LG G5 vs Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Introduction

With the G5, LG introduced a thorough overhaul of its high-end line, eschewing plastic construction for a metal coating, and enhanced the novelty factor with a funky modular design that lets you add various attachments to the phone with ease. Add to these an intriguing dual camera unit, and the G5 is unlike anything we've seen from the company so far in its mainstream efforts. This is why we are pitting it against Apple's large-screen effort, the iPhone 6s Plus with its 3D Touch display.

Design

The G5 modular design intrigue is jaded by the construction gaps in comparison with the solid unibody iPhone

The rounded corners of the LG G5 and iPhone 6s Plus emit a similar ergonomic vibe sitting side by side. That being said, the instantly recognizable iPhone 6s Plus is the larger of the two, so the G5 sits better in the palm and is easier to handle. Well, relatively, as both phones have pretty pathetic screen-to-body ratios, due to the large top and bottom bezels.

The iPhone's all-metal design is interrupted only by the antenna strips on the back, while LG uses a modular concept for the G5 design with a detachable bottom, making it feel flimsier when handled. The detachable half has its virtues, though, like the ability to swap out the battery that comes out with it, or add various media-centric and other accessories that LG calls Friends.

Both the G5 and iPhone 6s Plus have 360-degree fingerprint readers embedded in their physical home buttons, but Apple is using its signature round key at the front, while LG is housing said button on the back, which might present a challenge when you want to unlock the phone without picking it up first. These lock keys, as well as the volume buttons on the sides of the phones are easily clickable, with good tactile feedback, too.

Display

Lacking in color credibility against the iPhone, the G5's display makes up for it in stellar outdoor visibility

The 5.3” LCD display at the G5's front has a higher pixel count – 1440 x 2560 vs 1080 x 1920 pixels - than the 5.5” iPhone, though for most practical purposes the screen density difference is quite negligible from a normal viewing distance. LG has provided a witty always-on feature that powers up a small section of the screen to display date, hour and pertinent notifications at all times if you are so inclined, though it would take a toll on the battery.

The iPhone 6s Plus has one clever trick up its display sleeve, too, namely its 3D Touch functionality, which allows the screen to detect various levels of physical pressure. This is used to enable new ways of interaction with the user interface – to peek into messages, to preview live photos, or access menus and modes within apps straight from the home screen by simply applying a little push on the screen. If our own polls are any indication, it's not something iPhone users are reaching for every day, but it may come handy at times.

LG almost compensates for the G5's colder-than-ideal color temperature with an extremely high peak brightness. We measured 816 nits, which is one of the highest numbers we've clocked so far on any phone. The iPhone also has very high brightness and low screen reflectance, yet the slight advantage outside under direct sunlight goes to the G5.