Samsung Galaxy S3 vs LG Optimus 4X HD

We see how LG's forthcoming quad core flagship, the Optimus 4X HD, compares to Samsung's recently launched equivalent, the Galaxy S3.

Form
Samsung Galaxy S3 - 136.6x70.6x8.6mm, 133g
LG Optimus 4X HD - 8.9mm thick, other measurements TBA

The LG Optimus 4X HD is sticking with the company's latest design ethos, which has pretty much followed the highly angular trend through to its logical conclusion.

This is about as stark a slab as you can expect to find anywhere.

It's a look that is starting to disappear with other manufacturers now shifting the other way and making more rounded designs, but we still think it looks good and LG, with its penchant for slick design and solid build quality, executes it better than most.

The handset proportions are nice and it features capacitive controls, rounded edges and a textured back panel. The design has been kept quite minimalist on the whole so there's very little in the way of visual clutter.

Samsung's Galaxy S3 is a different story altogether. As we mentioned, trends seems to be shifting back towards curvy phones and Samsung said pebbles were its inspiration for the Galaxy S3.

That's all well and good, and overall it's not a bad looking phone, but the build quality is absolutely awful with terrible quality plastic.

This is an easy win for LG because we're so disappointed with Samsung's Galaxy S3 in terms of the materials used, it does not feel like a premium device in the hand.

Winner - LG Optimus 4X HD

Display
While aesthetic trends shift back and forth between angular and curvaceous, the trend for increasingly larger displays continues with both handsets here.

LG's Optimus 4X HD has a 4.7-inch HD-IPS LCD capacitive multi-touch screen with a 1280x720 pixel resolution. The pixel density clocks in at an impressive 312 pixels-per-inch (ppi) and should deliver a sharp picture and decent brightness.

The Galaxy S3 has a slightly larger 4.8-inch Super AMOLED HD capacitive display at the same resolution as its opponent, giving a slightly lower pixel density of 306ppi. It also features Corning Gorilla Glass for some added durability.

Again this produces crisp visual quality and has excellent contrast, deep blacks and good colour reproduction.

Between these two there should be very little difference in picture clarity.

Winner - Draw

Storage
The Optimus 4X HD has a single internal storage model with 16GB onboard, 1GB of RAM and a micro SD support for cards up to 32GB.

There's plenty of choice with Samsung's Galaxy S3 thanks to 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants, each with 1GB of RAM and the same micro SD storage capability as its rival.

Samsung wins this round by offering more variety.

Winner - Samsung Galaxy S3