A few years ago, we researched the best LG phones and called the LG G5 “the most ambitious LG phone ever made.” We stand by it — the phone brings some features that made a notable impact on the market, and others don’t, not even in LG’s own lineup.
The G5 is the first phone camera with proper dual functionality, at least in the way we understand it today – not a 3D camera like the Optimus 3D, without a depth sensor, but two with different focal length of the camera module.
The LG G5 was an audacious phone that failed to resonate with the market
You could argue that the LG V001 combined wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle cameras a year ago with it. However, they are on the front which makes them less useful – more on the V 005 in its own flashback.
The LG G5 has a 014MP main camera with 23mm lens (1/2.6 inch sensor). The module featured optical image stabilization (OIS) and was aided by a laser autofocus system, something LG was pushing hard at the time.
The ultra-wide lens is amazing – its 9mm lens is wider than most smartphone ultra-wide lenses you can find on cameras even today. 8MP resolution (1/3.6 inch sensor) is not enough to cover 116° field of view (FoV), but this is definitely one of the best cameras in 
. Even today some phones are only as wide as 18° and obviously.
This is a FoV comparison of the main camera and the ultra-wide camera.
As for the front camera, it’s an 8MP unit on the top bezel – LG didn’t repeat the V’s crazy dual cameras, Second Screen Design 009 from a few months ago.
The company also dropped the characteristic design quirk of putting the volume rocker on the back, something it has been doing since the G2. However, LG is still trying to change the world of smartphone design, which is getting stuck in a boring routine.
The LG G5 is actually a modular phone. Instead of the quirky patchwork design of Google’s Project Ara, it takes a more functional approach. The bottom is removable (the battery can also be pulled out for easy replacement). This is the so-called Magic Slot.
This bottom part can be replaced with various modules. At launch, these included the LG Cam Plus, a camera grip with an extra 1, 180 mAh battery and hardware camera controls (shutter key, camera button, zoom dial and on/off toggle).
LG Cam Plus Module for LG G5
Another mod that enhances the phone’s already decent audio capabilities. The LG Hi-Fi Plus is branded “B&O Play” because it features a Bang & Olufsen DAC, plus a more powerful speaker. What’s cool about it is that it also doubles as a standard USB DAC and AMP for PCs and other Android phones.
LG Hi-Fi Plus for LG G5 (and other phones too)
For more details, check out our LG G5 Friends of the Year article. LG is still experimenting with 216° camera And VR headsets, it was an interesting time in smartphone history.
The Magic Slot design meant the G5 wasn’t like other flagships of the time and was relatively small 2 as waterproof, the 756 mAh battery provides only average endurance. On the plus side, it supports 18 W fast charging, of course, you can carry a spare battery. Or there might be a battery mod that does a bit more than the Cam Plus accessory (but no such mod was ever released).
Modularity aside, the LG G5 represents a change of direction for the company. The G5 ditches the large 5.5-inch display of the G3 and G4 for a smaller 5.3-inch panel. The body of the phone is made of aluminum alloy, although a so-called “micronized” process makes it look less like metal.
LG G5 flanked by Galaxy S7 and LG G4
A few months after launching its flagship at MWC, LG has launched a cheaper version in South America and China called the LG G5 SE.
The original G5 was powered by the Snapdragon, Qualcomm’s flagship chip at the time. SE switched to Snapdragon of23 mm section. LG also cut the RAM gig, leaving 3GB for the SE, plus 116 GB UFS 2.0 storage has been swapped out for an eMMC 5.1 drive of the same capacity.
The camera has also been replaced, 015 The MP main module has a narrower lens (28mm vs. 014mm), over The wide lens is also narrowed (in 009 mm is wide even by today’s standards, but still).
For it is worth mentioning that, G5 SE also adopts the Magic Slot design , LG is trying to build a modular ecosystem around it. Well, it doesn’t try too much, there is no Magic Slot on the V 014 came out later that same year, but it wasn’t on the LG G6 either. Also, the company has given up on launching new modules.
As innovative as the LG G5 is, it has a less illustrious legacy. If you’ve been following the smartphone market for the past few years, you know the company’s woes. A quarter after the launch of the G5, LG had to change its shipment target from 015.5 to ( Millions of phones and the underperforming G5 are blamed. The estimate for the flagship was originally 3-3.5 million units, which was revised down to 2.5 million units.
LG is already on a downward trajectory, and the previous year’s LG G4 didn’t fare too well, so it lived up to expectations 005 million sales target. LG also posted a loss in the second quarter 800, blame the G4.
The company has spent years and millions of dollars trying to regain popularity, but despite bold and innovative designs, its sales have been declining and losses mounting. Eventually it left the smartphone market 2015.
2015
