We know many of you continue to hold the Samsung Galaxy S5, a device that was a very worthy competitor in its time. It’s now getting old, though, and you may not be too interested in the Samsung Galaxy S6. What then? You need to look for another option, and one of the best around is definitely the LG G4.
We have given you some good hands-on coverage on the LG G4. Today we shift our focus to comparing it against the Samsung Galaxy S5. More importantly, we want to find out if upgrading from the Galaxy S5 to the LG G4 is a worthy investment. Let’s find out!
LG G4 specs
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 5.5-inch 2560x1440p IPS Quantum display
- 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of internal storage (up to 2 TB microSD card support)
- 16 MP f/1.8 rear-facing camera
- 8 MP f/2.0 front-facing camera
- 3000 mAh battery
- 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8 mm
- 155 grams
Samsung Galaxy S5 specs
- Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
- 5.1-inch 1920x1080p Super AMOLEd display
- 2 GB of RAM
- 16/32 GB of internal storage
- 16 MP rear-facing camera
- 2 MP front-facing camera
- 2800 mAh battery
- 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm
- 145 grams
Design and build quality
We can be bluntly honest here, right? Samsung made things right with the Samsung Galaxy S6, but anything before that was total crap in terms of design and build quality. This leads us to the fact that the LG G4 is definitely the better looking of these two phones. It’s also more solid in terms of build quality.
While the Samsung Galaxy S5 did have a leather-like back cover that somewhat resembles the LG G4, but these are really night and day. The LG G4’s genuine leather backs are amazing. They will turn heads and spark a conversation wherever you go.
Display
This one is an obvious upgrade. The Samsung device does have an awesome Super AMOLED display, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen in the past. Plus, the definition is limited to 1080p. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it may make a difference for some users.
Regardless of whether you prefer 1080p or 1440p, the panel in the LG G4 does happen to be better. This is a Quantum IPS display that shows vivid and bright colors, yet very color accurate colors with high contrast.
If you happen to be a fan of AMOLED, though, you may still prefer the Samsung Galaxy S5’s screen.
Performance
Yes, the LG G4 will be faster and stronger, but we wouldn’t say this is really a reason to upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy S5 will be perfectly fast, and you probably won’t notice the difference most of the time. Maybe there will be a slight bump in performance when you start up your heavy games.
You do get an extra GB of RAM with the LG G4, though, which will make it a better multi-tasking machine.
Camera
Both cameras are great, but the LG G4 takes the upper hand here. I mean, this is a camera phone that will be competing against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6. The LG’s 16 MP shooter comes packed with a color-correction sensor, laser auto-focus and an f/1.8 aperture.
External storage and removable battery
Here’s where you will find the ultimate deciding factor. Well… at least many of you will. One of the coolest things about the Samsung Galaxy S5 is that it has a removable battery and expandable storage via microSD. This is something Sammy did away with with the Galaxy S6.
If you can’t live without a removable batter and/or expandable storage, your best bet would probably be to upgrade to the LG G4, instead of staying with Sammy.
Conclusion
So, is the LG G4 a good upgrade over the Samsung Galaxy S5? Absolutely. LG did right by us this time around, and they upgraded the phone in ways that we all wanted them to. It has a great camera, an amazing display, a design to die for, removable battery and expandable storage.
If you are not in love with the Galaxy S6 and really need to upgrade your phone, we say this would be a very smart option.