When comparing LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, the Slant community recommends LG G5 for most people. In the question“What are the best smartphones releasing for Spring/Summer 2016?” LG G5 is ranked 1st while Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose LG G5 is:
There are 2 rear cameras on the LG G5 - a primary (regular style) 16MP camera, and a secondary wide-angle 8MP lens. This dual-setup allows for a few things - using the 8MP camera you'll be able to fit a whole lot more into the frame, and the 16MP camera is better at focusing on a certain point with crazy detail. Also, there's a feature where you'll be able to use both cameras and stitch the images together. This will create a high resolution mid-section to images, but still include much more in the frame than any other phone camera would allow.
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Pros
Pro Rear camera captures more scenery
There are 2 rear cameras on the LG G5 - a primary (regular style) 16MP camera, and a secondary wide-angle 8MP lens. This dual-setup allows for a few things - using the 8MP camera you'll be able to fit a whole lot more into the frame, and the 16MP camera is better at focusing on a certain point with crazy detail. Also, there's a feature where you'll be able to use both cameras and stitch the images together. This will create a high resolution mid-section to images, but still include much more in the frame than any other phone camera would allow.
Pro High amount of RAM
The LG G5 comes with 4GB of RAM, so multitasking should be no issue at all considering the amount of RAM available.
Pro New reversible port
USB Type C is the new charging/data transfer standard that has just begun rolling out in 2015. It offers faster data transfer speeds, and a reversible port as well as a more durable connector. It should stick around for the next 5-10 years.
Pro Modular bottom port
The bottom of the G5 can be removed, which allows access to the removable battery. You can also change out the physical connector to add different modules. Currently there are two replacement bottom ports that add modular functionality. The first (and arguably more exciting) is the camera grip. It adds a zoom wheel, shutter button and dedicated video buttons, as well as a secondary battery (1100mAh). The second is a high-end Bang & Olufsen module which will allow for Hi-Fi audio output through the embedded headphone jack. This will allow for higher quality 32-bit audio output.
Pro Good screen
The 5.3" 1440p Amoled display takes up 70.1% of the front of the phone, and it looks really nice. It's very sharp, and colors are life-like (not super punchy like Amoled displays). It also gets ridiculously bright at 900 nits.
Pro Really bright screen
The screen has a maximum brightness of 900 nits which will be easily legible in even the bright afternoon sun.
Pro First device with Snapdragon 820 CPU
The LG G5 is the first Android device to use the high power Snapdragon 820 CPU, which means very high end performance. It is ever so slightly beaten by the Exynos 8890 in computing power, however the Snapdragon 820 offers a better GPU which leads to better in-game performance.
Pro Unique feeling metal casing
The metal used for the case of the phone is created by LG themselves in a fashion that is still unknown that they are calling microdizing, but it does make for something that feels a bit different. It also allows for the antenna to be used without needing slits in the back of the casing, a first for smartphones.
Pro Amazing display
The S7 Edge has a 5.5" 1440p Super-Amoled display. It has a very high resolution which means blocky text and grainy images are things of the past - it's got enough pixels that it will work great even as a VR (virtual reality) display. The Super-Amoled technology allows individual pixels to turn off, which means that black colors are true black (IPS panels need to keep black pixels illuminated which means that very dark blue glow you'll find on most screens when displaying black). Colors really pop as well.
Pro Great camera, especially in low-light
Samsung has reduced the resolution to 12MP (the S6 had 16MP), but they have changed the way the camera works. Each individual pixel is larger which allows more light to enter - this means brighter looking pictures even in very dark situations. They also use dual-pixel technology, which makes focusing laser fast. The camera also protrudes less from the back than the S6 (it just barely sticks out now).
Pro Excellent performance
This is one of the first phones with the all new Snapdragon 820 system on a chip (SoC - that just means that there's a CPU and GPU bundled in the unit). It has the newest and most advanced CPU and GPU available in early 2016. It's accompanied by 4GB of RAM - that's enough for most laptops, so plenty of RAM as far as phones are concerned.
Pro Comfortable design
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a curved screen on the front, as well as curved glass on the rear. The rear curve makes it groove into your hand better than regular corners on most phones. On the front of the screen, the edge invites you to swipe all the way to the side of the screen, and there are features that take advantage of this. Swiping in from the right edge brings up panels which you can customize - quick one-touch calling contacts, quick launching apps - you can configure it to whatever you want.
Pro Waterproof (with no flaps)
The Galaxy S7 Edge features IP68 dust and water resistance - you can submerge the S7 into 1.5m (5ft) of fresh water for 30 minutes without worrying about it. Just make sure to let the ports dry before using them.
Pro Good battery life
The 3,600mAh battery is large enough to last a full day, and Samsung boasts that you can binge watch an entire season of Game of Thrones without needing to charge (these claims have yet to be tested, but users are reporting 7 hours of screen-on time during mixed use which is still impressive).
Pro VR Compatible
The Galaxy S7 Edge is compatible with Samsung Gear VR. It costs $99, but sometimes can be bundled with the phone for less. It is a great affordable introduction to virtual reality, although it isn't the best solution available.
The phone clips into the headset, and connects via the USB port to act as the brains and display for the unit.
Cons
Con Poor battery life
The battery capacity is a bit small at 2700mAh, and it has a strange idle battery drain (up to 20% of the battery can be devoted just to 'idle' each day - perhaps the always-on display is included here instead of the screen battery stats). Most users will need to charge the battery, or swap out batteries thanks to its removable slot.
When the screen is on 100% brightness looping a video for 90 minutes, it only drops by 9% battery which is very impressive. GSMArena rates the battery at 60h, which is about average.
Con The missing B&O module in the U.S.
Worldwide there will be a modular attachment branded Bang & Olufsen that will allow Hi-Fi audio through a secondary headphone jack, however this won't be available in America,
Con New charging port
USB-Type C is the next standard which is starting to phase in - it allows for faster data transfers, and is reversible and more durable than the current Micro USB standard. It's a con right now because it's just emerging - it isn't compatible with many devices yet. As it becomes more common, it will start to become a pro.
Con Bloatware
The Galaxy S7 runs TouchWiz software, which is known for its abundance of bloatware. Bloatware is the term used to describe pre-installed apps that add little to no functionality. Samsung's offerings (S-Voice, Chat-On, Flipboard, Kies, Samsung Hub, and the list goes on) are often inferior to Google's offerings and/or third party apps.
Con Slippery back
While it feels premium, it's more prone to damage than aluminum or plastic backs. Also, it feels fairly slippery meaning it's more likely to slide off surfaces.
Con No USB-C
Samsung opted out of using the next generation USB-C which is quickly becoming the industry standard and is a much more convenient reversible port.
Con Edges reduce usability slightly
Hitting the q and p keys on the keyboard is harder than on flat screens, as about 30% of the key is slanted away. Also, on white screens you can see the slight color distortion on the edges if you look for it, although in regular use you won't notice it.