LG G5 review: Evening the odds

22 March, 2016
Someone at LG must have thought: “Leather is so last-year, let’s do something nobody has done – or long quit trying.” And here we have the LG G5. It has the looks of a brand new flagship, the heart of a dragon and an adventurous dual camera setup suited for every occasion. But there’s more than meets the eye, the Magic Slot. The LG G5 is a modular smartphone, which lets you plug a handful of external add-ons: a semi-pro camera grip with shutter buttons and a bigger battery, or an external sound amplifier by B&O.

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  • R
  • Rui
  • MmW
  • 26 Jul 2021

Pros:
-Amazing camera quality!
-Working after 5 years
-Removable battery

Cons:
-Overheating issues since I bought it (maybe it came with a defect and I probably should have returned it). During summer, the phone restarts a lot due to overheating, sometimes restarts non stop during 5 minutes and battery drops a lot.
-Some navigation applications cannot detect the GPS
-Audio Jack is weird, looks like is not plugged all the way and because of that i forced the entrance a little bit and broke it inside
-Screen burn-in after some years of using

    • M
    • Minu
    • w9K
    • 13 Nov 2020

    Laz, 29 Aug 2020Best phone ever, attention to details, beautiful interface.... moreOne of the last flagships with a removable battery

      • L
      • Laz
      • Fvd
      • 29 Aug 2020

      Best phone ever, attention to details, beautiful interface. Only downside is battery which doesn't last long. 9/10

        Compare this to the Motorola Moto Z on paper, and this seems to be the winner with the inclusion of 3.5mm audio jack and a dual wide/ultrawide camera setup. It's just a shame that LG crippled the Magic Slot idea, or else it would be a true modular smartphone champion.

          • r
          • rashidgr8
          • Rxf
          • 22 Nov 2019

          JBGoode, 23 Jul 2019Hey guys its July 23, 2019, and i just bought a new battery... morehave you heating problem in lg g5 set.

            • J
            • JBGoode
            • PdL
            • 23 Jul 2019

            Hey guys its July 23, 2019, and i just bought a new battery dock (with battery included), and original fast charger also with the usb c type, cant just simply throw away this amazing phone, i know its not the fastest in the market, and wont be able (at least via OTA) to get andriod PIE or the followings, but it gets the job done, amazing camera, fast UI, long battery life (at least for the first year) and its one of the few flagships arround with fast charge 3.0 (no bullsh#t), if you're thinking about getting a new smartphone LG H850 (or the version of your country) dont think about it twice, cant go wrong.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • vG@
              • 20 Jun 2019

              Having heating issues with LG G5

                • R
                • Rickyqtqt
                • rbA
                • 26 Nov 2018

                The LG G5 is a great phone with a great camera. It has a battery that will not last the day if you don't have battery saver on. There are some quality issues with the manufacturing specifically with GPS. You may get a phone that will not lock into GPS so check it if you buy one.

                  • g
                  • g6 user
                  • LEi
                  • 26 Apr 2018

                  Lu, 15 Aug 2016Hey GSMArena guys, 16:9 has never been and it will never be... morebut you cant fight against the flow and that's the problem now
                  for me and for even you and gsm ... 16:9 is the standard on current tvs so if you want to share it with people it must be with that's standard .... yes 4:3 is nice but nothing we can do buddy but still you can take photos on 4:3 and watch then on an old lcd ,monitor or crt tv

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • ptx
                    • 10 Jul 2017

                    Anonymous, 07 Apr 2017In fact, 16:9 is a dumb trend. 4:3 is the best aspect ratio... morefrom the 16 mpix original 16:9, crop to 4:3 without loosing height. works fine here. the not so wide lens is perfect for portraits.

                      • &
                      • М&#105
                      • ptR
                      • 16 Apr 2017

                      Anonymous, 27 Mar 2016the latest samsung device s6/7/note5 its just not fit for m... moreThe theme is exclusively for LG G5 , stick to it please.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • JG0
                        • 07 Apr 2017

                        AnonD-422481, 21 Dec 2016I prefer 16:9 and I know photography. It just make more sen... moreIn fact, 16:9 is a dumb trend. 4:3 is the best aspect ratio. Because 4:3 is the field of view of the human eye..

                          • D
                          • AnonD-422481
                          • M5R
                          • 21 Dec 2016

                          Lu, 15 Aug 2016Hey GSMArena guys, 16:9 has never been and it will never be... moreI prefer 16:9 and I know photography. It just make more sense as almost every screen we own is 16:9. The only situation I prefer 4:3 is when holding the phone vertically (portrait).

                            Anonymous, 15 Aug 2016Brightness is not allIt is, to see content in direct sun is so important as if to have that phone or not. With higher reflections than amoled its important. Anyway what I mean is it got to be 800nits and here it is less on this šité...

                              Anonymous, 15 Aug 2016Brightness is not allIt got hw to make 800nits, but it somehow still make screen less bright than needed. Also I wonder how it perform so bad here and better on other sites... would need retest.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • nwL
                                • 15 Aug 2016

                                vrvly, 06 Apr 2016Even mid-range phone got bigger brightness. Not even half o... moreBrightness is not all

                                  • L
                                  • Lu
                                  • nnW
                                  • 15 Aug 2016

                                  Hey GSMArena guys, 16:9 has never been and it will never be a photography aspect ratio. You should consult photographers before stating hard statements like "we prefer 16:9 more than any 4:3" In photography, everything wider than 3:2 ratio (70% of cameras) is considered a panoramic image. 16:9 cameras means bad portraits in horizontal orientation, and even worse portraits in portrait orientation. Since it was invented until today, 16:9 was a video standard, and never a photo standard. I could write 9 years about that, why and why, but there is google for you! Best wishes.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-510959
                                    • 7BN
                                    • 13 Aug 2016

                                    Max auto 378nit? Why do most of the reviews say it is 800nit?

                                      • t
                                      • thaied
                                      • 3C1
                                      • 18 Jul 2016

                                      Where is an email address for the 860 to get drivers that work. ? The LG bridge and LG mobile support tool don't list the 860.
                                      Tried two pc's .
                                      Who has data on the cam plus ? red light flashing forever with no buttons working. HOw to troubleshoot and know if its seen ? The phone cam works ok and all it std functionality. this leaves the campus buttons to have the same functionality also ? ..

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • d%v
                                        • 10 Jul 2016

                                        I bought this mob. I'm quite satisfied.