LG debuts The G5 – Its First Ever Modular Smartphone
To make the review easier for all, I have categorized the LG G5 review in the form of bullet points.
In February 2016 LG Electronics unveiled its highly anticipated LG G5 smartphone to the public. In comparison to the LG G4, the LG G5 has a brand new design. This phone boasts a sleek ‘all-metal’ body that further features a Slide-out Battery with Modular Type design that will provide users a greater smartphone experience. The LG G5 can even be used as a digital camera, a Hi-fi player and much more.
1. The LG G5 has an improved camera, processor and battery life.
2. At the back of the phone, the LG G5 features 2 cameras – a 16 megapixel 75 degress angle camera for everyday use and an 8 pixel 135 degree wide angle camera that has the capability to capture tall buildings and landscapes in a giffy. This lens is 15 degrees wide than the human eye’s field of view and 1.7x wider than a camera on a regular smartphone.
3. LG also launched a 360 degree camera alongside the G5. It is a dual-sensor spherical camera that can capture 16-megapixel 360-degree stills, and can also record 360-video in 2K and upload that footage to YouTube and Google Street View.
4. The LG Hi-Fi Plus adds a 32-bit DAC (digital to analog converter) and amplifier to improve audio quality. It is tuned with the help of Bang & Olufsen, which also comes with a pair of H3 B&O headphones.
5. LG’s transformed the battery removal process of a phone by having a ‘magic slot’ that is located at the bottom of the phone. You just have to slide it open conveniently.
6. The display never goes it sleep. It always shows the time, date and notification icons unless it is turned off.
7. The slender metallic rims around the round edges of the phone adds class. The phone looks a bit sharp around the edges which I personally loved!
8. The LG G5 features a USB-C connection (i.e. the connector/charger is reversible similar to latest iPhone)
9. The LG CAM Plus is a versatile camera module that can be attached through the battery slot to conveniently control the DSLR. The LG CAM Plus provides physical buttons for power, shutter, record, zoom and LED display. It also offers auto focus and exposure lock. When attached to the LG G5, it provides an additional battery capacity of 1,200mAh to allow for longer shooting times.
10. The LG G5 has launched a ‘Friends Manager’ – a hub that enables the G5 to connect with LG Friends with minimal fuss and effort. Friends Manager automatically detects nearby Friends and connect quickly and easily in 3 simple steps, eliminating the hassle of pairing devices.
11. The LG G5 offers Qualcomm® Quick Charge 3.0 for incredibly fast charging. By employing an intelligent algorithm, Quick Charge 3.0 is up to four times faster than standard charging and up to 45 percent more efficient than the previous generation.
From the other side of the grass
1. Battery life could be better
2. Although the LG G5 has a beautiful and classy ‘all-metal’ smooth body, it does not feel as premium as the iPhone 6 or the Samsung.
3. G5 looked like it was constructed using plastic but looks can definitely be deceiving. The sturdy aluminum frame becomes more apparent the more you use it.
4. The LG G5 is now 5.3 inches (from 5.5 inches on the LG G4): This makes it easier to hold but for people who have small hands (like yours truly) it is tough to redirect, click applications or type.
5. I would personally prefer having the fingerprint scanner on the front rather than back.
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
Dimensions: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm
Weight: 159g
Sim: Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY
Size: 5.3 inches
Resolution: 1440 x 2560 pixels
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 4
PLATFORM
OS: Android OS, v6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
CPU: Dual-core 2.15 GHz Kryo & dual-core 1.6 GHz Kryo
MEMORY
Card Slot: microSD, up to 200 GB (dedicated slot)
Internal: 32 GB, 4 GB RAM
CAMERA
Primary: 16 MP (f/1.8) + 8 MP (f/2.4), laser autofocus, OIS (3-axis), LED flash
Secondary: 8 MP, f/2.0, 1080p@30fps
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR
Video: 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30fps, HDR, stereo sound recording
BATTERY
Removable Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery
Talk Time: Up to 20 h (3G)
Stand-by: Up to 400 h (3G)
COLORS
Silver, Titan, Gold, Pink
Sources: Wired, TechRadar, LG, GSM Arena, CNet