is the legendary edition better than the original trilogy?

[Nuclear Sorrow]

aside from graphical/texture updates, i have heard that the gameplay/combat is also improved/tweaked in LE version to reduce the clunkyness/jankyness

[Ffabbia]

Mass Effect 1's gunplay has been changed so as to remove the excessive weapons sway that would make enemies hard to hit if you hadn't put any points into that particular weapon skill. Shepard can also learn a bonus skill if a new game is started after completing it for the first time.

There's also an optional skill-up system that makes ME:1 more in line with the ME2 and 3 versions. Level scaling can be swapped between original or classic versions. In classic mode, the original 1-60 level range will be used instead of the new 1-30 level range. XP and talent points progression remains the same, but the number of levels is doubled.

The Mako is apparently tweaked to make it easier to control, but I personally can't tell any difference, however you can now toggle between the gun being fixed in place and aiming only at what the Mako aims at, or allowed free rotate. Using the first option makes it very, very difficult to fight Thresher Maws and I'd not recommend it.

ME:2 and 3's combat is unchanged.

Most other changes are graphical overhauls.

Whether or not you feel the new weapon handling is 'better' depends on how you view the game. Personally I liked it as it was, because as an RPG I feel that weapon proficiency should depend on the character's skill rather than player skill, and so I like the idea of it improving as I put points into it. However I appear to be a minority. Most people far prefer the new system.