With the announcement of the LG V10, the Korean smartphone manufacturer has provided a rival to the iPhone 6s and Samsung Galaxy range. Unquestionably, LG has struggled to gain the sort of market impact it craves, particularly in the West, while Apple and Samsung have taken their privileged position for granted for some years. But the LG V10 is the latest attempt to truly penetrate the Western marketplace. So how does this smartphone contender stack up against the brand new iPhone 6s and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ offering? Here is a rundown of the relative merits of these three mainstream smartphones.
LG V10 vs iPhone 6s vs Galaxy S6 Edge+ – Construction and design
Apple & Samsung have both tended towards aluminum and glass designs in recent handset releases, so it is particularly brave of LG to move away from this orthodoxy. With the LG V10, the corporation has opted for what could be described as a practical finish, particularly emphasizing the durability of the device. It is an interesting strategy in a niche in which fashion is so obviously important.
The LG V10 is significantly more durable than previous handsets from the Korean manufacturer, and is notable for its mixture of stainless steel sides and silicone skin back. Its bumpy texture contrasts with the smooth leather back of the previously released LG G4.
In a world in which problems with smartphones tend to generate massive headlines, most obviously Bendgate, LG has ensured that this device is able to survive being dropped like no other device on the market. LG boast that this is a military-grade device, and it is reasonable to state that it is the sturdiest handset available to purchase at present.
The visage of the LG V10 will not appeal to everyone, but it is certainly an original device with its dual-selfie capturing cameras, and will at the very least stand out from the crowd.
Apple’s iPhone series has been hugely influential, and this is perhaps most successfully illustrated by the fact that Samsung has imitated many of the features of the iPhone range. Yet the iPhone 6s remains a classic handset, and one that is still considered the coolest on the market. In terms of construction, it can certainly be considered a market-leader.
What can be said in mitigation is that the Galaxy S6 Edge+ incorporates the curved screen technology that has been so successful and popular for Samsung. Apple is still expected to introduce a curved screen variant at some point, so the fact that Samsung has pioneered this technology is certainly in favor of its Galaxy series.
Each of these three smartphones possesses distinctive physical features, and personal preference will certainly play a large part in which is considered superior. However, the iPhone 6s remains instantly recognizable, and is imbued with the traditional Apple commitment to design quality, thus it is difficult to argue against the iPhone 6s being the leader in its class.
| LG V10 | iPhone 6s | S6 Edge+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | 159.6 x 79.3 x 8.6 mm | 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm | 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9 mm |
| Weight | 192g | 143g | 132g |
| Display | 5.7-inches, 1,440 x 2,560 pixels | 4.7-inches, 750 x 1,334 pixels | 5.7-inches, 1,440 x 2,560 pixels |
| Processor | Quad-core 1.44 GHz | Dual-core 1.84 GHz | Quad-core 1.5 GHz |
| Memory | 4GB | 2GB | 3GB |
| Storage | microSD, up to 128 GB | 128GB | 64GB |
| Camera | 16 MP, 5,312 x 2,988 pixels | 12 MP, 4,608 x 2,592 pixels | 16 MP, 2,988 x 5,312 pixels |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh | 1,715 mAh, 11h in tests | 3,000 mAh, 10h 25m in tests |
Off the three smartphones, the LG V10 is significantly larger than either the iPhone 6s or Galaxy S6H plus. The dimensions of the LG V10 are 159.6 x 79.3 x 8.6 mm (6.28 x 3.12 x 0.34 in), which is somewhat bigger than either the iPhone 6s (138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm or 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 in), or Galaxy S6 Edge+ (138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm or 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 in).
In addition, the LG handset is over 30 percent heavier than the iPhone 6s, and significantly weightier than its Galaxy S6 Edge+ rival. The LG V10 weights in at 192g, while the iPhone 6s weighs 143g, with the S6 Edge+ registering at 153g on the scales.
LG has opted for big, bulky, yet strong, with the LG V10, and it’ll be interesting to see the consumer response to this departure from the smartphone norm.
Display
The LG V10 has a much larger display than either the iPhone 6s or Galaxy S6 Edge+, which suggests that it may struggle to attract the mass market in the same way as its Samsung and Apple rivals. The 5.7-inch display in the LG V10 certainly places this device in the category of phablets, whereas the iPhone 6s in particular can be considered a truly populist handset.
Nonetheless, the display in the LG V10 is impressive, with a 1,440 x 2,560 pixel resolution ensuring that this is a quad HD device. This is exactly the same pixel resolution included in the Galaxy S6 Edge+, however the fact that the Samsung device features a slightly superior pixel density to the LG offering.
The iPhone 6s is lagging behind significantly in this department, with a 4.7-inch screen that doesn’t even offer full HD resolution. The 750 x 1,334 pixels offers a ~326 ppi pixel density that is higher than one might imagine considering the screen size, but which still compares unfavorably to both the LG and Samsung handsets in question.
Camera
Both the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and LG V10 provide 16-megapixel cameras with optical image stabilization, although the double selfie-shooting camera included in the LG V10 perhaps elevates this device. It is certainly a significant innovation, and it will be interesting to see if Apple and Samsung respond to this in future devices. Of course, considering their market dominance it may not be necessary for them to do so.
Apple improved the camera in the iPhone series by 50 percent when it released the iPhone 6s, but the 12-megapixel lens included is still somewhat behind the LG and Samsung releases. However, the combination of proprietary software and hardware in the iPhone series has always ensured that the iPhone cameras punch above their weight, and some new features included in the iPhone 6s mean that this is an excellent snapper.
Battery
It is easy to list the three batteries sizes in these three handsets, but this only tells a small portion of the story for the devices. The Galaxy V10 features a Li-Ion 3,000 mAh battery, the iPhone 6s is driven by a non-removable Li-Po 1,715 mAh battery, while the S6 Edge+ is powered by a non-removable Li-Ion 3,000 mAh unit.
This is a difficult area to compare, as the precise battery life of the LG V10 is not known at the time of writing. What can we say is that it has the largest battery of the three, and therefore should at the very least be competitive with both of the Samsung and Apple handsets.
The iPhone 6s in fact significantly outperforms the Galaxy S6 Edge+ in this department. Benchmarking tests have indicated that the battery life of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is in fact slightly less than last year’s iPhone 6, while the iPhone 6s has already outperformed the iPhone 6 significantly in similar tests. So Samsung will have its work cut out to improve on this statistic in the future.
Memory and Storage
The LG V10 has an extremely powerful 4 GB of RAM memory, and storage can be boosted up to 128 GB via micro SD. These specs compare favorably with the iPhone 6s, which has only 2 GB of RAM, and the 3 GB of RAM included in the Galaxy S6 Edge+. It is also notable that the premium Galaxy S6 Edge+ only has 64 GB of storage.
Features
The LG V10 is notable for its removable battery, high-quality 4K video recording, micro SD slots, dual-selfie capturing cameras and second screen. It has been noted that the design and the specifications of the device may not appeal to a mass market, but certainly LG has produced a mobile that stands out from the crowd.
Apple has strongly pushed its 3D Touch technology with the iPhone 6s, while the screen technology included in the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is its most obvious standout quality. It is interesting to note that each of these three smartphones has distinctive features, and this bodes well for this smartphone generation, as consumers are presented with a genuine choice.
