The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge and the LG G Flex 2 are two of the most recent smartphones to feature curved displays. The Galaxy S6 Edge curves along the vertical axis on both sides of the device while the LG G Flex 2 curves around the horizontal axis to create a 3D effect when viewing content. We’re going to compare these two devices head to head to see which curved smartphone is best for you here on PhoneDog.
This is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. From a hardware standpoint, it features an aluminum frame with a glass front and back cover. There’s a 5MP front-facing camera sensor with a home button that also doubles as a fingerprint scanner flanked by two capacitive touch navigation buttons for the overview and back commands. The curved 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display above that curves around both sides of the device, which ultimately makes the edge of the Galaxy S6 Edge feel impossibly thin and almost sharp in the hand.
The back features a 16MP protruding camera sensor with Optical Image Stabilization. There’s a heart rate monitor here and flash. There’s an IR blaster located on top of the device with the power sleep on/off button on the right hand side with the volume rocker on the left hand side. A 3.5mm headphone jack and micro USB charging port and a speaker grill are all located on the bottom.
The device, as a whole, measures 7mm thick; which is about the same thickness as the LG G Flex 2 at its thinnest point. The LG G Flex 2 ranges from 7.1 to 9.4mm with the curved display. In terms of its hardware, it features a purely plastic build construction. There’s nothing on the left hand side or right hand side of the device. We do have an IR blaster up on top with a micro USB charging port and 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom. A 2.1MP camera sensor is located on the front of the device above the 1080p P-OLED display.
There is no physical home button like on the Galaxy S6 Edge because the G Flex 2 does rely on software navigation buttons so we really don’t have much else here on the front of the device. Flipping this guy over though, we do have a 13MP camera sensor with Optical Image Stabilization, a dual LED flash, a volume rocker and a power sleep on/off button here. The back cover is made of plastic and it is removable and it houses the SIM card slot and the microSD card slot. However, the battery is not removable.
In terms of how well these devices feel in the hands, they actually feel very similar; at least the back covers do. The curve of the G Flex 2 makes the device hold better to the curvature of my hand however the S6 Edge is crafted with more premium materials and it really does show especially those metallic edges.
The LG G Flex 2 and Galaxy S6 Edge have similar display technologies—they both feature OLED display panels and both look very sharp. They both deliver excellent black colors and both appear to be very vibrant and saturated. The LG G Flex 2 has a very slight blue tint to it compared to the Galaxy S6 Edge; which has a very slight yellow tint to the display.
The biggest difference is the pixel density as the LG G Flex 2 features a 5.5-inch 1080p display panel with a 403ppi index and the Galaxy S6 Edge features a 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 resolution display with a 577ppi density. So clearly, the Galaxy S6 Edge does have a more dense display. However, the difference isn’t quite as noticeable as you would think.
Since the display of the G Flex 2 is curved on the horizontal axis, it adds a bit of extra depth to the content you are viewing. It’s most noticeable when you scroll through lists for example. The bigger display does make the effect more noticeable. And since it is bigger than the Galaxy S6 Edge display, it’s going to be better for watching videos and surfing the web.
The S6 Edge, on the other hand, has a display that curves around the edges; making the content you are viewing almost appear like it’s raised up in 3D. The effect is most noticeable and appreciated when you initially use the device. It really does add to the entire Android Lollipop experience though as it feels great when you swipe in menus from the side of the display since the edges are curved. There are some Edge-unique features like Edge Lighting, which lights up the edge of the screen when calls or notifications are received; People Edge, which allows you to check missed notifications about your most important contacts; Information Stream, which lets you view feeds related to your interest on the Edge screen; and then Night Clock, which shows a clock while the main screen is turned off.
Both devices are running Android 5.0 Lollipop and both devices are equipped with some of the fastest mobile processors on the market. The LG G Flex 2 features the Snapdragon 810 octa-core and 64-bit processor paired with 3GB of RAM and it does a fantastic job opening and closing applications without really any problems at all. Multi-tasking is great with the 2 quad-core processors. The only real area that needs work is the software, which can slow down the performance at times as it’s not very well optimized with the new Snapdragon processor.
The Galaxy S6 Edge features an octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB of RAM so it’s very similar to the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor and it too does run equally as well as the LG G Flex 2 in terms of everyday usage. The biggest difference is the software as it’s running TouchWiz but is the best version of TouchWiz we’ve seen yet. It’s not too obtrusive—the menus are flat and simple and bring in many useful features like improved multi-tasking for example.
Both devices are absolute champs in terms of their performance. You will really have no problems with either. And the software is like apples and oranges in terms of the features and the appearance. I would give Edge the TouchWiz since it has been greatly improved over previous versions of TouchWiz to the point where it is more optimized than the software of the LG G Flex 2.
Taking a look at the cameras, the LG G Flex 2 features a 13MP camera sensor with Optical Image Stabilization and a flash as well as a laser autofocus sensor while the Galaxy S6 Edge features a 16MP camera sensor with Optical Image Stabilization and a flash as well. And you can get some very detailed shots with both cameras. However, the Galaxy S6 Edge features the newer and more improved camera sensor than the LG G Flex 2, which features the same sensor as the LG G3. The S6 Edge does have more depth of field and better dynamic range. If you need the best of the best, then the S6 is your best bet. But the G Flex 2 does capture some good images.
Last but not least, we have the battery life. The Galaxy S6 Edge features a 2600mAh battery and the G Flex 2 features a 3000mAh battery, which is still significantly smaller than the standard LG G Flex battery. It’s going to depend on what you do with your phone, how often you use it. But I would give the edge to the LG G Flex 2. I found it to last between 4-5 hours of screen on-time while the S6 Edge lasts about 3-4 hours. You’re still going to need to charge these devices each and every night. And I’m not exactly impressed with the battery life of either device, to be honest. Some good news is that the S6 Edge has wireless charging and both devices do have quick charging.
Overall, both the Galaxy S6 Edge and the LG G Flex 2 are two very capable and very unique devices. It’s hard to beat the Galaxy S6 Edge with Samsung’s improved hardware and software. If money is not the issue here, this would be my personal preference. However, if you do want to save some extra money, the LG G Flex 2 is the best thing for your buck as it costs around $200 less than the fancy new curved Samsung smartphone coming in at $500 off-contract for Sprint, US Cellular and AT&T coming very soon. You can also buy it for about $200 with a two-year contract this is opposed to the Galaxy S6 Edge, which costs about $700 off-contract and $300 on-contract.
So which device do you prefer and why? Do you like the Galaxy S6 Edge or do you like the LG G Flex 2? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below.
