LG G5 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: A rebel and a stunner
A rebel and a stunner
Loudspeaker
Not much going on here, just the usual single-speaker setup. The LG G5 at least rates Good and beats the Galaxy S7 in all three tests.
The Samsung scored a Below Average, with the biggest difference in the ringtone test, smallest in the voice test. Xperia Zs get poor loudness ratings too, so this is likely down to the waterproofing.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 67.2 | 64.6 | 66.6 | Below Average | |
| 68.7 | 66.2 | 73.2 | Good |
Innovation: Nothing to see here. That is until LG comes up with a Loudspeaker module (the speaker grille is at the bottom, suggesting upgrades are possible).
Refinement: Nope.
Winner: LG G5. The cumulative difference adds up and can be pretty significant depending on the ringtone you use.
Audio output
Both the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 delivered perfectly clean output in the first part of our audio test. When used with an active external amplifier, the flagships performed as you’d expect with no weak points whatsoever. The G5 loses in terms of loudness and even using the B&O module doesn’t quite help it match the Galaxy S7 output.
When we plugged in our standard headphones, the Galaxy S7 pulled ahead in terms of clarity thanks to its superior stereo separation. The optional B&O module helped put the two on par and in this case it even matched the loudness of the S7. When it's on its own however, the G5 just can’t quite keep up.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| LG G5 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.6 | 92.6 | 0.0051 | 0.0096 | -93.3 |
| LG G5 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -92.2 | 92.3 | 0.0029 | 0.037 | -50.7 |
| LG G5 (B&O) | +0.05, -0.01 | -93.2 | 93.3 | 0.0012 | 0.0069 | -92.9 |
| LG G5 (B&O)(headphones) | +0.05, -0.01 | -93.6 | 93.6 | 0.0014 | 0.0090 | -72.1 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.5 | 92.6 | 0.0027 | 0.0078 | -92.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.05 | -91.9 | 92.1 | 0.0044 | 0.063 | -73.4 |
LG G5 frequency response
Samsung Galaxy S7 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Innovation: LG G5's ability to improve the built-in DAC with an external one proves valuable, but expensive. Still, audiophiles will enjoy knowing exactly what DAC they are listening to.
Refinement: Both makers have made big strides in mobile audio quality, but LG needs to work on the AMP (the G5 is too quiet).
Winner: Tie. The Samsung flagship offers better stereo quality with headphones and louder output in both test cases. But the gap is not huge and the LG G5 is still a solid performer. It also outplays the Galaxy S7 with a feature or two, among which the optional B&O module.
Reader comments
- Ukrainian jew
- 29 Jan 2020
- 4XR
U and ur sis might be bit different and different in how u drop ur phones and where they happen to land along with other circumstances not to mention ur downloading different apps or some in particular are messing up her phone making even to go in fo...
- Jik47
- 13 Jan 2020
- EHi
The non removable battery is a horrible feature! On my previous S5 I was able to buy and replace the battery vs. paying a technician to replace the battery at 2-3 times the expense of me buying a battery and putting it in myself.
- eddie
- 09 Nov 2017
- NiB
I remember "Non-removable battery" was listed in "cons" for phones a few years ago...nowadays it seems like most manufacturers have non-removable battery phones and people just go along with it...it's not right...IMHO.