Hybrid of hybrids: test of the LG G5 SE smartphone with the Hi-Fi Plus module from B&O. And now about the sound. Using the CamPlus module

LG faced a giant challenge in 2016; its new smartphones will have to compete with... Samsung Galaxy S7. To counter Samsung and the ubiquitous iPhone, LG decided to innovate and reimagine the way we use smartphones with the release of the LG G5.

Modular LG G5 - Reviews

The LG G5 is truly different. This is a phone that has a detachable bottom and battery, a better camera than its predecessors and more High Quality sound. It's a small change, but damn exciting because of what it represents and what it could mean for the future.

For the LG G5 to be successful, people must not only see the potential, but also love the phone. Eclipsing the glories of Samsung and Apple is a mammoth task for LG. Does the G5 have something that will make people buy it and dive into the world of modular smartphones?

The magic is hidden in the LG G5 slot

The magic of the LG G5 lies inside the slot, the phone's modular port. It is located at the base of the device, where the battery is located. On right side The phone has a small button for hidden installation. It pops out the bottom of the phone and disconnects the battery, allowing you to remove the entire module. It's all well designed, and wisely done. It’s not easy to unhook the module and let it crash onto the floor. You have to put in some effort if you want to pull it out. It takes a steady hand to remove the battery and a firm final push to secure it into place. None of these steps will happen by accident, so G5 won't figure itself out on its own.

However, it all feels alien because we are used to treating our phones as thin and fragile devices. But, with regards to the G5, rough handling is necessary here, unless of course you want to swap modules. The first few times you do this, you will be surprised, because everything is on the verge of breaking.

The amount of work, thought, effort and commitment that went into creating the LG G5 is amazing.

The first time we swapped modules, we were very afraid not to break the phone, so we asked another colleague who already had practice and did it. It took several rounds of changing modules to learn how to smoothly and harshly tug and pull on the module.

We would like to have an easier way to replace modules, or for each module to have its own battery and not have to yank it every time you move it from place to place. Alternatively, the battery could be hidden in the rear so that changing modules would not require relocating the battery. Of course, this will be annoying for those who don't want a removable battery.

The amazing G5 camera that steals the show

The LG G4 and V10 are two of the best camera phones ever made, and LG hasn't sacrificed any of the photography features in the G5. The G5 is absolutely fantastic and we can't stop shooting with it. The sensor is almost identical to the V10, with 16 MP and an F/1.8 aperture, as well laser autofocus And optical stabilization Images. There is also a dual lens here, but not for selfies - on the front, like the v10, but on the back.

The first camera provides a regular view of the world, while the second gives an expanded 135-degree viewing angle, providing ample opportunities for creativity. They are used independently of each other unless activated special mode, in which two points are meshed with each other to create strange photo hybrids. This is a feature you won't use often, but it can produce fun collages.

The wide-angle lens is addictive. It changes the look of the camera completely, and changes the way and type focal points. The results look great, especially when shooting perspective and wide open spaces. There is a slight fisheye effect on the G5's wide-angle shots, but again, as long as you put some thought into the final image, it's not distracting.

LG has included its incredibly easy-to-use manual mode for the G5, where ISO, shutter speed, focus and white balance can be adjusted. This manual mode is the most convenient for users. You'll find it very easy to use for adjusting images due to its simplicity.

The 8MP front selfie camera also has a wider angle than other phones like the iPhone 6S Plus and comes with effective regime to smooth out tones.

The LG G5 camera is a pleasure to use; This is a huge plus for phone sales. The wide-angle lens sets the phone apart from its competitors - and is an improvement over the G4 and V10.

Using the CamPlus module

Considering how well the LG G5's camera performs, you might be wondering what the CamPlus module is for. However, after using CamPlus, we can honestly say that it enhances the G5's camera, producing even higher quality images.

The module is not very large, but it has extra battery to keep your phone charged. Eat special button photo, a button for recording video, and a zoom wheel. We compared it to the standard zoom of the Galaxy S7 Edge and iPhone 6S Plus, and the results with both phones were grainier.

The CamPlus module sees things that other smartphone cameras can't, and it's truly impressive. If you take the LG G5 and CamPlus on vacation, you won't need to pack any other camera to take great photos. The addition of a camera button and zoom wheel will also be useful when you're shooting with gloves in the winter. This eliminates the need for touch screen phone to get best quality images, making your G5 feel like a real camera.

For LG G5 there is also a special module for improving audio.

OS Android 6.0

The LG G5 is equipped with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow OS with some modifications; it differs from previous LG smartphones, primarily due to controversial decisions that are similar to Apple firmware.

Now all your apps are spread across multiple home screens. List pre-installed applications not that big, it includes regular applications For Email, contacts, weather, plus tools such as voice recorder, calculator, task manager and FM radio.

LG G5 is powerful device With Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4 GB random access memory on board, which allows the smartphone to not heat up so much during processing large quantity data as 810 version.

Battery life needs improvement

Let's start with the positive. It's completely replaceable, so if you're carrying a spare battery, it only takes a few seconds to swap out a dead one for a charged one. Try this on any other flagship phone in 2016?

Recharging will have to be done every day, and possibly more than once. If you find yourself in GPS action for two hours, took several photos, and generally used the phone for email, messages and applications; the battery will “die” at the end of the working day. It's not much different from the Galaxy S7 or iPhone 6S Plus. At least if you have a second LG G5 battery, it's not a disaster.

Charging also features QuickCharge 3.0, which is a step up from the Galaxy S7's standard QuickCharge 2.0.

And finally we come to the sophisticated design of the G5. At first glance it looks boring, but not ugly. Over time, we've come to love the subtle design details of the LG G5.

There are curves in the most unexpected places - the screen slopes back at the top, and there are no nasty sharp edges to make it awkward to hold. The metal is smooth and without seams.

In any case, the design of the LG G5 should not be judged right away. You have to live with it for a while, and you will be grateful to the developers for their well-thought-out design and shape.

LG should also be congratulated because the implementation of the modular system is almost invisible on the G5. There are no buttons of unusual shape or size, or stupid drawn arrows on the body, everything is done aesthetically and in the same style.

Although the LG G5 is not much smaller than the LG G4, its streamlined shape makes the smartphone very compact. It's slightly larger than the Galaxy S7 and weighs 159 grams. The display is 5.3 inches diagonally, smaller than the G4 and slightly larger than the Galaxy S7, but it has the same 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. The fingerprint sensor, as is standard for LG, is located on the rear panel, although the volume control on the G5 has been moved to the rear side.

Need more updates

LG usually updates its phones at least once a month, but it's not much better than Samsung or anyone else Android manufacturer phones. It's a shame and we'd like to see more initiative from phone makers receiving Android updates. Because Android phones not receiving regular updates are vulnerable to hacker attacks, viruses, and are generally less secure than the iPhone. They also don't get new features often software. LG and others need to work to fix this epic problem.

G5 Warranty and Durability

LG offers a one-year warranty with the G5, so if there are problems, you'll have to send it back to the company for repairs.

It is not known how strong and durable the modules are, if they are replaced over and over again, will this cause problems? But this will be determined over time of use. The LG G5 is not waterproof, which works against it compared to the Galaxy S7. However, when it comes to drops and shock, the G5 will likely win the Galaxy S7's drop tests.

Bottom line

The amount of work, thought, effort and commitment that went into creating the new LG G5 is amazing. While other brands are accused of copying technology, LG has come up with something that will lead to new types of smartphones. It's bold, exciting and full of glorious potential.

However, in this moment, potential modular telephone not yet fully implemented, and there are only a couple of plug-in modules.

However, the LG G5 is undoubtedly one of the best flagship phones of 2016, and you won't be disappointed with it, whether you have the modules or not.

LG G5 smartphone – video review

If you find an error, the video does not work, please select a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

The new product became the first mass model a smartphone with a modular concept, although not like in the Ara project from Google, where any component will be replaced. To expand the capabilities of the LV ZH5, the manufacturer suggests using special replaceable modules, which are attached to the bottom of the device. At MWC the manufacturer showed the first available modules and several accessories, which will be discussed further.

The plug-ins will use the so-called Magic Slot, which is at the head of the smartphone's modular system. The process of removing and installing attachments is quite simple. At the bottom of the case there is a button that disconnects its lower part. Next, you just need to remove the battery and move it to the desired plug-in module.

LG CAM Plus

One of the mentioned attachments is LG Cam Plus, the image of which appeared a few days before the announcement of the LG G5 smartphone. The module is a rather bulky box, with controls located on the body, which are already available in the mobile device itself. However, Cam Plus makes the smartphone more comfortable to hold in your hand when taking photos and improves battery capacity.

The LG Cam Plus is equipped with a 1200 mAh battery, and when combined with the 2800 mAh battery, the G5 has a total capacity of 4000 mAh, which is pretty good. The controls on the module include a shutter button, a button to switch to video recording, a zoom wheel and a button to launch the camera application. In addition, this attachment has an LED indicator and is equipped with intuitive autofocus and autoexposure locking functions.

LG Hi-Fi Plus is a plug-in audio module developed in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen for audiophiles and connoisseurs high-quality sound. The module is equipped with 32-bit digital-to-analog converter(DAC) that supports 384kHz/32-bit audio playback and oversampling technology. For comparison, the LG G5 has a 24-bit DAC.

The Hi-Fi Plus module with B&O Play player has its own audio jack with high priority for output, and therefore in its connected state standard port will not work for LG G5 headphones.

The attachment does not have its own battery, so it only works when connected to a new flagship from LG or another smartphone or even a computer as a Hi-Fi DAC chip. The module comes with a special plug and H3 B&O Play headphones.

LG 360 CAM

LG 360 CAM acts as a standalone 360-degree camera that connects to the LG G5 via Bluetooth. The camera has a 4 GB flash drive with expandable capacity MicroSD cards, 3 microphones, a 1200 mAh battery and two 13 MP cameras, which together form flat or spherical images with a resolution of 16 MP.

Each camera captures a 200-degree angle, and then they are combined into a full 360-degree image. LG 360 CAM supports 2K video recording with 5.1 surround sound. The removed material can be stored in internal memory camera or upload it to YouTube 360, Google Street View and smartphone. With LG G5 you can watch videos in real time,

LG 360 VR

LG 360 VR is a headset virtual reality with the ability to connect to LG G5 using only a cable USB Type-C. Unlike its competitors, the device from LG received a built-in display and this made the gadget lighter and more compact, and the folding design allows you to take it with you on a trip. The weight of this gadget is 118 grams.

The LG 360 VR headset features 1.88-inch adjustable lenses with a resolution of 960 x 720 and a pixel density of 639 ppi. According to the company, this design simulates a 130-inch TV in front of your eyes at a distance of two meters. The device has a headphone jack, which allows you not only to view the picture, but also to hear its sounds. You can also use your LG G5 smartphone to play audio while pairing it with the headset.

In addition, the 360 ​​VR comes with Home and Back buttons, but for more convenient control, it's better to use the new flagship device. Using the headset, you can watch 2D movies from your smartphone and content from YouTube services 360 and Google Cardboard.

LG Rolling Bot is a spherical robot with a little smaller size than a soccer ball designed for house and pet supervision. The bot's movement is carried out using two independently rotating hemispheres, which allows it to move in any direction. The robot contains an 8 MP camera, speakers, microphone and laser pointer, which, as you know, cats love to chase.

You can control Rolling Bot and view video in real time using a smartphone with installed special application. The bot is compatible with everyone mobile phones third party manufacturers, but according to statements from the south Korean company, owners of smartphones from LG will have a more advantage convenient management and configuration thanks to the proprietary LG Friends Manager application. Having used up the charge battery, the robot nurse will independently return to the charging point.

Cost of modules and others mobile devices The LG G5 & Friends line is not yet known.

• Be sure to evaluate the design of the new product by looking

Briefly about the first new products of MWC 2016, including the new flagship from the Korean company LG. Now let's look at the smartphone in a little more detail.

The gadget called LG G5 is interesting primarily because it does not at all look like a logical continuation of the line of flagship LG smartphones, although it is one.

The smartphone has received a significantly changed design compared to its predecessors: the lines of the G5 metal body have become smoother, and the notorious buttons The volumes from the rear panel have finally moved to where they belong - on the side.

In addition, the device has a modular design, which allows simple replacement batteries, the capacity of which, by the way, is 2800 mAh, and connecting one of two additional elements.

The bottom panel can be removed and replaced with CAM module Plus, which thanks own elements control will make it more convenient to use your smartphone as a camera. In addition, it has a separate battery, which significantly increases the “life” of the device.

Another module - LG Hi-Fi Plus - turns the smartphone into a full-fledged music player with 32-bit DAC and amplifier. It comes with H3 B&O Play headphones.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S7, the flagship from LG received the function Always-on, which even on a locked screen allows you to display current time and notifications. Working in this mode consumes only 0.8% of battery charge per hour, so regarding the intense discharge of the smartphone in in this case no need to worry.

LG G5 received a 5.3-inch IPS display with QHD resolution 2560×1440 pixels, which ultimately gives a pixel density of 554 ppi. The gadget works on the basis latest processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and equipped 4 GB RAM type LPDDR4, as well as 32 GB built-in memory. You can expand the storage capacity using a microSD card. Fortunately, there is a corresponding connector here.

On the back of the smartphone there is a fingerprint scanner and the real highlight of the device - two camera modules (16 and 8 MP), which ensure the creation of pictures with a wide coverage angle, containing large quantity objects.

Among the connectors, the LG G5 contains a standard 3.5 mm headphone input, as well as a port USB Type-C. The new product works on “fresh” Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

Interestingly, LG is positioning the flagship not only as a independent device, but also as part of a certain exsystem. Which? The answer is in the very strange unusual video below.

The device will be sold in silver, titanium, gold and pink flowers, however, when and for how long is still unknown. [The Verge]

LG presented its flagship smartphone this year's G5, about which almost everything was already known even before the announcement (by the way, we have a broadcast of the presentation with commentary). This is an Android 6.0 smartphone with a 5.3-inch screen (resolution 2560x1440), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, a 16-megapixel camera, with a duplicate 8-megapixel camera for taking wide-angle shots at 135 degrees (front 8 MP), 4 GB of RAM and a 2.8-megapixel battery Ah. The new product weighs 159 grams with dimensions 149x74x8 millimeters. From interesting features it has a USB-C connector, infrared port, technology support fast charging Quick Charge third generation. And permanent display time on the display even in sleep mode of the smartphone. LG promises that this useful feature will consume only 0.8% of battery energy per hour.

But the most interesting were rather the presented accessories, some of which support the concept modular smartphone(hello, project). All of them are called “friends” of LG G5 and work with the smartphone using special utility LG Friends Manager. This is a droid with an LG Rolling Bot camera (literally: a rolling robot, the laurels of Sphero BB-8 really haunt someone), LG 360 VR virtual reality glasses, a 360-degree camera LG 360 Cam, and also external battery with LG Cam Plus camera control keys and an external battery with a Hi-Fi player developed jointly with Bang&Olufsen LG Hi-Fi Plus.

LG Cam Plus and Hi-Fi Plus close-up:

It can be seen that the camera module has a battery capacity of 2.8 Ah. And it itself is designed for more convenient functions photo and video shooting (series of pictures, convenient focusing, hardware shutter button). Noteworthy is the mascot of the LG Friends line - a cat with glasses.

Another noteworthy new product: LG 360 VR virtual reality glasses. Unlike a virtual reality helmet, they weigh and take up less space. The headphones are cleverly built into the temples of the glasses.

Prices and delivery dates, unfortunately, have not been announced. We only know that there will be 4 color options for the case: silver, titanium, gold and (my favorite) pink. But no special surprises are expected here: the flagship has been entering the market with a price tag of 700-800 dollars for several years now. The fate of the accessories, no matter how beautiful they look at the presentation, will be unenviable (as always). Distributors will not purchase them due to high price(you don’t seriously think that they will cost 5 kopecks?) and a small number of LG G5 on hand. The lack of accessories on sale, in turn, will reduce the attractiveness of buying a flagship. In the end... we've all been through this more than once, in general. No, boy, just because you didn’t go through it doesn’t mean it will be any different this time.

Official promotional video of LG G5:

Today LG Electronics demonstrated for the first time new flagship Chinese smartphone LG G5. The flagship not only features a completely new design and retractable removable battery, but also has a modular architecture, which promises to provide absolutely new experience using a smartphone. The LG G5 smartphone, presented together with a collection of additional LG Friends devices, can transform into digital camera, Hi-Fi player and much more.

In thin metal case The new smartphone has an integrated retractable battery, which makes it easy to replace a dead battery with a fully charged one in a matter of seconds.

A lot of features are also related to the device’s camera: the main camera unit uses two sensors - one has optics with an angle of 78 degrees, and the other has 135 degrees. Therefore, the user can choose between normal mode and wide angle.

The smartphone has a 5.3-inch display with a special curved glass 3D Arc Glass. It supports the “Always – on Display” feature, which makes it much easier to view notifications, including time, date, etc. important information are displayed continuously, eliminating the need to activate the display.

But what makes the new flagship really interesting is its unusual modular design. Firstly, the user can easily change the device's battery by simply sliding it out of the case, but it can also be replaced with special LG Friends modules, turning into a digital camera, Hi-Fi player and other devices, while maintaining a monolithic body.

LG CAM Plus

LG CAM Plus is an original camera module that can be connected to a smartphone via the battery slot and provides convenient operation and control as on regular camera. Essentially, connected to the LG G5, it is a large battery grip and turns a smartphone into a camera with a comfortable grip and mechanical buttons for on/off, aperture, recording, and zoom. In addition, this module has intuitive autofocus and autoexposure locking features that are usually only available in desktop cameras. digital cameras. When connected to an LG G5 smartphone, the module increases the battery capacity by 1200 mAh.

LG Hi-Fi Plus player with B&O Play

LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY is an innovative Hi-Fi audio player, developed jointly with Bang & Olufsen specifically for lovers of sound that was previously only available in speaker systems high-end class. The LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY features a simple yet elegant design in iconic Scandinavian style and high-quality sound. In addition to the oversampling technology found in the 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC player in the previously announced LG V10, the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY supports audio playback high definition frequency 384 kHz/32 bit. LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY can be used as a module for the LG G5 smartphone or can be connected to any smartphone or computer as a Hi-Fi DAC chip.

LG has paid special attention to the camera of the device and placed two cameras on the back of the LG G5: one with a standard lens with a shooting angle of 78 degrees and the second with a wide-angle lens with a viewing angle of 135 degrees - the maximum of any smartphone available today. This allows you to photograph panoramic landscapes, tall buildings or groups of people without having to walk away. longer distance from the subject.

Wide range of related devices

With LG G5, the company introduces a revolutionary smartphone ecosystem - LG Playground. With this, LG aims to strengthen its relationships with various partners and introduces a variety of devices and supporting programs for maximum use sites.

Within the ecosystem, LG G5 is presented wide range additional devices called “LG Friends”, allowing you to enjoy new mobile experiences beyond those offered by traditional smartphones.

LG 360 VR

LG 360 VR is a virtual reality headset that works exclusively with the LG G5 smartphone to simulate viewing a 130-inch TV that is located two meters away from the viewer, and can be connected to it using special cable. Thanks to stylish design and the compact nature of these glasses, users can take them with them and enjoy virtual reality content anytime, anywhere. Unlike other virtual reality devices that require a smartphone to be inserted into it, the LG 360 VR weighs only 118g, which is approximately three times less than competing models, while still delivering a resolution of 639 ppi. The device supports the format of panoramic photos and videos taken using the LG 360 CAM camera, and is compatible with Google Cardboard content.

LG 360 CAM

LG Rolling Bot

The LG Rolling Bot is additional device, which rolls like a ball, while taking photos and videos using an 8MP camera. More than just a toy, the LG Rolling Bot can be used as a security system, pet-sitting tool, and remote control compatible with it household appliances. With an IP camera connected via Wi-Fi, users can remotely monitor their home through the system streaming on LG G5.

Main technical characteristics of LG G5

Chipset: Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 820 Display: 5.3 inches Quad HD IPS Quantum (2560 x 1440 / 554ppi) Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB) Camera: Main: Standard 16MP, wide-angle 8MP / Front: 8MP Battery: 2800mAh (removable ny ) OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow Size: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm Weight: 159 g Network support: LTE / 3G / 2G Network connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / USB Type-C / NFC / Bluetooth 4.2 Colors: Silver / Titanium / Gold / Pink