LG G5 Review

LG recently unveiled it new device G5. its predecessor was a decent handset with a solid collection of features, it didn’t sell as well as LG was hoping due to strong competition from Samsung and Apple. So instead  LG has completely redesigned their flagship smartphone to include revolutionary new ideas in an attempt to capture the eyes of buyers. It’s a bold and good move by LG, and in this case I’m not sure it was the right one.

So what are these new ideas LG has brought to the G5? The biggest and most obvious one is the modular design, which sees the battery slide out the bottom of the handset attached to a swappable module. This gives LG the ability to sell additional modules that pack in other features, and it makes the G5 the most flexible handset on sale today.

LG has also given the G5 a new design that finally includes actual metal. The camera system has seen an upgrade as well, with the rear module now packing two cameras, one for normal shots, and one with a wide angle lens. And of course internally LG has used Qualcomm’s new and extremely powerful Snapdragon 820 SoC.
There have been a lot of criticism in the media about the G5’s metal design, and some of it is definitely valid. instead of  bringing  a truly metal body, LG has coated the metal frame with plastic, which is an odd and deceptive move. LG clearly advertises the G5 as a metal smartphone, and while that’s technically true, the plastic coating hides the pleasing texture and sheen of the metal frame, giving the G5 and look and feel that doesn’t match true metal handsets.
 It is strange that LG would bother to coat the metal with plastic considering it reduces the visual appeal of the G5. Surely the handset would look better if the metal was exposed, and at the same time, LG wouldn’t have to face criticisms about their use of plastic. The only reason I can think of that explains the plastic is that LG figured it would be more durable and scratch resistant: a valid concern, although in the metal phones I’ve used previously I never had any issues with durability.
With the complaints of plastic often dominating discussion of the G5’s design, the one crucial thing that has been overlooked is the ergonomics of this handset. LG has done a fantastic job making this phone fit well in the hands of users through subtle sculpting and curving of the edges. The corners have also been rounded to perfection so that the bottom edge doesn’t dig into your hands, which can be an issue with other devicesAround the edges of the G5 is a 3.5mm headphone jack and IR blaster on the top, and a volume rocker on the left. On the right is a large tray for inserting nano-SIM and microSD card slot. The USB-C port and single loudspeaker can be found on the bottom edge. I’m a huge fan of USB-C on smartphones and it’s great to see it here on the G5, but I don’t like the single speaker that’s easily blocked. The best phones on the market have stereo front facing speakers, so the G5 is a disappointment in this regard.The G5 is slim, at 7.7mm, though its weight of 159 grams is nothing to get excited about. If anything, the G5 could perhaps be a little thicker to add in a larger battery and remove the slight bumps for some elements on the rear panel.
This brings me to the G5’s modular slot, which can be ejected by a small button on the left edge. LG has done a good job to minimize the impact of the seam created from the removable bottom section, and the bottom section itself is compact enough not to cause complaints. Some users will no doubt enjoy the ability to hot swap batteries on the go, and even though the G5 has moving parts due to the modular slot, the entire build feels very sturdyThe advantage the G5’s modular slot has over a regular removable battery is the ability to add in other modules, but LG’s range of modules is very uninspiring. The high-end audio DAC could have been integrated into the phone itself, making the removable unit mostly redundant. And the camera grip feels cheap and doesn’t really enhance the camera experience in any significant way. It does include a small extra battery, but I can’t see anyone leaving the bulky unit attached to their G5 for any extended period of time.The modular slot would be a compelling feature of the G5 had LG bothered to create actually decent add-on modules. There’s still a chance we’ll see clever uses of the modular slot in the future, but for the moment the feature is a dud.