The original LG G Flex was like a curved version of LG's enormous G Pro 2 phablet. But with the new G Flex 2, LG appears to be modeling it more off of its G3 flagship. Confused by all those Gs? Read on, as Gizmag compares the features and specs of curved and flat.
Size
The G Flex 2 has only minor size differences from the G3. The Flex is thicker, but that's only counting the thickest point of its tapered back. At its thinnest point (near the top and bottom edges), it shrinks down to a depth of 7.1 mm (0.28-in).
Weight
There's only a negligible weight difference between the G Flex 2 and G3.
Build
If not exactly the same, it looks like the G Flex 2 has at least a very similar build to the G3, which employs a faux metal plastic.
Self-healing back
Like the original G Flex, the Flex 2 can "heal" some minor nicks and scratches on its back (within limits), and can employ this plastic immune system faster than its predecessor did – supposedly in as little as 10 seconds.
Colors
You'll have two color options for the G Flex 2 (though "silver" looks a bit more like a dark gray) and five options for the G3.
Display (size)
Both handsets have 5.5-in displays.
Display (resolution)
Whether you like the curve or not, the G Flex 2 has a few legs up on the G3 (we'll get to that in a minute). But this isn't one of them, as it's stuck in sharp but not the sharpest 1080p resolution. The G3 has a 33 percent sharper Quad HD display.
Curved display
The G Flex 2's curve measures between a 400 mm to 700 mm radius, depending on which part of the phone you're looking at.
What do you do with a curved phone? That's a great question, and one that we'll try to answer when we get our hands on a review unit.
Display (type)
LG's P-OLED display tech is the secret sauce behind that flexible display. The G3 uses an IPS panel, similar to what you'd see in iPhones, iPads and many other mobile devices.
Glance View
LG's new banana-phone has a feature that harkens back to Motorola's Active Display. "Glance View" lets you swipe down from the top of the screen to glimpse at the time and notifications – even when the screen is off.
Battery
Both phones have the same battery capacity, but it's possible the Flex will last a bit longer. It has a newer, more power-friendly processor to go along with its lower-res display.
Removable battery
Apparently curved batteries aren't meant to be removed, as the G Flex 2's is sealed shut.
Fast charging
The G Flex 2 incorporates Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 tech, which lets you go from a dead battery to a 50 percent charge in less than 40 minutes. You just need to use the included charger, or another Quick Charge 2.0-compatible one.
Storage
We're looking at the same internal storage options, and the same microSD compatibility, with both phones.
Processor
The G Flex 2 has a newer, octa-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor. Apart from the curve novelty and potentially handy self-healing powers, this is probably the biggest reason to opt for the Flex over the G3.
RAM
With the G3, LG took a cue from laptops and split its RAM totals based on its storage tiers (16 GB storage gets 2 GB RAM, 32 GB storage gets 3 GB RAM). But the G Flex 2 has its feet firmly planted in 2 GB land.
Cameras
Though we don't know for sure if they're the exact same sensors, the Flex's cameras have the same resolution as the G3's.
OIS
The Flex also picks up the G3's Optical Image Stabilization, the best friend of shaky-handed photographers all the world over.
Laser autofocus
The G3's camera has a laser that measures distance between camera and subject, and immediately snaps an in-focus shot. It was part of what made the G3's camera one of the best of 2014, and now it's also on the G Flex 2.
Gesture selfies
Phone-makers have picked up on the selfie trend and are baking in features that make it easier to snap them. LG's answer is a mode that uses gestures to control the taking and previewing of selfies.
Software
The G3's Android 5.0 Lollipop update has rolled out to Europe, but US carriers haven't pushed anything yet. The Flex will launch with Lollipop.
One of our biggest gripes about the G3 was its slightly laggy out-of-the-box performance – a bit of a head-scratcher for a high-end 2014 flagship. But switching its runtime from Dalvik to ART solved that problem, and Lollipop uses ART by default. In other words, the Lollipop update should give G3 owners smoother performance without making any changes.
Release
The Flex is set to roll out to Korea this month, but there's no release info for the US yet. For what it's worth, the G3 launched in the US a couple of months behind its May Korea launch.
Starting price (full retail)
No word yet on what the G Flex 2 will cost. The G3 typically runs around US$600 off-contract, though you may be able to find some deals now that it's been on store shelves for six months.
Starting price (on-contract)
Ditto for on-contract pricing, as neither LG nor any US carriers have spilled the beans on this front.
For more on these two, you can read Gizmag's hands-on with the G Flex 2 and our full review of the G3.
Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly listed the G Flex 2's release date as January 2014 (it was January 2015).