Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge vs. LG G5 – Specs and Price Comparison

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has been hailed as one of the best smartphones to have come from the South Korean tech giant yet.

In fact, the company decided to go back to the S7 Edge for some inspiration when it comes to the design language of the yet-to-be-released Galaxy Note 7. This shows just how much Samsung is confident with the curved dual-edge design, something that has even led to suggestions that the tech giant could as well do away with the flat screen models for the 2017 Samsung Galaxy S8.

Other than the unique design of the Galaxy S7 Edge, the phone also comes with a bunch of great features. But does it have what it takes to go against the flagship LG G5, which also comes from the same country of South Korea? Let’s compare the specs and price details of these two handsets.

Hardware and software

When it comes to hardware and software, these two have very small differences. While they both come with a Snapdragon 820 SoC and 4GB RAM, Samsung has another Exynos 8890 variant with the same 4GB RAM, but this one is not available in the U.S. However, you will get different sizes for the two devices, although they are almost the same when looked at vaguely.

The Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with QHD resolution while the LG G5 has a slightly smaller 5.3-inch LCD screen with the same QHD resolution as the S7 Edge. You also get the Always On functionality on both handsets, which basically means there is a tie when it comes to display quality. But as usual, there will always be some debate over which is better between LCD and AMOLED panels, with the latter ending up winning on almost all the occasions.

Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the OS that powers these two handsets out of the box, but Samsung has the TouchWiz UI on top while LG has its Optimus UX 5.0 skin on top of the stock OS. Where the Galaxy S7 Edge has an IP68 water and dust resistance certification, the G5 lacks this feature, meaning you can’t use it when in any dumpy condition. You also get a dual-edge screen on the S7 Edge with the Edge software that adds some nifty functionality to the secondary screen. This is something you won’t find with the LG G5.

One major design advantage of the G5 is its modular design that allows the attachment of other accessories known as LG Friends. These help improve on the phone’s functionality by enhancing the audio and camera capabilities of the phone, among others things.

Photography

Today, smartphone buyers look into more details when it comes to buying these gadgets. However, camera specs have turned out to be the most important aspect that some buyers check for when going out for a new phone.

Given that the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge are flagship phones, they come with the best cameras possible. However, the two use different setups. Where you get a single lens on the rear of the Galaxy S7 Edge with 12MP and f/1.7 aperture, there is a dual-lens camera on the back of the LG G5. One lens has a decent 16MP snapper with f/1.8 aperture while the second lens comes with 8MP, but the aperture is smaller at f/2.4. This means you get better photos with the larger aperture on the Galaxy S7 Edge since it allows in more light than the LG G5, especially when in low-light conditions. However, there is more detail in the latter’s photos thanks to the second lens, which takes care of wide-angle views.

The front part of the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5MP sensor with the same f/1.7 aperture, but you get an 8MP selfie camera on the LG G5, with a smaller aperture of f/2.0.

Battery life and price

As for the two phone’s battery life, you will probably enjoy using the LG G5 more than the Galaxy S7 Edge. This is thanks to the fact that you get a removable battery on the former while the latter has a non-removable unit. However, the S7 Edge has a larger battery capacity of 3600mAh as opposed to the 2800mAh unit you get on the G5.

There is support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology on both handsets, which means you get to fast-charge these batteries in the shortest period possible.

As for the pricing, these two are quite pricey, but the Galaxy S7 Edge has the higher price tag, coming in at $629.95 for the 32GB variant. On the other hand, the LG G5 has a price tag of $499.