Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the curved edged Galaxy S6 Edge goes up against the new LG V10. It is the classic battle between glass/metal construction versus an all-metal body. With those types of materials and Samsung and LG doing the building, we know that we are getting a solid and attractive device with a premium feel. Design materials are such a personal matter, but no matter your personal preference, both of these are great looking devices. When it comes to dropping – the LG V10 is the more break resistant on the two devices…but those dual curved displays on the S6 Edge are gorgeous.
The Galaxy S6 Edge and the LG V10 do have a few things in common – starting with displays greater than 5-inches, both have a QHD resolution, both offer a 64GB model, both have excellent 16MP main cameras and 5MP front-facing camera (FFC)…the LG V10 has two of them for special effects. Both the Galaxy S6 Edge and LG V10 have their speaker on the bottom of the device and they both have fingerprint sensors. Both batteries offer a rapid charge feature and they both have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, NFC capabilities, a built-in IR Blaster and a microUSB port for charging, and data transfer.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung redesigned the Galaxy S6 and shocked a few ‘S series’ followers – while retaining its basic physical look, Samsung went with a strong metal frame and all glass design, which makes it look great, but somewhat fragile. But as is so often the case, Samsung giveth and taketh and did away with their traditional removable battery and expandable memory slot. In addition, Samsung added the Galaxy S6 Edge model with a dual curved display that really upped its cool factor.
The Galaxy S6 Edge sports a 5.1-inch QHD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 577 pixels-per-inch (PPI) with the display curving on both the left and right. This goes up against the 5.7-inch QHD LCD display on the LG V10 with 515 PPI and a secondary display the sits ‘on top’ of the main display. The Galaxy S6 Edge uses the 64-bit Exynos 7420 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.5 GHz and four cores clocked at 2.1 GHz. This goes up against the Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor used in the LG V10. The Galaxy S6 Edge packs 3GB of faster DDR4 RAM with 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of faster USF 2.0 internal memory with no expansion available. The LG V10 comes with 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 64GB of internal memory with expansion via a microSD card.
The Galaxy S6 Edge uses a 13MP main camera with large 1.12µm pixels, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus and an LED flash and OIS. It has a 5MP FFC for selfies and video chats. This goes up against a 16MP sensor and dual 5MP FFCs on the LG V10. The Galaxy S6 Edge has a smaller 2600mAh non-removable battery while the LG V10 has a larger removable 3000mAh battery. Both devices should make it through a full day and both devices have rapid charge capabilities with the Galaxy S6 Edge having built-in wireless charging.
The Galaxy S6 Edge comes with a fingerprint sensor, as does the LG V10. Android 6.0, the newest Android OS Marshmallow, should be arriving this month. With Marshmallow, you will be able to use the fingerprint sensor to authorize mobile payments using Android Pay, along with Samsung Pay. It comes equipped with a heart rate monitor and oxygen sensor. Its wireless charging can handle either the Qi or the PMA formats. It will come in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and an exclusive Green Emerald depending where you purchase the Galaxy S6 Edge. It will cost you about $675 for the 32GB model and $775 for the 64GB model.
LG V10
It will be interesting to see if LG continues to offer both their LG G series and LG V series – it almost seems like they would cannibalize each other. The LG V10 is a beautiful smartphone sculpted from stainless steel with a silicone backing that is great for gripping the device as well as protection from drops. It has two 5MP FFCs, and it has a small, independent display sitting ‘above’ the 5.7-inch main display that operates independently.
The Galaxy S6 Edge design also has its main display and then the curved edge to act like a second display – the LG V10 takes two dual displays to new heights as the second one resides on the top of the first and can operate independently. The V10’s main display is a 5.7-inch IPS Quantum QHD with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 515 PPI. The secondary display has a resolution of 1040 x 160 pixels that ‘sits’ above the top area of the main display and also packs 515 PPI. The secondary display can be ‘on’ while the main display is off and used to show notifications, the weather, the time/date, app shortcuts and more. This goes up against the 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S6 Edge with 577 PPI.
LG passed on the Snapdragon 810 and chose the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.44 GHz and dual cores clocked at 1.82 GHz for the brains of the V10. This goes up against the 64-bit Exynos octa-core processor in the Galaxy S6 Edge. The V10 is packing 4GB of DDR3 RAM versus the Galaxy S6 Edge with 3GB of DDR4 RAM. The LG V10 has only one option – 64GB of internal memory, but has a microSD card slot to expand another 128GB. The Galaxy S6 Edge gives you three options – 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of their new, faster USF 2.0 memory- with no means to expand.
The main camera areas should be very competitive if the LG V10 lives up to its LG G4 heritage. The LG V10 uses the same, great camera found on the LG G4 with a 16MP sensor with laser autofocus, a large f/1.8 aperture, OIS and an LED flash. The LG V10 uses a dual 5MP FFC to add a wider field and more depth to the traditional selfie or video chat. The Galaxy S6 Edge also uses an award-winning 16MP main camera as well as the more traditional single 5MP FFC. The LG V10 uses a removable 3000mAh battery, while the Galaxy S6 Edge has a smaller 2600mAh non-removable battery and both have a means for fast charging their batteries.
The LG V10 includes Hi-Fi circuitry for improved sound through the headphones and they even threw in an FM radio. The available colors are Space Black, Luxe White, Modern Beige, Ocean Blue and Opal Blue. It is available now on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile and priced approximately $675.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was a very tough decision – I picked the LG V10 over the normal Galaxy S6, but oh that curved dual display of the Galaxy S6 Edge are tough to choose against. However, as sexy as they are, their functionality is limited and the entire display is smaller than the LG V10 by over one-half of an inch. The stainless steel and silicone backing command some attention themselves.
I love Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays, but I like larger displays even better and the extra display on the LG V10 seems to offer more functionality than the curved edges on the S6 Edge. The processor is my biggest disappointment on the LG V10, but it has more RAM, the ability to expand internal memory and a larger and removable battery. It has an equal main camera and with its two FFCs offering some options not available on the Galaxy S6 Edge. LG includes an excellent Hi-Fi DAC sound when listening through an earpiece.
The Galaxy S6 Edge also has a few goodies missing on the LG V10. It does offer a more technologically advanced processor with eight cores and offers Samsung Pay and a built-in wireless charger along with a heart rate monitor and oxygen saturation sensor. However, it does have a smaller display, less RAM, a smaller, non-removable battery, and no means to expand its internal memory. In this comparison, I have to give the nod to the LG V10.
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