I popped into the AT&T store to check out the G5. For the record, I hate T-Mobile in their stores bolting down the phones so you cannot pick them up and get a good feel of the device in hand to spend quality in-sotre time with it.
I'm impressed with the feel in hand of the S7. Haven't had a phone fit so nicely in hand since...Moto X 2013. Samsung did a great job there. I don't like the Edge line the feel in hand to me is horrible for the S7 Edge. Samsung did a nice job tweaking the S7. It reminds me of the S2 in that I'd be open to adding it onto my shopping list if I were getting a 2016 phone. Still don't like some of the stuff Samsung is doing, but the S7 is worth some of the hype for me.
As for the G5, believe it or not I'd be more inclined to buy it over the S7. For my needs its a clear win, but not a very clear upgrade from the G4. For me, the G4 has a better fit in hand, even though it's a bigger device. But comparing them side by side, the G5 isn't really that much smaller than the G4. I love comparatively speaking how clean the new LG UI looks. It still feels like LG but not as...cartoonist. I'd still drop Nova on it though, but the sub menus (even though they're awash with white) feel cleaner to the eye to browse through. The app drawer fiasco is overblown.
I like the G5's camera idea. They went M8, but instead of the bokeh effects, that wide angle is damn useful. I'd kill this for nature and large group photos. I secretly wished they'd just used two 16MP independent duo cams and allowed for some serious oversampling (and making the camera grip really be a killer module for that), but as is, it's very useful. I still think the S7 is slightly ahead, but the gap between the two is small.
Phone seemingly flies on the S820 and the fingerprint scanner feels nice. Love the screen...very crisp. The G5 looks to be good enough this year, but here's the truth:
The S7 will sell more. It isn't about the modular concept so much on the G5 that has it a tick behind, but there a little things like making sure the module fits all the way in, how they made the phone flatter and narrower but not smaller, the lack of built into Qi...the G5 is very good but the S7 has a better "attention to detail to the little things that people can appreciate more, kinda like Apple" feel to it.
Personally, I'd buy the G5. The shortcomings I listed above don't scare me and the camera is in my wheelhouse. I think the same is for LG like most Android OEMs- tweak the software, refine the modular concept and they're in good shape. I just would look to next year. Now being a G4 owner, I wouldn't drop the G4 for the G5. But if my G4 broke and I had the cash I'd definitely grab a G5.
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