Galaxy S7 Edge vs. LG G5 Camera Comparison! [Part 1 – Photos]

In this camera comparison, we take up the latest Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge against the LG G5 comparing photos in various different situations including low-light and macro.

Through this test, I learned that the Galaxy S7 Edge fairs a bit better in low-light situations and also picking up more details in shadows.  But what I also learned is that LG G5 is no slouch either, doing fairly well in keeping up with the S7 Edge in most situations.  In fact, the LG G5 also offers a second wide-angle camera, which can come in handy for giving you some excellent landscape photos.

Also, 12MP on the Galaxy S7 Edge seems to fall short in details in comparison to LG G5’s 16MP in certain situations where more pixels would be ideal (like in average to bright lighting conditions, LG G5 brings out more details simply due to the extra pixels), especially if you want to crop out a photo later down the road.  While 12MP camera gives the S7 Edge slightly better performance in low-light, there is certainly sacrifice in pixels.  I should also have a comparison between the older Galaxy S6/Note 5 versus the S7 Edge soon.

It really boils down to what you prefer more, do you need better low-light performance at the sacrifice of pixels or do you want more pixels and a second wide-angle camera?

As for the front camera, both phones did equally well in most situations, the Galaxy S7 Edge having much more details in bright light.  In low-light, both phones did about the same while the S7 Edge does offer slightly wider-angle view.  What really impressed me the most was HDR mode on LG G5, which can give you crisp HDR photos with a bright background.  In comparison, the S7 Edge fails to produce HDR photos worth using.  I actually did the test a few more times and found LG G5’s HDR is superior to anything else on the market right now.

Overall, both phones have advantages and disadvantages.  If you know how to edit RAW photos, all of these comparisons may be irrelevant as you can easily tweak RAW photos to be better than any of these “auto” results.  I should have a video/tutorial on that soon also.  If you are looking for the best still camera, I would definitely have to recommend the LG G5 more since it has an extra wide-angle camera along with excellent front-facing HDR mode.  

Now, this is a comparison of the still photo modes, next time I will have a comparison of video modes, which are entirely another subject.