Samsung Galaxy Note Edge vs LG G3

Introduction

One of the most compelling smartphones of late, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge brought a fresh wave of innovation to the smartphone industry with its novel, unorthodox display that overlaps the right side bezel and provides a whole new functionality approach. But how does this undoubtedly niche device fare against the first smartphone from a well-known manufacturer to sport a pixel-rich Quad HD display, the LG G3? The edge aside, is the Galaxy Note Edge running circles around the G3? Moreover, should you choose Samsung's bizarre phablet over LG's current flagship offering ? We will pit these devices against one another and answer those questions.

Design

The Galaxy Note Edge feels unwieldy when compared with the slightly more compact G3

Well, both devices are quite different from one another in the design department. While both flaunt displays with roughly the same screen estate size (5.6 inches for the Galaxy Note Edge and 5.5 inches for the G3), LG's offering is a tad more compact and lightweight. On paper, the dimension differences may not seem like a big deal, but in reality the narrower LG G3 sits better in the hand than the thinner, yet broader and taller Galaxy Note Edge. The Galaxy Note Edge is by no means unwieldy, yet you will need to get accustomed to the so-called “edge” display of the phablet, as you may accidentally interact with it. That's why using the phone with one hand is a cumbersome task. The LG G3, being more compact, is slightly more friendly towards single-handed usage, but it's got its usability issues as well.

Typically for Samsung, the Galaxy Note Edge makes use of its signature design language, employing a hardware home button and a duo of capacitive ones at its lower end, paired with a faux leather back similar to the one of the Galaxy Note 4 that does not hold smudges of any kind, while the side frames employ metal, a relatively new and most welcome trend for Samsung. This combination of materials provides a fair amount of grip, not to mention that it feels somewhat more premium than the LG G3, which predominantly relies on polycarbonate plastic, with the back sporting a brushed metal-like finish that (thankfully) holds zero fingerprints.

As far as hardware buttons are concerned, the Galaxy Note Edge is unlike any other Samsung device, as its power/lock button rests on the top frame of the phone. The 151mm-tall silhouette of the phone renders this button rather unreachable with one hand. The hardware buttons of the G3 – the volume rocker and the power/lock button - are positioned at its rear, which might be a more convenient solution for some users.

Display

Both devices have their own strengths and weaknesses in the display section

We can find pixel-dense Quad HD displays on both the LG G3 and the Galaxy Note Edge. At 5.6”, the Super AMOLED display of the Samsung is slightly bigger than the 5.5” IPS LCD one of the G3. Thus, both have extremely high pixel density – 538ppi for the G3 and 525ppi for the Note Edge. The LG has an upper hand on paper, but in reality, both displays are extremely sharp and it is virtually impossible to discern any individual pixels with the naked eye.

The tests that we procured revealed that the display of the Galaxy Note Edge is a little more color accurate than the one in the LG G3 – Samsung's phablet has a color temperature of 6719 Kelvins, which is very close to the reference point of 6500K, while white colors on LG G3's display are slightly colder due to its temperature of 7099K. The Galaxy Note Edge also succeeds in matching more targets on the sRGB chart than the G3 does, which means that Samsung's offering tends to achieve more natural-looking colors. The color reproduction of the G3 is by no means bad, but it simply can't stand up to the overall accuracy of the Note Edge.

Another win for the novel phablet is its broader brightness amplitude – with a measured maximum brightness of 496 nits and a minimum one of just 1 nit, it is boasting a slightly larger brightness outpit than the G3, which scored 455-nit maximum and 9-nit minimum brightness results. As far as viewing angles are concerned, the LG G3 tends to exhibit lower brightness levels when viewed from lesser angles, whereas the same exercise distorts the color accuracy of the Samsung handset.