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Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the flagship Huawei Nexus 6P goes up against the newly announced LG G5 flagship. Two all-metal smartphones battle it out for tops in specifications, although price and value also play key roles in the thought process. Both devices have a solid build and a premium look and feel about them. Can the Nexus 6P, announced in September stand up to the soon to be released LG G5? Let’s take a look just to see what these two devices have in common and then we will take a closer look at each individual device.
The Nexus 6P and the LG G5 have very little in common. The Nexus 6P is larger and heavier, but so is its display. They both have an all-metal body, but the LG G5 has a detachable ‘chin’ or bottom. Both devices use the QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, but are different sizes and different technologies. The Nexus 6P and LG G5 both use a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, but different models. They both have a 32GB storage option, but only the G5 has expandable storage. Both devices have a great camera area and both use an 8MP front-facing camera (FFC) for selfies and video chatting. Both offer a rapid charge option for their batteries, and while the Nexus 6P uses a much larger battery (3,450 mAh versus 2,800 mAh), only the LG G5’s is removable. They have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, a fingerprint sensor and a Type-C microUSB port for charging and data transfer.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
Huawei Nexus 6P
The Huawei Nexus 6P is the more upscale of the Nexus line and is a well-built device with an all-metal unibody construction. It is available in four colors – Aluminum, Graphite, Frost, or Matte Gold and any one of them will give your Nexus 6P a premium look and the LG G5 a run for its money in the looks department. However, these comparisons are mostly about specifications – which device is on the leading edge when it comes to design and innovation. Does the top Nexus device have what it takes to beat out the new LG G5?
The Nexus 6P’s 5.7-inch display is produced by Samsung, so naturally it uses AMOLED technology. It is QHD with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 PPI. This compares to the 5.3-inch QHD IPS LCD display on the LG G5 with 554 PPI. Huawei decided to go with the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, version 2.1. It has four cores clocked at 1.55 GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. For the LG G5, LG picked the newest 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor. The Nexus 6P has 3GB of RAM and a choice of 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory and has no means for external expansion. The LG G5 packs 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory, but can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card.
The camera on the Nexus 6P received high marks from reviewers. It uses a 12.3MP sensor, laser autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and dual-tone LED flash…but no OIS. This goes up against what promises to be an excellent camera on the LG G5 with a 16MP sensor and an 8MP wide-angle sensor, laser autofocus, OIS and LED flash. The Nexus 6P and the LG G5 both use a large 8MP FFC for selfies and video chatting. The Nexus 6P has a large 3,450 mAh non-removable battery that includes a rapid charge feature via its Type-C reversible plug. The LG G5 has a smaller 2,800 mAh removable battery with rapid charge available and it too uses a Type-C USB plug.
The Nexus 6P has a great Samsung-built AMOLED QHD display for vivid contrasts and has dual front-facing stereo speakers. It is running pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will always get the fastest upgrades possible when new versions come out. Pricing is at only $500 for the 32GB model and offers a great value. It is unlocked and can be used on all major US networks.
LG G5
The new LG G5 is a complete makeover of the LG G4 – LG changed just about everything when they designed the G5. The LG G5’s big news and true innovation are the modules the device can use. Simply push a button on the side, you can slide out the battery and slide in different modules. One module adds a larger battery and camera controls – it makes taking pictures easier by giving you a bulge to grab and offering up physical camera controls. LG kept its built-in IR Blaster and LG finally added a fingerprint sensor at the expense of the rear set of buttons, although the sensor clicks inward and acts as an on/off switch as well. The volume controls return to the side of the device. LG also followed Google’s lead by starting to use the Type-C USB port on the G5. Let’s take a closer look at the new LG G5 and see just how the specs and design hold up to the flagship Nexus 6P.
The LG G5 sports a 5.3-inch IPS LCD QHD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 554 PPI that is slightly smaller than the Nexus 6P’s 5.7-inch display and 518 PPI. The brains come from the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with 4GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB of internal memory, expandable to 200GB via a microUSB card. This goes up against last year’s Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory with no means to expand.
LG made big changes in the G5’s camera area from a 16MP sensor on the G4 to one 16MP and another 8MP wide-angle sensor for dual cameras and added new software. This goes up against a highly touted Nexus 6P camera area that uses a 16MP sensor. The LG G5 retains the 8MP FFC from the G4 for selfies and video chatting and the Nexus 6P uses an 8MP FFC as well. LG decreased the battery size from the 3,000 mAh found on the LG G4 to 2,800 mAh, but it is removable and has quick charge capabilities. The Nexus 6P has a larger, non-removable, 3,450 mAh battery but it has quick capabilities.
The LG G5 measures 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm, weighs in at 159 grams and comes in Silver, Titan, Gold and Pink. It should be available in April, with Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and Best Buy already announcing they will carry the LG G5. It will be running Android 6.0 with LG’s UX skin on top. Pricing will probably be around $600.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
I really though this would be a tighter race than it was, but when all the dust settled, I had to pick the LG G5 as the specification winner in this comparison. The Nexus 6P is an excellent device and running pure Android it is a tough one to pass up, especially for $500. However, other than not running pure Android, the LG G5 has more to offer, and not for very much more money.
The LG G5 does have a smaller display, but at 5.3-inches, it is also not too small. It also comes with the QHD display packing more PPI – 554 vs 518 – and has the ‘always-on’ technology. It packs the newest Snapdragon 820 and Adreno 530 GPU, which are greatly improved over last year’s model 810/430 found in the Nexus 6P. While the camera in the 6P is highly rated, the dual cameras on the LG G5 should compete very nicely and offer more options. The LG G5 packs 4GB of RAM versus the 3GB in the 6P and the LG G5 offers a means to expand the internal memory up to 200GB. The G5 also offers a removable battery and the option to use slide-in modules to add even more versatility. It even throws in a built-in IR Blaster and FM radio.
When you add it all up, the LG G5 is certainly the specs winner here – there is no pure Android and no dual front mounted speakers – but the removable a battery, expandable memory, better processor, more memory and the chance to add modules make the LG G5 the clear winner in this comparison.