The LG G3 arrived a few months after the HTC One (M8), giving HTC the chance to establish itself, but also allowing LG the time to move things forward a little.

The LG G2 was always going to be a tough act to follow, as was the original HTC One (M7). But both new devices excel, offering a flagship Android smartphone experience.

But if you're faced with choosing between the two, which is better? Should you buy the HTC One M8 or the LG G3? We've reviewed both of these handsets and here we're pulling out the main details to help you choose between the two.

The LG G3 has a bigger and sharper display

One of the standout features of the LG G3 is its 5.5-inch display that packs in a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a pixel density of 538ppi. The HTC One (M8) on the other hand offers a 5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, providing you with a pixel density of 441ppi. With more pixels packed in per inch, the G3 can display greater detail and sharper images than the HTC One (M8).

The HTC One (M8) display is crisp and sharp, offering plenty of vibrancy and great colours. We think it's one of the most natural-looking displays out there, so if you pick the HTC One, you won't be disappointed.

Side-by-side with the LG G3 however, the higher-resolution display can give your images a noticeable boost, adding detail that can't be seen on the M8. The same applies to video: 4K video played on the LG G3 simply has more depth and resolution for more wow factor.

However, the LG G3 doesn't yet give you much of an advantage. The daily Android experience is fairly similar and there are few apps that really put that additional resolution to use.

The LG G3 is slimmer and slightly wider

The LG G3 measures 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm and hits the scales at 149g compared to the HTC's 146.3 x 70.6 x 9.3mm frame and weight of 160g.

The LG G3 is an identical height to the HTC One (M8), is slightly slimmer, and there is only a small increase in width, but it offers you a 0.5-inch larger display than the HTC One.

That really comes down to firstly, LG's clever design, and secondly, the HTC's BoomSound speakers above and below the display. These offer best-in-class sound quality, perfect for watching video or listening to music, but do make the handset comparatively large.

The HTC has the better build quality. The metal body is unique and although LG talks about a metallic finish, it's plastic. That means you can remove the cover to access the battery, but the HTC feels better in the hand and is slightly more manageable due to its slightly smaller size.

We love the premium design of the HTC One (M8), but the LG G3 is nicely designed too.

READ: HTC One M8 review

Same processor, same storage

In terms of performance, the LG G3 and the HTC One (M8) should be near enough neck-in-neck on paper. The LG G3 has a quad-core 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and 2GB of RAM under its hood in preference to the HTC One (M8)'s 2.3GHz equivalent.

We found the HTC One (M8)'s performance to be very good, however, with plenty of speed in Sense 6.0, HTC's user interface. The LG G3 is also slick and fast, but the HTC feels a little faster. Whichever you choose you'll get a slick and fast experience, with plenty of clever gestures and customisation options.

The HTC One (M8) is available in 16GB and 32GB storage variants, as is the LG G3. Both have a microSD slot for further storage expansion.

More megapixels on the LG G3

The LG G3 has a 13-megapixel sensor compared to the HTC One (M8)'s 4-megapixel UltraPixel Duo Camera.

HTC opts for two lenses, with one capturing images and the other capturing depth information. The HTC One (M8)'s camera is good, although the Duo Camera features might become something of a novelty. The lack of resolution poses some problems for adjusting or viewing images and doesn't really allow for cropping.

The LG G3's camera is great. It is fast to focus and copes well in varying conditions. We were particularly impressed with its performance in bright situations where others struggle, and its low light performance is commendable. It's consistent, so most of the time you'll get better results from the LG, with the benefit of optical image stabilisation.

READ: LG G3 review

The HTC One battery is better

Last but certainly not least we have the battery, with the LG G3 opting for a 3000mAh battery capacity in comparison to the 2600mAh on the HTC One M8.

You'd expect LG to take an easy victory here due to sheer capacity, but that's not the case. The HTC One M8 is well optimised and out-lasts the G3 with relative ease. The LG G3's display must take more power than you'd expect, but we also suspect that HTC's power saver mode is slightly more effective.

We easily made it through the day and the evening with the HTC One (M8), but the LG G3 struggles to make it through busy days.

Conclusion

The LG G3 and the HTC One (M8) are certainly similar in terms of specs, but there's a big difference in that display. The LG G3 feels like it's ready to bring you the content of the future, even though the resolution isn't yet put to good use. The HTC on the other hand, is the device for now: offering a very competitive all-round package.

If the camera is top of your list, then the G3 takes the glory. HTC has been putting lots into its cameras, but on the LG G3 it just works and works very well, offering you a better experience.

And then you have design. Both devices look great, but the HTC One M8's metal body is the more premium. If you're looking for the most display, then naturally, LG's efforts at squeezing that 5.5-inch screen into a body almost the same size as the HTC is commendable.

We have loads more detail on both devices in our full reviews, be sure to hit the links to dive deep! Be sure to let us know which phone you choose.