LG G5 is announced with metal design and "LG Friends" modules

After what seems to have been a very long wait, LG has finally revealed the LG G5, one of this years most anticipated devices. The successor to the G4 brings huge improvements over its predecessor, both in terms of internals and a new modular design.

The G5 is definitely one of the company’s best efforts in recent years, though the design changes may not be for everyone.

Design and Display

Design wise, the device is definitely one of the company’s most sophisticated efforts, with an all new metal design which is a first for the company. As is the norm these days, the front panel features a simplistic design with extremely thin bezels on either side of the display and relatively small bezels on the top and underneath the display – the top one houses a large front-facing selfie sensor and an in-ear speaker, while the bottom one features the LG logo and is actually removable, though more on that later. The rear of the device is perhaps what brings the most changes to the device, other than the materials, with LG’s signature rear button setup no longer being featured. Instead the company has opted to place two camera sensors on the rear along with a large flash in between them, therefore occupying the space which would have previously been used by the rear buttons. Slightly underneath the camera is a slight hump which houses a new fingerprint sensor. The device weighs in at 159g and is just 7.7mm thin. The device will be made available in four different colour options, those being Silver, Titan, Gold and Pink.

Regarding the device’s display, the company has decreased it to 5.3 inches, down from the usual 5.5 inches we have become accustomed to. Though slightly smaller, the display features the same 1440x2560p resolution (Quad-HD), meaning a pixel density of 554ppi. Contrary to speculation though, the device does not feature a smaller secondary display, like the one seen on the V10. Instead the G5 comes with a new feature called “Always On Display” which allows the device to constantly display the date, time and weather as well as other information without the need for you to turn the whole display on. All of this while only draining 0.8% of the battery per hour.

Before we move on to the next section, we have to talk a bit about the removable bezel underneath the display. The removable module is the company’s first foray into modular designs and allows you to easily swap out the battery whenever you want, as well as add other modules, such as the LG Cam Plus, which is a camera grip with a zoom and capture button and a built in 1200mAh battery, allowing you to take photos more comfortably while still increasing the phones battery life. Aside from the camera grip, LG also revealed another module called the LG HiFi Plus which supports high-definition audio and therefore improves your audio experience, though this can also be used wirelessly and connects to a number of smartphones, not just the LG G5. Currently, these are the only two modules available for the phone, though the company will gradually introduce more modules under the LG Friends range.

Processor and Memory

As is expected from any high-end flagship device, the G5 features ones of the most powerful processors available, specifically Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820. This is coupled with the Adreno 530 GPU and a generous 4GB of RAM. Regarding internal storage, the device comes with 32GB of storage, though this can be further expanded via microSD of up to 200GB if you wish to.

Camera

The camera is another area where the G5 improves significantly over last year’s model, which featured one of the best cameras available. The new flagship features an interesting dual-camera setup, which consists of a standard 16MP 78-degree sensor along with a wide-angle 8MP 135-degree one, allowing you to capture more scenery, taller buildings and larger groups of people. All of this is accompanied by a dual-tone LED flash, a laser autofocus and 4K video recording capability. Regarding the front, an 8MP selfie sensor is featured.

Additional Features and Software

The G5 comes with Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, USB Type C, 4G LTE, a fingerprint scanner and a new iris scanner. As well as this, the device features a 2800mAh battery and supports Quick Charging 3.0, allowing the battery to reach an incredible 83% in just 30 minutes. Regarding software, the device comes running the latest version of Android, Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, straight out of the box along with LG’s newly redesigned custom overlay on top.

Price and Release

The company has stated that the device will be made available in April in 18 countries initially, though it will eventually launch in a number of other countries as the months goes on. Regarding the price, LG hasn’t specified anything as of yet, suggesting they will most likely reveal the price nearer to launch date.

Now that we’ve gone through every last detail of the device, what do you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!