LG G5 and LG G5 SE smartphones are truly revolutionary "smart" mobile phones... They astonish with their modular design and astonish the imagination with a third digital camera mounted on the back of the case.

• Content
• Introduction
• Specifications
• Appearance
• Equipment
• Screen
• Camera
• Performance
• Communication capabilities
• conclusions

Introduction

“Don't have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends,” says a well-known proverb. Hardly in South Korea are well acquainted with Russian folk proverbs and sayings, but the appearance on the market of smartphones LG G5 and LG G5 SE makes us think otherwise. After all, the concept of new models lies in the possibility of adding so-called "friends" - modules that expand the functionality of a smartphone. But how many "friends" are needed for complete happiness, it is up to each user to decide individually. The rest - further in our review.

Specifications LG G5 and LG G5 SE

	Lg g5	LG G5 SE
Display	IPS Quantum, 5.3 ”, 2560 × 1440	IPS Quantum, 5.3 ”, 2560 × 1440
Chipset / Graphics	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 /	Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 /
RAM / ROM / Flash	4GB / 32GB / microSD	3GB / 32GB / microSD
Cameras	front: 8 Mp; rear: 16 MP + 8 MP	front: 8 Mp; rear: 16 MP + 8 MP
Communications	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, USB Type-C, NFC, IrDa	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, USB Type-C, NFC, IrDa
FM	+	+
Networks	2G, 3G, 4G	2G, 3G, 4G
Battery	2800 mAh	2800 mAh
OS		Android 6.0.1 + shell UX 5.0
SIM	SIM + SIM / microSD	SIM + SIM / microSD
Internet	WAP, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA	WAP, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA
Dimensions (edit)	149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm	149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm
Weight	159 g	156 g
Price (Yandex Market)	to the Russian market not officially supplied	RUB 42,990

Appearance

Compared to the LG G4, the LG G5 and LG G5 SE have a smaller display - 5.3 inches versus 5.5 inches. The matte metal case of the novelties is very stylish in appearance, and smooth in terms of tactile sensations. In comparison with the same LG G4, the corners of the novelty are rounded, so they do not cut into the palm. The case is called metallized because a plastic coating is applied to the metal base (anodized aluminum). By the way, he hardly collects fingerprints. The used 2.5D glass in reality shows us a smooth bend, and when you slide your finger down to trigger the operating system's notification curtain, you feel sheer pleasure. On the left side, we found a volume rocker. The right side carries a cover, under which a combined slot is hidden - with a tray for two places: one is designed for installing nanoSIM, and the other for installing either a second nanoSIM or a microSD memory card. The set includes a special key for the slot lock. The power button of the device has a built-in fingerprint scanner and is located on the back, right in the center. There are two cameras and an LED flash above the button with the scanner. We'll talk more about why the second rear camera was needed ... Of course, there is also a front camera, so there are three cameras in total for the LG G5 and LG G5 SE! The bottom end is equipped with an earpiece, microphone and (attention!) USB Type-C port. Another surprise "lies in wait" for the user in the form of an inconspicuous button in the lower left part of the case. If you press it, the battery pack will come out from the inside out. Accordingly, this module can be replaced by another by default. To date, there are several friends gadgets, but only 2 are inserted into the battery slot. These are LG Cam Plus - a module with an additional battery and mechanical camera control buttons, as well as LG Hi-Fi Plus - a module with a built-in digital-to-analog converter for audiophiles. The dimensions of the LG G5 and LG G5 SE are the same - 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm, but the latter is slightly lighter: 156 g versus 159 g.

This is the LG G5

This is the LG G5 SE

Equipment

The delivery set consists of a complete adapter, a USB Type A - USB Type C cable, a standard headset, paper documentation and the smartphone itself.

The photo shows the LG G5 model, which is not supplied to the Russian market, outwardly both modifications of the smartphone are absolutely identical

Screen

The heroes of our review have a 5.3-inch IPS-screen with 3D Arc curved glass and a really high resolution - 2560x1440 pixels. It is 0.2 inches smaller than the LG G4 screen. The pixel density is 554 ppi. Protection - Gorilla Glass 4. Screen, not words, good: with wide viewing angles, high contrast and rich color reproduction, but it lacks brightness. On a fine sunny day, this is felt especially strongly. Although there is a special "daylight mode" that automatically measures the light parameters and instantly increases or decreases the brightness of the display.

Camera

No words, the LG G5 and LG G5 SE surprised us with a third camera on the back. It is 8 megapixel. It features a 135 degree lens for a wide viewing angle. Thanks to this, during shooting, you can capture much more space in the frame - almost twice as much as conventional smartphones allow. This is especially valuable when traveling, when you want to photograph a solid architectural structure in its entirety, but there is no way to move away from it.

The only drawback is that the wide-angle lens produces perspective distortion. As for the front camera, it is 8-megapixel (f / 2.4 aperture), is equipped with a backlit screen and a "face enhancement" option for selfies. The main one is 16-megapixel with f / 1.8 aperture and is armed with laser autofocus, LED flash and optical stabilization. The focal length is 27.88mm (35mm full frame). Switching between cameras is easy - with one click on the corresponding icon on the screen in shooting mode.

Below you can familiarize yourself with the originals of photographs taken in various conditions by the cameras of the LG G5 and LG G5 SE, having made an impression of the photographic capabilities of the smartphone. Immediately, we note that the cameras of both versions of the smartphone are absolutely identical.

To view full-size photo, right-click and select "open image"

Sound

Of course, one of the highlights of the LG G5 and LG G5 SE is the removable LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY. That is, this Hi-Fi audio player was created in cooperation with the famous player in the audio market - Bang & Olufsen. So there is no doubt that the LG G5 and LG G5 SE will appeal to true connoisseurs of high-quality sound, because the 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC with oversampling technology (384 kHz / 32-bit) reproduces high-definition sound. As for the work of the main and spoken loudspeakers, we cannot make any claims to them - everything works perfectly. There is even an FM tuner with the ability to record broadcasts.

Performance

Inside the LG G5 is a powerful flagship chipset from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 820. This chipset is created using the 14nm FinFET process (transistors with a 3D structure) and contains two high-performance cores with a clock frequency of 2.2 GHz and two less powerful ones with a clock frequency of 1 , 6-1.7 GHz. The first kernels are useful for resource-intensive tasks or "heavy" toys, and the second - for less demanding processes. The picture is complemented by the Adreno 530 graphics controller with support for OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 2.0 and API Vulcan; Spectra IPS-processor for image processing; digital signal processor Hexagon 680 DSP and X12 LTE modem. The manufacturer claims that the Snapdragon 820 is twice as fast and energy efficient as the Snapdragon 810. There is a lot of RAM - 4 GB. The built-in memory is even in abundance - 32 GB. If there is not enough, then insert a microSD memory card into the slot and forget about the lack of space, filling the flash space with music, movies, photos, games and other content. Even the most demanding games will start and fly on the LG G5. Many open applications are also not a problem - the smartphone does not "freeze" from this. As for the LG G5 SE, here the hardware "filling" is a little simpler: 8-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor (4 ARM Cortex-A72 cores (1.8 GHz) + 4 ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.4 GHz) ), as well as 3 GB of RAM.The graphics subsystem is also slightly weaker - Adreno 510. But the results of our tests: In the Geekbench 3.4.1 benchmark, the result for one working core of the LG G5 was 2270 points, and for all four - 5281 points.

But in the 3DMark Sling Shot benchmark, using OpenGL ES 3.1, we got a result of 1988 points, which means literally the following - this smartphone is one of the most productive in 3D graphics in the world at this moment... The same was shown by the test in Ice Storm Unlimited, where the smartphone scored 28964 points.

We were also frankly pleased with the results of average FPS measurements at a resolution of 2392x1440 - 57.9 in the "high quality" mode, 55.7 in the "ultra high quality" mode and 59.0 in the "high performance" mode. On such a smartphone, you can safely launch all modern three-dimensional toys: they will start without lags and other "tricks".

Comparative tests for LG G5 SE are presented below. The performance of the LG G5 SE is expectedly lower compared to the LG G5, but overall it looks very decent.

Software and autonomy

Smartphones come to their owners with a pre-installed Android 6.0.1 operating system. Of course, all fans of the South Korean giant's mobile products know that in addition to Android, they will have a proprietary shell. This time it's Optimus UX 5.0. Among the innovations, we note the rejection of a separate application menu. In the LG G5 and LG G5 SE, applications are installed directly to the desktop, which is similar to the iPhone. There is now an option to manually adjust the grid for placing applications on desktops: you can choose from three sizes: 4x4, 4x5 or 5x5. Even in the proprietary shell, you will no longer find annoying smart notifications. And the notification curtain itself "brightened". The developer was not too lazy and even redrawn the icons. True, now it is impossible to delete or add icons to the panel quick access... But the Always On Display function remained. Information about notifications, date and time is constantly displayed on the screen, and you do not have to activate the display every time. Battery installed decent capacity- 2800 mAh. In the economy mode, both models will last for a whole day. We note the possibility of fast charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 - charging from 0 to 100% in just one hour in the case of using an authentic charger.

Communication capabilities

LG G5 and LG G5 SE support work with one or two SIM-cards in GSM networks/ GPRS / Edge, UMTS / HSDPA + and LTE Cat.12. You can access the Internet using a dual-band WiFi module a / b / g / n / ac / ad. There is also a Bluetooth 4.2 module. It is impossible not to mention NFC with an infrared port, the latter allows you to use the smartphone as a universal remote control for household appliances. But the smartphone is connected to a personal computer not through a MicroUSB port, but through a modern and high-speed USB Type-C. And every day it becomes easier to find such a port in modern computers. Supported navigation in GPS (A-GPS), BeiDou and domestic satellite navigation system GLONASS. Finding satellites occurs in a matter of seconds. Many different sensors: accelerometer, proximity, gyroscope, light, compass, magnetic, fingerprint sensor.

conclusions

What can be said in the end? If someone complains about expensive modules for LG G5 and LG G5 SE, then you don't have to buy them. But it's nice to know that you have the possibility of upgrading mobile device your choice: you can improve the audio block, or you can improve the "camera" part of your smartphone. However, it is not only the modular design and support of "friends" that make the new items stand out. These models also have a third camera for wider capture of the surrounding world in the frame. In general, cameras are the strong point of smartphones. The hardware "stuffing" is beyond praise - efficient chipsets are installed here and a lot random access memory(3 or 4 GB). A plus will go to fast battery charging and support for MicroSD. However, there is also the other side of the coin. So, the presence of a removable module still affects the strength of the structure at the place where the module is attached. The brightness of the display, in our opinion, is insufficient, although it saves battery power. But in general, the LG G5 and LG G5 SE are truly innovative smartphones that are oya tons of their money.

We honor these smartphones with the Editors' Choice Medal for the combination of quality, innovation and superior design.

Characteristics LG G5 SE

• Body materials: plastic, metal, glass
• Operating system: Android 6.0, LG UX 5.0
• Network: GSM / EDGE, WCDMA, LTE (nanoSIM)
• Screen: IPS LCD, 5.3 ”, capacitive, 2560x1440 pixels (QuadHD), 554 ppi, automatic backlight adjustment, Gorilla Glass 4
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM8992)
• Processor: Quad-core 1.2 GHz (Cortex-A53) and dual-core 1.8 GHz (Cortex-A72)
• Graphics system: Adreno 510
• RAM: 3 GB
• Memory for data storage: 32 GB, slot for memory card microSD
• Main camera: 16 MP, f / 1.8 and 8 MP, f / 2.4 (wide-angle), laser focusing, optical image stabilization on three axes (OIS), LED flash
• Front camera: 8 MP, f / 2.0
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a / b / g / n / ac) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE, Apt-X), USB Type-C (USB 2.0) for charge / synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset , NFC, infrared
• Navigation: GPS / Glonass (A-GPS support)
• Extras: FM radio, fingerprint scanner, fast charging (Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0), Always-on display technology
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, barometer
• Battery: removable, Li-Ion, 2800 mAh
• Dimensions: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.3 mm
• Weight: 156 grams

South Korean LG is one of the few companies on the smartphone manufacturer market who is not afraid to experiment in the upper price segment, in other words, constantly inventing something new for their flagships. Usually, the situation is the opposite - companies try to keep top-end devices identical to each other for as long as possible, tightening up the characteristics and occasionally refreshing the design. There are plenty of examples - from Apple, Samsung and HTC to the most striking - Sony, where the design of devices in the upper price range has remained almost unchanged since the Xperia Z1, released in 2013.

For LG, flagships are a field of experimentation. In the LG G2 smartphone, the company tested a solution with control buttons located on the "back" of the case, and made the thinnest possible frames. The LG G3 chose the way of increasing the diagonal of the screen for the flagship (5.5 "versus 5.2" in the LG G2), redesigned the camera and decided to "play" with the metallized plastic texture, giving the smartphone a more expensive look. The next flagship - LG G4 - was in many ways an improved version of G3, but it completely changed its appearance: they abandoned plastic "like metal", came up with replaceable covers made of genuine leather, made a display slightly curved inward to protect it from damage when dropped. To my taste, in terms of design and ergonomics, the LG G4 was not a role model, otherwise it turned out to be comparable with competitors, but in one aspect it was ahead of literally everyone - as a photo. This smartphone still takes the best photos in low light conditions and at night (we are not talking about the speed of photographing, but about the quality), surpassing in this respect and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, and Apple devices.

The next flagship - LG G5 - again became an object for experiments. The company completely redesigned the design again, moved some of the keys from the "back" to the ends, added a scanner, came up with a system of replaceable modules and a slightly simplified version of the device - LG G5 SE on a simpler platform. The rest of the devices are identical. In this review, I will tell you about all the features of the LG G5 using a simplified version - LG G5 SE as an example. Go.

Design

There are practically no external similarities between LG G4 and LG G5, the company has once again "sorted out" the design. The smartphone turned out to be more strict and, at the same time, simpler and more calm than its predecessor. For some, the lack of bright details is a plus. For some, it's a minus, it's a matter of personal preference.

Eye-catching bezel with a curved top protective glass, a module of two cameras on the reverse side, as well as the bottom end with a system of replaceable modules, but in general, the new LG G5 looks simple. Perhaps this is the case when I have nothing special to write about the design, it is so simple here.

The smartphone is available in four colors: silver, gold, pink and gray. In any variation, these are shades of the indicated colors, the body remains approximately monotonous and dim. This, again, someone will like it, someone will not.

Body materials

There is an interesting feature associated with the materials in the LG G5 SE. The fact is that at all presentations and on the official website, the device is called a smartphone in metal case... At the same time, when you take the device in your hands, the metal is not felt at all. Moreover, if the smartphone accidentally gets scratched or falls and gets chipped, then you will most likely see characteristic traces of peeled paint and plastic underneath on the reverse side. And yet - the body is really made of metal.

I don't know what LG decided to use for this decision, there is no visible benefit from it, but what is, that is. The base of the case in the LG G5 SE is made of aluminum, in particular, the entire "tray" in which the electronic filling is located, and the ribs. However, from the outside, the body is covered with a thick layer of plastic, on top of which a metal-like coating is applied. This explains the fact that if you take scissors and scrape on the lid, then, after erasing the primary layer, you will most likely decide that the case is made of plastic. To get to the base made of metal, you literally need to dig out several layers of the lid.

Painted plastic on top of metal causes another problem (besides the lack of the feeling of having an expensive device in hand). Along the edge of the case there is a color "chrome", and in these places the paint begins to peel off the fastest, so that after a month or two, plastic gaps will appear on the device. It is not very noticeable if you do not pay attention, but it is still unpleasant.

The front panel is curved in a special way Gorilla Glass 4. Unlike the now fashionable 2.5D glass, in the LG G5 it bends at the top, creating a smooth platform for easy calling of the notification curtain. When you need to open it, the finger does not cling to the end, but slides down comfortably. The solution turned out to be not only beautiful (like simple glass with 2.5D effect), but also useful from a practical point of view.

Assembly

There are almost no complaints about the assembly of the device. Except for the lower replacement element created for installing modules. When you take the device out of the box and just use it - no problem, the base module with the battery sits securely in its place, there is no backlash, and so on. But judging by the samples of LG G5 SE, which have been in use for more than one month, after a while and after frequent replacement of modules, the mount may become loose. To paraphrase it, it may be loose, or maybe not, everything will depend on specific use cases, the frequency of changing modules and other things.

Dimensions (edit)

The size of the new LG G5 is almost the same as last year's model. Due to its smooth curves and rounded edges, the device fits comfortably in the hand, it is comfortable to hold and use it. At the same time, calling the smartphone small, of course, will not work. With a diagonal of 5.3 "", the device, to put it mildly, is not a record holder in size and is comparable to models where the diagonals are higher - 5.5 "".

• Apple iPhone 6S Plus(5.5 "") - 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, 192 grams
• Lg g5(5.5 "") - 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.3mm, 156g
• Lg g4(5.5 "") - 148.9 x 76.1 x 9.8 mm, 155 grams
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge(5.5 ") - 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, 157 grams
• HTC 10(5.2 "") - 145.9 x 71.9 x 9 mm, 161 grams

A year ago, I would have focused more seriously on the dimensions of a smartphone, but, in my opinion, 5.5 ”devices have become commonplace now, and any model that fits within the framework of popular devices of this category is perceived normally.

Compared to Galaxy S7 Edge

Compared to Huawei P9

Control elements

Here I want to grumble a little. Experiments are good, but I think there should be some limit, some things, points that, once adopted and promoted, should not be changed after a short period of time. Yes, I'm talking about the controls, specifically the power and volume keys. It would seem a trifle, but I don't think so. With the LG G2 smartphone, the company began to promote the idea of ​​a key block on the back of the smartphone. Three buttons were located on the back of the device in the upper area, near the main camera. Unusual, but generally comfortable, and the company put the right accents in promoting this idea. Then there were the LG G3 and LG G4, as well as intermediate models (like the LG V10) with the same key layout logic.

And here comes the LG G5. The volume buttons are on the left edge, the power button is on the back and is combined with a fingerprint scanner. Is there any logic here, a general principle? To be honest, I don't see. Yes, I personally quickly got used to that arrangement, but the approach itself is embarrassing, because the entire block of buttons on the back of the device was a great idea.

There are three ways to unlock your smartphone (turn on the screen) - by pressing the power key on the back of the device, double tap on the display surface, or by touching the power button (fingerprint scanner on it). At the same time, the third method is convenient in that you do not need to press the power button (as in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, for example, where you need to press the Home key), you just need to touch it.

The scanner allows you to save up to five prints, it works quickly and accurately, I did not have any complaints about this element for a month of using the device (unlike the scanner in the Samsung Galaxy S Edge, which for some reason "dulls" for me).

Like other smartphones from the company, there is a gesture system here:

• Automatically answer a call when you bring your smartphone to your ear (even if a Bluetooth headset is connected to the device)
• Muting the ringtone volume when you lift the smartphone from the surface of a table, shelf or something else
• Switch to silent mode during an incoming call when you flip your smartphone
• Stop the alarm or turn it back on when you flip your smartphone
• Pause video playback when you flip your smartphone

Now about the location of the elements and connectors. On the top there is an infrared port, an additional microphone and a 3.5 mm mini-jack. At the bottom is USB Type-C, main microphone and speaker.

On the front side, in the upper part, there is an earpiece, light and proximity sensors, as well as a light indicator and an 8 MP front camera peephole. A tray for two nanoSIM cards or one nanoSIM card and a memory card is located on the right edge.

Screen

The LG G5 has a 5.3 "" screen based on an IPS-matrix (IPS Quantum). Display resolution - 2560x1440 pixels (554 ppi). In terms of characteristics, the screen resembles that of the LG G4 - that is, it is good. There is a margin of brightness, the viewing angles are maximum. Even if you tilt the screen diagonally, there will be absolutely no picture distortion in color or brightness. The automatic screen backlight sometimes works to save battery power, that is, it sets the backlight level below the one you want to see, but during the day its work is quite correct. The color temperature is adjusted well, in my opinion, and of the shortcomings, I will only note the impossibility to change it.

The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass 4 protective glass and has a high-quality oleophobic coating, so that few prints and traces that appear on the display can be easily removed.

Like Samsung's flagships, LG G5 supports Always-on technology, when a certain helpful information... In the G5, the display can display the time, date and line of new notifications (system), as well as some arbitrary signature.

Again, like Samsung, LG notes the extremely low power consumption of this thing, but, like Samsung, if the battery life is important to you, it's better to forget about Always-on. And although Samsung uses a more effective AMOLED screen for such a scenario, and here it is IPS, I turned off the option both there and there (in the S7 Edge and in the G5 SE).

Camera

There are two main cameras in the LG G5 - one with a resolution of 16 MP, f / 1.8 aperture, a color spectrum sensor, a three-axis optical stabilization system (OIS) and a laser focusing system. The second is wide-angle, with a resolution of 8 MP and an aperture of f / 2.4.

The idea is that for the usual scenarios you use a 16-megapixel camera, but if you need to take a photo covering as much space as possible (a shared photo at a party, some kind of beautiful landscape, and so on) - switch to a wide-angle camera.

You might think that this is such a publicity stunt and in fact the cameras in the LG G5 do not differ too much from the shooting angle, but this is not so. The second camera is really wide-angle and allows you to get several times more information in the frame than the main one. This is how it looks in reality:

Main camera (16 MP)	Wide-angle camera (8MP)

The quality of the photo from the wide-angle camera is worse than from the main one, but for my tasks, it seems to me, it is quite sufficient. You will hardly use it all the time. Therefore, let's talk about the main camera.

As in the LG G4, the main camera module is equipped with an optical stabilization system and laser focusing. The focusing speed of the G5 is about the same as the LG G4. The quality of the photos on the first firmware, to be honest, is not as high as I expected, although good in general. But now the company is preparing new firmware, and with each new camera it will improve, so progress can be expected in this regard.

Below is a small comparison of cameras in LG G4 and LG G5:

Lg g4	Lg g5

In my opinion, in the daytime the devices shoot about the same, in the conditions of a lack of illumination the LG G4 looks stronger.

Now let's take a look at comparative examples of shots at night, there will already be three devices: LG G4, LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

Lg g4	Lg g5	Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

Here I would distribute the devices as follows: the best quality and closest to reality picture is provided by LG G4, I believe that this smartphone is still out of competition when it comes to shooting at night, there are simply no better devices yet. In second place is the LG G5 - the picture is not so sharp and natural, but in general it is still close to what you actually see with your own eyes. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is the latter - yes, the smartphone shoots instantly even at night, against its background both LG G4 and LG G5 focus eternity, but the pictures themselves on the S7 Edge are too artificial: oversharp, overstretched exposure, everything looks not like that in the photos, as in fact.

Examples of photos in good weather

Now briefly about the interface. Like the LG G4, there are three shooting modes (for both cameras): Easy, Basic, and Manual. The first one is simple, there are no elements and information on the screen at all, you just touch the screen at any point, and the smartphone takes a photo.

The second is basic, with all settings displayed. In this case, you need to press a key to take a picture, here you can also change various parameters, from the resolution of the picture to the shooting mode.

Finally, the third and most important mode is manual. In this mode, you can shoot with automatic settings, but with the creation of two files at once: RAW (DNG extension) and JPEG, as well as in a completely manual mode. In the second case, you can adjust the white balance, exposure value (from +2 to -2), shutter speed (from 1/3200 to 30 seconds), ISO (from 50 to 3200) and adjust the focal length. In a word, this is a full-fledged manual mode, as detailed as it may be required now in a smartphone camera.

Shooting with the LG G5 in manual mode is a different story. Even taking into account the fact that the first firmware does not reveal the potential of the camera (I am sure they will fix this in the future), the manual mode allows you to take cool shots in a variety of situations and conditions. Perhaps someday I will make a separate material with examples of pictures on the LG G5 SE in manual mode.

If we compare the cameras in the LG G4 and LG G5, the main difference comes down to the appearance of an additional wide-angle module. Small differences in automatic mode is, but, in general, in good conditions G4 and G5 give comparable results. At night, the G4 still shoots better, but I hope that in future firmwares this moment will be corrected and the G5 will become better.

Video... The maximum recording quality is UltraHD (3840x2160 pixels), standard is FullHD (1920x1080), in addition to recording at 30 or 60 frames per second, there is recording at up to 120 fps. In the video recording mode, tracking autofocus works. The quality of the recorded video is good, however, you can evaluate the sample videos yourself.

Front-camera... The front camera with a resolution of 8 MP and aperture of f / 2.0 allows you to take good shots, but nothing more. To be honest, I expected much more from the front camera in the LG G5. As in its time and from the camera in the G4. During the day on a sunny day, the quality can be called acceptable; when conditions deteriorate or in the dark, the photos turn into "soap" with very noticeable post-processing.

Lg g4	Lg g5

Autonomous work

The LG G5 SE has a removable Li-Ion battery capacity of 2800 mAh, slightly weaker than what was used in the LG G3 and G4.

My sample LG G5 SE worked on average until the evening, discharging completely by 17-18 hours at heavy load(for example - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge in this mode lasts about 20 hours, but external battery still have to use). The difference in operating time under normal conditions between the LG G5 SE and last year's LG G4 is within the margin of error, with active use both smartphones sit down in the evening, with moderate work a full day.

I can't say that everything is fine, I personally expected progress from the new flagship just in terms of battery life, because the LG G4 was by no means a record holder in this regard, but, alas, there is no progress here. Like other manufacturers, unfortunately, they are in no hurry to move in this direction so far.

In the power settings, you can turn on the "power saving" mode when the charge level drops below 5 or below 15 percent. In this mode, the brightness is reduced, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, vibration, auto-sync services and a light indicator are turned off.

Platform, memory

The smartphone is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (MSM 8976) platform with an eight-core processor: four Cortex-A72 cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores with a frequency of 1.2 GHz. Graphics system (GPU) - Adreno 510. The device has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of built-in memory, as well as a slot for a microSD memory card. Actually, this is, in fact, the only thing that distinguishes the "stripped-down" LG G5 SE from the flagship LG G5 - the platform. The flagship runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, has Adreno 530 graphics and 4 GB of "RAM" on board.

If in the case of the LG G4 the company simply opted for a non-top platform for a number of reasons, then for the LG G5 they made two versions - the regular G5 and the slightly simplified G5 SE. It is the latest model that is available in Russia, and the Snapdragon 652 platform in it provides a good level of performance, although it is inferior to other flagships on top platforms in synthetic tests.

Interfaces

The smartphone works in GSM, HSDPA and LTE networks. For LTE, there is support for all common bands and frequencies; in Russian fourth-generation networks, the device works without problems. The smartphone has one radio module and two slots for SIM cards.

USB... A complete USB Type-C cable is used to synchronize with a PC and transfer data. USB 2.0 interface (LG G5 - USB 3.0). The standards USB-OTG and USB-Host are supported - you can connect to a smartphone via an adapter of a flash drive and other storage devices, for example, a camera to transfer pictures from it to the device's memory.

Bluetooth... Built-in Bluetooth 4.2 module with support for A2DP, LE (low energy) and Apt-X profiles.

Wi-Fi (802.11а / ac / b / g / n)... The LG G5 SE uses a dual-band Wi-Fi module, this interface works flawlessly. Like any other modern Android smartphone, the G5 SE supports the sharing function. mobile internet via Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi router), as well as DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct standards.

NFC. Standard interface for any flagship based on Android since 2013, there is also the LG G5 SE. It can be turned on and off in the settings, in the menu “ General access and connection ".

Navigation

The smartphone supports GPS / A-GPS and Glonass; it takes a minimum amount of time to search for satellites. There is no special navigation software in Android smartphones, and manufacturers usually limit themselves to the pre-installed Google Maps, LG G4 is no exception in this sense.

Software features and software

The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 with a proprietary LG UX 5.0 interface. Most of the settings and the shell as a whole have remained practically unchanged compared to the UX 4.0 in the LG G4. Of course, outwardly, the new interface has become even smoother, neat and calm in design.

One of the innovations of the fifth version of LG UX is that now the application icons are located on the desktop, and the application menu is no longer there, that is, the company has switched to the interface logic "like in iOS". Importantly, if you wish, you can switch to the usual interface display mode with a separate application menu, as it was before.

For the rest - familiar interface and a set of programs that have hardly changed in comparison with the LG G4.

Lock screen... The lock screen displays new notifications and the time in one line, while a number of shortcuts are available in the lower area for quick access to applications. The set of shortcuts can be changed in the settings, and it will not necessarily be the same as the shortcuts in the lower panel on the desktop.

What saddened me most about the LG G3 and G4 was the strange and illogical system of switching from notifications on the lock screen to the apps that generated them. For example, I receive a notification about a new message in Telegram or WhatsApp, I click on it to open the program, but before I get into the program, I need to swipe again to unlock the screen. Believe it or not, the LG G5 has this system back in place! And this despite the fact that in Android 6.0, to switch from the notification card on the lock screen to the notification itself, you just need to tap the card twice and that's it. There are no words.

Preinstalled software... The smartphone has a convenient file manager with the ability to view files by category or in a shared storage, search and sort by criteria. A weather app with animated graphics if not launched as a widget. Calculator, voice recorder, radio - all these programs are made in the same graphic style as the rest of the interface.

QuickMemo + lets you create text or handwritten notes.

Like the LG G4, it has a clock and weather widget with a Smart Notice notification bar attached to it. The idea is simple - in the form of short notifications to remind the user of important things: changing weather, calendar events, missed notifications, and so on. True, the Smart Notice functionality is still limited to literally several types of notifications: weather and new events, as well as tips.

The LG G5 SE has a service called LG Health, which calculates the distance traveled, the number of steps and the calories burned.

Replaceable modules

The main feature of the LG G5 and LG G5 SE is replaceable modules. The lower block can be removed, and instead of it you can install a special module that expands the capabilities of the device. The base module with a battery can be considered standard, in addition, there are two more - with an amplifier for better music quality and with camera control keys (and an additional battery inside).

This is how beautiful a smartphone looks with a removed module!

Now a little more detail.

The first module is a massive block with camera control keys: a shooting button, a zoom wheel and a few more elements. It also has an additional battery built into it. It looks something like this:

The second module - with a separate DAC, branded by Bang and Olufsen, is needed in order to get better sound on the smartphone. As in the case of the first module, this one increases the dimensions of the smartphone, albeit not so much.

The very idea of ​​modules is interesting and I personally like it, but so far its implementation raises a lot of questions, from the very beginning to specific modules. Why is it necessary to remove the battery to replace the module, thereby interrupting the operation of the smartphone? If I want to connect to important point module for the camera, then for half a minute I will simply have to remain without a working device, this is inconvenient. The modules themselves are large. Why make a camera module so massive? How useful is it at all? It's the same with the sound module. Finally, why did the company manage to prepare only two modules by the start of sales of the flagship? Weren't there any ideas? Honestly, I can't believe it.

Conclusion

For almost a month of using the LG G5 SE, I had no complaints about the quality of signal reception. The volume of the ringing loudspeaker is slightly above average, one loudspeaker is used. In most situations, you can hear it well if you set the volume to maximum. The volume of the earpiece is also at a good level, there is a small volume margin for conversations in noisy rooms. The vibration alert is average in strength.

The official cost of the LG G5 SE in Russia is 50,000 rubles (49,990), that is, comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S7, Sony Xperia X Performance, HTC 10 and other flagships. Each of the listed smartphones has its own strengths and weaknesses, of course, like the LG G5 SE. My main complaint about the new LG smartphone comes down to one thing - it turned out to be vague. The company went too far into experiments, came up with plug-in modules, but never developed this idea fully enough (two modules for a release are not serious). Perhaps, new modules will appear, but so far everything is like this. In the LG G4 there was an emphasis on replaceable leather covers, a cool camera, in the LG G3 - on a high screen resolution, in the LG G2 - on thin frames and compact dimensions. I used each of these devices as the main one for more than six months, which is a tangible period for a person who has the ability to change a smartphone literally once a week. I liked the “pipes” from LG precisely for their completeness. For my taste, this is exactly what the LG G5 SE lacks. There is a good screen, moderate dimensions, performance sufficient for work (although in SE tests it is inferior to all flagships on top platforms), comparable to competitors' operating time, a very high-quality main camera, comparable to LG G4 and Samsung Galaxy S7, as well as an additional wide-angle camera for different situations, which other manufacturers do not yet have. But still something is missing from this smartphone. Perhaps I waited too much for the neat work to improve the LG G4 in the new flagship, but I got a completely different device, and this is where my conclusions are connected. Do not know.

History repeats itself again: the LG G5 smartphone was released some two months ago, but its price, as in the case of its predecessor, is rapidly falling. Today it can be found much cheaper, so we decided to take a closer look at the new flagship of the Korean manufacturer. Will he be able to become a leader in terms of price / quality ratio?

To buy the LG G5, you should choose the right moment. The smartphone entered the market with a suggested price of 699 euros, but in mid-June it dropped to 399 euros. True, now in Europe the price has been raised again, for the LG G5 you will have to pay from 460 euros. But a new price cut is surely not far off. In Russia, the LG G5 H850 has not yet appeared ().

LG has decided to rely on three advantages with its new smartphone: a new design, an updated display and, of course, the Magic Slot.

The G5's display is partly better

The screen is interesting not only with a smaller diagonal of 5.3 inches instead of 5.5 ", but also with the Always-On function. As in the case of Samsung, the display, even when turned off, displays important information, which allows you to see, for example, the time at a glance. and missed calls. ”Technically, the solution is quite interesting, as LG implemented it on the basis of an IPS panel, although an OLED panel would be better suited here, but the G5 has only one segment of the display that is highlighted on which information is displayed, which minimizes power consumption.

There are other differences compared to the G4. The maximum brightness of 404 cd / m² is not the highest, but the G5 offers a fairly high contrast ratio of 2.030: 1. Color temperature has improved in theory, but in practice it doesn't really matter. We get 8.700 K instead of 9.500 K before, the colors still get a bluish tint.

The same goes for detailing. LG has not changed the resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, the density has reached 554 ppi, but there is not much difference.

Snapdragon 820 in G5 is not working at full capacity

The two clusters, each with two Kryo cores, run at a maximum frequency of 1.6 GHz and 2.15 GHz, and are complemented by the GPU Adreno 530. The 4GB memory complies with the LPDDR4 standard.

In tests, the G5 performed as expected. We got about 63.000 and 117.000 points in AnTuTu 5 and 6, 29.300 and 1.900 points in 3DMark (Ice Storm Unlimited / Slingshot), which allowed the smartphone to take the lead. The CPU performance in Geekbench 3 was 2,200 and 5,100 points (Single / Multi), in GFXBench 3 the GPU performance was 46 and 83 fps in the Manhattan and T-Rex Offscreen tests.

The LG G5 appears to be powerful in our benchmarks, but the SoC doesn’t hold up for a long time. As in the case of HTC, the smartphone does not have time to dissipate the accumulated heat of the Snapdragon 820 under load; the backdrop heats up to 45 ° C. In order not to overheat, the SoC has to reset the clock frequencies: both clusters cannot withstand peak frequencies for a long time.

However, no performance drops are noticeable in everyday work. Despite throttling, even demanding apps run smoothly.

Telephony

The Snapdragon 820 smartphone is among the leaders not only in computing performance, but also in the X12 modem. It supports the latest 3G and 4G standards and also provides high speeds transmission. However, everything here all the same rests on the deployed networks. In any case, the G5 can handle download speeds up to 450 Mbps and upload speeds up to 50 Mbps. In 3G networks, we get the usual level of 42.2 Mbps.

The smartphone will not disappoint even in conditions of poor signal reception, in our tests we did not encounter spontaneous data disconnections or frequent switching from 4G to 3G networks. During telephone conversations the smartphone benefits from good voice quality as well as effective noise cancellation. The speaker on the front side gives high quality sound. The second speaker, which is used for hands-free communication, pleased less, it would not be prevented by more powerful mid and low frequencies. Distortion also started to appear at volume levels above 65%.

The rest of the interfaces are well implemented. As you would expect from this price point, there is support for 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2 and NFC. The LG G5 remains one of the last modern smartphones with IR emitter support. In Europe, LG supplies mainly the G5 version with one SIM card, but in Russia, models with two SIM cards are common. 32GB of internal storage can be expanded via a micro-SD card, but at the expense of a second SIM card. Connects to the smartphone for data transfer / charging modern cable USB Type-C, but in old version USB 2.0.

LG moved the fingerprint sensor to the back of the case. Its support depends entirely on the software implementation of Google - with its advantages and disadvantages. The fingerprint detection speed is high, there were no problems in the work. But you have to be careful not to put too much pressure on the sensor with your finger. Otherwise, the display may turn off immediately after unlocking, since the sensor also serves to enter standby mode.

Magic slot

Magic Slot does not mean any external port, but the ability to integrate modules - so far only two are available. LG chose the name based on the technical connection between the smartphone and the module. A Cam Plus grip with a separate shutter button and a 1,200 mAh battery is available, as well as an audio module with a Bang & Olufsen DAC.

The first module will cost 100 euros in Europe or 4.990 rubles in Russia, the second - 150 euros in Europe or 9.990 rubles in Russia. In practice, the camera module seems to be more valuable, and even then thanks to the additional battery. But here, too, an external battery (Power Bank) will become a less expensive option.

LG G5 modular smartphone

Main functions of LG G5

5.3 inch IPS QHD screen
Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM
32GB internal storage and microSD slot
2,800mAh battery
USB Type C port version 3.0
The fingerprint scanner
16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera
Additional 8MP wide-angle rear camera
Android Marshmallow platform with proprietary LG UX 5.0 software shell

LG's flagships have been my favorite phones for the past few years. They manage to combine great features and tons of features at an attractive price. Previous LG phones in the G line have been improved every year, so no one expected big surprises, but only until now. The LG G5, announced at MWC 2016 in Barcelona, ​​is a complete reinvention, so to speak, that has made the G5 one of the most innovative phones I've seen in recent memory.

5 things to know about the LG G5

1. The flagship has a modular design

In addition to the fact that the LG G5 comes with a removable battery and a metal microSD card slot, it can also change its shape.

At the Barcelona mobile trade show, LG announced two dockable modules, the LG Cam Plus and the LG Hi-Fi Plus, which have connectors on the bottom of the G5. Modules provide additional functionality.

2.The LG G5 has three cameras

We're used to the fact that smartphones tend to come with front and rear cameras, but in the LG G5, the manufacturer added a third camera to the rear, which is not designed for high performance in low light. With a 135-degree lens, the third camera provides a wide viewing angle. The G5 was the first smartphone to capture even more space in the frame.

3. USB cable Type C included as standard

While the USB-C cable has yet to dominate the premium smartphone market, LG is betting on it.

The USB version is 3.0, which means that unlike the OnePlus 2, which only has USB-C version 2.0, the LG G5 supports fast charging and fast data transfer. However, if you look at it from the other side, it does not support wireless charging.

4. Powerful hardware

The LG G5 is the first smartphone from the largest manufacturer to come with the fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4GB of RAM for faster, faster performance.

5. The G5 has good Friends

LG Announces Three G5 Friends At The Show

The first of these was the helmet virtual reality 360 VR, the second is the 360 ​​Cam spherical camera. The third "friend" was a "smart" robot, similar to BB-8, known as the Rolling Bot. All devices are connected via wireless to LG G5 via LG Friends Manager app.

LG G5 FAQ

- The LG G5 will hit the "largest markets" in early April.

The price of the LG G5 phone? - The price of the LG G5 has not yet been announced, but there is speculation that it will not differ from the G4.

? - The LG G5 will be available in four colors: silver, titanium (dark gray), pink and gold.

LG G5 design

The first thing that struck me was how much the LG G5 resembles the Nexus 5X. But this was to be expected, since both smartphones were created by the same manufacturer. The G5 is smooth to the touch. The body is metal, however, it seems that this is something new, different.

Probably, LG has a "secret recipe" for creating such a metal, because it does not need dividers for antennas on the back cover, which on this moment all metal telephones are equipped. LG uses "microdizing" technology, but the company did not release details.

Regardless of how it's done, the LG G5's body looks sleek and stylish. A smooth curve at the top of the screen adds a certain charm to the smartphone, otherwise the newfangled flagship will look like any other Android phone with a flat screen.

The volume swing has moved from the back cover to the left side, while LG has managed to keep the lines flat.

The power button is located in the center and is necessarily equipped with a built-in fingerprint scanner, which means that the company is catching up with its competitors. Many manufacturers have been equipping their flagships with sensors for a long time, but LG began to include them in their smartphones relatively recently.

I've always been a fan of the buttons and fingerprint sensors on the back of the case - this is exactly where your index finger is when you pull your phone out of your pocket. Perhaps for this simple reason, other manufacturers have followed LG's lead.

There are two rear cameras located just above the power button. One camera sits higher than the other, making the phone easy to slide in and out of your pocket.

At the bottom of the smartphone is the biggest surprise. A barely noticeable button at the end pushes the battery out of the case and allows you to replace it with another module.

LG G5 - Modules

Google Project Ara promised to create a modular phone, but LG was the first large manufacturer who was able to do it. At the moment, the company has presented two modules.

The LG Cam Plus module expands the battery capacity from 2,800mAh to 4,000mAh. But that's not all. He has special buttons video recording, zoom. The module allows you to hold the LG G5 with one hand while shooting.

Audio is another area that LG has focused on. The LG G5 is the first smartphone to feature aptX-HD technology. aptX is a codec that preserves details when streaming audio over Bluetooth. АptX-HD increases bit depth up to 24 bits. The 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the LG G5 supports 24-bit audio.

But that's not enough for LG either. The company has teamed up with B&O to create a module that will improve the audio performance of the G5 to 32-bit.

So Cam Plus and Hi-Fi Plus are two modules presented by LG, but since software The API is open, any user can create a new module.

Of course, when removing the battery, you need to take into account that the LG G5 turns off every time you need to swap the module, but within a minute the smartphone becomes fully functional again.

LG G5 - screen and performance

The touchscreen of the 5.3-inch G5 is slightly smaller than previous models, but the quad-HD resolution remains the same. It's still an IPS display, not an AMOLED display, but LG sees this as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

In addition to the fact that the G5 is equipped with one of the brightest displays in existence today, which received an always-on function. AMOLED displays are prone to fading. For example, if some contamination is not removed from the screen in time, a trace may remain on it, which is practically not displayed. IPS displays are not affected.

LG claims that the always-on function drains the battery by only 0.8%, which is much less than what a smartphone needs if it is turned on 80 times a day to check the time.

The Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB of RAM makes the LG G5 very nimble. The LG UX 5.0 software shell based on Android-Marshmallow allows you to open applications almost instantly.

Worth mentioning is the new 8MP wide-angle camera on the back that is not designed for shooting 3D photos or videos. This innovative camera provides a 135-degree field of view, nearly double what other smartphones can offer, even more than our eye can capture.

Summing up the above, we can assume that LG is trying to create something truly original, so we will wait for the LG G5 to appear on the Russian market.

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Despite the fact that it is LG that owns the very successful Nexus 5 and the Korean company has not yet managed to get into the first echelon of smartphone manufacturers - everything is occupied by the Chinese, as well as Samsung and Apple. Realizing the situation, LG is taking a step towards unusual and niche devices - this movement is confirmed by the gradual curtailment of production of the Nexus 5X, which could not repeat the success of its predecessor. LG G5 at least aroused serious interest and gossip: will this design be flimsy? Do you really need two main cameras?

In Russia, one more topic for discussion was added to this: at the start of sales, the LG G5 will be delivered in a simplified version of se, which differs in the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 system-on-chip instead of Snapdragon 820 and 3 GB of RAM instead of 4. This is the difference, in fact , are exhausted - but the image suffers a little. The fact is that the lite version costs the same 50,000 rubles - the same as the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Apple iPhone 6s in "full" versions. Does it really matter?

⇡ Specifications

	LG G5 SE (H845)	Lg g4	LG V10	Huawei P9	Samsung GALAXY S7
Display	5.3 inches, IPS, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 554 ppi, capacitive multitouch	5.5 inches, IPS, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 538 ppi, capacitive multitouch	5.7 inches, 2560 × 1440, IPS, 515 ppi, capacitive multitouch	5.2 inches, IPS, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 424 ppi, capacitive multitouch	5.1 inches, AMOLED, 2560 × 1440 pixels, 575.9 ppi, capacitive multitouch
Air gap	Not	Not	Not	Not	Not
Protective glass	Corning Gorilla Glass 4	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Corning Gorilla Glass 4	Corning Gorilla Glass (version not specified) on both sides
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 (four ARM Cortex-A72 @ 1.8 GHz + four ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.4 GHz)		Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 (four ARM Cortex-A53, 1.4 GHz + two ARM Cortex-A57, 1.82 GHz)	Huawei Kirin 955 (four ARM Cortex-A57 cores @ 2.5 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.8 GHz)	Exynos 8890 Octa (four ARM Cortex-A57 cores @ 2.6 GHz; four ARM Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.6 GHz)
Graphics controller	Adreno 510, 550 MHz	Adreno 418, 600 MHz	Adreno 418, 600 MHz	Mali-T880 MP4, 900 MHz	Mali-T880 MP12, 650 MHz
RAM	3 GB	3 GB	4 GB	3/4 GB	4 GB
Flash memory	32 GB	32 GB	64 GB	32/64 GB	32/64 GB
Memory card support	There is	There is	There is	There is	Yes, in the S7 Duos version - a combined slot for a memory card and a SIM card
Connectors	USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack	microUSB, minijack 3.5 mm	microUSB, minijack 3.5 mm	USB Type-C, 3.5 mm minijack	microUSB, minijack 3.5 mm
SIM card	Two nanoSIM	One microSIM	Two nanoSIM	One nanoSIM / two nanoSIM	One nanoSIM / two nanoSIM
Cellular 2G		GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz	GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Cellular 3G	HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz	HSDPA 800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100 MHz	HSPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz
Cellular 4G	LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps): ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 38, 40	LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps): ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28	LTE Cat. 4 (up to 150 Mbps), ranges 1, 3, 7	LTE Cat. 6 (up to 300 Mbps): ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40	LTE Cat. 12 (up to 600/50 Mbps): ranges 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 20
Wi-Fi	802.11a / b / g / n / ac	802.11a / b / g / n / ac	802.11a / b / g / n / ac	802.11a / b / g / n / ac	802.11a / b / g / n / ac
Bluetooth	4.2	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.2
NFC	There is	There is	There is	There is	There is
Navigation	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou
Sensors	Illumination, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer, pedometer, IR sensor	Light, proximity, pressure, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), pedometer, IR sensor		Illumination, approximation, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass)	Illumination, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer, heart rate
			Lighting, proximity sensor, pressure sensor, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), pedometer, IR sensor
The fingerprint scanner	There is	There is	There is	There is	There is
Main camera	Dual camera: 16 MP, f / 1.8 + 8 MP, f / 2.4, laser autofocus, optical stabilization, 4K video recording		16 MP, ƒ / 1.8, laser autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, Full HD video recording	Leica, dual module, 12 megapixels, f / 2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording	12 MP, ƒ / 1.7, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, optical stabilization, 4K video recording
Front-camera	8 MP, fixed focus	8 MP, fixed focus	5 MP, fixed focus, angle of view 80 ° + 5 MP, fixed focus, angle of view of 120 °	8 MP, fixed focus	5 MP, fixed focus
Nutrition	Removable battery 10.8 Wh (2800 mAh, 3.85 V)		Removable battery 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V)		Non-removable battery 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V)
The size	149.4 x 73.9 x 7.3 mm	149 x 76 x 9.8 mm	160 x 80 x 8.6 mm	145 x 70.9 x 7 mm	142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm
Weight	156 grams	155 grams	192 grams	144 grams	152 grams
Hull protection	Not	Not	Not	Not	IP68 Up to half an hour at a depth of 1.5 m
Operating system	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, shell LG Optimus UX 5.0 UI		Android 6.0 Marshmallow, shell LG Optimus UX 4.0 UI	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, native EMUI 4.1 shell	Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Samsung's own TouchWiz shell
Actual price, rub.	49 990	30 000	35 000	Approximately 50,000	From 49 990

LG G5 se - information about the filling according to the application Droid Info

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

If the LG G3 and LG G4 were similar to each other with their feline-like "back" and textured back surface (in the case of the G4, even leather was used), then the LG G5 se is like a step into the world of traditional values. Flat rear panel made of metal, and the volume rocker has returned to the side edge. Nevertheless, the power button, combined with the fingerprint scanner, remained on the back. In the company with two camera eyes, she creates an image that resembles a shocked smiley - and really, how many smartphones have you seen with two cameras at once?

LG G5 se, front panel: the earpiece, status indicator, front camera and light sensor are located above the display

However, Huawei with Honor 6 Plus and the brand new P9 asks to calm down - they also have two main cameras, albeit used for other purposes. Back to design. Due to the metal, rather than leather, back, the smartphone does not cling to the palm so much - but the matte metal cannot be called slippery either. But the smartphone has become much thinner (7.3 mm versus 9.8 mm) and slightly narrower - there is also a smaller display: 5.3 inches versus 5.5 inches for the G4. As a result, it is difficult to say which smartphone is more comfortable to use - each has its own trump cards. Although the G5 has a "joker" - a beveled surface above the display, it is very pleasant to slide your finger across it, pulling down the notification panel.

LG G5 se, rear panel: camera unit with two lenses, dual LED flash and laser autofocus eye, below is the power button combined with a fingerprint scanner

The dimensions of the display are quite comfortable - it is no longer too small (although I personally am not confused by 4-4.5-inch smartphones), but still quite suitable for one-handed operation. Even if it is suitable with difficulty, even me, the owner of very long fingers, has to reach the corners of the screen. Girls, for example, will have to connect their other hand. However, 5.3 inches is still a very reasonable compromise in this age of tossing.

The smartphone is offered in three colors: gold, pink and gray. Again, there was no black case - it seems that the times of "black bricks" have really sunk into oblivion. We tested the gray one - the simplest and, I think, the mass version.

The rear button, like the camera unit, protrudes slightly above the body - if the cameras simply could not be placed in the thin body entirely, then the slight swelling of the key allows you to quickly feel it blindly.

It's hard to talk about the build quality and weaknesses at the end of the testing week, but there is an obvious point - since the smartphone is modular, it is definitely not monolithic. In the photos, you can see that the bottom panel is unevenly adhered to the body, this is especially noticeable in the photo of the left side. And there is a very serious possibility that it is in this place that the case can loosen with the constant change of modules: at MWC 2016, the LG stand was strewn with smartphones with large gaps between the display and the bottom panel. On the other hand, it improves maintainability in the event of battery failure.

The power button has a built-in fingerprint scanner. Software - everything is as usual: the scanner is configured in a standard way, it helps to unlock the device or confirm payment in Google Play, and due to its combination with the power button, it can activate the smartphone in one motion. But either the sensor itself does not work very accurately, or the problem is that you put your finger on the back button at an unusual angle - he did not always recognize me on the first try.

⇡ Modules

A likely source of casing reliability problems and the main distinguishing feature of the LG G5 (and LG G5 se) is its modular design.

The lower part can be unfastened in one motion - just pull it while holding the small button on the left side. The button, by the way, does not protrude above the body and has a very tight stroke, so that accidental clicks excluded. By default, this way we get access to the battery - in which case it can be easily changed without contacting the service. The smartphone, of course, turns off - such gadgets have not yet learned how to work without power.

There are two modules with which you can improve your smartphone: LG CAM Plus and LG Hi-Fi Plus. LG CAM Plus is, in fact, a protrusion for gripping a smartphone like a camera, with a built-in 1200 mAh battery and additional controls: a shutter button, camera start, video recording and a zoom wheel. It slightly extends the battery life of the device and makes it easier to shoot in horizontal orientation - it is more comfortable to hold the smartphone with it, hands are less shaking and you can set longer shutter speeds when shooting in the dark. LG CAM Plus will cost about $ 85.