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Doug Demagistris
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Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 were announced on February 21. The two handsets will directly battle when they hit the market in the coming weeks.
Let’s see how they stack up against each other.
The Galaxy S7 was designed to refine upon features that were left out on the Galaxy S6 and add new ones. These include water resistance, a microSD card slot, a curved back, and fast wireless charging. Samsung sought to perfect what users thought needed work on the Galaxy S6 from last year. The Galaxy S7 overall is a more well-rounded handset that lacks in weaknesses, which should give other companies a tough time in satisfying consumers.
On the other hand, LG took a much bigger approach on the G5. The LG G4 was a bit of a disappointment last year because its lack of change in design. With the G5, LG totally revamped the design of the handset with the first-ever modular design. The G5 is all but the same as the G4 and has received positive feedback so far. This handset could be a game-changer for the mobile industry.
Design
While the Galaxy S7 took a more conservative approach, the G5 was all about change. The G5 comes in three colors — titan, gold, and pink. Its body measures 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.3mm and has some of the slimmest bezels we’ve seen on a phone. The G5 is made of metal, ditching the plastic and leather designs that came before it.
The G5 is also the first modular phone that features a removable slide-out tray at the bottom, providing the phone with more functionality. This allows users to replace their battery in a matter of seconds, and even expand storage to an additional 2TB using its built-in microSD card slot. A fingerprint scanner has also made it to the G series for the first time, which can be found on the back of the handset where it doubles as a power button. There you’ll also find a dual-camera lens, two-tone LED flash, and a laser autofocus sensor.
Volume controls have moved off the back onto the right side of the handset and the speaker grill can now be found on the bottom next to the 3.5mm headphone jack. LG says this provides louder and crisper audio than its predecessor. Instead of staying with a microUSB port, LG included USB Type-C for faster charging speeds.
The Galaxy S7’s modest approach keeps just about everything in the same position as the Galaxy S6. The power button and volume controls remain on the sides of the handset, and the microUSB port for charging is still there. The same fingerprint scanner is implemented into the handset’s home button, and no IR blaster has been included.
The Galaxy S7’s metal and glass design is here to stay, at least for this generation. The only difference is the subtle curve that’s now found on the back for a better fit in the hand. Corners also appear to be a bit more rounded and the camera bump has been slimmed down. Samsung also implemented a new cooling system that prevents the handset from overheating. A microSD card slot and water resistance made returns as well after being ditched on the Galaxy S6. All else like the headphone jack, SIM card tray, and speaker grill can be found in the same locations. The handset measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm and comes in gold, silver, white, and true black.
Winner: It really comes down to personal tastes, but the G5 gets the win here for its superb innovation.
Displayhttp://www.talkandroid.com/?attachment_id=286201
The Galaxy S7 is equipped with a rich and vibrant 5.5-inch QHD Super AMOLED display, which was recently awarded the title of being the best ever. Colors are rich and pop-out at you like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It sports a massive 576 ppi.
The G5 has a 5.3-inch QHD IPS LCD panel that’s slightly smaller than the one found on its predecessor. While colors are very accurate and true to life, they just don’t compare with those on the Galaxy S7’s Super AMOLED screen. The G5’s display is far from bad at 554 ppi, and can reach a higher brightness level than that the Galaxy S7 can.
Winner: Galaxy S7 in a nail-biter.
Hardware
Both the Galaxy S7 and LG G5 are no slouches when it comes to performance. The Galaxy S7 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 SoC if you live in the U.S. or Canada, and runs the Exynos 8890 SoC if you live just about anywhere else. As for graphics, the Galaxy S7 sports an ARM Mali-T880MP14, which will provide top-notch graphic performance. It also has 4GB of RAM and comes in choice of 32GB/64GB storage options that can be expanded for additional memory.
The G5 also packs Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820 SoC. However instead, it runs the Adreno 530 for graphic performance. The G5 doesn’t take any losses in RAM either with its included 4GB. It’s also expandable via a built-in microSD card slot. But while Samsung’s maxes out at 200GB, the G5 can add up to a whopping 2000GB or 2TB. But the battle doesn’t end here.
Both the Galaxy S7 and G5 are equipped with fingerprint scanners that are accurate and fast to the touch. Each can be used in combination with NFC for secure wireless payments. However, the Galaxy S7 takes things up a notch with magnetic secure transmission. This allows for a wider availability of supported retailers because it doesn’t require NFC terminals to pay.
The G5 fights back with its reversible USB Type-C port that supports faster charging over the microUSB port found on the Galaxy S7. But both handsets include some method of fast charging. The Galaxy S7 takes a step ahead of LG with its support for wireless charging. It’s now fast and built-into the back of the phone. It should also be noted that the Galaxy S7 includes a gyroscope, barometer, and heart rate sensor, which are all absent on the G5.
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S7
Software
The software on the Galaxy S7 and G5 are nearly identical. While each supports their own custom UI on top of Android, they both run Android 6.0 and are moving in the direction of a simplistic experience.
Both handsets include all the latest features from Google including Now-On-Tap, simplified app permissions, pinning apps, and doze. Samsung’s Touchwiz UI and LG’s UX 6.0 remain two of the heavier skins in existence. Each includes their own multi-tasking options, awake settings, gestures, always-on display feature, and more. This means that software updates from Google are always late to the game on these handsets. Is should also be noted that both handsets go away with the app drawer, but it can be toggled on if you choose the Galaxy S7. Which one you like better really comes down to personal preference. Which looks better? Which is more your style?
Winner: It comes down to preference.
Battery
One of the most differentiating aspects between these two handsets is the battery. Even though they sport similar sizes, they’re very different from each other.
With both handsets users will get Google’s doze feature that debuted on Marshmallow that shuts down background apps and cuts back performance when the device notices it has been sitting for a while. The Galaxy S7 charges via a microUSB plug, and the G5 uses the newer reversible USB Type-C for charging.
The Galaxy S7 sports a sealed 3,000mAh battery capacity thanks to its thicker profile which also has fast wireless charging. The handset’s AMOLED screen helps it save battery by turning off pixels when the screen is dark. Samsung has also implemented power saving features like Ultra Power Saving mode and the standard battery saver that can be set to turn on once the battery level hits a certain percentage.
The G5 sports a slightly smaller battery at 2,800mAh. Unlike the Galaxy S7, the G5 isn’t as power consuming and fails to incorporate wireless charging capability. But it does manage to include a standard battery saving mode. The major difference here is that LG’s battery is removable. By simply sliding out the handset’s magic slot you can replace an empty battery with a full one in only a few seconds. LG is the first to implement this feature on a phone that’s made of metal.
Winner: While the Galaxy S7 has its pros of being able to charge wirelessly, be more power efficient, and presumably last longer on a single charge, the winner has to be the G5 because of its ability to swap in a new battery at any given time.
Camera
Time to talk cameras. Considering that both handsets haven’t officially launched yet, it’s hard to directly compare the cameras. While specs aren’t everything in taking a great photo, that’s what will be used in this comparison because we don’t have shots to compare head-to-head. Once the two handset’s launch, we’ll get a better idea of which is superior in terms of camera quality. But till then, here’s which handset we believe will have the better camera of the two.
With the Galaxy S7, Samsung decided to swap out its 16MP lens for a smaller 12MP one. The idea behind this was to include a better aperture and larger pixel size that could take some nicer looking low-light shots. Unlike the G5 which boasts a F1.8 aperture and a 1.12μm pixel size, the Galaxy S7 has a better F1.7 aperture and a larger 1.4μm lens. Both can shoot 4K video no problem and each has its own dual-tone LED flash. On the front, the Galaxy S7 boasts a 5MP camera, and the G5 houses an 8MP one.
Both handsets have manual modes for more advanced photography, and both companies have accessories available for taking 360-degree shots/videos that can be viewed on the phones themselves. Samsung added some new software features this year like moving photos and better panorama shooting. Both companies also took steps forward in camera hardware. LG includes an ultra wide-angle view using their new dual rear camera setup and Samsung added faster auto-focusing using its new Dual Pixel technology.
We’re expecting both of these camera’s to take some stunning shots. Considering how good the pictures were from their predecessors, it’s hard to imagine how much more detailed they can get. Smartphone cameras have come so far since the smartphone birth, and these will surely be two of the best picture-taking phones time come their launch.
Winner: Tie
Availability and Price
The Galaxy S7 has gone up for pre-order already in many places. On average you’ll find it for $700 off-contract for the 32GB model. Consumers will also have the option to pay using installment payments, which will spread the total cost over several months. The handset is scheduled to hit shelves in sixty countries beginning March 11th.
The G5 is not up for sale yet but is expected to make it to stores sometime in April. Rumors suggest that the handset will be priced at $600 off-contract for the 32GB starting model. LG may also sell some bundles that come with extra batteries and new attachments for the magic slot. Just like the Galaxy S7, the LG G5 can also be paid for using scattered installment payments.
Both handsets will launch on all four major carriers here in the United States with the color options depending on your carrier.
Winner: The LG G5 should win easily here assuming the rumored $600 price tag.
Closing
Now you know just about all the similarities and differences between Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 and LG’s new G5. Both are inching closer towards a perfect phone. Each sports a premium design, fast performance, a great camera, fair battery life, a gorgeous display, and the very latest software from Google in Android 6.0. Neither is a bad choice and ultimately the decision comes down to your personal preferences. There’s no two phones we would suggest more than these two. That’s why it’s hard for us to recommend one over the other. Whichever route you take, we’re confident that you’ll be happy with your choice.
Feel free to let us know what feature led to your decision and why in the comments down below.
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S7 versus LG G5
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