s. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus :

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The dust has cleared: LG's new phone is finally here, and it's called

LG G7 ThinQ

. But it's not the only competitor vying for your money in the mobile market. The powerfull

Galaxy S9 Plus

from Samsung came first, and it's gearing up to take on the G7 ThinQ in a battle for the ages.

Which of these two titans will remain standing after this clash? We took a look to find out.

Specifications

LG G7 ThinQ

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Cut

153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm (6.03 x 2.83 x 0.31 inch)

158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches)

Weight

162grams (5.71 ounces)

189grams (6.67 ounces)

Screen size

6.1 inch IPS LCD

6.2-inch AMOLED display

Screen resolution

3120 x 1440 pixels (564 pixels per inch)

2960 x 1440 pixels (529 pixels per inch)

Operating system

Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage space

64 GB, 128 GB

64GB, 128GB, 256GB

MicroSD card slot

Yes, up to 2TB

Yes, up to 256GB

Tap payment services

GooglePay, LGPay (in South Korea only)

Google Pay, Samsung Pay

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM

4 GB, 6 GB

6 GB

Camera

Dual 16MP (with OIS) and 16MP wide-angle rear, 8MP front

Dual 12MP (with OIS) and 12MP (w with OIS) rear,

variable aperture

, 8MP front

Video

Up to 4K at 30 frames per second

2160p at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps, 720p at 960fps

Bluetooth version

Bluetooth 5.0

Bluetooth 5.0

Ports

3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance

IP68

Battery

3000mAh

QuickCharge 3.0 (4.0 with adapter not included)

Qi wireless charging

3,500mAh

QuickCharge 2.0 p>

Qi wireless charging

Application Market

Google Play Store

Network support

T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors

Aurora Black, Platinum Grey, Raspberry Pink and Moroccan Blue

Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple

Price

From $750

$840

Buy from

Verizon

T Mobile

,

USA Cellular

Sprint

Samsung

Amazon

Revision note

3.5 out of 5 stars

s. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, range and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It's a performance dead end, at least on paper. Both of these giant phones feature the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and have similar amounts of RAM. Although we haven't had a chance to compare them yet, we expect we'll see similar performance from both.

the

LG G7 ThinQ

packs a respectable 3,000mAh battery, but that's dwarfed by the S9 Plus' 3,500mAh battery. That said, we saw fairly average battery life over the course of

our review of the S9 Plus

, so the jury will certainly be out whether LG's battery optimizations for the screen can work. necessary to outweigh the battery size of the S9 Plus.

The G7 ThinQ is probably the phone that lasts the least on the charger, with

Quick Charge 3.0

do business on the

QC2.0

on the S9 Plus. The G7 ThinQ also supports QC 4.0, but you'll need to purchase a special adapter. You will also be able to use both on a Qi wireless charger.

It's a tough category to call, at least until we've had a chance to test the LG G7 ThinQ's capabilities properly. We'll leave proper judgment on this until we've had a chance to play the two side-by-side.

Winner: Tie

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

You'll find 2018-worthy looks on both of these phones. You're probably familiar with the design of the S9 Plus, as it's essentially identical to the S8 lineup that preceded it. That's no insult - it's still a gorgeous phone, and we really like the curved edges. The LG G7 ThinQ looks just as good, but some users are likely to criticize it for including a style notch

iPhone X

. We

we warm up to the maximum

, but some are likely to hold it against the G7 ThinQ. In fairness, there is an option to add black bars around the notch to hide it.

In terms of durability, you're looking at Gorilla Glass 5 on both phones - get one

protective case

to keep them safe just in case. They're gorgeous, but both phones could be prone to physical breakage. It's a better story when it comes to water resistance, as the G7 ThinQ and S9 Plus both come with IP68 water resistance.

This category is hard to judge, as beauty is often in the eye of the beholder and the two are neck and neck in terms of durability. For us, the Galaxy S9 Plus characterizes it with its breathtaking beauty and builds on the strength of its design.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Display

Galaxy S9 Plus

The LG G7 ThinQ features a 6.1-inch screen with a whopping 3120 x 1440 resolution - better than the 2960 x 1440 resolution of the 6.2-inch S9 Plus - thanks to LG's super long aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The LG phone also has a sharper display than the Samsung phone, with a high measurement of 564 pixels per inch compared to the S9 Plus' 529 ppi.

The real difference here is in the screen technology. While the G7 ThinQ's IPS LCD panel comes with one of the brightest screens ever made (capable of 1,000 nits for three minutes), the screen simply can't match the expanse of vivid colors. and deep blacks available on an AMOLED display, like the one on the S9 Plus. The S9 Plus can also get incredibly bright. LG does a good job with an incredibly sharp display and 10-bit HDR support, but we'll probably have to wait for the

LG V40

until we see an LG display that matches the S9 Plus.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

LG is known for its use of a wide-angle camera on its phones, and it's no different on the G7. Hardware-wise, the rear camera is a pair of 16MP lenses, comprising an f/1.6 aperture primary lens and a wide-angle f/1.9 aperture secondary lens. The former has optical image stabilization, and the wide-angle lens can shoot at an angle of 107 degrees without distortion (according to LG). But the G7 ThinQ has artificial intelligence injected into its camera.

Take a photo in low light and LG's Super Bright Camera Mode kicks in, making darker areas brighter by magnifying image pixels. image resolution of course, but it really helps with low light. We used this mode in the

LG V30S

, and LG claims the G7 ThinQ can make it twice as bright. The G7 ThinQ also comes with AI Cam - point the camera at an object, and the AI will attempt to identify it (sunrise, food, plant, etc.) and suggest adjustments to improve it. It's something we saw on the

Huawei P20 Pro

, although it usually ends up increasing the resolution.

There's also a portrait mode now available in the G7 ThinQ, and while it works pretty well, we noticed excessive application of background blur to foreground objects. However, it seems to work well with the selfie camera.

We have

made many

many tests

with the camera

Galaxy S9 Plus

, and its reputation as a solid shooter is second to none. The mechanically variable aperture is impressive, but we're keen to see how it stands up to some of LG's software tricks. We can't judge yet — there's still too much to determine.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends p>

The G7 ThinQ and S9 Plus both come with

Android 8.0 Oreo

, each with their own maker skin layered on top. Upgrades to the next

Android-P

could be more of a problem, with neither company having stellar records when it comes to delivering the latest versions of Android to their customers. While

Project Treble

could change that, Samsung has a slightly stronger update record. Last year's LG G6 just got

an Oreo update

, while the 2-year-old Galaxy S7 lineup has already received the update.

LG opened a

new software update center

, so we're crossing our fingers that it can deliver updates faster.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Special features

It's all about AI at the moment, and these phones are no different.

Samsung's Bixby

is something of a swing-and-a-miss, with most users simply choosing not to use it, or

its dedicated button

. The G7 ThinQ will also sport dedicated AI. button, but since it's tied to Google Assistant, it may be more successful. LG has gone a step further with AI too, with the LG V30S ThinQ's AI Cam and AI learning your behavior and aiming to deliver apps to you at the right time of your day.

In other areas,

Samsung's Dex Abilities

are useful, but it requires a bunch of expensive accessories and a dedicated setup. Although LG doesn't have a direct equivalent, the G7 ThinQ pairs easily with LG's ThinQ devices, and you can control those devices right from the phone's notification drawer.

What wins the G7 ThinQ is its Boombox speaker. LG only has a bottom-firing mono speaker, but the company removed the module covering the speaker and turned the entire phone into a resonating chamber. The audio seems to burst throughout the phone, it gets incredibly loud - louder than the S9's stereo speakers - and it sounds great.

Winner: LG G7 ThinQ

Price

The Galaxy S9 Plus costs $840, which puts it in an impressive cost range, but T-Mobile has announced that it will sell the phone for $750. This slightly cheaper price may influence your decision.

Overall Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

The Galaxy S9 Plus may have won this battle, but the real outcome comes down to who wins the war for your heart. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is quite simply one of the best large-screen smartphones in the world right now, and it's hard for the LG G7 ThinQ to compete with it in this space. The G7 ThinQ, however, is cheaper, just as powerful, and has that unmistakable LG charm.

While the Galaxy S9 Plus is the best overall phone for us, we're also sure you'll be happy with either of these two phones.

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