Introduction
You know what they say - three is a crowd. On a second thought though, no one here's got romance on their mind. The three-horse race has had its highs and lows, but it's the playoffs and we got a front-row seat. It's not about heroes and villains anymore, everyone's a bit of both. Each phone here will look at the other two and see the worst of both worlds. Now, can we keep a cool head and try and see the whole picture?
One thing's certain, the Apple iPhone 5s, the LG G2 and the Nokia Lumia 1020 just don't mix. The three platforms are usually targeting a completely different set of users. But each of these gadgets is the best of its species and that's the cross section of everything the industry has to offer at this point.
Apple's iPhone 5s has just hit the shelves, setting a new sales record to be broken yet again a year from now. It looks the same as iPhone 5, but is powered by a brand new 64-bit A7 chip and runs the impressively redesigned iOS 7. Easily the standard-setting touch interface has just got better and the content Apple users have access to is second to none.
The iPhone 5s
Apple iPhone 5s over the LG G2 and Nokia Lumia 1020:
- 64-bit Apple A7 chipset and PowerVR (Series 6) G6430 GPU
- iOS 7 with Siri voice assistant
- Access to the impressively rich App Store
- Touch ID fingerprint scanner
- Premium aluminum build
- Compact size
The LG G2 is the top Android smartphone at the moment (this may as well be the most precarious position of them all, considering the rate at which droid flagships are released). But still, the timing is spot-on and the G2 being what it is has nothing to do with luck. LG has equipped it with the latest Snapdragon 800 chipset, a massive 1080p display and Android 4.2. They didn't shy away from experimenting either, and the result is nothing short of impressive.
LG G2
LG G2 over the iPhone 5s and Nokia Lumia 1020:
- Huge 5.2" IPS True-HD+ FullHD display
- Snapdragon 800 chipset with Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of RAM
- 1080p@60fps video recording, dual-video recording, video stabilization
- 2.1MP front camera with 1080p@30fps videos
- Great video playback capabilities
- Stereo FM radio with RDS (over the iPhone 5s only)
- Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with LG Optimus UI
Finally, the Nokia Lumia 1020 is the most powerful Windows Phone smartphone and by far the best cameraphone, with a 41MP camera sensor, optical image stabilization, xenon and LED, and even 4x lossless zoom. The video recording is limited to 1080p@30fps, but thanks to the HAAC microphones and the lossless 4x zoom you can even film at concerts without compromising the audio or video quality. The Lumia 1020 also has an AMOLED display and a premium polycarbonate unibody, while Windows Phone 8 has an unmatched office package and Nokia's free lifetime voice-guided navigation that also works offline.
Nokia Lumia 1020
Nokia Lumia 1020 over the Apple iPhone 5s and LG G2:
- AMOLED display
- 41 MP camera (38 MP effective, 7152 x 5368 pixels, 1/1.5'' sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size), Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilization, auto/manual focus, Xenon & LED flash
- 4x lossless digital zoom, high-amplitude audio capture (HAAC) microphones
- Polycarbonate unibody
- Windows Phone 8 with MS Office, Nokia Drive+, Nokia Pro Cam and Nokia Creative Studio
It's not like each of those phones is only as good as its weakest spot, but it's not as straightforward either as simply praise this one's camera, that one's app store or the other one's full-HD screen. This can easily get out of control and into a three-ring circus, but we're gonna give it a try anyway.
Exterior and build
The Apple iPhone 5s, LG G2 and Nokia Lumia 1020 span the entire range of screen size and resolution available in the premium segment. From a design standpoint, each device is playing to its strengths - and weaknesses. LG did impressively well to fit a massive screen at the front with almost no such thing as bezel, flipping over all hardware buttons to the back. Nokia on the other hand, had to accommodate a huge camera module and avoid a massive bulge. The flip side is it's still a humongous phone for the screen size. Apple's iPhone, on the other hand, is the most compact and lightweight premium smartphone but falling behind in terms of screen size and resolution is an issue Cupertino will have to address sooner rather than later.
It was the obvious goal of Nokia, Apple and LG to give their respective flagship the best treatment in terms of build and finish but all three handsets are actually improving on traditional designs rather than inventing.
Apple iPhone 5s, LG G2 and Nokia Lumia 1020 lineup
The Apple iPhone 5s has the styling, build and finfish of the now four-year-old iPhone 4. Aiming for the same, yet better is what Apple stands for and the iPhone 5s is the living proof. The single difference to last year's iPhone 5 is the good old Home key, which this time integrates a fingerprint scanner under a piece of sapphire glass.
The LG G2 too is recycling a familiar design from the LG Optimus G Pro phablet. The massive, almost bezel-free screen accommodates the Android navigation controls, while the power/lock key and the volume rocker have been reocated at the back, right at the user's very fingertips. The downside of the LG G2 is the glossy plastic finish which gets covered in fingerprints in no time and is not an easy surface to clean.
The polycarbonate unibody of the Lumia 1020 premiered a while back on the MeeGo-powered N9.It has been used since on the premium smartphones in the Lumia line. The obvious difference is the prominent hump around the camera. Being a camera-centric device, the Lumia 1020 is the only one of the three to feature a hardware shutter key.
The iPhone 5S has a single hardware key at the front, the LG G2 has none, while the Lumia 1020 features the usual set of three capacitive keys below the display.
Apple iPhone 5s, LG G2 and Nokia Lumia 1020 front sides
All three phones have the battery sealed within the body and no memory expansion. The SIM card compartments are side mounted, nano-SIM on the iPhone and micro-SIM for the other two.
Nano-SIM on the iPhone, micro-SIM elsewhere
There is absolutely nothing on the Lumia 1020's left side but the right side more than makes up for it. And we don't mean the usual volume rocker and power/lock key. It's the dedicated camera button that sets this one apart. A proper shutter key is a must here, it's the cameraphone in the bunch after all. Other than having half press to focus, it will launch the camera even if the phone is locked.
The Lumia 1020 is the only one with a hardware shutter key
None of the phones in this comparison has stereo speakers. They each have a combination of microphones for noise-cancelling duties but the fact that the iPhone has not two but three in total doesn't quite explain why it cannot record stereo audio in videos.
LG G2 top to bottom
The biggest novelty at the back of the iPhone 5s is the dual LED flash. It features one white and one amber-colored LED, which dynamically combine to create a more natural-looking flash light depending on each individual situation. The rest looks exactly like the previous iPhone 5's aluminum back with two small strips of glass (covering the phone's antennas).
Apple iPhone 5s back
The back of the LG G2 is where all the controls are. There are two volume buttons each side of a power/lock key. You can also unlock the LG G2 by double-tapping on the screen but otherwise the centrally-placed three button combo at the rear is what you use for operating the device, aside from the outstanding screen on the front.
Above the buttons is the 13 MP camera lens and a single LED flash. The back of the LG G2 features a hyperglaze-like surface with a pattern underneath.
LG G2 interesting rear side
The back of the Nokia Lumia 1020 is where a large round plate accommodates the 6-element ZEISS lens of the 41MP camera, the xenon flash and the LED flash, which also serves as a video light. The hump is prominent enough, but something we can definitely live with, considering the huge sensor, the xenon flash and the ZEISS optics we get in return.
The 41 megapixel camera and its entourage on the back of Lumia 1020
In terms of handling, the three devices will appeal to very different kinds of users. The Apple iPhone 5s is impressively compact and lightweight, with sophisticated, premium feel. It will fit in every pocket and is a pleasure to handle. The Nokia Lumia 1020 is one of the best unibodies to have but the handset is massive for the screen size you're getting. The phone itself is notably lighter than the preceding model which neared 200g.
We wholeheartedly commended LG for the creative choice of location for the hardware keys but other than that the styling is nothing spectacular. Then again, it was the Koreans' best shot perhaps considering they were after a comfortable size and weight. And they didn't want anything to steal the spotlight from the brilliant 5.2" screen anyway.
Handling the iPhone 5, G2 and Lumia 1020
Winner: Apple iPhone 5s. To be clear, it's the handling and premium feel that we rate in this one. The iPhone's design may've been used on a few generations already, but it's still relevant, to say the least. Apple's flagship looks, as usual, more like an elegant accessory than a working tool. And it's not just the looks, the iPhone 5s is built to perfection, with great attention to detail. You can easily say the same about the other two as well but theirs is a classic example of looks being second to power and performance.
Runner-up: Nokia Lumia 1020. The polycarbonate unibody has enough of a premium feel and, while the handling might be awkward at first, the solid build and the fact that Nokia integrated such a vastly superior camera tech into a phone's body, help it clinch the second spot.
Third place: LG G2. Certainly not by a mile, though - the LG smartphone is probably the most practical of the three, delivering the highest screen estate to footprint ratio and an ample battery. The lack of any controls on the front to spoil the looks also means that while not as pretty as the other two, the G2 is certainly not a smartphone you'd mind being seen in public with.
Display comparison
Apple iPhone 5s relies on the familiar 4.0" Retina display that is actually an IPS TFT unit with a resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels and 326 ppi. The LG G2 has the biggest and the highest resolution display with its 5.2" IPS 1080p screen (424ppi). Finally, Nokia's Lumia 1020 is the only one to feature an AMOLED screen with PureMotion HD+ ClearBlack technology. It's a 4.5" unit with 720p resolution and 332ppi pixel density.
Apple iPhone 5s vs. LG G2 vs. Nokia Lumia 1020 display
All three displays are protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass, but Apple went even further with an additional oleophobic coating that lowers the fingerprint smudging.
The iPhone 5s and G2 displays use conventional RGB matrices with absolutely identical pixel arrangement. Of course the LG has the advantage of its pixels being much smaller due to the higher pixel density.
Apple iPhone 5s and LG G2 matrices under a microscope
The AMOLED display on the Lumia 1020 on the other hand relies on a PenTile matrix with two subpixels per pixel. At this kind of density this makes little difference however - you can notice it if you put it next to the G2, but you'll have to look pretty hard. And when it's the WP8 interface that you are looking at, PenTile makes no difference whatsoever.
Nokia Lumia 1020 matrix
Our tests confirmed that the Nokia Lumia 1020 screen is the one with the best contrast due to the naturally deep blacks inherent to AMOLED technology. Nokia has even supplied the Lumia 1020 will a cool color profile app that lets you tune the saturation and color balance to your liking. If oversaturated colors aren't your thing you can tune them down to more realistic levels and if you like that effect you can go all the way up.
The LG G2 is the leader in terms of brightness and came second in the contrast test, while the iPhone 5s Retina unit slides right behind it. Differences between the two LCD screens in terms of image quality are pretty negligible though.
Nokia Lumia 1020 display profile settings
| Display test | 50% brightness | 100% brightness | ||||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | |||
| LG G2 |
0.10
|
149
|
1522
|
0.45
|
667
|
1495
|
| Apple iPhone 5s |
0.14
|
163
|
1145
|
0.49
|
596
|
1219
|
| Nokia Lumia 1020 |
0
|
172
|
∞
|
0
|
398
|
∞
|
We also put those three devices through our sunlight legibility test and the iPhone 5s did a lot better than the other two. Nokia Lumia 1020 and LG G2 both were close to each other, but even though they fell behind the iPhone 5s result, their screens are still usable under direct sunlight and won't give you a hard-time operating the devices outdoors.
Winner: LG G2. LG G2 has the biggest, brightest display with the highest resolution. Quite expectedly the G2 screen is really sharp with the excellent 424ppi ratio and its color reproduction is more accurate than Lumia 1020's AMOLED. All those wins are enough to compensate for its unspectacular performance in direct sunlight.
Runner-up: Nokia Lumia 1020. The AMOLED screens are still among the best on the market and the extra punch they provide is preferred by many. It is bigger than the 4-inch Retina and with better contrast. This is, along with the larger size, is enough to easily overshadow the iPhone 5s victory on the sunlight test.
Third place: Apple iPhone 5s. The 4" Retina is a great screen with excellent image quality, but when you put it next to the much ampler displays of the other two, it just can't compete. It's no longer at top of the food chain when it comes to density either, so it only has the top-notch sunlight legibility going for it in this battle.
Battery life
Next up, we come to the all-important battery life - something power users highly regard. The LG G2 has the most demanding chipset and the biggest screen to feed, which should naturally draw more juice. However it also has a 3,000 mAh Li-Po battery to rely on - the capacity is almost as big as the other two combined.
Nokia Lumia 1020 is powered by a 2,000mAh Li-Ion battery, which may not be as big as some would have hoped for, but Windows Phone 8's tight management of background processes might help it stand out here.
Finally, Apple's latest iPhone 5s has a 1,560mAh Li-Po battery, which is probably the best Apple could fit in the small shell. Still the iOS and the A7 are known for the top-notch battery optimizations, so the smaller capacity might not be too much of a problem.
As usual, our first test is all about 3G talk time. The LG G2 did amazingly lasting a minute over 25 hours before its battery went dead. Next is the Lumia 1020 with an endurance of over 22 hours, and finally, we get a rather modest score (by these standards anyway) out of the iPhone 5s.
Keep in mind that the Apple iPhone 5s suffers from a stand-by drain bug that caused it to die on several occasions when left with a full charge on stand-by overnight. It's probably something that Apple will address shortly with a firmware update, but early adopters should be aware of it.
Winner: LG G2. Despite a very respectable performance by the Nokia Lumia 1020, the LG G2 is the clear winner here. It outscored the Lumia 1020 on the call test, beat it on the web browsing test by a mile, and it also remained on par with it when playing videos.
Runner-up: Nokia Lumia 1020. The Lumia 1020 overall battery endurance rating is just an hour less than the LG G2, however it's a long way behind when it comes to web browsing and calling endurance and only marginally better in video playback, which is what really matters to power users (and those are usually the ones shopping flagships). The Lumia 1020 has to be given credit for offering the most efficient stand-by of the trio, though.
Third place: Apple iPhone 5s. Posting the lowest endurance rating and showing that irritating stand-by drain bug, the Apple smartphone is some way off its competitors here. Its excellent web-browsing endurance that puts the Lumia 1020 will provide some consolation, though.
gsmarena