Introduction
Today we’re pitting two of the market’s best flagship smartphones head-to-head in a direct comparison in order to try and determine which one might be the better deal for prospective buyers. Our two contenders are none other than the LG G6 and the OnePlus 5; two very distinctive Android-powered smartphones that aim to prove their worth in different ways. The LG G6 is arguably the South Korean company’s most ambitious flagship to date, featuring a next-generation design language that employs an all-glass exterior and thin display bezels all-around, whereas the OnePlus 5 aims to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors who have proudly worn the “flagship killer” nickname.
There have been moments throughout the history of Android smartphones when two flagship phones from different manufacturers have shared a wide variety of similarities across the board, especially in regards to internal hardware; however, this is definitely not the case when it comes to the LG G6 and the OnePlus 5. Let’s take a closer look at the hardware specifications of each contender.
Specifications
LG G6
The LG G6 represents a new page in company’s playbook as it is its first Android flagship phone to hit the market with a non-removable battery. For years, LG’s flagship phones held this advantage over some of its competitors who were eager to abandon this functionality in favor of newer technologies or more refined designs, and this year LG decided to finally switch gears. Thus the LG G6 earned wireless charging capabilities instead – at least in the United States; a stunning display with an unusual 18:9 aspect ratio and a 5.7-inch diagonal size accommodating a resolution of 2880 x 1440, and an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 78.6 percent. This is also the first LG flagship to boast an IP68 certificate for dust and water resistance, as well as a MIL-STD-810G certificate. Having said that, it seems that a lot of thought has been put into the LG G6’s exterior design, and this is also further confirmed by the fact that the handset is available in a variety of colors, ranging from White to Astro Black, Terra Gold, Ice Platinum, Marine Blue, and Mystic White.
On the other hand, not everything about the LG G6 is brand new, and in a somewhat expected turn of events considering the agreements between chipset manufacturer Qualcomm and tech giant Samsung Electronics, the LG G6 was equipped with the previous generation Snapdragon 821 SoC before the newer Snapdragon 835 could have a chance to debut on the Samsung Galaxy S8 series. The quad-core Kryo-based CPU is paired with an Adreno 530 graphics chip and 4GB of RAM, and the smartphone can be acquired with either 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of on-board memory. And despite the new design language with an enclosed body, the LG G6 managed to retain a microSD expansion slot that can read up to an additional 256GB of on-board memory.
The LG G6 employs a dual camera setup on the back panel comprising two 13-megapixel sensors, one of which has an f/1.8 aperture and takes advantage of 3-axis optical image stabilization (OIS). The front panel accommodates a 5-megapixel sensor, and because the generous 5.7-inch display covers almost the entire surface, the LG G6 carries its fingerprint recognition sensor on the back panel, right below the aforementioned dual camera combo.
OnePlus 5
The OnePlus 5 is the newer device from the two, as it was released roughly three months after the LG G6 made its debut. Normally this wouldn’t be a time gap large enough to greatly differentiate two different smartphone models, but the OnePlus 5 was released at a time when the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC was available to all device manufacturers. Indeed, the latest OnePlus model comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset which, in turn, carries an updated Adreno 540 graphics chip. In addition, the OnePlus 5 can be acquired with 6GB of RAM or a whopping 8GB of RAM – double the amount found under the hood of the LG G6. The OnePlus 5 carries either 64GB or 128GB of on-board memory, but lacks an expansion slot as well as any type of dust and water proofing despite its all-metal construction.
Like the LG G6, the OnePlus 5 features a dual camera setup, however it employs a 16-megapixel sensor with electronic image stabilization (EIS) coupled with a 20-megapixel secondary sensor, while featuring a generous 16-megapixel front facing sensor with auto HDR and EIS. The OnePlus 5 is wrapped in metal and while its exterior design might not be as striking as the LG G6’s, it does offer a more conveniently-placed fingerprint scanner which has been embedded in the physical Home button.
The OnePlus 5 carries a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch, and a screen-to-body ratio of 73 percent. The non-removable battery has a capacity of 3,300 mAh, the same as the LG G5, however it doesn’t take advantage of wireless charging capabilities.
…And The Winner Is…
Final Verdict
Although the LG G6 looks like a more modern smartphone complete with a handful of updated functionalities, there’s no denying that the OnePlus 5 carries the better internal specifications for the most part. It doesn’t have a QHD display with thin bezels, it’s not waterproof or dust resistant, and it arguably has a rather bland look to it, however it doesn’t seem to have lost its focus of being a “flagship killer” and as a result, it makes use of impressive internal components as well as a great camera setup on both the front and back panels. The OnePlus 5 is a device more focused on giving users the fastest experience possible. It’s likely going to please benchmarking enthusiasts who want to see their device at the top of the list, and with a 16-megapixel front facing sensor boasting EIS, it’s definitely up to date with the current selfie trends.
The LG G6 seems to put more value on the entire user experience even if this means caring less about numbers and performance graphs. It has a stunning display and the inclusion of dust and water resistance is most welcomed. At this point, one could argue that each smartphone has something to offer for a different audience, but it’s difficult to look past the fact that LG G6 with 32GB of storage costs around $730-$750 unlocked, while the entry-level OnePlus 5 with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of memory costs around $570. In conclusion, if availability isn’t an issue then the OnePlus 5 seems to offer more value for its price. It performs better thanks to newer internal hardware, and it is considerably cheaper than the LG G6.
Buy The LG G6Buy The OnePlus 5