Yes. LP has bigger chunks of wood and generally the bigger the piece of wood, the slower the rot. In my casual observations of scrap left on bare ground, the Miratec deteriorates much faster. I think LP is using better, more rot resistant adhesives but have nothing to back that up. LP is closer akin to OSB and Miratec is closer to fiberboard/particle board. OSB is far more structural. I find this logic backed up by LP being more installer friendly(easier to handle longer pieces without breaking).

Owen, We are going with the Nichiha Sierra Premium Shake as well with our new build. We have heard only good things about the product. If you would like to see more samples, go to https://nichiha-samples.tbistores.com/. Nichiha sends you samples at no charge and they are nice sized samples. I also had alot of questions about the product and spoke with one of their reps and he was really informative and helpful. To get the variation in color like the photo you posted, I believe that would be factory finished by a company like Carolina Colortones. [This house[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/lakefront-residence-i-the-reserve-at-lake-keowee-traditional-exterior-phvw-vp~4502462) has a similar look to your picture and it was done by Carolina Colortones . We are wanting a stained cedar shake look and are planning to order through Custom Home Specialists in SC. They are less than a mile than where we are building so it works out. They have the same type of equipment that Carolina Colortones uses and can apply a stain to the primed fiber cement board. I looked into ordering the Sierra Premium Shake in Hazelnut or Terra but found it was way more expensive to do that than to order through a company like Carolina Colortones and have a custom color applied. I don't know if where you live doing something like this would be cost effective. I have also noticed the factory finish shine you mention and have heard this fades over time.

Cedar shingles in New England do not turn an even gray color from being left untreated in the sun. In New England white cedar shingles are stained to look the color you like or bleaching oil is applied to help them fade to a silver gray color. Red cedar shingles can be stained or left unfinished. When unfinished they discolor unevenly which is generally desired. Shingles that have turned black are not necessarily rotting. Certain parts of the house will naturally become darker from surface fungi. These shingles will probably need to be replaced in 30 or 40 years. If that is an issue you could use a preservative but the shingles tend to look like fake shingles and that is not very popular in New England. Red Cedar shingles in Dedham, MA Untreated red cedar starting to turn dark stained white cedar on the Cape Solid stained shingles Wellesley MA Maine Cabot's Bleaching Oil stain

the back is just the white PVC. Sides also don't matter. Apparently NuCedar has to go underneath the trim, or is mitered at corners, so you never see any sides. I read somewhere someone complaining about that, saying that is like vinyl siding and it looks worse rather than butting up against trim. .However, NuCedar has PVC pieces you clip in place on the side the trim so that it does look like the siding is butting up against the trim. I love cedar. I live on Cape Cod and cedar is the siding of choice around here. But it is high maintenance, and I do not want to maintain my siding and trim. Cedar should be washed and stained or sealed every 3 - 5 years! No way. Not doing that.