LG G Flex vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3: What’s the Best Smartphone?

We pit the LG G Flex against the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Both smartphones are high-end, with fairly expensive price tags. Which smartphone reigns supreme?

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1. Price

AT&T lists the Samsung Galaxy Note 3’s regular price at $724.99, or or $299.99 with a 2-year contract. In contrast, AT&T is offering the G Flex for slightly less, at least as far as the regular price. While the regular price at AT&T for the G Flex is $694.99, the two phones actually cost the same from AT&T if you’re getting a 2-year contract.

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2. Design

These two phones are quite different in terms of design. The G Flex obviously stands out with its ergonomic, glare-reducing curved glass display. The G Flex is also designed to be handled roughly, and it’s flexible design makes it a good choice for the accident prone. The screen size is 6 inches.

In contrast, the Galaxy Note 3 is a more typical smartphone offering. It’s a phablet-sized offering that clocks in at 5.7 inches, just a bit smaller than the G Flex. The Note 3 also comes with an S Pen stylus, making this ideal for sketching on the go, or for anyone who just hates smudged screens.

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3. Screen Quality

The majority of reviews of the LG G Flex have focused on the underwhelming screen resolution. The G Flex has a HD OLED display, compared to the Note 3’s Super AMOLED® display. As this Android Pit article notes, OLED screens have a tendency to degrade over time.

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4. Special Features

Both of these phones have some interesting special features that help them stand out. The G Flex has a special coating that makes it “heal” any scratches on the phone’s surface. In addition to being flexible, the G Flex also boasts Dual Window, which lets you use 2 apps simultaneously.

The biggest special feature with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is that is plays nice with Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch. If you plan on picking up a smartwatch anyway, this might be enough of a factor to sway you in favor of a Samsung phone.

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5. Final Conclusion

Both of these phones have a lot of things to recommend them. The LG G Flex is your best bet if you want a “cool” phone. It’s got a look that really stands out, along with some great features to increase its durability. The screen resolution has been roundly panned in reviews, but the screen does have one big thing going for it. The curved nature of the phone reduces glare in bright light conditions.

That being said, if you love smartwatches, working with a stylus, or a slightly nicer screen, you should probably get the Galaxy Note 3.

One final note: at press time, neither of these phones were being shipped with Android 4.4 KitKat, but upgrades for KitKat on the Note 3 will be available soon, at least on Sprint. Lots of rumors appear to be swirling around about when the G Flex will get KitKat, but no official date has been announced.

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