Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Which Is The Better One?

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and the LG V50 ThinQ 5G are the first smartphones to come with support for the 5G network. While the Galaxy S10 5G was just launched in Korea, the LG offering is set to launch in the recent future. So how do these two compare against each other?

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Price

The standard 256GB storage variant is priced at 1.39 million KRW (roughly Rs. 84,400), while the option with 512GB storage costs 1.55 million KRW (roughly Rs. 93,400). On the other hand, the LG V50 ThinQ 5G might cost around Rs. 75,000 which is lower than the price of the Galaxy S10 5G.

Even though the Galaxy S10 5G has a significantly higher price compared to its LG counterpart, the price difference can be justified with some additional features as well as better specs over the LG offering. In terms of color, both phones come in a single color variant, including Prism White for the Galaxy S10 5G and Astro Black for the LG V50 ThinQ 5G.

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Build & Design

Both of the handsets come with a glass sandwich design with a metallic frame in the middle and are IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. They also both have a headphone jack and a USB-C port.

So what are the differences between these two? While the LG V50 ThinQ 5G comes with a conventional notch on the front, the Galaxy S10 5G features the new hole-punch design housing a dual camera setup. Moreover, the LG offering has Gorilla Glass 5, Samsung goes for Gorilla Glass 6 on the Galaxy S10 5G. Interestingly, LG still decides to use a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner while Samsung follows the trend and use an on-screen fingerprint reader on its 5G handset.

However, the LG handset is touted to have MIL-STD-810G rating that makes it more durable compared to the Samsung phone. So the Galaxy S10 5G has a better hole-punch design as well as an in-display fingerprint scanner, the LG is a more durable phone with a military-grade rating. However, the hole-punch design, as well as the fingerprint scanner, are still subject to user preference so they are not clearly advantages over the LG handset.

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Display

Both LG and Samsung smartphones have an OLED panel with Quad-HD resolution, with the LG phone packing a 6.4-inch display and Samsung handset sporting a massive 6.7-inch panel. The display of the Galaxy S10 5G is slightly better than that of the LG V50 ThinQ 5G due to the HDR10+ support compared to the HDR10 support on the LG offering.

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Battery Life & Performance

The Galaxy S10 5G will be offered in two models, one with a Snapdragon 855 processor and the other with a Samsung’s Exynos 9820 SoC. Meanwhile, powering the LG V50 ThinQ 5G will be a Snapdragon 855 SoC. The Samsung-inhouse processor is previously proven to be slightly less powerful compared to the Qualcomm counterpart.

In terms of RAM and storage, the Samsung offering packs 8GB RAM and 256GB / 512GB of storage with no microSD slot for expanding storage. Even though the LG handset comes with lower RAM and storage configuration, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, it still has a microSD card slot to further expand the storage up to 512GB.

As for the battery, even though both of the handsets come with a large battery, the Samsung phone is better with a 4,500mAh cell compared to a 4,000mAh cell on the LG V50. Moreover, Samsung also equips it with a 25W fast charging and 15W wireless charging, while LG opts for 18W fast charging and 10W wireless charging on the LG V50 ThinQ 5G.

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Camera

The LG 5G phone has a triple camera setup, including a 12MP primary sensor with an f/1.5 aperture and 1.4µm pixel size. The main camera is paired with a 12MP telephoto camera with an f/2.4 aperture and PDFA, OIS, and 2x optical zoom; as well as a 16MP ultra-wide camera with an f/1.9 aperture. Up front, it is among the early phones to come with a dual selfie camera setup, comprising of an 8 MP with an f/1.9 aperture and a 5MP secondary camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

As for the Galaxy S10 5G, it has an additional ToF camera compared to the LG offering. The quad camera setup includes a 12MP primary camera with a variable aperture of f/1.5 - f/2.4 and 1.4µm pixel size. The main camera is paired with a 12MP telephoto lens and an f/2.4 aperture, a 16MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a ToF camera as well. In terms of selfie camera, the Galaxy S10 5G also has a dual selfie camera, including a 10MP shooter with an f/1.9 aperture and a ToF camera.

Both handsets have OIS support for the rear cameras as well as recording video @4K resolution & 60 fps. It is hard to tell which phone offers a better camera quality. It would still better to wait for the detailed reviews to find out.

Galaxy S10 5G vs. LG V50 ThinQ 5G: Which Phone Is The Winner

Overall, the Galaxy and LG phones are both packed with advanced and interesting features. However, the Galaxy S10 5G appears to be slightly better compared to its LG counterpart. For example, the Samsung phone has a battery display and a better battery as well which might justify the price difference between the two. Moreover, while the Samsung offering has an in-display fingerprint sensor, LG only packs its LG V50 ThinQ 5G a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

The physical scanner is by no mean a worse one as some may consider it to be the more reliable and quicker one. However, if you are a person who wants a newer and cooler tech, the in-display fingerprint scanner will be much more attractive. If you care more about the durability aspect, the LG handset is a more durable phone with the MIL-STD-810G military grade certification.