CPU, GPU & NAND Performance

It’s really tough to say much here on the CPU and GPU side, although it seems that since we first looked at the MSM8974 there has been quite a bit of optimization in general, based upon some browser benchmarks that I tested. Once again, Brian has covered this, so I would reference the Nexus 5 review.

SunSpider Javascript Benchmark 1.0 - Stock Browser

Mozilla Kraken Benchmark - 1.1

3DMark Unlimited - Physics Test

3DMark Unlimited - Physics

On GPU, absolutely nothing changes here as far as I can tell, the performance I get on T-Rex and on the 3DMark suite is effectively identical to the numbers I’ve seen on other 8974 platform devices.

GLBenchmark 2.7 - T-Rex HD (Offscreen 1080p)

GLBenchmark 2.7 - T-Rex HD

3DMark Unlimited - Ice Storm

3DMark Unlimited - Graphics Test 2

3DMark Unlimited - Graphics Test 1

3DMark Unlimited - Graphics

The real story here is that LG doesn’t seem to be running any benchmark optimizations, which is certainly a far cry from other devices that I’ve looked at recently. This is good to see, and I hope that this becomes a trend with OEMs as the year goes on.

I Can't Believe I Also Have To Update This Table
Device SoC Cheats In
    3DM AnTuTu AndEBench Basemark X Geekbench 3 GFXB 2.7 Vellamo
ASUS Padfone Infinity Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 N Y N N N N Y
HTC One Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Y Y N N N Y Y
HTC One mini Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Y Y N N N Y Y
HTC One max Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Y Y N N N Y Y
LG G2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 N Y N N N N Y
LG G Pro 2 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 N N N N N N N
Moto RAZR i Intel Atom Z2460 N N N N N N N
Moto X Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro N N N N N N N
Moto G Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 N N N N N N N
Nexus 4 Qualcomm APQ8064 N N N N N N N
Nexus 5 Qualcomm MSM8974 N N N N N N N
Nexus 7 Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 N N N N N N N
Samsung Galaxy S 4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 N Y Y N N N Y
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Y Y Y Y Y N Y
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 Intel Atom Z2560 N Y Y N N N N
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) Samsung Exynos 5420 Y(1.4) Y(1.4) Y(1.4) Y(1.4) Y(1.4) N Y(1.9)
NVIDIA Shield Tegra 4 N N N N N N N
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 (Sprint) Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930AB) N Y Y N N Y Y

On NAND, LG seems to be going after Samsung with their relatively fast storage, although it doesn’t quite beat the Note 3 when it comes to random writes.

Sequential Write (256KB) Performance

Sequential Read (256KB) Performance

Random Write (4KB) Performance

Random Read (4KB) Performance

Unfortunately, I just haven’t had enough time with the phone to be able to run all the battery life tests that are normally run for these reviews, but based upon the WiFi battery life test, LG seems to be doing all the right things when it comes to battery life, seeing as how they’re now occupying the top spot for the one test I’ve been able to run.

AT Smartphone Bench 2013: Web Browsing Battery Life (WiFi)

Currently I don’t have any particular equipment that lets me test dBA, but based upon some testing with my ears and listening to random video clips of choice, I think that the HTC One continues to be louder, but the speaker on the LG G Pro 2 far from bad, and is likely one of the better rear-facing speakers that I’ve heard. The bass is probably the best that I’ve heard on a smartphone, although for ideal acoustics the speaker really needs a cupped hand or something similar to help with resonance. I hope to be able to follow-up this review with actual data in the future, but I think that it’s still possible to make a good judgment on the LG G Pro 2 even without all the data.

Display & Camera Conclusion
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  • JoshHo - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    I apologize in advance for the poor product photos, I don't actually have a dSLR of my own so the Lumia 1020 was the closest thing I could get.
  • Gunbuster - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    "Korean OEMs may be shifting their visual styles soon."

    I would hope so. Those screens look terribly dated.
  • ddriver - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    And people complained touchwiz was bad... What's with the "windows 3.1" styling LOL
  • noel_newell - Friday, October 3, 2014 - link

    I agree, it does. I can't see how this phone can match up to some of the top phones on the market (at http://www.consumertop.com/best-phone-guide/ for example).
  • dawheat - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    Nice mini review though I'd ask for a couple additions:
    - screen reflectance - I've found that not all LCDs are the same and combined with max brightness gives an overall idea of outside legibility
    - more direct comparison to its competitors - I think most users in this segment will wonder whether to get the Note 3 or LG Pro 2. So is the better camera worth the digitizer/pen? Being 6 months after the Note 3, is anything else noticeably better hardware wise?
  • JoshHo - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    Unfortunately I don't have the equipment to test reflectance, I really would like to test that as well when it comes to screen protectors and such.

    I personally can't say which is better. If the pen is of secondary concern then the G Pro 2 is probably a more well-rounded phone.
  • TrackSmart - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the "mini review"!

    As a heads-up:

    I've read the entire article, but I still don't know how "KnockCode" works or what it does (a small oversight). I'll be googling it momentarily, but it might be worth adding just a few words on this for future readers.
  • JoshHo - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link

    Thanks for the input, I'm going to make sure to cover that in the follow-up.
  • ddriver - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - link

    Looks like LG stopped one feature short of copying the note 3 completely. "Note" hardware without a stylus to compliment it = fail. I love the s-pen, wouldn't go back to a pen-less device ever.
  • kmmatney - Wednesday, March 5, 2014 - link

    It's pretty much a poor man's Note 3. I was planning on buying a Note 3, but it was $300 for 16GB, while the LG Optimus Pro G was $99 for 32 GB (and the rest of the specs were on par). Since this was my first foray into using a larger phone, I figured I would get the cheaper model. At least if I break it, I'm not out so much money - at least that was my thinking. If you don't use the pen, this is a cheaper option.

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