LG G4 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 HTC One M9 Motorola Nexus 6

2015 is shaping up to be an excellent year to be an Android user.

Just about every major smartphone company has stepped up its game in terms of bold premium designs and high-speed performance. We're also seeing some of the biggest leaps in camera picture quality, which makes us so happy

Up until now, Samsung's Galaxy S6 has been the undisputed top-of-the-line Android smartphone you could buy. But on Tuesday, LG came out in full force. Its G4 smartphone running Android 5.1 "Lollipop" is the strongest punch-for-punch device out there.

The G4 has a stunning 5.5-inch QuadHD display with what LG calls an "IPS Quantum display" — a screen with colors as accurate as the monitors used for by professional color graders. The phone simply flies with the Snapdragon 808 processor and 3GB of RAM.

The 16-megapixel camera is unbelievably fast to launch and image quality is impressive. LG says it can rival DSLR photos. And the 8-megapixel selfie cam — well, it's sublime.

And we still haven't mentioned the removable 3,000 milliamp-hour battery, microSD card slot and leather cover options.

So how does the G4 stack up against its biggest competitors? Specs can paint a good picture, but they're not definitive. Look, feel and real-world usage matter a lot.

But here's a simplified breakdown: If you want the best cameras, get the LG G4 or the Galaxy S6. If you want the best speakers, get the HTC One M9. And if you want the biggest screen with an unaltered version of Android 5.0 "Lollipop," get the Nexus 6.

	LG G4	Samsung Galaxy S6	HTC One M9	Motorola Nexus 6
Screen size	5.5 inches	5.1 inches	5.0 inches	5.96 inches
Resolution	2,560 x 1,440	2,560 x 1,440	1,920 x 1,080	2,560 x 1,440
Pixels per inch (PPI)	538	577	441	493
Dimensions	5.86 x 3.00 x 0.39 inches	5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches	5.69 x 2.74 x 0.38 inches	6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches
Weight	5.47 ounces	4.87 ounces	5.54 ounces	6.49 ounces
Operating System	Android 5.1 with UX 4.0	Android 5.0.2 with TouchWiz	Android 5.0.2 with Sense 7	Android 5.1 (Stock)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 808	Exynos 7420	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810	Qualcomm Snapdragon 805
CPU speed	1.8GHz dual-core Cortex-A57 & 1.44GHz quad-core Cortex-A53	1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 & 2.1GHz quad-core Cortex-A57	1.5GHz quad-core Cortex A-53 & 2.0GHz quad-core Cortex-A57	2.7GHz quad-core Krait 450
GPU	Adreno 418	Mali-T760MP8	Adreno 430	Adreno 420
Storage Space	32GB	32, 64, 128GB	32GB	32, 64GB
MicroSD card slot	Yes	No	Yes	No
RAM	3GB	3GB	3GB	3GB
Battery Life	Removable 3,000 mAh	Non-removable 2,550 mAh	Non-removable 2,840 mAh	Non-removable 3,220 mAh
Wireless charging	No	Yes	No	Yes
Rapid charging	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Back camera	16-megapixels f/1.8 with OIS	16-megapixels f/1.9 with OIS	20-megapixels f/2.2 with OIS	13-megapixels f/2.0 with OIS
Front camera	8-megapixels	5-megapixels	4-megapixels (UltraPixel)	2-megapixels
4K video recording	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Speakers	Rear-facing mono	Bottom-facing mono	Front-facing BoomSound stereo	Front-facing stereo
Finishes	Leather and plastic	Aluminum and glass	Aluminum	Aluminum and plastic

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