S5 or G3?

[LoudRam]

My wife's due for her upgrade in a few weeks and in doing my research I've narrowed it down to these two. They are very similar in specs and size. What are the pros and cons of each? Which version of LP are they running? Neither of us have owned an Lg or a Sammy. We've only had HTC and Moto. She uses her phone like 95% of the people out there. She's not into rooting or a power user. Only phone calls, texts, email, light games, and taking pictures, ya know typical stuff.

Thanks for your opinions.

 

[Ollie]

We have both of these phones in our family. The S5 has a better screen than the G3, but the G3 feels better in the hand. If you use a case then that won't matter.

The camera on the S5 blows the G3 away.

 

[cr6]

Both my wife & I have the S5 and we couldn't be happier.
Awesome camera, (except for lowlight indoor shots with "auto" set as the default...but with a few adjustments you can still take really great photos) great viewing in direct sunlight, battery literally lasts all day with heavy use and quick charge is amazing. You can get wireless charging, you just need to purchase a replacement back. The S5 is on Lollipop 5.1....it depends on who your carrier is.

S5 tap'n

 

[bsweetness]

Having owned both, here's a rundown of a few key areas based on my experiences.

Display

• The G3 has a higher resolution display, but LG rushed it to market. It looks a bit washed out and dull compared to most screens. Outdoor visibility can be difficult in direct sunlight. The G3's display is 5.5", but it feels a bit smaller due to the small bezels. It's still every bit of 5.5" though, which can be good or bad depending on the user.

• The S5 has a stellar 1080P display that has tremendous viewing angles and that gets super bright in direct sunlight. At 5.1", it's a solid size for most users.

• Winner: S5

Camera

• Outdoors and in good light, the S5 takes noticeably better pictures than the G3 to me. The G3 is no slouch, but the S5's shots have more detail, and its live HDR mode is fantastic.

• Indoors and in poor light without a flash, the G3 takes better pictures than the S5. The G3 has optical image stabilization (something the S5 lacks), which helps quite a bit. The S5 does a pretty good job in low light, but you often have to hold the phone still for a longer period of time (and your subject needs to remain still) in order to get a clear shot. With the flash on, the pictures from the S5 look a bit better to me.

• Winner: S5

Software

• Neither have the greatest skin, but the G3's is a bit lighter than the S5's. Each have their pros and cons, but much of it will come down to whether or not you like the features one offers over the other. Samsung goes into feature overkill with their software, but some of it is quite useful. The version of Android you'll get depends on your carrier, but most have a version of 5.0 at this time. Both tend to be equally slow with updates.

• Winner: Tie

Other features

• The S5 has an IP67 rating against water and dust. Really comes in handy if you're caught in the rain or if you accidentally drop your phone in the water. Even if you baby your phone, it still provides great peace of mind. The G3 doesn't have any official IP rating.

• The S5 has a fingerprint scanner. It works well enough, but it's not as great as Touch ID on the iPhone or the scanner found in the S6. The G3 does not have a fingerprint scanner.

• The S5 has a heartrate monitor. The G3 does not have a fingerprint scanner.

• Removable battery & SD card slot - both phones allow you to change the battery and add a SD card.

• Winner: S5

Overall, while both are great phones, the S5 just has more to offer than the G3. It also gets more right than the G3 does. The G3 was a tremendous step in the right direction for LG, but they weren't able to fully realize that step until the G4. Between the S5 and the G3, my advice would be to go with the S5.

 

[LoudRam]

Thanks for your opinions. They are helping. For what it's worth we're on VZW. One of my main concerns is the LP update. I've heard many horror stories on how various phones handle it. I'm waiting on 5.1 for my X now. I already plan on doing an FDR on whichever phone she gets after the initial update before she signs into it with her Google account. Hopefully that will stop some issues before they start.

 

[Ollie]

Thanks for your opinions. They are helping. For what it's worth we're on VZW. One of my main concerns is the LP update. I've heard many horror stories on how various phones handle it. I'm waiting on 5.1 for my X now. I already plan on doing an FDR on whichever phone she gets after the initial update before she signs into it with her Google account. Hopefully that will stop some issues before they start.

Do an FDR as soon as you get the phone!

 

[xeene]

Don't forget that g3 has wireless charging.

 

[LoudRam]

Well we are just over a week and a half away from her upgrade and the choices have changed. At Best Buy the S5 is no longer on sale. This is going to come down to what is on sale at the time. The G3 is still on sale as of this morning and now so it's the Turbo. It's only a $1 with a two year contract. For me this new choice is a no brainer but my wife looks at phones differently. She's not into the tech side like me. Hopefully both of these will still be on sale when her time comes. She's having battery drain issues with her DNA so she needs a new phone soon.​

 

[cr6]

I'd still go with the S5. Its only 99 bucks on contact with Verizon, which really, that's nothing for a brand new device.....or you could do their 20 bucks a month deal for 24 months. Also, Staples has it for $49.99. She doesn't have to be "into tech", but she will appreciate the added features, battery life & camera quality the S5 has over the G3. Especially if she intends to keep it for at least two years.
as always, that's just my 2 cents.


S5 tap'n

 

[jackiescivic]

Just a heads-up, Verizon's systems will let you upgrade 7 days prior to your eligibility listed. That being said, i'm not sure if the system Best Buy uses is capable of that. Personally, if you have a Costco membership, I would recommend going there for the S5. Most locations do not have the G3 any longer, but the last day I worked (Saturday) we had a $100 gift card on the G4 bringing it to $99 on contract. Then of course you have the LG promo bonus online

Sent from my Verizon G4

 

[grrouchie]

Just a heads-up, Verizon's systems will let you upgrade 7 days prior to your eligibility listed. That being said, i'm not sure if the system Best Buy uses is capable of that. Personally, if you have a Costco membership, I would recommend going there for the S5. Most locations do not have the G3 any longer, but the last day I worked (Saturday) we had a $100 gift card on the G4 bringing it to $99 on contract. Then of course you have the LG promo bonus online

Sent from my Verizon G4

I wish i could take advantage of the G4 online promo but my upgrade is Aug 13. Meh

 

[LoudRam]

Thanks for the heads up. Unfortunately the Costco deal won't work for me. We're not members because we don't have any stores near us. The closest one is 40 miles away.

 

[LoudRam]

She ended up getting a white S5. Walmart had it for $.97 on contract. It seems nice. We're still downloading her old apps. There are a few things that I found a little disappointing. We couldn't sync Google contacts. We ended up using Verizon Cloud. It worked well. The charger isn't a micro USB. Now she needs a new car charger. And it's only running 5.0. I thought it would be at least 5.1. Other than that I like it and so does she.

Just a heads-up, Verizon's systems will let you upgrade 7 days prior to your eligibility listed. That being said, i'm not sure if the system Best Buy uses is capable of that.

Looks like they are and so is Walmart. I checked the BB site yesterday and they said that she was eligible. I'm guessing any authorized VZW retailer is. Technically her upgrade date is Aug 6.

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

 

[jackiescivic]

She ended up getting a white S5. Walmart had it for $.97 on contract. It seems nice. We're still downloading her old apps. There are a few things that I found a little disappointing. We couldn't sync Google contacts. We ended up using Verizon Cloud. It worked nice. The charger isn't a micro USB. Now she needs a new car charger. And it's only running 5.0. I thought it would be at least 5.1. Other than that I like it and so does she.

Looks like they are and so is Walmart. I checked the BB site yesterday and they said that she was eligible. I'm guessing any authorized VZW retailer is. Technically her upgrade date is Aug 6.

Thanks again everyone for the advice.

It does take the same Micro USB charger, just put it into the right side of the port. The wall charger fills both

Sent from my Verizon G4

 

[LoudRam]

It does take the same Micro USB charger, just put it into the right side of the port. The wall charger fills both

Sent from my Verizon G4

I didn't notice that. Awesome, thanks!