With the release of the OnePlus 5 all the best Android smartphones of the first six months of 2017 have been officially launched. And it's time for a comparison that analyzes the technical features of Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6, Huawei P10 and OnePlus 5, highlighting both the merits and the flaws.
The expectations for these devices were very high: after a 2016 in chiaroscuro for the smartphone world, with few real surprises, 2017 was supposed to be the year of the turning point. And, partially, it was. In the first six months of 2017 we have seen smartphones with shapes and sizes very different from those of last year: just think of the Samsung Galaxy S8, which mounts a curved screen that occupies 90% of the front of the device. But even the top of the range have brought, in their own small way, very interesting innovations.
To make an informed choice between the Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6, Huawei P10 and OnePlus 5 is necessary to know perfectly their characteristics and understand which is the one that best suits your needs. A factor that should not be underestimated is your economic availability: the price of the four top of the range is quite similar, but between the "cheapest" and the "most expensive" the difference is more than 150 euros. Here is the comparison between Galaxy S8, LG G6, Huawei P10 and OnePlus 5, the best Android smartphones of the moment.
Design
Under the design point of view, Galaxy S8 and LG G6 are a step ahead of everyone. The two South Korean companies have taken the concept of "bezel-less smartphone" to the extreme, presenting two (almost) revolutionary smartphones. On the one hand, the Galaxy S8 presents an edge-to-edge screen that covers most of the front surface of the smartphone, on the other high LG G6 has not extreme the concept like Samsung but presents a very particular design, with a display with an 18:9 format.
The choice of Huawei and OnePlus is completely different: the two devices have a more classic design, similar to last year's models. Especially on the OnePlus 5 you can clearly see the choice of the Chinese company not to want to change after the success of the OnePlus 3.
With regard to ergonomics, however, LG G6 turns out to be the best. The South Korean company has done a great job placing the biometric sensor at the back of the smartphone to perfection. The same cannot be said of the Samsung Galaxy S8, which is slippery at times and difficult to hold in the hand. OnePlus, on the other hand, has improved the ergonomics of its top of the line. The previous model was very slippery, but with the new rear shell, with the sides more "bombed", the grip and ergonomics is better.
Technical Features
If you are looking for a super performing smartphone, the choice can only fall on the OnePlus 5. The smartphone from the Chinese company mounts the best hardware components on the market: chipset Snapdragon 835 supported by 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal memory. The smartphone is available in two versions with different features, but still from the top of the range.
Under the profile of technical characteristics, the Samsung Galaxy S8 also defends itself very well. The South Korean top of the range device mounts an Exynos 8895 chipset, which offers performance very similar to the Snapdragon 835 (the South Korean company has collaborated with Qualcomm for the realization of the processor). In addition, the device mounts 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256GB with a microSD card.
The LG G6 offers slightly lower performance than the competition although it remains one of the best Android smartphones on the market. LG G6 mounts a Snapdragon 821 chipset, supported by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256GB.
The Huawei P10 has very similar performance to the LG G6, although it mounts a proprietary chipset developed by HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei. The P10 mounts the Kirin 960 SoC supported by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256GB with anSD card.
Display
On the display front there is only one winner, and it is unquestionably the Samsung Galaxy S8. The South Korean company has created a unique screen with curved edges that "embraces" the smartphone to perfection. The display of the Galaxy S8 is 5.8 inches and has a resolution 2960 x 1440 pixels.
The LG G6 also defends itself very well: the display is 5.7 inches with a resolution 2880 x 1440 pixels: the only difference from the Galaxy S8 is the lack of curved edges.
Huawei P10 mounts a simple 5.1-inch screen with a resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels. Also on the OnePlus we find a display with a FullHD resolution, although the size is slightly larger: 5.5 inches. For two smartphones that want to call themselves top of the line, mounting a FullHD display can go to negatively affect the final evaluation.
Photography compartment
OnePlus 5 presents the most interesting photo compartment of the lot. It may not use the best software, but the quality of the sensors is true top-of-the-line. The smartphone mounts a dual rear camera: one lens is 16 Megapixels with a focal aperture of 1.7, while the second is in telephoto with f/2.6 aperture. The front camera is 16 Megapixels.
The Samsung Galaxy S8, on the other hand, mounts a 12 Megapixel rear camera with a focal aperture of 1.7, while the front one is 8 Megapixels.
For LG G6, the South Korean company opted for a dual 13 Megapixel rear camera: the "main" lens has a focal aperture of 1.8, while the second is a wide-angle lens with 125-degree field of view and an f/2.4 aperture. The front camera is only 5 Megapixels.
Finally, the Huawei P10 mounts a dual rear camera: the RGB sensor is 12 Megapixels with a focal aperture of 1.8, while the black and white sensor is 20 Megapixels. The photographic software combines the two lenses to take very sharp images. The front camera is 8 Megapixels.
Battery
The LG G6 has a 3300 mAh battery, while the Huawei P10 mounts a 3200 mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy S8 uses a slightly less powerful 3000 mAh battery. The performance is very similar, with an autonomy that hardly exceeds twenty-four hours.
Discussion different for the OnePlus 5. The smartphone mounts a 3300 mAh battery, but also provides users with DashCharge, the technology developed by the Chinese company that recharges the device in just under an hour, much faster than other Android devices.
Price
Let's start with the most expensive. The Samsung Galaxy S8 can be purchased online for just under 600 euros. OnePlus 5 is available in two versions: the cheapest one (6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage) costs 499 euros, while the premium one (8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage) is priced at 559 euros. Huawei P10 is the cheapest and can be found online for just under 400 euros. To buy LG G6, on the other hand, you need to shell out just under 450 euros.
Conclusion
To make an unambiguous judgment on which is the best Android smartphone of the moment is not easy. As we have seen, each device excels in a different category. In general, the best smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy S8, mainly due to the fantastic display, but it is also the most expensive. If you want to spend a little less, LG G6 has good features and also a good display. On the other hand, if you want a smartphone with high performance, the best choice is the premium version of the OnePlus 5, although the price is slightly high. If your budget does not exceed 400 euros, the only available solution is the Huawei P10, which certainly has a good value for money.