LG strikes again! When thinking of Androids, most people automatically think of Google’s Nexus or Samsung’s S series (which I’ve heard is *ahem* on fire – too soon?), but the Android maker that won my heart is LG. Last summer I reviewed their G4 phone, which was the first Android I ever liked enough to use. Now I’m completely hooked on this series, so when LG asked me to upgrade to the G5, I couldn’t resist. Here’s my review!
My 5 favourite things about the LG G5:
5. The removable battery and SD card slot. I have a big peeve with phones that don’t have a removable battery. Like its G4 predecessor, the G5 has a removable battery so you can pop it out if there’s an issue or carry extras for a long trip without outlets. Unlike the G4, the G5’s battery pops out of the bottom and has a special release button that needs to be pressed (the G4’s battery was under the back cover, and more than once it fell right out when I dropped the phone).
4. Rear button control/fingerprint scanner and sleep screen controls. Two other features that have carried over from the G4 arethe on/off button located on the back of the phone and the sleep screen controls. In the G5 the rear button, which is designed to be optimized for both right- and left-handed users, is also a fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone with added security (biometrics are way more secure than a numerical PIN!). The sleep screen controls feature live-updating time and notifications at a glance even when the screen is off, and the ability to turn on and off the screen by double-tapping it.
Click to view slideshow.3. Front-facing camera selfie auto-enhance. I take a lot of selfies. What can I say, I’m a millennial! LG’s phone camera has a built-in selfie enhancing slider that applies a beauty filter to your face and smoothes out your skin in real time. It’s quite advanced and makes a significant but subtle difference, and leaves you still looking like yourself at the end of the day (unlike those flattering but face-altering Snapchat morphs). Check it out:
2. The ultra-wide camera view. Apple’s new iPhone 7 is not the first phone to boast two lenses, the LG G5 uses double lenses to implement an ultra-wide landscape view that widens the field of view significantly. Below you’ll see a comparison of the regular and ultra-wide views of the same scene. The pictures are completely unedited.
Click to view slideshow. Click to view slideshow.1. The 12+ hour battery life. What a difference a good battery makes. The LG G5’s battery lasts upwards of 12 hours with a regular day of use, which is absolutely incredible considering how much I use the phone. I get up around 6:30 AM and use my phone fairly consistently throughout the day, and by the time I go to bed at 11 PM the phone is around 15%.
The downsides:
All things considered, this phone has very few downsides. Functionally I have no complaints, the device runs very smoothly and has never given me any performance issues. The only downsides to this phone are that it is slippery to hold, which makes it easy to drop, and it’s a bit too big to reach all corners of the screen with one hand (and I have long fingers).
The Verdict
Design: 9/10 | Usability: 10/10 | Photography: 10/10 | Battery: 10/10
The LG G5 is a great device with high computing power and some above-and-beyond camera features for visual creators and photography enthusiasts. If you’re looking for an Android phone that you can take on your travels or use all day without worrying about battery life, the LG G5 is the phone for you.
This device was gifted to me for review. Curious about my gift and review policy? Check out my blogging philosophy.
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