The all new LG-G5 is the latest step of LG with many amazing capabilities what a LG phone should be. After a few years of tweaking and perfecting its G-series design language, LG has torn up the rule book and given new life into the line with the new LG-G5.
As an Android based smartphone, it's leading rival is the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with its own capabilities. LG has stuck to its guns and, through a unique design, kept the removable battery and expansion while making the switch to a more premium build.
It's like a big gamble when releasing a smartphone like this when a smartphone like S7 Edge is still hot. Will LG's gamble pay off? Well, let's see.
Design
The LG G5 is the successor to last year’s G4 but as Lanh says, "it’s really nothing like it. For the most part, it’s an entirely different phone, and a lot of that has to do with the design.”
The differences between the LG G5 and the LG G4 are quite stark, with LG’s newest flagship bringing an aluminium build, but as we have heard recently, it’s not metal as you quite know it. Let’s clear up on thing first; the LG G5 is surely made of metal, but it’s undergone a secret treatment process which essentially puts a layer of primer and paint on top of the body, similar to how a car gets painted. Because of that, you aren’t directly touching metal, but it’s surely a metal phone.
With most metal phones, they feel quite cold in the morning and warm under heavy usage, but for the most part, the G5 is a constant temperature. LG’s approach to metal was certainly done with the best intentions in mind but as a result of the primer-paint approach, the handset doesn’t feel as premium or as solid as a metal phone traditionally does.
Beside from metal things, the G5 is built well and the company has reduced the screen size so we'll fell comfy. I think 5.3 inches is just perfect for a smartphone.
If you’ve used an LG G-series smartphone before, the button layout on the LG G5 will take some getting used to; since the G2, LG’s flagships have had the volume and power keys on the rear, but with the G5, the volume buttons have now switched to the left of the handset. If you’re someone who holds a phone in their right hand, the position of the volume keys on the left is quite uncomfortable, and, as they’re almost flush with the edge of the phone, they are difficult to locate at the best of times.
The rear still sports a power button - with embedded fingerprint sensor – and the power button itself is a disappointment, as it feels uneven and doesn’t offer reassuring feedback when pressed. Having used the power key with fingerprint sensor on the back of the LG v10, the less-than-premium power key on the G5 is definitely a let down.
On the bottom, LG has made the switch to the newer USB Type-C Standard, which is widely becoming the norm for flagship devices this year. Alongside this is the microphone and single bottom-firing speaker, and the latter is surprisingly impressive for a single mono speaker. Lanh sums it up best when he says it is one of the better single speakers he's heard on a smartphone in a long while.
Overall, the LG G5 definitely isn’t going to win any awards for the way it looks but this smartphone is more about substance over style. LG has managed to combine microSD card expansion and a removable battery while keeping a metal unibody, and the presence of a recessed button to remove the bottom chin allows you to swap and remove batteries with ease. The bottom chin is also one of the most compelling reasons to buy the LG G5, as it makes the G5 the first modular smartphone to hit the market, and this is what makes the phone’s experience so compelling.
Alongside the G5, LG is announcing new “Friends” that work with the smartphone; while some of these actually connect to the device, others don’t and this is why LG kept to the Friends name (instead of calling them modules).
LG has developed a few friends for its new flagship, but is also opening the concept and allowing third parties to get creative with module designs. Of the modules that actually connect to the smartphone, there’s only two available and these are the LG Cam Plus and the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play.
The LG Cam Plus is the company’s camera grip, which provides welcome physical controls for launching the camera, taking a photo, video, zooming in and out of an image and recording video. The Cam Plus also packs an additional 1,200mAh battery, which can keep your phone topped up – when the phone is not being used that is – and the only real downside is the bulk it adds to the G5, which makes it uncomfortable to use as an actual phone.
Personally, I also think it’s very counter-intuitive that LG created a separate switch to launch the camera, rather than allow you to launch the camera by pressing the shutter button, but this is just a personal gripe with the design. For most people, once you realise the switch allows you to quickly launch the camera, you'll find this is what you instinctively reach for when you pull the G5 and Cam Plus out of your pocket.
The LG Hi-Fi Plus is an entirely different type of module as it appeals very much to audiophiles and music lovers. Developed in partnership with Bang & Olufsen, the Hi-Fi Plus is a 32-bit DAC and headphone amp, which features an ES9028C2M + Sabre9602 chipset for supporting music up to 384KHz. The DAC features its own headphone jack (in addition to the regular one at the top of the phone), its own speaker and the USB Type-C charging port and can also be used as a standalone DAC when not being used with the G5. The 24-bit audio experience on the LG G5 is already quite impressive, and the Hi-Fi Plus serves to improve this further, offering additional space, clarity and detail to the sound.
Before you get too excited about the Hi-Fi DAC though, it’s not going to work with G5 smartphones sold in Korea, Canada, Puerto Rico or the USA; LG declined to comment on why it won’t work with these devices (and why listings were pulled in the US), but it’s worth keeping this in mind if you planned to buy the G5 in one of these markets and wanted to buy the Hi-Fi Plus.
LG’s other friends for the G5 include a tetheredVirtual Reality headset – which is lightweight and comfortable as it connects to your smartphone using the USB Type-C port – and the Cam 360. LG’s first foray into 360° cameras has delivered a stylish friend with two 180° cameras capable of capturing 16MP 360° photos or 360° video in Quad HD (2K) resolution.
Overall, the concept of a modular smartphone certainly isn’t new – Project Ara anyone? – but LG has made considerable attempts to develop modules that are genuinely useful to customers. The availability may be scarce but with third parties also able to develop friends for LG’s new smartphone, it won’t be long before the available range is considerably larger.
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