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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  • AnonD-519434
  • y$d
  • 27 Mar 2016

Whoaaa, this one looks promising it beat S7 every categories even it got beaten by S7 it only lose several number. please duel with S7.. i really want to see the result of their duel.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • uS$
    • 27 Mar 2016

    QHD is the culprit but thank LG for allowing G5 to sport a removable battery compartment. They should carry out an optimization or a fix quick

      Absolutely loved the G3, only let down by mediocre battery, same thing with the G4 and G5. I don't care about removable batteries. I'd much rather have one that lasts up to 2 days like it does on my current phone, the Meizu Pro 5 - 48 hours between charges and only $425 US dollars in January, less now. Check out GSMArena's battery life page.

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        • AnonD-442781
        • pJc
        • 27 Mar 2016

        Anonymous, 27 Mar 2016It's a reply also for Grey1213. There are too many Samsu... moreLOL.
        SAmoled is better. Its also the most accurate, and the most efficient.Its obvious nobody can have a reasonable discussion with you if you refuse to accept that.

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          • AnonD-442781
          • pJc
          • 27 Mar 2016

          AnonD-455364, 27 Mar 2016just your username makes me stop from discussing something ... moreAggressive ram management doesn't mean its not optimised. And I think they fixed that for the s6 anyway.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • pqp
            • 27 Mar 2016

            Anonymous, 26 Mar 2016Talk about a bunch of losers on here arguing about phones. ... moreFor most people, the LG G5 would be the better choice. The minority of people care about the trivial advantages of S7 like water resistance. Most people use their phones without the need for water resistance. However, don't forget the power of marketing, where Samsung is the top. Marketing can persuade most people about anything. And Samsung fanboys act like Apples. They keep ingoring or diminishing the facts, the disadvantages of their beloved S7, they think it's better than everything despite it's just a marketing hype. And if Samsung goes on another way, the fanboy will also change their mind accordingly what Samsung want them to believe.

            Unlike them, I have written the objective facts. I admitted the advantages of S7 and the flaws of G5 and the reverse, I have even reasoned it and drew the conclusion. Something that Samsung fanboys are not capable of.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • pqp
              • 27 Mar 2016

              Tom-Helge, 26 Mar 2016I see a lot of LG fans here that can't seem to realize that... moreIt's a reply also for Grey1213.

              There are too many Samsung fanboys here who can't admit that LG G5 has a lot of advantages over S7.

              1. IPS LCD is the best display. The advantages of LCD outweigh the advantages of Amoled. The advantages of AMLOED are trivial compared to the advantages of LCD. Amoled screens have many problems. For example: non-RGB subpixels, burn-in issues (this is the biggest problem), mura effect, limited lifespan, oversaturated colors, colors and brightness is going to degrade by time, ...

              AMOLED screens are the worst in the industry. The AMOLED screen and non-removable battery are the biggest disadvantages of Samsung phones. However, Samusng is strong at marketing and brainwashing people like you (Samsung is like Apple), so they can convince people that the worse is better.

              2. When it's about design, it's quite obvious that the LG G5's design is way better than Galaxy S7. Metal is more durable than glass. It's shame for you arguing with a subjective article.

              3. Who cares about water resistance? Very few people make use of water resistance. Most peple don't care about it. It's just a marketing hype (like AMOLED, and everything about S7).

              5. The difference between S7 and G5's camera is trivial, in favor of S7. But last year, the difference between S6 and G4 camera was more prominent, G4 is better. But it doesn't matter, because Samsung and LG are still ahead of the competition in term of camera.

              6. And of course, the battery design of S7/S7 Edge is horrible. It's non-removalbe, which meany S7 / S7 Edge are just disposable phones with limited lifespan. They are going to become a paperweight, junk after a few years of usage. It's because the batteries have limited lifespan and they won't hold a charge. But in G5, you can replace the old batter, and continue to use the phone. Moreover, you can replace the battery to a higher capacity one to get much longer battery life than any S7 owner can dream about.

              7. Now start and run a CPU/GPU intensive game like a PSP emulation. The Snapdragon wipes the floor with Exynos. And compare S7 to G5.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • pqp
                • 27 Mar 2016

                Anonymous, 27 Mar 2016Again you are doing it. That's cute.It's you who are doing it. Again.

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                  • AnonD-509482
                  • tDT
                  • 27 Mar 2016

                  Damn, only 60 hours?, waiting for updated review.

                  will considered s7 or xperia x perf depending on its review.

                  What a shame lg, i guess no phone is perfect this time.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • sG%
                    • 27 Mar 2016

                    Anonymous, 27 Mar 2016those endurance rating actually disappointed, but no probl... moreSamsung has been making profit on android for many years now, LG not soo much so where did you get the conclusion that Samsung is lost?? I'm guessing your not gonna reply to this one.

                      Why is "No water proofing" a major disadvantage? The phone is modular and you expect LG to make it water proof or guarantee its water proof? Many consumers are able to use their phones for years without water damage.

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                        • AnonD-519326
                        • 6cb
                        • 27 Mar 2016

                        Aspros, 27 Mar 201660hours?? OmG FAIL!! They never learn, people loved LG for... morei am LG 2 user and very proud with it, in this year i want to change my phone. i have read many review for s7edge and pre review for g5. g5 have pros for wide angle camera, but s7 have the best photo quality. by my opinion, s7edge won in every aspect. beside that, i'm just a simple person who won't change battery every day. sorry LG, maybe another year.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • krW
                          • 27 Mar 2016

                          AnonD-455364, 27 Mar 2016just your username makes me stop from discussing something ... moreUm....unless you meant just on the holding more apps in ram part then yes. But that's one of the only areas

                            • H
                            • Harsh
                            • rKv
                            • 27 Mar 2016

                            Kindly review samsung s7 or s7 edge vs Lg g5. Caption could be "Battle of Dragon's". Thank You

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                              • AnonD-347233
                              • g3S
                              • 27 Mar 2016

                              samaung galaxy s7 vs g5 review please

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • U}}
                                • 27 Mar 2016

                                those endurance rating actually disappointed, but no problem as long as i can change its battery instanly there will be no problem at all, plus i ll have ir blaster too just like my beloved note4

                                i see samsung soo lost nowadays


                                lg take my money!

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                                  • AnonD-455364
                                  • J8M
                                  • 27 Mar 2016

                                  AnonD-513766, 26 Mar 2016Im samsung user. And i love this g5 so much . And your comm... morejust your username makes me stop from discussing something on Samsung with you :)
                                  but, yea it`s just like as i said, you can see s6 vs v10 review and there`s v10 wins not because of 4GB of ram but optimization of OS that normally keeps apps in background :)

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-455364
                                    • J8M
                                    • 27 Mar 2016

                                    AnonD-292864, 26 Mar 2016I don't like Apple products and i don't have Galaxy S7. DxO... moreFirst - Dx scored S7 while G5 was not out yet, so let`s wait
                                    Second - i already said that love Amoled screens but LG got one of best, it does not mean best...
                                    Third - you seems to blind if you can`t see S6`s multitask problems on 5.1.1 and 6.0

                                    btw i`m glad u`r not iZombie :)

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 7tQ
                                      • 27 Mar 2016

                                      Tom-Helge, 26 Mar 2016I see a lot of LG fans here that can't seem to realize that... moreDid LG pay you to say that

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                                        • Pippo
                                        • S3v
                                        • 27 Mar 2016

                                        Anonymous, 26 Mar 2016Talk about a bunch of losers on here arguing about phones. ... moreYou mean "they're expensive phones."
                                        When i pay as much for a "phone" as for a whole fricking computer then i want the best of the best. And a maeger 14fps onscreen performance just don't cut it.

                                        As for your comment about removable batteries. Eventually you HAVE to replace it! So it's not about "some people need it". But you, rich bitches, can probably afford to throw away your expensive phone every year, huh.