FR0M M4 DMAXX V1A 7A9A7A7K

I wish I had gotten the Droid Maxx. Combine the Droid battery management with that big battery - now THAT would be awesome. I'd just hang on to the Maxx and know you have what may be the best Android phone on the market.

 

[radyoactive]

Thanks for the review. I thought about giving the G2 a try. Considering your history with other Android devices, your review is valuable.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[brian7751]

i wish i would have seen this thread earlier but if its still possible to answer mike how was the reception between the lg g2 and the droid ultra

 

[MikeLip]

It seemed fairly close. I live in a good coverage area so I'm not a great judge of that, sorry.

 

[brian7751]

thats quite alright i appreciate you replying back though thanks

 

[ffejjj]

Not on Verizon here but the Ultra would be my choice out of the current Droid phone

Sent from my HTCONE using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Westiemom]

Just gotta say that I have had my Ultra a little over a month now and it really is a pleasure to use. The size, the build , shape, screen, software features have all been very enjoyable. Been quite happy with my choice - certainly no regrets. What I enjoy most and would find very hard to live without now are the active notifications and Moto Assist. Assist has been fabulous and works very well. Don't know how I lived without it!

I say all this because I had briefly thought about the G2 when it came out right at the time I was choosing what my next phone would be. I was already happy with my choice but your comments, MikeLip, really confirm it!

 

[beeare]

I really thought I'd want a G2. On paper it looks like an incredible phone - the specs are consistently near the tops of all the benchmarks. People rave about the screen. But this is the ugly truth...

Screen. The G2 screen is dim and lacking contrast. The Droid screen is bright, contrasty and is a pleasure to read on and work with. LG made a big deal about the thin side bezels. Yeah, big deal. It's not materially less wide than the Ultra.
Controls. Obviously using a Verizon version - the buttons on the back are hard to sort out by touch. I can never tell if I'm pressing up, down, power, or futilely banging on the camera lens cover.
Skin. The skin is ugly. Really ugly. It's also far too cluttered and busy, to no real effect. There is no POINT to the clutter. It's not doing anything Android doesn't, and nothing a cleaner skin couldn't do. It looks like a poor adaptation of a Gingerbread skin with it's clunky and primitive looking controls.
Performance. Maybe this runs benchmarks faster than the Ultra, but know what? It sure doesn't make any real difference in performance. Seriously. Day to day, no difference at all.

One thing they did get right is that knock-knock thing to wake it up or put it to sleep. I really like that. The phone is very slightly smaller than the Ultra. But it's not as impressive as you would think. For a phone that's an actual pleasure to use, get the Ultra.

Active notifications blows away the knock knock feature on the g2. Way more useful overall, so not sure why you list this as a positive for the g2; considering they serve a similar function and the active notifications does it in a much more effective way.

And the g2 has a great battery and I know the Ultra is solid due to the efficiency of the chip set, but Maxx would have been the way to go. Then you would have the best of every world in terms of beating out the g2

Sent from my XT1080 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[MikeLip]

Active notifications blows away the knock knock feature on the g2. Way more useful overall, so not sure why you list this as a positive for the g2; considering they serve a similar function and the active notifications does it in a much more effective way.

And the g2 has a great battery and I know the Ultra is solid due to the efficiency of the chip set, but Maxx would have been the way to go. Then you would have the best of every world in terms of beating out the g2

Sent from my XT1080 using AC Forums mobile app

Active notifications and knock-knock serve two similar but not identical purposes. Active Notifications shows you something you have told the phone is important (SMS, mail, whatever) and allows you to wake the phone directly into that app. Knock knock is a general phone wakeup to home screen without the two-step press power and unlock sequence. I found it faster and quite useful. If you don't, that's fine.

 

[Adrian Rangel]

I have the maxx now and had the G2.... To speak on reception, the maxx wins hands down. Had the G2 for a week....3 important calls didn't come in and I got at least 5+ messages late! The Maxx on the other hand....0 dropped calls and all my texts!

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[Westiemom]

I wish I had gotten the Droid Maxx. Combine the Droid battery management with that big battery - now THAT would be awesome. I'd just hang on to the Maxx and know you have what may be the best Android phone on the market.

I ordered my husband the Maxx on Sunday, it will be here tomorrow. Merry Early Christmas honey!

I chose to save money when I got my Ultra with the intention of getting my husband the Maxx later. We're not rich, so $100.00 more really mattered to me and I don't need that awesome battery for my desk-bound lifestyle, but I still get all the other awesomeness! Besides, I'm getting the best battery life I've ever gotten on a smart phone with my Ultra - so I don't feel deprived at all!

So ....... hubby gets the best smartphone on the market and mine is a really close second. I'm good with that.

 

[sicario666]

I ordered my husband the Maxx on Sunday, it will be here tomorrow. Merry Early Christmas honey!

I chose to save money when I got my Ultra with the intention of getting my husband the Maxx later. We're not rich, so $100.00 more really mattered to me and I don't need that awesome battery for my desk-bound lifestyle, but I still get all the other awesomeness! Besides, I'm getting the best battery life I've ever gotten on a smart phone with my Ultra - so I don't feel deprived at all!

So ....... hubby gets the best smartphone on the market and mine is a really close second. I'm good with that.

You...are... awesome. Your hubby better be happy. I know I would be!

53N7 FR0M M4 DMAXX V1A 7A9A7A7K

 

[rlmesq]

What I enjoy most and would find very hard to live without now are the active notifications and Moto Assist. Assist has been fabulous and works very well. Don't know how I lived without it!

My girlfriend's hands are just too small for the Maxx and she thought her S2 was just fine... until she got a chance to see those features in action.

The Mini was a good solution... it doesn't have the monster battery and there's only sixteen gigs of RAM, but she isn't a power user so she gets decent battery life.