Huawei P9 vs. LG G5: Huawei's flagship ready to take on power players?

The dual-cam, dual-lens setup on the Huawei P9, as captured by VentureBeat.Evan Blass/VentureBeat

Huawei has just launched its newest entry in the flagship smartphone wars. With the specs and features of the new P9 lineup, is it ready to take on the power players in the field like LG's current flagship, the G5?

Under the hood

The LG G5 boasts the new Snapdragon 820 processor, while the Huawei P9 features a homegrown equivalent, a Kirin 955 SoC. If benchmark scores are to be a factor, LG's entry finishes on top, with ratings upwards of 130K. The Huawei P9, on the other hand, scores a decent 96K rating, which makes it slightly better than previous-gen Huawei flagships like the Mate 8 with the Kirin 950 chipset.

Meanwhile, both flagships carry 4GB of RAM, so speed and multi-tasking are almost the same.

The LG G5.LG USA

Design and display

In terms of design, the Huawei P9 looks to have a regular form factor when presented next to the LG G5. The LG G5 boasts an "overhauled" design with its modular body. The LG G5 has a "Magic Slot," where users can extend the features of the iteration via modular accessories.

The LG G5 also wins in the display department, having a slightly larger 5.3-inch display with 554 ppi. The Huawei P9, on the other hand, has a 5.2-inch screen with full HD resolution, but contrast, brightness, and saturation are at only 423 ppi.

Camera

Since the Huawei P9 was launched late compared to the LG G5, it is still too early to tell how its cameras fare in real-world use. However, first impressions have been favorable so far, and the specs aren't that bad too – the Huawei P9's main shooter is set up with world-class Leica lenses. The LG G5 however, also has an above-average 16MP shooter on the back, and there are module accessories that can enhance and complement the image capture features of the flagship.

Both iterations also boast of 8MP selfie shooters on the front, capable of 1080p captures.