Welcome to my first impressions of the LG G5 which I have now used for 3 days solid. This is a retail unit.

I must admit that I was nervous about receiving the LG G5 due to all the horror stories on the web with regards to build quality issues and other negativity being bantered around.

I have a gold LG G5 which was the colour I least wanted but upon opening the LG G5 box, I was immediately drawn by how beautiful it looks. The front glass has a slick feel. The next aspect that struck me was how much easier the G5 was to hold and operate versus the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. I now realise that if I was to go back in time, I would not get the S6 Edge but the standard S7. Now just mentioning the build quality, a really don’t see what the fuss is about. The G5 looks good, feels good in the hand and only longer term testing will reveal how well it fairs over time.

So I first charged the G5, then switch it on and setup the phone with around 150 apps/games. I restored my phone using NFC and the Tap & Go option when you first turn the phone on. Quick Charge 3 is super fast.

My eyes were shocked to see such a garish looking home screen on the G5. A dreadful wallpaper and a 4 x 4 grid that looked so cartoonish. As my apps restored more and more home screens appeared as there is no app drawer. I then spent 10 mins or so creating folders and eventually had all my apps neatly on 1 screen.

Since creating the above home screen, I have changed the wallpaper for one of the included black wallpapers and used a white background for all the folders. This looks so much better. I have also now got 5 menu items on the bottom bar which makes using the G5 a breeze. I have downloaded Nova Launcher initially, but now have uninstalled it as I am happy with the LG setup.

LG really need to think long and hard about the choice of default wallpapers as first impressions do make a difference. The default wallpaper IMO is dreadful.

So what did I notice next. Well simply the lack of bloatware and apps installed by LG. When compared to the S7, the G5 has a fraction of apps installed from day 1.

I was curious to see how easy it was to remove the bottom chin and then remove the battery. After reading the instructions, it was a relatively simple process. The battery removal from the chin part feels super aggressive but still is easy enough.

I was dying to test the camera out and over the course of the weekend managed to snap tons of photos.

I have included a few within this post and if you scroll back at the earlier posts you will see more examples from the LG G5 camera. I tested both the 16mp and wide angle lens. I tested macro, action shots and as many other types of photos as possible. The output from both lenses is excellent in terms of quality and file sizes. It is possible to crop a lot thanks to the 16mp lens. Now with my S7 Edge, I used 16:9 ratio meaning 9.1mp. The G5 wide angle is 8mp. Yet the average photo file sizes from the G5 was larger than those from the S7. The wide angle photos seem to add a lot of drama to a scene but do need to be used wisely and not all the time.

The G5 has an Infra Red Blaster. I can control my TV, DVD and so much more. It’s really useful.

Next tests involved testing the headphone jack, bluetooth audio and loudspeaker. I had read various reviews that the headphone volume output was weak. Well that’s not the case with my G5. It is louder than the S7, more powerful and dynamic too. The loudspeaker is so loud you can feel the air being pushed out the speaker grills. Bluetooth audio is exceptional. And this is the quality without the HiFi DAC module!

The G5 is very fluid in operation. Scrolling. Opening apps. Typing on the default keyboard. Really fluid.

So that leaves my first thoughts on the battery. 4.5 hours SOT is my average so far. This is with every social media app running, 4 email accounts, connected to my Gear S2 via bluetooth (S Health is also installed on the G5 which feels weird not being a Samsung phone). This is about 90 minutes less than my SOT that I achieved for the S7 Edge. The S7 Edge has a much better SOT and on a few days with the S7 Edge reached 10 hours SOT.

However, the biggest disappointment is the G5’s screen brightness. At times its not bright enough. Sunlight visibility is readable but only just at times. LG have clearly reduced the brightness to conserve the battery but I think its too aggressive. The S7 Edge by comparison is readable with ease in any lighting. Now LG claim the G5 can crank the brightness up to 800 nits. I have seen this happen but it eats battery at this level. Thank goodness for Quick Charge 3 and replaceable batteries! Despite the screen brightness, the screen is a joy to look at.

So overall I am thoroughly enjoying the G5, more than the S7 Edge. However, the screen brightness is my biggest gripe and I hope LG can change brightness scale in a future software update.

Across the internet there are many “reviews” already being penned based on pre production hardware. However, if you want to gain a glimmer of an idea what the LG G5 is like, then pop into any mobile phone store where you should be lucky enough to find a demo LG G5 on display.

Today, I wanted to share my initial first impressions which obviously could change over the next few weeks and months. I had my S7 Edge with me as a comparison too. Photos were taken on both phones and I already have an idea as to the pros and cons of each phones camera. But there is always more to a phone than its camera.

My personal phone is coming from Clove Technology who have a good deal on the LG G5 which includes free B&O H3 headphones worth £149.

So moving on to my first impressions based on using the titan (grey) finish LG G5.

Hardware

The hardware comes across as a fairly typical smartphone. I liked the look of the 2 rear cameras section which were flusher than I expected. The G5 felt comfortable to hold and grippy enough that I might skip a case. The modular slot section. This felt tough at first to remove, but once I gotthe hang of it, it wasn’t too difficult. I had been asked by a few people whether there was a gap or line where the bottom bit comes off. No there wasn’t , but it I ran my finger over the back, I could feel the seam.

Thank goodness LG kept the infra red blaster on the G5. This is fantastic and a useful feature for me.

Software UI

When I turned on the LG G5, it felt fairly sparse. LG seem to have tamed down the software although you still get the brighter coloured UI. Personally, this has never bothered me. There are other launchers should this not be to your liking.

The Camera

Lots of new modes and options available. These will get covered in more depth in my main review. However, unless the final software changes, I noticed there were no manual controls for video. This is disappointing since the LG V10 had excellent manual controls available for video. That’s the downside, the plus side is the camera quality. Based on very early findings the picture quality is excellent. Even in low light. Burst speed is on par with the iPhone 6S Plus burst mode. The 2 cameras. Having a 16mp normal lens and a 135 degree wide angle lens is extremely superb and opens up a world of options. More in my main review but I honestly thought it would be a bit of a gimmick, but actually it seems useful and fun.

The photo quality of the G5 on the shots taken looked fantastic. They were better than those I took with the S7. However, as to which is better is going to be a fascinating comparison for a dedicated post.

Conclusion

Early days but the LG G5 really is an interesting phone – add on modules and friends, superb camera and more. I can’t wait to test more of its features over time. As to how it compares against the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and Huawei P9, well only time will tell.