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LG G5 vs Xperia Z5 vs Galaxy S7 vs iPhone 6s: Which is best for me?

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s comparison review: We compare the best Android phones you can buy in 2016, along with Apple’s best flagship phone the iPhone 6s, to see which is best for your cash.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: At a glance

Phone iPhone 6s LG G5 Galaxy S7 Xperia Z5
Screen size 4.7-inch 5.3-inch 5.1-inch 5.2-inch
Screen resolution 1334×750 1440×2560 1440×2560 1920×1080
Storage 16/64/128GB 32GB 32/64GB 32GB
MicroSD? No Yes Yes Yes
Waterproof? No No Yes Yes
Processor Apple A9 Snapdragon 820 Exynos 8890 Snapdragon 810
Memory N/A 4GB 4GB 3GB
Rear camera 12MP 16MP+8MP 12MP 23MP
Front camera 5MP 8MP 5MP 5.1MP

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Design

The LG G5 is the biggest phone in our round-up, although only by the pip-squeakiest of margins; the 5.3-inch body rocks almost the same dimensions as Sony’s Xperia Z5, but with rounded corners to make it slightly more comfortable to grip. It’s a chunky beast though, mostly thanks to that funky modular design (more on this later in the ‘features’ section).

At the other end of the scale is the iPhone 6s, the smallest phone in our comparison at just 4.7-inches. Apple has gone for a metallic finish, just like LG, although the iPhone 6s is skinnier and much easier to use one-handed. Of course, that well-familiar Apple design is getting a little repetitive now, and we’re hoping for something a bit more exciting when the iPhone 7 rolls around.

Samsung’s Galaxy S7 is bloody stunning and just as hand-friendly, thanks to that beautifully contoured edging that naturally fits your grip. Most of those tiny Galaxy S6 flaws such as the smudgey rear end and jutting camera lens have been eliminated, and as a result the S7 is both satisfying to use and gorgeous to look at.

Sony’s Xperia Z5 is a looker too, thanks to its unique and attractive metal and matt-glass frame, available in an attractive range of dialled-down colours. However, the Z5 is also a wee bit fragile; that rear end easily cracks and scratches under the tiniest duress. So definitely invest in a case.

If you want a smartphone that will survive a stint in the shower, then check out the Xperia Z5 or Galaxy S7. These two phones can withstand a dunking, unlike the G5 and iPhone 6s, which are merely splash-proof.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Screen and media

Our favourite mobile screen is still Samsung’s panel, found on the Galaxy S7. It’s marginally the brightest display in our round-up, with the best viewing angles and a pleasing warmth. Expect vibrant colours that really leap out at you – although Samsung’s ‘Adaptive Display’ tech dials down the rich hues during everyday use.

The Xperia Z5 comes close to the S7’s vibrant display, as soon as you knock on Sony’s Super Vivid mode. It’s a colder screen, producing much cleaner whites, which are harsher in low light but attractive during daytime use. And although the Z5 (and the iPhone 6s) have a lower resolution than the G5 and S7, you won’t notice a drop in detail level, even if you squint really hard.

If you want to carry around a massive media collection, then you might want to avoid the iPhone 6s, unless you’ve got enough green to bag the 64 or 128GB models. There’s no expandable storage, so you’re stuck with whatever’s found on your phone. Meanwhile, the Android phones here can all be expanded using a microSD memory card.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Features

It’s good news in terms of security, as all four phones here pack dependable fingerprint sensors. The G5 and the Z5 are our favourites as their cunning positioning (on the rear and right edge respectively) make for a natural, comfortable motion for unlocking your phone with a finger or thumb. That said, all of these sensors work perfectly and are impressively accurate.

All of the phones here boast similar features, including voice assistants, well-stocked app stores, solid connectivity and so on. That said, the G5 is a stand-out with its funky modular design, which allows you to pull off the bottom edge of the phone and replace it with one of LG’s ‘Friends’ modules. Right now there’s not much available, to expand the capabilities of your G5. However, we’re expecting a lot of Friends to hit the UK soon, offering all kinds of upgrade potential.

Of course, if you’re already invested in one particular ecosystem (Android or iOS) then we recommend sticking with it. While you can easily swap from Android to iOS and vice versa, you’ll lose all of those apps that you already bought and it’s a whole new system to learn.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Performance

The Galaxy S7, LG G5 and iPhone 6s offer comparable performance in this test, benchmarking better than pretty much any other mobile out there. You can play the latest games with ease and multi-task with the best of them.

The Xperia Z5 is still performing perfectly too, even if it doesn’t benchmark as well. Even after six months of use, we haven’t seen any noticeable slowdown. Of course, the Z5 is likely to show signs of ageing before the others, as it isn’t quite as powerful.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Battery life

The Sony Xperia Z5 wins this group test in terms of everyday battery life, offering close to a day and a half of life as long as you don’t go nuts. All of the other phones give around a day of use between charges, so you’ll most likely end up charging them overnight.

However, when it comes to straight-up media tests, the Galaxy S7 is a surprising victor. While the other phones here will stream video for just over seven hours on a full charge, the S7 can go for a solid nine hours before dying.

As for charging back up, the LG G5 is the winner. With the Snapdragon 820 chipset on board, the G5 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, giving a fully replenished battery in just one and a quarter hours. The other phones typically take between one and a half and two hours.

And the G5 has another massive advantage over the other phones here. At any point you can pull the battery out of the phone’s base and replace it with a secondary cell, giving you full charge in the blink of an eye (more or less). None of the other phones here have a replaceable battery.

Check out our LG G5 battery test feature and our Galaxy S7 battery test feature.

LG G5 vs Sony Xperia Z5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Apple iPhone 6s: Cameras

We’ve already published our G5 vs Z5 vs S7 vs 6s camera supertest, pitting these best-in-class smartphone snappers against each other. You can also check out our G5 camera review, S7 camera review and Z5 camera review.

Check out our LG G5 hub for more info on this awesome flagship phone.

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