The Samsung Droid Charges Goes One on One with the LG Optimus 2X

Written by: Robert Faustus • Edited by: Simon Hill
Published May 28, 2011 • Related Guides: Android

The Samsung Droid Charge and LG Optimus 2X are both powerful smartphones utilizing the latest 4G networks from Verizon and T-Mobile. But which 4G smartphone is better? Is it the single core Samsung Droid Charge or the dual core LG Optimus 2X?

Battle of the 4G Korean Smartphones

Both Samsung and LG have made tremendous strides when it comes to penetrating the smartphone market. With the rise of Android, both Korean competitors have created increasingly more powerful smartphones, with bigger and badder specs. With 4G being the next big network change in the United States, both LG and Samsung have moved forward with this upgrade. The Samsung Droid Charge is Samsung's entrance onto Verizon's 4G LTE network, while the LG Optimus 2X, also known as the T-Mobile G2x, is LG's entrance onto T-Mobile's 4G HSPA+ network. Which of these Korean smartphones wins in this Samsung Droid Charge vs. LG Optimus 2X battle for 4G supremacy?

Design and Display

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The Samsung Droid Charge and LG Optimus 2X both have very similar designs that are seen on most other Android powered smartphones. Both are candy bar designs with a vibrant and colorful display dominating the front. In the case of the Droid Charge, the display is just slightly larger at 4.3 inches, as opposed to the 4 inch screen found on the Optimus 2X. The Droid Charge also utilizes Samsung's Super AMOLED technology, giving the Droid Charge a slight edge on the display in direct sunlight.

The LG Optimus 2X is overall smaller as well, not just in height but in thickness as well. It is also ever so slightly ligher than the Droid Charge. In the design and display battle between the Droid Charge and Optimus 2X, it's definitely a close call. Both smartphones are designed well and have favorable displays, but in this particular comparison, the Samsung Droid Charge barely edges out in front due to the 4.3 inch Super AMOLED touchscreen display. The colors were ever so slightly richer and the viewing angle was definitely better. Also, as mentioned, in direct sunlight, the Super AMOLED screen was easier to see on the Samsung Droid Charge than the regular LCD screen on the LG Optimus 2X.

Winner - Samsung Droid Charge

User Interface

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The user interface on both the Samsung Droid Charge and LG Optimus 2X is very similar. In this particular battle, the T-Mobile G2x version of the LG Optimus 2X will be used. The Samsund Droid Charge comes with Android 2.2, as does the LG Optimus 2X, but the Droid Charge has an overlay running on top, Samsung's TouchWiz UI 3.0. TouchWiz 3.0 changes Android by giving it a more iOS feel, which can also been seen on the Samsung Epic 4G or the Samsung Captivate.

The LG Optimus 2X, the T-Mobile G2x version, comes preloaded with stock Android 2.2. This means that it is the vanilla version of Android with no enhanced user experience created by the manufacturer. This means that the LG Optimus 2X can receive an over the air update for the next version of Android, while the Droid Charge has to wait until Samsung decides to release their version. To make matters worse, there's a chance that the Droid Charge may have to be updated via Samsung Kies, adding even more steps to the update process.

Beyond the overlays, the Samsung Droid Charge comes preloaded with quite a bit of bloatware, while the LG Optimus 2X is quite the opposite being rather bland with just the stock Android widgets and applications. In this case, the LG Optimus 2X will have to edge out the win due to the simplicity it offers over the overloaded, overlayed Droid Charge.

Winner - LG Optimus 2X

Performance

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In the performance area of the house, the LG Optimus 2X easily overcomes the Samsung Droid Charge. The main reason is due to the LG Optimus 2X having dual core 1 GHz processors over the Samsung Droid Charge's single 1 GHz processor. The second reason being that the LG Optimus 2X runs on stock Android without any overlays. This gives the LG Optimus 2X quite the edge when it comes to performance as it handles applications faster, loads games faster and is able to outperform the Droid Charge in almost every way. The only weakness the LG Optimus 2X has compared with the Samsung Droid Charge is the battery performance. Being a dual core smartphone, the Optimus 2X eats up battery power faster than the Droid Charge.

When it comes to call quality, both the Droid Charge and the Optimus 2X performed well. There were rarely ever any dropped calls and the quality of the calls was clear. Incoming and outgoing calls did not have any sort of static, echo or robotic noise entering into the conversation. In the performance area of the Samsung Droid Charge vs. LG Optimus 2X battle, the Optimus 2X clearly wins with the more powerful processor and smoother, stock Android 2.2.

Winner - LG Optimus 2X

Features

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Both of these powerful smartphones have yet another arena in which they are extremely similar, and that is around the features. Starting off, both the Samsung Droid Charge and the LG Optimus 2X have access to the newly created 4G network of their respective carriers. Both 4G networks are impressive but in a speed test, the Droid Charge easily wins, as Verizon's 4G LTE network is extremely fast. However, on the bad side, Verizon's 4G LTE network is very spotty, the connection does seem to come and go, but that may vary by market. In contrast, T-Mobile 4G HSPA+ network, while slower, is more consistent with no real connection errors. It's a toss up between faster but more unreliable speeds as opposed to slower but reliable speeds.

The cameras on both the Droid Charge and Optimus 2X are similar as well. Both smartphones pack 8 megapixel cameras, both capable of recording in 1080p HD. They also both have 1.3 megapixel front facing cameras used for video chatting. It's amazing how similar both are when it comes to the cameras. It's definitely a draw as these two smartphones are both great for video chatting as well as taking high quality pictures and videos.

The slight edge that the Optimus 2X has is the dedicated GPU alongside the two free games it comes with. Both Need for Speed SHIFT and N.O.V.A. are fantastic games on the Optimus 2X. Output these games on a large HDTV through the HDMI out and the slightly smaller screen is no longer an issue. The Droid Charge unfortunately doesn't come with any exclusive games, just the exclusive Verizon bloatware. In addition, for this particular battle, the steady access to the 4G network was more useful than the sporadic access available through Verizon. Couple that with the exclusive and fun games and the LG Optimus 2X edges out with the win.

Winner - LG Optimus 2X

The Overall Winner

Winning with a score of 3 to 1, the LG Optimus 2X is victorious. While the display is slightly weaker than the Droid Charge, the Optimus 2X actually still has a very vibrant and colorful screen, but overall in all other areas, the Optimus 2X edges out with the win. The performance area is where the LG Optimus 2X really stands out, thanks to the fact that it is a dual core smartphone. In all honesty, the LG Optimus 2X is a huge stride forward while the Samsung Droid Charge feels a bit more like a re-skinned and slightly retooled version of the Samsung Fascinate, Verizon's exclusive version of the Samsung Galaxy S.

Overall Winner - LG Optimus 2X

References

Source: Author's experience
Image Credit: Samsung, http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SCH-I510RAAVZW
Image Credit: LG, http://www.lg.com/uk/mobile-phones/all-lg-phones/LG-android-mobile-phone-P990.jsp