The main battle in MWC 2016 took place between Korean major manufacturers: LG and Samsung. The LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 are both using the latest hardware technology and the main difference between these 2 devices are about software and some hardware. In this AW Center article we are going to discuss about LG G5 Pros and Cons and see whether this Modular phone is worth it or not?
Like always, let’s review the LG G5 General Specifications:
- 4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm, 159 g
- 3 inches, 1440 x 2560 pixels, 554 ppi pixel density
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Adreno 530
- 32GB of Internal Storage, 4GB of RAM, Expandable Storage (up to 200 GB)
- 16MP + 8 MP Rear Cameras, 8MP Front Camera, [email protected] Video Recording
- Android 6.x Marshmallow
- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (v4.2), NFC, Infra-Red Port, FM Radio, USB Type-C
- Fingerprint sensor
- 2800 mAh Li-Ion Battery (Removable)
- Color: Silver, Titan, Gold, Pink
LG G5 Pros:
Metal Unibody: LG finally decided to ditch the plastic and leather body in favor of metal unibody. And we totally support it. LG’s latest flagship now feels premium in hand.
Speed: LG G5 is using the Snapdragon 820 along with 4GB of RAM and runs Android Marshmallow with the optimized LG’s skin. It means you should expect a smooth experience and there shouldn’t be any problem running high graphics games with data and run multiple apps in the background.
Display: Well, Samsung has always been the pioneer when comparing displays. But LG G5’s display is really great and the brightness is high enough to be able to read under the direct sun light.
Dual Rear Cameras: If you look at the back of the LG g5, you’ll notice there are 2 cameras there. What are they for? One camera comes with the standard 78-degree lens while the other one captures with a 135-degree wide angle lens. It means you get to take wide shots (actually the widest so far in mobile phones) with more details.
Modules: Do you know anything about Google Projet ARA? It’s about producing modular phones, so you can change the hardware specs yourself. LG G5 is kind of first modular smartphone which lets you add some modular components. So far available modules for LG G5 are: LG Cam Plus, and LG Hi-Fi Plus. LG calls these accessories LG G5’s Friends and some of his other friends are: LG 360 VR, LG 360 CAM and LG Rolling Bot.
Removable Battery: LG is becoming the only manufactures not forgetting about removable batteries. While Power Banks, Wireless Charging, Fast Charging are all great features for charging batteries, the option to remove the battery has always been the best and easiest solution.
Infra-Red Port: LG has not forgotten about the IR Blaster either. While Samsung Galaxy S7 lacks this feature, you get to control your digital appliances using a universal remote on your LG G5.
Always On Display: This AoD feature is something we both like and dislike. Since we are talking about the LG G5 pros, using the AOD you don’t have to turn on the screen to see the time, date and missed notifications, as the screen is always on and shows you the mentioned information.
LG G5 Cons:
Less battery capacity: Battery has always been an issue, and LG has surprisingly reduced the battery capacity from 3000 mAh in LG G4 to 2800 mAh in LG G5. We know, process and OS have been optimized for less battery consumption, but more battery capacity is always welcomed.
Always On Display Battery Consumption: LG claims that the AOD is using just 1% of the battery power each hour. Well it means 24% a day. By the way, AOD can be turned off from the LG G5’s settings.
Missing APP Drawer: There are some rumors that Google is going to delete the App Drawer in Android N and bring everything to the home screen. We have already seen it in Huawei phones and LG G5 is also missing the App Drawer, as well as the Galaxy S7. Unlike the Galaxy S7 which you can bring back the App Drawer, there doesn’t seem to be the same feature available for LG G5
No Adaptive Storage: If your device is running Android Marshmallow, you have the option to define your external storage as your OS main storage. So, your internal storage may exceed up to 200GB of storage. But LG G5 doesn’t support the Adaptive Storage and you have to live with it. (Update: It seems this feature is disabled by default, but you turn it On)
Modules are Gimmick? This is something we still doubt about it and we should wait to see what LG has prepared.
Speaking of Modules, the main disadvantage of the modules on LG G5 is the fact that you have to switch off your LG G5 each time you want to try a new module.
LG G5 Comes in Two Versions: It seems different parts of world are getting different LG G5 variants. The first variant runs Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM, while the lighter variant runs Snapdragon 652 with 3GB of RAM (It is said that the latter, doesn’t support the LG’s VR Headset). We just don’t like this policy of shipping a single phone with different specs.
Design: We have always said, design is not something absolute. While many may adore the new design of the LG G5, some other may just hate it. We are not going to discuss it here. All we want to mention is about the Back Buttons. LG put so many efforts to justify the new place of volume and power buttons since the LG 2, and all of a sudden they decided to bring back to Volume controls to where we’ve already seen in other phones. I just don’t get it. By the way, I really love the look of the LG G5’s front.
Is LG G5 Worth it?
What do you think? Would you for LG G5? Or LG G5 doesn’t give you solid reasons to upgrade to it? Let us know in the comments.
We believe LG G5 is worth a shot, and we hope the modules get a reasonable price tag with more modules to come soon. And don’t forget about the speed, display, premium material, camera, modules, and all the software features. In my opinion, the only negative point about LG G5 which discourages me from buying it, is about its new design language. But if you are OK with the design and have no problem with the price, then you should defiantly go for LG G5. Before making your final decision, take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Xiaomi Mi 5 as well.
