Today at MWC, LG took to the stage to announce their hotly anticipated LG G5 smartphone; even if most of it was just reiterating past leaks.
The press conference ranks up there as one of the most genuinely innovative we’ve seen in a while, with plenty of solid announcements that solidify the device as something very unique. First and foremost, the modular attachment that was previously leaked is official and boy, does it look awesome. LG showed off three variants that could be added to the handset; a battery, a camera grip and a DAC. The battery comes in at a less than stellar 2,800mAh but when you take into account that it can be hot-swapped incredibly easily, the benefits become obvious. For the music attachment, the company partnered with respected audio manufacturer Bang & Olufsen to bring a 32-bit audio interface to the LG G5, turning the device into a seriously capable music player. We tested it on some rather bad showroom music and B&O headphones; the quality was definitely top notch. The camera grip is perhaps the most interesting, adding a physical handle, shutter button and battery boost to 4,000mAh.
With regards to design and performance, LG has taken a completely different approach to the G5 when compared with its predecessor. It probably has more in common with the Nexus 5X and 6P than anything else, which is no bad thing. Unibody design, hidden antennas and an all-metal design with those buttery smooth edges on the rear. LG has forgone placing buttons on the rear of the device this time round, instead opting for a more traditional placement on the sides. The fingerprint sensor retains a position on the back much like the Nexus 5X, though this time around it also doubles up as a nifty power button.
Maybe the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the LG G5 has tried to re-invent itself yet again with the camera. The company was keen to stress that it struggled to keep up with camera technology, but it felt that there was one area where improvement could be made. With the front camera especially, it can be hard to fit everybody in shot when using a standard shooter. The problem resides with how wide the lens can go and, compared to human vision, it doesn’t stack up. Our field of vision is roughly 120 degrees, while most cameras can only reproduce a fraction of that. LG did the smart thing and made their front camera ultra-wide-angle – higher than human vision. With 135 degree field, you should be able to get more of them group photos with less effort. Sadly, the rear camera didn’t seem quite as impressive, with LG not really pushing anything substantial. At 16 megapixels, it felt like a good performer… But a true hands-on will be needed to truly put it through the paces.
Unsurprisingly, the G5 uses top level components and from what we could tell, it flew in our short time with it. Animations were snappy, the UI felt modern (though the app tray has vanished!) and the screen was excellent. Using a 5.3-inch QHD IPS Quantum display, it ranks among one of the best panels we’ve seen. The Snapdragon 820 coupled with 4GB RAM is lavish and should help it to remain future-proof for a good amount of time. Add to this expandable storage via microSD (which no doubt doubles up as a dual-sim) and you’ve got a pretty complete package.
The LG G5 looks like a promising device and could well be the most innovative to come out of MWC. While the company hasn’t had the best track record as of recent, with the G4 and 5X underwhelming in some areas, they do at least consistently try to do something new. The V10 had a neat gimmick with its notification ticker but it was exactly that; an underused gimmick. The modular pack in the G5 feels much more than that. While the current line of three attachments is a bit underwhelming, we’re genuinely excited to see what the company comes up with going forward. There’s definite potential here… And the handset isn’t bad either.
The LG G5 will be available from the beginning of April 2016.
For more on LG, visit What Mobile’s dedicated LG page.
