Last year, LG's G4 was one of their best devices they ever put together. From their leather rear covers, manual photo modes, and solid performance, it was a good look for them. I had very little complaints about it.
Now we're onto the next year and the next flagship w/ the G5. Instead of going w/ the refinement route, LG decided to switch things up a bit. The G5 touts a new look/design w/ a few new bells & whistles involved. After getting to know the device after a few weeks of testing, it's time shed our thoughts on it. Our LG G5 review is here.
Hardware
The G5 is not the G4 redux, it has a different idea behind it. So w/ the new look, LG shrunk their flagship a bit from 5.5inch down to a 5.3inch frame. LG says it's using a sort of metal alloy but it feels like plastic to me. It still feels good in-hand as it is only slightly taller than the HTC 10.
Throughout the advertisements, LG is promoting its new flagship being modular. In other words, being able to add/switch parts from the device to enhance the user experience. It's really just a cool way to remove the battery & add-on attachments. Its works fine but at launch, this was the focus of the device when it should have been only part of it. But I am no marketing expert by any means.
The G5 offers a 5.3inch QHD IPS LCD display + 554ppi, the 2016 Android standard: Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, 32GB of storage expandable via microSD, a 16MP & an 8MP on the rear w/ an 8MP front-facing camera, and a removable 2800 mAh battery. This all forms to create a solid-looking device to stand out from its competitors.
Performance
The 5.3inch IPS panel LG put the G5 is bright - in a good way. It definitely seems to like they turned up the nits on this one. The only flaw I noticed is that the colors appear to be a bit muted when lined up against other displays. It's not terrible but when you put it side-by-side w/ devices like the HTC 10 & S7, it lacks in the color department. Other than that, it is still a good display - just not necessarily color accurate.
The Snapdragon 820 performs like an absolute dream. Qualcomm did another great job w/ it as lightning fast. From several apps open to heavy gaming, it can handle it. Thanks to the lightweight UI and 4GB of RAM, it makes it super-easy but more on the software in a bit. Inside of the G5, that's nice and swappable is a 2800 mAh battery. Now don't let the smaller battery size get you down as this works as well as slightly larger ones. I was able to easily get all-day action w/ 14-16 hours for your standard usage.
Not sure why LG thought it would be a good idea to ditch the app drawer but it kind of drives me crazy. It may not be an issue for others but for me, I kind of need it in my life. After taking a few photos w/ it, I had to change it right away to the Google launcher. Only those of you w/ an unlocked version can enjoy an app drawer. Other than that, the software side of things is pretty smooth but I'm sure you'll throw a custom launcher on there.
*Click for full resolution*
Camera
LG wanted to maintain the level of camera quality from their most recent high-end devices. Instead of lowering the megapixels, they retained it but added its own twist to it. The G5 has a dual camera layout on the rear w/ a standard f/1.8 16MP + a 130-degree wide-angle f/2.8 8MP w/ laser auto-focus and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The dual camera setup may seem gimmicky but depending on the occasion and kind of shot you want to achieve, its pretty good. You get a quick capture for your photos & videos as well as sharpness & detail within every shot/video.
The dual camera setup is a not a gimmick and works really well.
The camera software is the same that you know and love from the G4. Nothing really added here as you have 3 shooting modes of Simple, Auto, & Manual but things aren't the same as their last high-end device. LG removing the added camera features from the V10 probably didn't work in their favor. This would've helped the G5 w/ a camera experience that completely stands out from the crowd.
*Click for full resolution*
If you're seeking the best that LG has to offer, I would tell you to go for the V10. But the G5 is cool too.
TG 2 Cents
So the G5 comes off w/ an illuminating display, outstanding performance, and a stunning camera. It pretty much checks off the essentials one would seek in a great smartphone these days. But bringing everything together, not everything gelled right. The body isn't quite modular as advertised and other than the extra battery it's not cheap. You can just download a new launcher but really no reason to ditch the app drawer either as well as the V10's camera features.
I think LG could've just refined the good design they had going w/ the G4 instead switching things up and maybe saved this for the G6 or G7. But that's' just me. If you are in the market for a new Android device, I would point in the direction of the Galaxy S7 family or HTC 10. If you're seeking the best that LG has to offer, I would tell you to go for the V10. But the G5 is cool too.
