Updated: LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex

Design, screen, power and camera

It's time to try out a curved smartphone if you're an early adopter bent on the trendiest devices, and the LG G Flex 2 is the latest curved phone to fit that description.

If you're not buying the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, this sequel to the the world's first curved smartphone, LG G Flex, feels less like a big, over-priced oddity.

That's because the G Flex 2 is smaller, yet more powerful and still very much curved. So just what has changed? And is the G Flex 2 enough of an improvement to have mainstream appeal?

Read on for a run-down of how these two handsets compare when it comes to their design, screen, power, camera, interface, battery, price and storage.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Design

The LG G Flex and LG G Flex 2 have largely similar designs as you might expect. Both phones have a curved body and buttons on the back, while the front of both phones is almost bezel free at either side of the screen.

But there are some differences. For one thing the LG G Flex 2 is a lot smaller and lighter, coming in at 149.1 x 75.3 x 9.4mm and 152g, compared to the G Flex's 160.5 x 81.6 x 8.7mm and 177g build. As you might have noticed from those numbers though, the original G Flex is actually a little slimmer, though only at the thinnest point.

Fans of colourful phones have reason to upgrade to the LG G Flex 2, as while the original G Flex was only available in silver, the new model can be found in both silver and red.

Going beyond appearance, the LG G Flex 2 has been designed to be easier to grip than its predecessor and the self-healing powers have been improved too. Light scratches disappear in as little as 10 seconds, an improved over the original's 10 minute wait time. It still doesn't work well for normal scratches.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Screen

One of the biggest improvements found on the LG G Flex 2 is its display. Once you get past the fact that it's curved the original LG G Flex has a slightly underwhelming 6-inch 720 x 1280 screen, giving it a pixel density of just 245 pixels per inch.

The LG G Flex 2 can't quite match up to the QHD LG G3, but it does have a 1080 x 1920 display and it's smaller than the G Flex too at 5.5 inches, giving it a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch. That makes it noticeably sharper than the original G Flex, while the smaller size makes it easier to use one-handed.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Power

Neither handset lacks power, but the original LG G Flex is starting to show its age with a 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, while the LG G Flex 2 has a 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor. The new phone is faster thanks to its 64-bit chip and Android Lollipop.

It has the same 2GB of RAM, but LG G Flex 2 features a newer Adreno 430 GPU, an improvement over the Adreno 330 in the original G Flex. We found Inconsistent CPU speeds, but it was still faster than the G Flex in almost every benchmark test we ran.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Camera

Both handsets have a 13MP snapper on the back, but the G Flex 2's is by far and away the better of the two. Optical image stabilisation and a dual LED flash are among the camera upgrades.

The LG G Flex 2 also has a laser autofocus and new software features, such as Gesture shot. It allows you to activate a selfie timer by making a fist, while if you hold the camera down after taking a selfie the screen will automatically show you the photo. Though the actual camera that you'll be taking selfies on is just 2.1MP, just like on the original G Flex.

Interface, battery, storage and early verdict

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Interface

Both handsets have LG's custom Optimus UI, but the LG G Flex 2 runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, while the LG G Flex is stuck on Android 4.2.2, though there's a fair chance that it will get upgraded eventually.

As well as the performance improvements and tweaks that come with Lollipop itself, LG has also added some new features to the G Flex 2, such as Glance View, which shows key information, such as the time and notifications, with a downwards swipe, even when the screen is off.

Both the G Flex and G Flex 2 also include older LG features such as Knock Code, which can be used to turn your screen on or unlock your phone with a series of taps.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Battery

One area where the G Flex 2 has actually been downgraded is its battery capacity. While the original G Flex has a 3500 mAh juice pack, the G Flex 2 has just a 3000 mAh unit.

Not to worry. The G Flex 2 still has excellent battery life thanks to the efficient Snapdragon 810 chip, Android Lollipop tweaks and smaller screen size.

Running a looped HD video for 90 minutes, the its battery drained by 13%, beating the LG G3 that went down by a whopping 30%. The difference maker was that HD vs Quad HD resolution here.

It doesn't touch the LG G Flex battery, which went down just 6% in the same 90 minutes. But a bonus feature is that the new phone supports fast charging, which delivers a 50% battery boost 40 minutes.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Storage

Both the LG G Flex and the G Flex 2 can come with 32GB of storage, though the G Flex 2 also has a 16GB option, which the original handset doesn't.

But perhaps more importantly the LG G Flex 2 has a microSD card slot with support for a ludicrous 2TB, while the original LG G Flex doesn't even have a port for memory expansion.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Price

The LG G Flex 2 display isn't the only smaller attribute. Its cheaper price makes it more affordable thanks to deals from its two wireless carriers, Sprint in the US and Vodafone in the UK.

In the US, it's $250 through Sprint's usual two-year contract. The carrier is currently offering a $50 mail-in rebate, making it $199 and matching the typical price of new flagships. It costs $504 SIM-free. AT&T plans to launch the LG G Flex 2 as well, and Verizon and T-Mobile are rumored to be considering it too.

In the UK, Vodafone has the exclusive rights to the curved phone for the next month. It's £19 for the phone with monthly plans starting at £39.50. There's no SIM-free option yet, but the asking price is likely to hover around £539.

All prices are infinitely better than the original Flex that cost $700 (£690). That's not bad for shedding half an inch in size.

LG G Flex 2 vs LG G Flex: Early verdict

The LG G Flex 2 is a substantial upgrade over the LG G Flex, with more power, a better screen, an improved camera, a tougher build and new software features.

Really, the only areas where the LG G Flex has an edge are the battery size and, perhaps for some people, the screen size.

That said, the smaller 5.5-inch display on the G Flex 2 is likely to have more mainstream appeal than the rather niche original LG G Flex.

It's a trendy looking phone with a proper specs bump, and and a good alternative for early adopters who don't want to deal with Samsung's TouchWiz interface on the microSD-free Samsung Galaxy Edge 6.

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