Samsung Galaxy Note 5 versus LG G4

Samsung yesterday announced the Galaxy Note 5, not focusing so much on the hardware side of things, but refining an elegant design that forms to your hand. That said, hardware-wise, it features almost identical specifications to the Note 4, however, Samsung is no longer offering microSD card support in many of its devices, leaving many consumers left wanting.

Many are looking at simply purchasing an LG G4 or waiting for LG’s next flagship to fill that void. Just how well does the Galaxy Note 5 stack up against the LG G4, though? Is it a worthy competitor?

Hit the break to find out!

Design

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 sizes in at 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm and weighs a meager 151 grams. You’ll find it has the standard button layout–volume rocker on the left side of the device, power button on the right side, microUSB port on the bottom right next to the S-Pen slot. Interestingly, Samsung actually chose to put the SIM card tray on the very top of the device.

Samsung took on a unique Galaxy S6-like design with the Note 5, offering a metal unibody with an elegant glass back. It might be slippery at times, but gives the smartphone a much-needed premium vibe to properly differentiate itself from predecessors.

The LG G4’s features similar dimensions at 148.9 x 76.1 x 6.3 – 9.8mm and weighs in at 155 grams. It has a unique button layout with the volume rocker and power button placed on the back of the device right under the camera.

The LG G4 doesn’t nearly have the premium feel of the Galaxy Note 5, however, its unique in its own way, despite the plastic body.

Winner: Galaxy Note 5

Display

The Galaxy Note 5 is equipped with a rich and vibrant 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display. It has a massive pixel density of 518ppi with an edge-to-edge panel.

The LG G4 has a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 IPS LCD display. Equipped with a pixel density of 538ppi, right next to the Galaxy Note 5, this is one of the most gorgeous screens your going to get on a smartphone.

Winner: It’s a tie, as it comes down to the preferences for the rich and vibrant colors of the Super AMOLED panel or the more realistic colors of the LCD display.

Hardware

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 features the company’s standard Exynos 7420 Octa-core chip, sporting a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 processor and quad-core 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 CPU. It has 4GB of RAM, a Mali-T760MP8 GPU, 32/64GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The LG G4 is running Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 808 chipset, with a quad-core 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 CPU and a dual-core 1.8GHz Cortex-A57 processor. Equipped with 3GB of RAM, an Adreno 418 GPU, 32GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, this is one of the fastest performing smartphones you can get your hands on.

Winner: It’s a tie – the Galaxy Note 5 wins for sheer processing power and more RAM, but the LG G4 also wins in that it has plenty of expandable storage via microSD card support.

Battery

The Galaxy Note 5 is equipped with a 3,000mAh battery with fast charging times up to a meager 90 minutes. It also has fast wireless charging, bringing the device from dead to full in under 120 minutes.

The LG G4 has a similar 3,000mAh battery, and is equipped with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0 technology, allowing for similar fast charging capabilities. It, however, does not have fast wireless charging, just your standard optional Qi charging capabilities.

Winner: It’s a tie, as wireless charging isn’t widely adopted to offer a practical benefit.

Software

The Galaxy Note 5 is running the latest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI atop of Android 5.1.1. It comes with a bevy of extra features, including some additions Samsung brought to the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5, such as live streaming to YouTube from the camera app and more.

It also comes with an arsenal of S-Pen productivity features, such as easy note taking, multi-window options, and more.

The LG G4 is running LG’s UX 4.0 interface atop of Android 5.1.1. Much like TouchWiz, UX comes with a lot of handy features, such as QuickMemo+, a built-in File Manager, a bevy of camera options, and much more.

Winner: The Galaxy Note 5, thanks to its S-Pen capabilities.

Availability and Price

The Galaxy Note 5 will be available on August 21, however, the device is up for pre-order for around $249 on a new two-year contract. You can also find it for around $15 – $35/mo on a payment plan. Pricing varies quite a bit, as it’s different depending on the carrier or retailer you buy it from.

The LG G4 is available to purchase will usually cost you $199 on a new two-year contract or $699 outright. However, there are payment plans available ranging from $15 – $35/mo.

Winner: The LG G4 is the clear winner as far as lower price points go.

Wrap Up

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a gorgeous device packing top of the line hardware. Unfortunately, there’s a small crowd upset over the lack of microSD card support, making the LG G4 the perfect option for that focus group.

If you’re just an everyday user, the Galaxy Note 5 will no doubt fit your needs perfectly. But if you want a little more customization and some more freedom as far as storage goes, the LG G4 might be the device up your alley.

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