If there's one 2016 phone that can stand up to the Samsung Galaxy S7, it's the LG G5. From a new metal-heavy design, to an innovative accessory slot and dual-camera setup there’s a lot that’s new and interesting here and we’ve got all the information.
We’ve also got details of when you’ll be able to get the LG G5 and how much it will cost you. So if you want an exciting new flagship you’ve come to the right place.
The LG G5 is available for pre-order now and will be officially launched on April 8th, so there's not long to wait.
The phone comes in at £499.99 SIM free or from roughly £35 on contract. That's a high price but actually makes it slightly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S7.
LG’s struggled a bit with the design of its phones in recent years but the LG G5 is a definite step in the right direction. It’s all-metal for one, with a slim 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm shell and slightly curved edges.
That’s a big change from the plastic and leather of old, though the actual look of the phone is a little plain.
Interestingly, LG has moved the volume buttons from the back of the device to a more conventional placement on the side, but the power button remains on the back, now with a fingerprint scanner embedded into it.
The LG G5 has a 5.3-inch 1440 x 2560 screen with a pixel density of 554 pixels per inch. That’s slightly smaller than the LG G4 and just as high resolution, meaning the LG G5 is actually a little sharper.
One new trick it has is that it’s always on, so you can see the time and notifications without having to hit the power button.
The LG G5 has a quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM, which looks like it’s going to be a standard flagship configuration in 2016. That gives it plenty of power though.
Other specs include 32GB of built in storage, a microSD card slot with support for cards of up to 200GB, a 2800 mAh removable battery, NFC (which combined with the fingerprint scanner will allow for contactless payments), fast charging and Android Marshmallow.
One of the big innovative features of the LG G5 is its camera, as it has two sensors on the back. There’s a 16MP one and an extreme wide-angle 8MP one, which has a wider field of view than even the human eye. So you can choose which one to use for any given shot.
The G5 also sports optical image stabilisation to keep your shots steady, video recording in up to 2160p at 30fps and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The LG G5’s most unique feature is its accessory slot, which lets you plug in optional modules that augment the phones functionality. At launch there will be two modules available, one which adds a camera grip and 1200 mAh of extra battery and another which adds high-definition audio support.
