Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G3 competing for attention in Africa

Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G3 are two models among the high end smartphones that are currently competing for attention in the African market. Both Sony and LG have put together quality devices that are very close in spec-to-spec match, but may appeal to customers with different tastes. If Sony Xperia Z2 stands out as a device with a style statement of power and strength, LG G3 seems a device designed with user experience and how-it-feels factor in the mind. Let us see how the spec-to-spec match unfolds, while we make sense of what the two established players may have had in their minds.   

In spite of having slightly larger stats, LG G3 (size: 146.3x74.6x8.9mm) weighs 149gms, about 14gms lesser than Sony Xperia Z2 (size: 146.8x73.3x8.2mm) that weighs 163gms, indicating the type and quality of materials used and perfection achieved. While LG's G3 comes with a plastic build trying to emulate a metallic back, Sony's Z2 comes in a full glass back and aluminium edges with claims to be completely dust and water proof. Sony Z2’s hard-edged rectangular shape may not appeal to some for the hand grip it allows, while LG’s G3, given its curved shape, may attract those more keen on how it feels in the hand experience. The choice is essentially between Sony Z2, a compact, handsome and a bit erect looking device that comes in black, white and purple, and LG G3 with its plastic body that feels more comfortable in hand and is available in great variety of colours such as metallic black, silky white, shine gold, moon violet, burgundy red and blue steel.

Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G3 offer IPS-LCD capacitive touchscreen technology, but minor differences lie in display screen size and type. While Z2 provides a 5.2inch display with shatter proof glass technology, which seems a plus for those who tend to be a bit clumsy with their phones, G3 has a 5.5inch gorilla glass 3 display screen. The key difference is that LG G3 packs a pixel count of 2560x1440 that equals 538 ppi, making it one of the few smartphones to offer such high resolution and pixel density. Sony’s Z2 with 1920x1080 resolution with a pixel density of 424ppi seem to fill the gap by using Triluminous technology which apparently produces bold and clear images. However, with its sheer amount of pixels, LG’s G3 has a definite leg up on Sony’s Xperia Z2.

Both the devices run on Android OS (KitKat) v4.4.2 and are powered by a Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 central processing unit. However, while LG G3 clocks in a 2.5GHz processing power and a 2GB RAM, Sony Xperia Z2 is a close second with 2.3GHz but offers a higher 3GB RAM. In addition, both the devices have expandable memory up to 128 GB, a definite plus. On the battery front, Sony weighs over LG slightly: LG’s G3 has a removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery giving up to 21hours talk time on 3G and Sony’s Z2 has a non-removable Li-ion 3200 mAh battery that provides 19hours of talk time on 3G. Both the devices come very close at the performance level, where higher RAM may work to the advantage of Sony Z2.

Furthermore, LG G3 has a respectable 13MP primary camera with optimal image stabilisation, two-tone LED flash and a laser autofocus system, which helps the device to “lock” subjects more accurately. However, Sony’s Z2 has a whopping 20.7MP primary camera, an outright advantage. Both the devices have comparable secondary cameras of 2.1MP and 2.2MP respectively. However, Sony Xperia Z2’s powerful camera combined with its waterproof technology provides it a sure leg up over LG’s G3. Finally, we have also looked at the price tag in the Kenya market, where it seems Sony Xperia Z2 price has moved over time from over KSh48,000 to about KSh38,000, where as LG’s G3 is priced at around KSh41,000.

In the above context, customers may have to chose between a compact, handsome looking device with water proof technology and a very powerful rear camera in somewhat serious looking colours and a device with a more comfortable form to handle, a larger display screen with very high resolution and pixel density enhancing the viewing experience, whose colour range could even beat a peacock. It seems as if the real choice is between power and security on one hand and viewing experience, feel and comfort on the other hand.

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Youth focused One Plus One can challenge Samsung S5 in Kenya

African smartphone market is bustling with competition due to the presence of many prominent players, which includes established players like Samsung, Huawei, Tecno and HTC and newcomers like Oppo, Obi Mobiles and One Plus. Generally, customers gain from competition, however, in the absence of right information, the multiplicity of brands and products can also create confusion. Therefore, in this review Brands Dialogue team is focusing on two smartphone models, including one of the established players, Samsung S5, and one of the new arrivals, One Plus One.

Design & Viewing Experience
Starting with the physical appearance, we note that One Plus One is clearly a relatively bigger but sleeker looking device with 152.9x75.9x8.9mm dimensions than Samsung S5 that comes with 142x72.5x8.1mm dimensions. This reflects at two levels: firstly, it makes One Plus One (162g) slightly heavier than S5 (145g) and secondly, the display screen size in One Plus One is slightly larger at 5.5 inch than Samsung S5 which has 5.1 inch screen, which is minor difference. 

Both smartphones share the same resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. However, Samsung S5 has a Super AMOLED capacitative touchscreen that could make viewing from certain angles a bit tedious. On the other hand, One Plus One sports a LTPS LCD capacitative touchscreen, which supports wide viewing angle and also makes outdoor viewing more comfortable. Essentially, other than screen types that lead to qualitative difference in experience, the difference in overall size, weight and form are only a matter of personal preference. 

Processing Power
To fire the performance, both Samsung S5 and One Plus One devices are supported by Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 processor. If One Plus One devices are available with 16GB or 64GB internal memory, S5 devices are available with 16GB or 32GB internal memory. However, while Samsung S5 provides for an expandable memory of 128 GB through microSD, One Plus One does not. In terms of RAM, Samsung S5 has a 2GB RAM compared to One Plus One that has relatively larger 3GB RAM, which essentially means One Plus device could withstand higher activity than S5. Both the devices run on Android 4.4.2 Kitkat, however, key differentiator is that while Samsung S5 can be upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop, One Plus One can only be upgraded to Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, something that could influence the customer choice.

Additional Features

There are other differentiators too. While Samsung S5 has a superior rear camera with 16 megapixels, One Plus One follows closely with 13 megapixels, but S5 falls behind with only 2 megapixels front camera as compared to One Plus One’s 5 megapixels. In a generation where selfies are constantly overflowing in the social media, Samsung S5 does not seem to have appreciated that aspect enough. Furthermore, battery is another crucial aspect of any smartphone, and One Plus One with a 3100mAh battery capacity can outlive Samsung S5 that has a 2800mAh capacity. A longer battery life and the promise of better selfies make One Plus One acquire a leg up over Samsung S5.Samsung S5 and One Plus are available on 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 and 4G (depending on the markets). For 3G, both are available on HSDPA: 850/ 900/ 1700/ 1900/ 2100. Also, both devices support Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth.

The Price Tag

Finally, we look at the price in the Kenyan market. One Plus One 16GB is priced at around KSh31,000 and 64GB is at around KSh37,000. In comparison, Samsung S5 16GB is costing around KSh44,000, where as 64GB option is currently not available in Kenya. However, considering that even One Plus One with 64GB costs lesser than Samsung S5 16GB, there seems a clear price advantage One Plus One.

Concluding Remarks

While both the devices have superior features, there are obvious differences in strategic take of the two companies. One Plus has put together a device that has larger screen size and comes with better display to enhance the viewing experience at angles and outdoors, larger RAM, longer battery life, better front camera for selfies and, apparently, a better price too. On the other hand, Samsung has paid more attention to allow for upgrading the device to an even more superior level to enhance performance, along with expandable memory and a superior rear camera. However, it seems while Samsung S5 remains a great device, One Plus One has all that it needs to attract the youth attention. 

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