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Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5: A head-to-head comparison (photos)

We bring the best new phones of Mobile World Congress together for the first time.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5 have a completely different look and feel from one another.

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2 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The S7 Edge (and S7) put the fingerprint reader in the home button. On the G5, you'll find it on the power button, on the phone's rear.

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3 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Although the both run Android 6.0 software, the LG G5 does away with the app tray, laying out shortcut icons on subsequent screens.

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4 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The S7 Edge may have more contoured sides, but the two phones are the same thickness.

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5 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The G5, bottom, makes terrific use of the two camera lenses to seamlessly zoom in and out.

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6 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The glossy and ultrareflective Galaxy S7 Edge (left) gunks up with fingerprints almost instantly.

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7 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The G5, top, uses a Type-C USB port. While that's the next-generation standard,

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8 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The S7 Edge's spines are more visually interesting. LG opted for a fairly uniform look.

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9 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

LG and Samsung both make gold shades. The G5's matte finish (right) stands up better to fingerprint scum than the glossy, highly reflective S7 phones.

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10 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Lighting is everything. You can see how the S7 Edge (right) looks more golden in this light.

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11 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The Edge's curves (bottom) contrast with the G5's straighter sides.

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12 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

The G5's volume rocker is a single bar, compared to the S7 Edge's separate "up" and "down" buttons.

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13 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

You can really see the G5's two camera lenses her (right). Samsung's now signature heart-rate monitor is part of the flash module.

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14 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Both phones have an always-on display. On the Galaxy S7 phones, you can choose among three items to display.

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15 of 15 Sarah Tew/CNET

Check out my live-action comparison in video and be sure to go in depth with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5.

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