| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | LG |
| Technology | GSM |
| Data Type | 4G |
| Device Type | Smartphone |
| Operating System | Android |
| Physical Specifications | |
| Height | 5.88 Inches |
| Thickness | 0.29 Inches |
| Weight | 5.61 Ounces |
| Keyboard | Touch Only |
| Phone Form | Open-Faced |
| Display Specifications | |
| Display Size | 5.30 Inches |
| Touchscreen Size | 5.30 Inches |
| Audio/Video Specifications | |
| Front Camera | 8.00 Megapixels |
| Rear Camera | 16.00 Megapixels |
| Video | HD |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility | None |
| Battery Specifications | |
| Standby Time | 0 Hours |
| Talk Time | 0 Minutes |
| Battery Type | 2800 mAh |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Internal Memory | 32.00 GB |
| Expandable Memory | 200.00 GB |
LG's phones over the last three years have been consistently groundbreaking with regards to their technology. Whether the advances were in display tech, imaging, or the design of the phone, LG has not been afraid to take risks with their phones. This is evidenced by the fact that LG is building some of the dual lens cameras for Apple's newest iPhone model.
According to insiders, Sony was previously contracted to handle all of these cameras. However, it soon became apparent to Apple that Sony could not handle the reported 78 million camera order by themselves. Apple contracted the orders that Sony couldn't handle out to LG. This show of faith hints at LG's technical proficiency.
Most phone experts have given the LG G5 positive reviews. However, sales have been disappointingly low. Data from industry monitors shows that LG has only sold a bit more than two million units in the several months that the phone has been on the market. If this data is compared to Samsung's sales, the problem becomes clear.
Rumors are that the higher ups at LG are quite concerned. This certainly seems to be the case, as their mobile phone division is being comprehensively restructured. It is very difficult for any mobile phone manufacturer to compete in today's crowded market, and LG is no exception to this rule.
As previously mentioned, the new iPhone will have a dual-lens camera. Apple is planning to claim that this technology is revolutionary. However, it actually debuted in the LG G5. With this in mind, it makes a lot of sense why Apple would choose a struggling manufacturer to take on such a big job.
LG is no stranger to groundbreaking technology. Their G3 phone had the first QHD panel and the first laser auto-focus. The G4 may not have been quite as groundbreaking, but it improved significantly on all aspects of the G3. The G5 is as groundbreaking as the G3 was, if not more. Not only is the technology groundbreaking, the design represents a new direction for LG.
In the incredibly competitive modern smartphone market, a phone needs to be near perfect to stand out. This is especially true of "flagship" phones. Flagship phones are the manufacturer's most expensive model, as the G5 is for LG. The G5 needs to beat the other top phone companies best models to grab a significant slice of the market, and that is no mean feat.
The G5 is 149.4 mm by 73.9 by 7.7. That's right, it's only 7.7 millimeters thick. That's amazingly thin for a phone that has this much technology. It also only weighs 159 grams, or about five ounces. That is also surprisingly low for a flagship phone. It has the newest version of LG's 5.3 inch Quad HD screen. The battery is a fairly standard 2800 mAh removable unit. While the G5 doesn't make any glaring errors design wise, it isn't stunningly beautiful. This may be way consumers have overlooked this fantastic piece of technology in droves.
When one puts the LG G5 up against the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, it may even look a little plain. The S7 Edge is a better-looking phone. Few people would argue with that statement. However, this does not mean that the G5 is an inferior phone.
When the especially groundbreaking modular component of the G5's design is considered, it certainly doesn't seem like an inferior phone. The bottom of the phone's chassis has ports where accessories can be attached. These accessories include speakers and cameras.
While this feature is the signature bit of technology on the phone, some have questioned how useful it will actually be. It certainly is interesting, but it is buggy and awkward. Also, there aren't many companies making these accessories, and there won't be if LG is only selling a few million units.
All flagship Android phones in this day and age use Quad HD, as does the G5. The quality of the display is absolutely stunning, especially compared to the iPhone's measly 720p display. While pretty much all Quad HD screens are beautiful, the G5's screen is especially good. Some have called the best display on the market.
The G5's screen is slightly smaller than it's predecessor's. It performs well in direct sunlight and with displaying any kind of content. It also is used in a very efficient way, as the time and notifications are always visible, even when the phone is locked. Some may raise concerns about battery life with this feature, but tests show that it only uses 0.8% of the battery life per hour.
As with Android phones released in 2016 that are considered to be flagship models, the G5 uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, which is widely considered the best in the business. LG has generously provided 4 GB of RAM for this processor to use. With these two features working together, the phone is unsurprisingly lightning fast and silky smooth.
In fact, the average user will rarely, if ever use all of the power available in the LG G5. However, having power and RAM does mean that the every day user will see no lag whatsoever in most situations. The 820 can handle 4K video, 4G connectivity, and more with ease.
Not only is the processor extremely fast, it is very energy efficient. This is important for every phone, but especially for flagship phones. These phones are stuffed with so much technology that they often burn through their batteries quicker than cheap phones. This isn't really acceptable for expensive, high-end devices, and consumers have not been shy in expressing this to manufacturers. Nobody will have this problem with the G5.
All of the standard performance benchmarks show that the G5 is around twice as fast as the G4. They also show that the G5 is one of the fastest phones on the market today. As a sidenote, all Android flagship phones of the current generation comprehensively outperform the iPhone 6 Plus.
The G5 is again unique in this category. It has not one, but two cameras. One camera is a 16MP unit that has a 75 degree field of view, and the other is an 8MP unit with a 175 degree field of view. A few years ago, the idea that a smartphone could replace a professional level DSLR was laughable. Now, however, it sounds like the future. And not the distant future, the near future. All top of the line smartphones are likely to have similar camera technology, and all will be competing to surpass DSLRs.
It's easy to switch between the two cameras on the G5. This is done by simply tapping an icon on the camera screen. The camera screen itself is pretty handy, too. It allows users to shoot in RAW mode, if they want. This means the images are not compressed for storage, so they have huge file sizes but don't lose any quality. The camera screen also allows a manual mode, where users can change many different settings. Some of these settings include white balance, ISO, focus, and many more. Speaking of focus, the laser auto focus is improved in the G5, and functions quite well.
LG uses a smaller battery in the G5 than in last year's G4. As previously mentioned, the batter is 2800 mAh. Last years battery was 3000 mAh. This reverses the natural order of things, but G5 owners don't have cause for concern. The G5 has excellent battery life. In fact, it has arguably the best battery life of any flagship phone. It can last for an entire day without a charge during heavy usage. If the user only subjects the phone to light usage, the battery will last for several days.
The G5 certainly isn't cheap. Its lofty price is roughly comparable with that of other flagship phones. However, those willing to spend will get their money's worth, and then some. The G5 has all of the bells and whistles consumers have come to expect from a flagship smartphone, but it has so much more.
LG could have rested on their laurels and stopped at making the phone comparable to other flagship models. However, they lived up to their reputation of being relentless innovators. No one else is even attempting something like the modular feature of this phone. It may not work perfectly, and there may not be a great deal of accessories available yet. The important thing is that is shows LG is not giving up when the going gets tough. They could have given up. Instead, they decided to make this brilliant phone.
