We compared the recently launched LG V10 to the Samsung’s top phablet, the Galaxy Note 5. This is probably, one of the biggest battles in the phablet category, which is between the LG V10 versus Samsung Galaxy Note 5. Which will come out better in our comparison covering camera, display, design, speed test and benchmark, speaker, and battery? Find out the answers below.
Table of Contents
Design and build
The LG V10’s back is made from Duraskin supported by stainless steel at each side. The V10 is shockproof and definitely one of the sturdiest smartphones up to date. The Note 5 is made of glass and metal. Its back is curved towards the edges.
In terms of ports, on the bottom of the two phones there are microUSB, 3.5mm audio jack, mono speaker and s-pen holder for Note 5. The left side of V10 is empty while Note 5 houses the volume rocker. On the right, there is a power/lock combination button on Note 5. The Note 5’s SIM card slot is positioned on top. The fingerprint sensor of LG V10 is integrated at the power button on the back along with the rear keys. To access the replaceable battery, dual SIM and microSD card slot of V10, you will need to remove its back cover.
The Note 5 is easier to hold because it is thinner and lighter. The solid build and textured back of the V10 makes the grip more comfortable.
The glass and metal design of Note 5 are definitely a standout in design, but the high-grade materials on V10 make it a very solid and sturdy device.
See also: iPhone 6s vs LG G4 vs Galaxy Note 5 vs Xperia Z5 classic Camera Battle
So which one do you like better: the stylish Note 5 or the function-wise LG V10?
Display
The V10 sports a 5.7-inch screen with a QHD resolution, the only main difference it has over the Note 5 is the IPS LCD and secondary display. Although LG V10’s display has sharp details and accurate colors, we still prefer the Super AMOLED of Galaxy Note5 due to the punchiness, infinite contrast, and brighter screen. In the end, we can safely say that both displays are flagship-level.
The LG V10 utilizes its secondary screen for shortcuts of most recent apps, media controls, notifications, and status display; which are all handy except on the odd positioning of the screen.
Camera in still and video shooting
Now on the most interesting area is it the camera. The LG V10 proved that it is the king in details while the Note5 maintained pleasing colors to its shots. On night shot, V10 showed a slight edge in sharpness, but its white balance is quite off similar to the daylight shooting.
One of the biggest advantages of V10 in camera is the manual controls in still and video shooting. You can set several parameters from audio to ISO.
On video mode, the slight off in white balance is seen again on the V10 but overall quality is close to Note5 as well as the stabilization.
The V10 takes two kind of selfies, one with a wide-angle lens and the other has wider angle lens, perfect for group selfies.
I will leave the choice to you if which camera do you think is better overall?
Sample Full HD video recording is embedded on the video comparison below
Hardware and Performance
The Note5 packs a more powerful chip in the form of Snapdragon 810 octa-core paired with 4GB RAM compared to the Snapdragon 808 hexacore and 4GB RAM of LG V10. But in terms of real-world performance, both neither felt slow at all. They rarely stutter or lag when throwing loads at them. Objectively, however, Note5 takes the cake in benchmarks and actual speed test.
Benchmark ratings
- AnTuTu: Note5 – 63720, V10 – 41761
- Basemark OS: Note 5 – 1511, V10 – 1223
- GeekBench 3 single core: Note 5 – 1374, V10- 1110
- GeekBench 3 multicore: Note 5 – 4465, V10 – 3528
Battery and charging speed
Our proprietary video battery test produced 14 hours battery life in Galaxy Note5 and 8.5 hours on LG V10. In real-world, LG V10 roughly lasts a day and a half while Note 5 could hang in until the night of the second day with moderate use.
Charging speed is really fast on LG V10 and can fill up its 3000mAh battery within 80 minutes using its 1.8A charger. On Note5, 0 to 100% takes up to 90 minutes.
Battery ratings
- Note 5 – 14 hours video battery test, 1.5 days battery life
- LG V10 – 8.5 hours video battery test, 1-1.5 days battery life
Speaker
Both mono speakers are powerful. The bass on Note5 feels stronger while output on V10 seems more balanced. The LG V10 sounds a little more pleasing to the ears as high and low levels are greatly blended.
Pricing and Verdict
Now on the pricing, both retails at around $670 depending on where you will get it. The V10 is available in 64GB variant and has expandable storage. LG Philippines offer it at around P37990 and is already available in black variant. The Note5 is priced at P36990 from Villman with 32GB internal storage.
Now on closing thoughts, I agree that Samsung made the Note5 one of the best-looking phablet today. The camera is fast and takes very good pictures. In my case, I don’t need an S-pen but it is still a great option. The V10 has the dual display which oddly occupies three-quarters of the top of the screen. The Dual lens for front-facing offers advantages for selfie lovers. It is the flexibility of the LG G4 that makes it a beastly phablet: swappable battery, microSD card expansion and manual controls on the camera.
If you’d given a chance to pick one, which one it will be? The S-pen touting Note5 or the functional LG V10?
Watch the video comparison below
| SPECS, PH Price | Samsung Galaxy Note 5 specs | LG V10 |
| Display | 5.7-inch Super AMOLED QHD, 518ppi | Main: 5.7-inch 1440p QHD Quantum IPS LCD, 515ppi Secondary: 2.1-inch LCD 160 x 1040 |
| Size | 7.6mm thin, 171g weight | 6.3mm-9.8mm thick, 155g weight |
| Design | Gorilla Glass 4, curved back | Gorilla Glass 4, Stainless Steel bars, Removable back cover, shock resistance |
| Colors | Gold, Silver, White, Black | White, Beige, Blue, Black |
| Chipset | Exynos 7420 octacore, | Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 hexa-core |
| Processor | quad Cortex-A53 & quad 2.1GHz Cortex-A57 | Dual-core 1.82GHz Cortex A57, Quad-core 1.44GHz Cortex 153 |
| Graphics | Mali-T760MP8 | Adreno 418 GPU |
| Memory | 4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB/128GB internal, no microSD | 64GB internal storage, microSD card slot up to 200GB |
| Main Camera | 16MP camera f/1.9 aperture, OIS, single LED flash, | 16MP f/1.8 laser autofocus, color spectrum sensor, auto HDR, 2160p video, OIS |
| Multimedia | HDR, 4K UHD or 2160p video, SloMo | 4K UHD video |
| Front camera | 5MP selfie, 1440p video | 8MP selfie camera, 1080p video |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE Single/dual SIM, WiFi ac, Bt 4.2,NFC, FM Radio, GPS, heart rate sensor, wireless charging, Fingerprint sensor, S-pen | Dual SIM, 4G LTE cat 6, WiFi ac, Bt 4.1, FM Radio, GPS, Wireless charging, Infrared for remote |
| OS | Android 5.1 Lollipop | Android 5.1.1 Lollipop |
| Software | TouchWiz UI | Optimus UX 4.0 |
| Battery | 3000mAh, Quick Charging | 3000mAh, Quick Charging |
| Ports | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0/SlimPort |
| Official Price | Php36990 pesos for 32GB in the Philippines | P37,990 official price for 64GB from LG Philippines |
| Availability date | September | 2015 November |
| Where to buy | Samsung Mobile Philippines | LG Philippines |
LG V10 vs Samsung Galaxy Note5 Ultimate Comparison Video
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