HTC 10 vs. LG G5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S7: Camera Shootout

HDR

As we saw on the previous page, shadow and light in the same scene can be difficult to capture just right. HDR mode is an indispensable tool that handles just that.

The LG G5 offered the widest dynamic range of the three. It also has immaculate processing, you can see it in the spray of the fountain - the small, fast moving water droplets are clearly visible while the Galaxy S7 smudged them. The HTC 10 photo is quite sharp, but it struggled with the highlights (not as bad as the Galaxy, though).

HDR off: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

HDR on: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

The next LG G5 photo also has better dynamic range and is sharper than the other two. The HTC 10's struggle with the highlights continues, which lost a lot of detail in the sunbleached fountain.

HDR off: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

HDR on: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

When a camera is short on dynamic range, it can really miss the boat on light colors in the sun. This yellow flower is a good example - if you look at the Galaxy S7 edge photo, you'd think it's white. The HTC 10 made it pale yellow, which is closer to the truth, but still not on the money.

HDR off: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

HDR on: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

Here's another flower. The saturated colors of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge photo look the most pleasing (HDR mode on the G5 bleaches out the flower slightly). The HTC 10 did a solid job of capturing the fine detail of the veins of the petals. If you're going to pixel peep, you'll also notice the strong noise in LG G5's bokeh.

HDR off: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

HDR on: HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

Winner: LG G5. Having the best dynamic range is a great virtue in an "HDR" test. The HTC 10 sometimes produced a sharper image, but it struggles to capture highlights. The Galaxy S7 did not have a fun time doing this.

Bokeh

HTC tried once to push a dual-camera design for depth effects (including bokeh), but single-camera designs proved quite good while being much cheaper. LG G5 seems to be an exception as its second camera really gives you an entirely different view of the world.

But this chapter is about the bokeh. Both the G5 and the HTC 10 boast Laser AF, which should help them get perfect focus in closeups (the G5's system works up to 50cm/20", for example). And yet it didn't.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is the only one of the three that captured the closeup subject in sharp detail. True, its bokeh looks more artificial, but the S7 photo is the best by a long shot.

HTC 10 • LG G5 • Samsung Galaxy S7

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It produced the only photo that looked good, the other two didn't do too hot despite their Laser AF magic.