LG G5 Review: Stunningly Attractive with Design, Screen and Camera

LG has been a popular name in the electronics industry for years. With new smartphones they are trying to capture the market share. With a few stunning models they always poses great threat to existing companies like Samsung and Apple. Now they have launched G5 with features of a flagship smartphone. But instead of being flagship, LG is more of a modular smartphone. G5 is equipped with many external add-ons like semi-pro camera grip along with shutter buttons. It has got a better battery along with external sound enhancer from B&O. Let us have a detailed look onto the specifics of this modular handset from LG.

Design and Built

When I looked at LG G5, I felt that LG has deviated from the usual G-series design. G5 has got rounded edges and it seems to be thin. Also LG gave up the plastic case and choose metal shell for G5. The front display is covered by 3D Arc Glass giving it the protection wanted from cracks and breaks. This glass covers the entire face of G5 and remains flat except on edges where it bent to join the metal case. The painted metal case may cause confusion among the users and some of you may doubt it for plastic. G5 has got a single volume tracker along a single-SIM slot. But I felt that the power switch is placed quite uncomfortably below the cam sensors.The Standby button is also integrated with a fingerprint sensor which is a must feature for a flagship. This also makes LG G5 to the first smartphone from LG to have a fingerprint sensor.

Distinct Feature – Modular Design

The modular feature of G5 makes it distinct from other smartphones. There is push button which is barely visible with eyes. All you have to do is to push the button with the tip of figure and you can take out the battery. G5 is also equipped with distinct shutter buttons for images and videos. The next module is a DAC powered by B&O technology. This provides 32-bit audio along with the support of extra headphone jack. The camera grip makes snapping easier.

Display

LG G5 has got a 5.3-inched display with IPS LCD screen along with supported feature of Quad-HD display. This made LG to be first smartphone manufacture to come up with Quad-HD screen with a high resolution of 2560*1440 pixels. The earlier model featured a 5.5 inched screen and now it has reduced to just 5.3 inches but the company hasn’t made compromises to its visibility features. While trying new G5 we can understand the difference. This device offers a contrast of 1885:1 and brightness comes to be 306nits at normal condition, where it can be enhanced to 378nits.

Processor, Memory and Storage

G5 has a very powerful processor from Qualcomm. The Snapdragon 820 processor makes G5 function properly. When it is combined with a RAM of 4GB, the processor will be able to handle multi-level tasking.When checked it was revealed that it has got a processing speed of 2*2.15GHz + 2*1.6GHz. This processor is also backed by Adreno 530 GPU for graphics. All together it makes G5 a powerful device which can be conveniently used to play high-end games and applications also. The device has managed to maintain an internal storage of 32GB. This can be conveniently enhanced with the help of external microSD memory card. When checked it was found that G5 doesn’t heat much during multi-processing. Thanks to the perfect processor that it has.

Software

G5 runs on Android OS of v6.0.1 Marshmallow along its LG’s own LG UX of v5.0. They together handle the application related functions of G5. The lockscreen displays the notifications and shortcuts as usual. You can set lock for the screen by using Knock Code developed by LG itself. Another option can be used is the fingerprint sensor, which is integrated with the Power Button. Since G5 is flagship handset from LG, it is essential that the OS functions along with the processor with any lags at all. In case of G5 the OS perfectly synced with the processor.

Performance and Benchmarks

	LG G4	Samsung Galaxy S7	LG G5	Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
AndEBench Pro	–	14618	14152	13030
Vellamo	–	4285	4104	4152
3D Mark IS Unlimited	27542	28529	26981	26666
SunSpider 1.0.2 (ms)	220	1547	640	942
GFXBench 3.0	18.2	45	47	47
CF Bench	–	51227	36488	46290

On comparing with the previous model of G-series, it seems that G5 is better in GFXBench 3.0. When compared to premium manufacturers like Samsung, G5 seems to have better scores in SunSpider 1.0.2 and GFXBench 3.0.AndEBench scores are better that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. But when it comes to Vellamo, it is quite less that both flagships from Samsung. Anyway when I used G5, I never felt bad about the handset. It tent to deliver whatever I wanted without any hassles.

Camera

Like any flagship handsets available in the market, G5 also features enormous camera both at its front as well as to its back. The main snapper holds a lens of 16MP. It is also equipped with an additional wide angle camera with a lens of 8MP. This will enable to snap a field view that covers upto 135⁰, which is quite impossible with our eyes. Most expensive handsets have this limited to just 75⁰. This is one of the peculiar features of G5 as it has dual rear camera. When I used the rear camera and captured images I was really amazed to see the clarity of each image. The colours appear to be natural and in addition laser-auto focus makes each image look original. The front cam comes with 8MP. You can enjoy lovely selfies with your loved ones. This may deliver better imaging when it comes to landscape images.

Battery

G5 has a battery with a capacity of 2800mAh. This battery is quite enormous in the market. G5’s battery is enhanced with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 which will give you full battery charging within an hour and charges upto 80% in just 30 minutes. The charging is done by USB-C reversible port instead of the usual port and this will allow you to charge the device using either side of the cable. If you feel that your battery is quite low, then you can have Camera Plus Accessory with the help of which you can enhance the battery to 4000mAh. On normal battery, the company promises that G5 can last upto 60 hours during endurance rating (1 hour 3G calls, 1 hour we browsing and 1 hour video playback each day).

Spec Chart

Dimension
Display	5.3 inches IPS QHD Screen
Screen resolution	2560*1440 pixels
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
OS	· Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow· LG UX of v5.0
RAM	4GB
Storage	· 32GB· External microSD memory card supported
Camera	· Rear with 16MP· Front with 8MP · Another 8MP wide angle Rear Camera
USB	· Type-C port of v3.0· Supported by Qualcomm Quick Charge of v3.0
Battery	· 2800mAh· Enhanced upto 4000mAh by Camera Plus Accessory

Positives

Metallic Uni-body.
Powerful processor with extensive RAM of 4GB
Dual rear cameras with wide angle feature.
Modular Design.
Removable battery along with Camera Plus Accessory to spice up battery capacity.
Qualcomm Quick Charge v3.0.