Too close to call: The Asus Zenphone 3 and LG V20

The  LG V20 and Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe phones were released in the Philippines last week. Both are among the top contenders in the phablet category, especially now that the Galaxy Note7 is out of the picture.

The V20 is a second-generation phablet from LG while the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is a third-generation device.

We look at the distinct features of the two devices and find out which one has more to offer.

Design

With an all-metal body, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is a huge departure from last year’s model. The LG V20, on the other hand, is more of a refinement of the LG V10. While both have a 5.7-inch display, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is thinner, lighter and more compact.

Both devices have a sleek but simple industrial design. The ZF3D is more ergonomic, hides the antenna bands really well, and has a high screen-to-body ratio.

However, the V20 is more rugged and shock-resistant plus has a removable back cover, which is rare for flagship phones these days.

Between the two, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe is easier to handle with one hand and has a more refined look so we give the point to Asus.

Display

While both phablets have a 5.7-inch display, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe has higher screen-to-body ratio but the resolution is just full HD (1920x1080 pixels). On the other hand,  the LG V20 has much better pixel density at 1440p (2560x1440 pixels). The Super AMOLED of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe looks brighter and more vibrant while the IPS LCD on the V20 looks more realistic, well balanced and more crisp.

The V20 also has a secondary display just above the main one. This serves as a screen for notifications and customization. The V20 wins this round.

Hardware And Performance

Both the Zenfone 3 Deluxe and the LG V20 come with a Snapdragon 820 processor and Adreno 530 GPU. The Zenfone 3 Deluxe has 50 percent more RAM at 6GB compared to the 4GB on the V20. There’s also a variant that runs on a faster Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM and 256GB storage but is more expensive.

In our benchmark tests, the V20 scored a little higher but we think it’s not that significant and the 6GB RAM of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe deserves the point here.

Operating System

While both handsets are running on Android OS, the LG V20 takes the distinction of having Android 7.0 Nougat, making it the first device to be released with the latest OS. On the other hand, the Zenfone 3 Deluxe  runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

The V20 takes this round.

Camera

By looking at the camera specs on paper, the LG V20 has the obvious advantage over the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The V20 comes with two 16MP rear cameras, one of which has a nice wide angle lens and an aperture of f1.8.

The Zenfone 3 Deluxe comes with a 23MP camera with f2.0 aperture.

Both have optical image stabization, laser and phase detection autofocus, HDR, manual mode, dual LED flash and 4k video recording.

We tested the main cameras in a side-by-side shootout and saw the LG V20 taking a huge lead in low-light scenarios and manual mode. We give the V20 a point for this round.

Battery Life

In terms of battery capacity, the LG V20  has a slightly higher rating at 3,200mAh compared to the 3,000mAh battery of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe.

However, after testing them in our standard video loop test, the results showed better battery life for the Zenfone 3 Deluxe at 15 hours and 15 minutes compared to the LG V20, which only lasted 11 hours and 30 minutes.

In terms of power consumption, the difference  can be attributed to the full HD Super AMOLED display of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe. The quad HD 1440p IPS LCD of the LG V20 takes up more juice because of the extra pixels. It looks like Asus made the right decision by sticking to the 1080p resolution.

Audio

With the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, the speakers are positioned at the bottom of the handset. The audio is pretty good; volume is loud at max though it lacks a bit of bass.

The LG V20 also has a single speaker at the bottom end with the same maximum level of loudness. However, the bass on the V20 is very noticeable that playing the same song from both devices at the same time will distinctly show how much better it is. The V20 also has a built-in DAC which is a huge plus.

The V20 takes the point.

Other Features

In the case of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe, you have the dual SIM hybrid setup as well as the fingerprint sensor at the back.

On the other hand, the V20 comes with IR blaster, a DAC, more cameras, as well as a fingerprint sensor and hybrid dual SIM features.

Obviously, the LG V20 has more extra features here and gets the score.

Price

The LG V20 will retail for P35,990 for the 64GB model and comes with a free 200GB microSD card. Compare that to the P34,990 price tag of the Zenfone 3 Deluxe for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

Verdict

The Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe got four points – design, hardware, battery and price. The LG V20 got five points with display, camera, OS, audio and special features.

It’s a close match between the two with the LG V20 winning by a point.