LG has finally taken the wraps off of the G4, its latest flagship smartphone, which features a new design and top-of-the-line hardware.
While the phone may include great specs and a new design, it's not the only flagship phone that does. How does it compare to the Samsung Galaxy S6?
Design
As mentioned, the G4 includes somewhat of a new design. While the new design isn't as radical of a change as Samsung made with the Galaxy S6, LG and Samsung are both making serious efforts to offer a more "premium"-feeling smartphone. The way they do this, however, is a little different.
With the G4, LG is pushing a new leather backing for the device, which really gives it a unique yet premium look. There are three color options — brown, black and red leather. Of course, users can also opt to keep the metal backing found on previous iterations of LG's G series.
Samsung shook things up this year with the Galaxy S6, which offers a completely different design than the S5. With a glass and metal unibody design, the Galaxy S6 follows a similar path as Apple. Samsung's new design, however, meant that the Galaxy S6 did not have a removable battery or a microSD card slot. While these features are getting a little outdated, they are both features that LG kept in the G4.
Processing
To some surprise, LG opted for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 instead of the 810. While this processor is seemingly a little less powerful than the 810, LG says that the Snapdragon 808 has been optimized for use in the G4. Despite this, benchmark tests from the likes of AnTuTu suggest that LG maybe should have gone for another processor.
Compared to the Galaxy S6, the G4 doesn't stand a chance in processing power. Samsung decided to go with its own processor this time around, using the Exynos 7, which has proven to be a very powerful processor.
Storage And Memory
Accompanying the Snapdragon 808, LG has included 3 GB of RAM, which should be plenty for the average user. Samsung also included 3 GB of RAM in the Galaxy S6.
As far as storage goes, the LG G4 offers 32 GB of onboard storage, with the option of a microSD card as well. Samsung, however, offsets the fact that it is not offering a microSD card slot by allowing users to choose of storage options of 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB.
Camera
Both LG and Samsung offer 16 MP rear-facing cameras with optical image stabilization or OIS. While on paper, LG's camera isn't the most amazing thing in the world, with adjustable shutter speed, ISO light sensitivity and white balance, users are able to take great photos if they know what they're doing. Users can even store photos as RAW files if they want, but this will take up a lot of storage very quickly.
Samsung's camera is also 16 MP, but it doesn't include all the same bells and whistles as the LG G4.
Software
Samsung's TouchWiz has long been talked about as a power-hog and an Android overlay that stuffs Samsung's services down the user's throat. This has changed a lot in the Galaxy S6, with Samsung allowing users to remove apps that they don't want. They won't be removed completely, but rather hidden from view.
According to some reports, LG's software in the G4 really isn't anything to write home about. While it might be a little better than previous LG software offerings on smartphones, many users prefer stock Android more and more.
Conclusions
The Samsung Galaxy S6 is a more powerful smartphone and arguably looks better too. That doesn't mean that the G4 is not a great phone, but LG has cut some corners with the device and those don't bode well in a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S6. The LG G4 will likely cost around $600 at launch, which, of course, is less than the $750 that the Galaxy S6 costs.
