Shootouts

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs. LG G4: Which Android smartphone has the better camera?

By Marcus Wong - 21 Jul 2015

Image quality

Image quality

To get some real world impressions of how both cameras performed, we took them out for a day of shooting. We found that both cameras focused quickly, and both go fairly close, with close-up shots that could almost pass off for images taken with a true macro lens.

The images that follow are sample photographs shot with the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the LG G4. The photos were shot in JPEG, and no other processing has been applied to the images. The pictures are copyright to SPH Magazines and are provided for your reference only, so we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images.

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/270s, ISO 40

 LG G4 - f/1.8 at 1/270s, ISO 50

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/600s, ISO 40

LG G4, f/1.8 at 1/500s, ISO 50 


Flare

This is probably the one incident where we found significant flaring in the images from either camera, and on this occasion, the Galaxy S6 does a much better job of handling it.

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/25s, ISO 200

LG G4- f/1.8 at 1/25s, ISO 250


Low light

When it comes to night scenes, the Galaxy S6 produced a more pleasing image with higher contrast, but the LG G4 had noticeably more detail captured, perhaps because the in-body image stabilisation system helped us to get a steadier shot.

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/10s, ISO 500

LG G4 - f/1.8, 1/10s, ISO 850

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/10s, ISO 500 (100% crop)

LG G4 - f/1.8, 1/10s, ISO 850 (100% crop)

Looking at the images from both cameras at 100% makes the differences more obvious. The Galaxy S6's picture is muddier, while the LG G4's retains more detail; you can make out the lines on the building and the trees' silhouettes. 


Color biases

In terms of colour, both cameras seem to be fairly accurate, needing only a slight adjustment to get to neutral colour. We’d say the Galaxy S6 leans slightly towards the yellows and greens, while the LG G4 has a slight green tinge.

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9 at 1/260s, ISO40

LG G4 - f/1.8 at 1/230s, ISO 50


Resolution

When it comes to details, it does seem like the LG G4 captures slightly more detail in its images compared to Galaxy S6, though it’s likely not to be something you’ll notice unless you scrutinize the images at 100%. Take for example, the following images:

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9, 1/750s. ISO 40

LG G4 - f/1.8, 1/640s. ISO 50 

Galaxy S6 - f/1.9, 1/750s. ISO 40 (100% crop)

LG G4 - f/1.8, 1/640s. ISO 50 (100% crop)

At first glance, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, but look at them at 100%, and it becomes more obvious. In the picture taken with the LG G4, you can see more detail and texture in the white areas of the petal.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.