Tag Archives: LG G5

LG G5 vs iPhone 7 Plus vs Huawei Mate 9 – Camera Comparison

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Good morning everyone. I decided for this post to take 3 phones – the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, Huawei Mate 9 and LG G5 and see which one could take the best shot of an aerial view of Exeter High Street.

Unlike other comparisons, I have stuck all the photos taken through Adobe Lightroom to see what was the best final result that could be obtained.

LG G5 Shots – Normal and Wide Angle

Shot on the LG G5

Shot on the LG G5

I really like the extra width of the LG G5 wide angle shot.

Huawei Mate 9 – Normal and Monochrome

Shot on the Huawei Mate 9

Shot on the Huawei Mate 9

I do like the images from the Mate 9.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Shot on an iPhone 7 Plus

The iPhone takes a well balanced shot overall.

So which phone do you prefer and why? Just a quick shout out to Vodafone UK for the loan of the LG G5.

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LG G5 – Review Re-Visited with Android Nougat – PLUS Special Features

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LG just announced the LG G6 but before you rush out and buy the new shiny model from LG, I decided to take another look at the LG G5 now that it has received Android Nougat. I would like to thank Vodafone UK for the loan of the G5 and making this update to my original review possible.

To recap my review of the LG G5, click here to read my LG G5 26 part review along with all the LG Friends.

Key Specifications

– Screen 5.3 inch QHD 1440 x 2560 pixels (~554 ppi pixel density), Corning Gorilla Glass 4
– Always-on display
– Android OS v7.0 Nougat
– Chipset Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820, Adreno 520 GPU
– Internal 32 GB, 4 GB RAM, micro SD card up to 200gb
– CAMERA Primary 16 MP (f/1.8) + 8 MP (f/2.4), laser autofocus, OIS (3-axis)
– Secondary 8 MP, f/2.0, 1080p@30fps, 135º wide angle
– Audio – 24-bit/192kHz audio
– COMMS -Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot,Bluetooth v4.2, A2DP, LE, aptXHD,GPS, NFC
– Other – IR Blaster, FM radio
– USB v3.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go
– Sensors -Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, colour spectrum for camera
– Fast battery charging: 83% in 30 min (Quick Charge 3.0)
– BATTERY Removable Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery
– Dimensions – 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7 mm (5.88 x 2.91 x 0.30 in)
– Weight 159 g (5.61 oz)

LG G5 running nougat makes it a difference phone for a number of reasons, most of which I have explained in my video review below. Using the camera of the G5 was a joy. The wide angle lens is fantastic. Below is a shot from the weekend.

Stormy Skies #dartmoor #church #lgg5 #wide

One of the issues of the G5 was its battery life, but with nougat I have been able to finish the day with 40% remaining. Another highlight is the bluetooth music audio quality. It is truly epic! I used many bluetooth headphones with it and they totally rocked out. If you have AirPods you won’t know just what they are capable of until you connect them to the LG G5.

Video Review

So to fully appreciate and understand why this is such a good phone, watch my video review. Just how tough is the build quality nearly one year later? Found this out plus all the new features on the LG G5 running nougat.

Conclusion

Revisiting the LG G5 was fantastic. It actually is making me desire the new LG G6 even more now, but for those on a budget, you really cannot go wrong with the LG G5!

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LG G5 – My 26 Part Review – Re-visited now it has Android Nougat

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LG G5, here it is back again with its incredible camera setup, removable modular system, and as of tonight running Android Nougat.

What made the G5 special, well check out my 26 part review including the review of the respective “friends”. LG G5 – 26 Part Review 2016 plus Friends

Tomorrow, I am going to give the LG G5 a good once over to see how android nougat changes things for this phone.

So stay tuned tomorrow for some exciting posts.

My thanks to Vodafone for the loan.

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Apple iPhone 6S – Camera comparisons with the Samsung S7 & LG G5

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My wife and I were out yesterday in Widecombe in the Moor on Dartmoor. This is a beautiful place and if you happen to visit, make sure you pop into the Cafe on The Green for some tasty grub.

During our visit to Widecombe my wife took photos using her iPhone 6S and I was snapping away with my LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7. So whilst the photo viewpoints don’t always match, the conditions were identical, and this provided some great photos to compare. I also thought the photos taken were more realistic to a normal day trip, rather than trying to take photos in a prepared format.

Widecombe Village Green

First up is the shot from the iPhone 6S below. I actually prefer the iPhone 6S shot here. Look at all the clouds and sky. Slightly better exposed and more natural and realistic to the scene.

Widecombe Village Green #iPhone6S

Below is from the LG G5 using the wide lens. Dramatic as always from the wide angle.

Widecombe Village Green #LGG5wide

Below is the shot from the Samsung S7. Deep saturated colours. Some may prefer this screen look. Good contrast too.

Widecombe Village Green #SamsungS7

St Pancras Church Shots

First up a 3 shots from the iPhone 6S. These shots are the Church and graveyard are close calls in terms of accuracy to the scenes themselves.

St Pancras Church Tower - iphone6S

St Pancras Church views - iphone6S

Last Views #iPhone6S

Below 3 shots from the LG G5. Some really great snaps from the G5.

St Pancras Church Tower #LGG5

St Pancras Church Courtyard #LGG5

Opposites Attract #SamsungS7

Below are 3 shots from the Samsung S7. Sharp and saturated. Still great looking photos.

St Pancras Church Tower #SamsungS7

Deathly Views #SamsungS7

St Pancras Church, Widecombe in the Moor #SamsungS7

So now the remainder of the shots are by myself using the LG G5 and Samsung S7.

Macro and Flower.

Below are the 2 shots from the LG G5. The G5 does a good job, but not as good as the S7. The wind was blowing slightly when taking these shots and the ones from the S7.

Red Flower #LGG5

Red Flower crop #LGG5

Below are the 2 shots from the S7. The S7 is the clear winner here. Stunning. Oodles of detail.

Red Flower crop #SamsungS7

Red Stunner #SamsungS7

The Church House

Below are 2 shots from the LG G5. One normal and the other wide. Too close to call between the 2 phones. Some areas the extra resolution means there is more detail to crop with the G5.

The Church House #LGG5

The Church House v2 #LGG5wide

Below is the shot from the S7. A very good shot but not as much detail as the G5, but excellent nonetheless.

The Church House #SamsungS7

Final shot from the LG G5, using the wide lens to capture the Cafe on the Green restaurant.

This is to highlight why the G5 is ideal for visiting places. The wide lens can capture the scene in a unique way.

Inside.

Inside the Cafe on The Green #LGG5wide

And outside.

The Cafe on The Green #LGG5wide

Overall all 3 phones did a great job. The iPhone is still a decent contender against the LG G5 and Samsung S7 in good lighting. The S7 did a better job with close and macro shots than the LG G5. And the LG G5 takes wonderful wide angle shots.

So what do you think? You can tap on each photo to view the full size version.

LG G5 & Samsung Galaxy S7 – Camera shots from the weekend

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Most of my photos this weekend came from the HTC 10, but I did snap several from the LG G5 and S7. Sadly I was disappointed with the S7 photos versus the rest except for one shot below.

George and Fury – S7

Mud Runs on Dartmoor #SamsungS7

Sharp Tor – LG G5

Sharp Tor and beyond, Dartmoor #LGG5

Soussons Forrest – LG G5

Soussons Forrest v2 #LGG5

Stormy Clouds over Warren Inn, Dartmoor – LGG5 wide

Stormy Clouds above Warren House Inn, Dartmoor #LGG5

Soussons Forrest – LGG5 wide

Soussons Forrest, Dartmoor #LGG5

I do think the LG G5 is better for landscape type shots especially using the wide lens. It will be interesting to see how the S7 fares when I use it with the official wide lens from Samsung later this week.

LG G5 with HiFi Plus DAC case

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The LG G5 comes with a few modules that when fitted mean you can’t use a case. 

Fortunately an eBay seller from Korea is now selling one which arrived today.

I am going to have to make one modification to the case with my drill and that is to enlarge the headphone cutout hole marginally. The hole fits several headphones except some of mine. It’s an easy tweak to do just an oversight in the design.

Anyway here’s the link to the eBay seller.

eBay link

So what else does the case offer. Well for starters it is a typical silicone TPU case. The front of the case offers between 1-2mm of a lip so you can place the phone screen side on a table. The rear of the case has cutouts for the fingerprint sensor and camera. The top edge has cutouts for the mic, IR blaster and headphone port. The volume keys on the left side are covered, but has raised plastic keys so you can operate these with ease. The sim/micro SD tray is completely covered by the case. On the bottom edge, there are cutouts for the DAC loudspeaker, mic, USB Type C port and the DAC headphone port. As mentioned above, you might find yourself needing to make the headphone holes slightly larger. If you remove the silicone case it will bend as its a clear rubber TPU silicone material. Fitted to the case its rather good.

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs LG G5 – quick camera comparison

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Take 2 of the top flagships the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 and take the same shot from each phone. This is the difference as shown below.

Macro of a daffodil.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Daffodil #SamsungS7

LG G5

Daffodil #LGG5

The macro shots from both phones are fairly close in quality. Some aspects go to the S7 and other aspects of this macro go to the G5. Overall the colour accuracy to what I could see goes to the LG G5. But overall this is a draw.

Clapper Bridge, Postbridge

Samsung Galaxy S7

Clapper Bridge #Dartmoor #Postbridge #SamsungS7

LG G5

Clapper Bridge, Postbridge #16mp #LGG5

LG G5 Wide Lens

Ultra Epic view of the Clapper Bridge #Dartmoor #Postbridge #LGG5

This is where the S7 lack of pixels really shows itself up. It just cannot match the LG G5. And then there is the LG G5 wide shot which is simply ultra amazing and cool.

Postbridge Walk Entrance

Samsung Galaxy S7

Postbridge Walk #Dartmoor #SamsungS7

LG G5 Wide

Postbridge Walk #LGG5 #widelens

Again I just used the wide shot from the G5 as it just makes scenic shots like this look much more interesting.

However, if you have kids or dogs, this is the killer type of shot shown below you can get from the S7 with ease. The G5 has a slower focus so will not achieve the below shots as easily.

The shot of Tiggy below using a S7 was snapped whilst Tiggy was actually moving..

Tiggy says "Hi" #SamsungS7

The shot below using the G5, Tiggy was still for a split second. The photo is good.

Tiggy all soaked and muddy but very happy #lgg5

Now I said this type of shot is a win for the S7. If you click on the shot of Tiggy and view full size you will see how sharp and how much detail is available on the S7. The G5 isn’t too shabby, but I really do think the S7 takes this one.

Overall, two different phones, with two different cameras. A hard choice to make!

LG Tone Platinum HBS-1100 Stereo Bluetooth Headset – Review – The Worlds First with APT-X High Definition

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Welcome to my review of the LG Tone Platinum HBS-1100 Bluetooth Headset. This is the world’s first pair of headphones/headset that comes with the new APT-X High Definition Codec.

This means you can listen to 24 bit Hi-Fi / Hi-Res Sound with LG G5. At the moment the LG G5 is only only smartphone that comes enabled with the revolutionary Qualcomm® apt-X™ HD codec.The aptX™ HD Audio Codec delivers CD-like quality audio over Bluetooth that faithfully reproduces the full audio bandwidth and minimizes latency by significantly reducing the bit rate without affecting sound quality.

LG state that “now no wires are truly a thing of the past as you can bask in the sheer superiority of a 24 bit audiophile experience in total wireless comfort.”

Note that the APT-X HD codec comes as standard with the LG G5. You do not need the LG Hi-Fi Plus module.

Key Specifications

– Bluetooth Version 4.1
– Supported Bluetooth Profiles Headset (HSP), Hands-Free (HFP), Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP),
Audio/Video Remote Control (AVRCP)
– Talk Time Up to 11 hours
– Music Play Time Up to 10 hours
– Standby Time Up to 17.3 days
– Charging Time Less than 2 hours
– Operating Range 33 ft.
– Dimensions 6.0″ (W) x 7.04″ (H) x 0.5″ (D)
– Weight 2.05 oz.
– Call & Play/Pause Buttons Inline on side of headset
– Available Colours – Black, Silver, Gold
– Sound Profile Harman Kardon® Platinum Sound
– Tone & Talk™ Support – Support for Android and Apple® Devices
– Audio Speaker Optimization Technology Balanced Armature Speaker Technology
– Qualcomm® aptX compatibility Qualcomm aptX / Qualcomm aptX HD
– In the Box – LG TONE PLATINUM Bluetooth Stereo Headset (HBS-1100),Micro USB Charging Cable (AC Adapter Not Included), Extra Ear Gels (Small and Large), User Manual, Quick Start Guide, & Warranty Card

The LG Tone Platinum Bluetooth headset is fairly slim made with an anodized brushed aluminum alloy trim. LG has used a Balanced Armature design as the sound module to minimise distortion and reproduce the sound accurately. The headset also offers noise cancelling dual microphones for clearer calls even in the noisiest environments. In testing these worked really well. Calls were exceptionally clear. LG added Voice Command to handle incoming calls.

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Tone & Talk app has been enhanced to support Voice Memo and Find Me via any Android smartphone (version 4.1 and higher). The LG Tone app adds a lot of extra functionality and makes this headset easier to use.

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The other controls on the headset are everything you expect and more. Controls for music, calls, volume, cable retraction and more as shown in the photos.

The Sound Quality

This is the part that matters most. Does the new APT-X HD codec work? In my testing it really does work and really well. It also sounds better than Samsung’s proprietary UHQ codec found on the new Samsung Galaxy S7.

As this is created by Qualcomm more headphones are due later on this year featuring this new codec which will undoubtedly become the new audio wireless standard.

LG’s decision to use balanced armature over a dynamic driver is a statement in itself. Balanced armatures tend to reproduce sound fairly naturally with delicate mids and treble.

I have listened to loads of different genres and all were faithfully reproduced. It is hard to believe these are wireless headphones. The Tone Platinum are not bass heavy. But if the track has bass it digs deep too. Classical and vocals were wonderful. Playing flac songs and again the sound quality was excellent.

My current favourite Bluetooth headphones are Plantronics BackBeat Pro. These deliver huge amounts of bass and impact. A lot of people will listen to these are even prefer them on a quick listen. These are over ears and massive so have the ability to deliver such impact. However, over a longer listening period the LG Tone Platinum will triumph. Ear fatigue is non existent and the overall quality is way above the Plantronics.

Another bonus is that the in ear canals are comfortable even after lengthy usage.

Conclusion

Qualcomm’s APT-X HD is the real deal. The LG Tone Platinum are fantastic as a headset from a feature count, superb for phone calls and more and sound brilliant with your music.

For the latest pricing on Amazon UK – Click HERE

LG G5 – Highlights from the Weekend

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Tomorrow will see my review on the next 2 LG Friends, the LG 360 Cam and LG 360 VR. In the meantime, in an out of the fog I managed to snap several shots.

Below are my favourite –

The fog never cleared until 4pm yesterday. The shot below is using the wide angle lens.

The Haunted Church of St Michael & All Angels #Princetown #Dartmoor #lgg5wide

Haunted Land #lgg5

George having a blast in the foggy conditions on Dartmoor #lgg5

And then another day, and totally different weather.

Anyone for an ice cream #Dartmoor tonight

The ice cream van shot is a wide lens and cropped. Plenty of detail from that lens.

Merrivale, Dartmoor - still looking amazing tonight

The young cat snapped really well. A small crop.

Black & White Cat #lgg5

Last shot. This was snapped using one of the filters in the LG Camera app. Normally I would apply a filter afterwards, but for this shot I tried something different.

Dream Trees

I really liked the result of the above shot. Moody.

LG G5 – Using the wide lens for a Time Lapse – Plus Another 360 degree video – Footage

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One of the features of the LG G5 camera app is the time lapse mode. Switching to the time lapse mode reveals options to select the time period between each photograph taken. You can also select on which lens to use, that is the wide or standard 16mp.

For this test, I reduced the standard 15 seconds down to 10 seconds and use the wide lens.

The time lapse video is 2 mins long and using the wide lens produces a max resolution of 1080p. Enjoy.

In addition, I recorded another 1 min video using the LG 360 Cam. This is in stock now at Clove Technology. I thought I would include this video as it gives a different perspective to the area that I was filming in with the time lapse as well. I also managed to remove myself from the footage 😉

What I like about the LG G5 camera so far – And what setting must be used for the G5

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I have been using the G5 for over 2 weeks now and I am really starting to find out how to get the most from its camera. I also have the LG Cam Plus connected permanently.

I will review the LG Cam Plus separately but its extra 1,200 mAh battery does make a difference to the battery performance as you would expect. The Cam Plus extra battery seems to get triggered when you use the G5’s camera thus slowly adding more juice. After a certain amount of time of not using the camera, its stops recharging the main battery.

In terms of using the G5 camera this is what I like about it and why I prefer it over the S7 camera. Take a look at the photo below. I am about 15 feet away from the start of this shot. To view full size, click on each photo and select full size or original.

Playing in the bog

And now look at the cropped version and the amount of detail still retained below. I had tried to take this type of photo with the S7 and crop afterwards, but its a total non runner due to lack of pixels. To shoot 16:9 on the S7 requires dropping the resolution down to 9.1mp. The G5 main camera is nearly double at 16mp.

Zooming in on George having fun

The main 16mp camera takes excellent photos. The 8mp wide camera also takes excellent photos and with loads of detail too. Photos from the wide lens possess a lot of depth and make clouds look like they are moving.

The LG G5 review – 2 weeks later

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I am now into my second week of the LG G5 and will start to put pen to paper to document my thoughts on the LG G5.

I want my review to include at least 4 of the LG G5 Friends so that I can provide a FULL experience. I also want to wait until the first firmware which is due very soon, to see if any of the small bugs are fixed and also what new features are added. (new features are coming).

The G5 uses USB Type C and that meant having to make sure I had enough cables and USB Type C adapters. Now that I have a wide selection and more devices using USB Type C, I just cannot look back at micro USB. It feels so primitive. It is the same feeling after using Apple’s lightning cable.

So it is at this point in time, if you have anything you want included in the review, please let me know. I already have been asked about GPS performance.