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Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
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jamezr

macrumors P6
Original poster
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
Ouch, that gap would annoy the he'll out of me. This is disappointing, while I was never planning on getting the G5, I was kinda hoping that removable battery would catch on, but that's not going to happen if the phone fails to capture market.
yep...the OCD in me would not let it go. I would see it and think about it every time i touched the phone....

nexus2cee_DSC01974_thumb.jpg
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692

Not surprised one bit.

Phone seemed like a dud the day it was announced, and was doomed to bomb.

- 2,800mAh battery in today's age ? Removable or not, that's a deal killer right there. Today we need flagships with like 3,300mAh and larger.
- Screen size is very weird too, 5.3" so it's larger than a pocket friendly 5" phone, but not quite the phablet size of 5.5"/5/7"
- Camera seems ok, not great not bad
- LG's UI is ok, not great by any means.
- And the modular stuff will never take off from LG only, you need Samsung and Nexus phones to do it as well to catch on. Very few people will plop down the money for a new G5, and then also buy the $75 add on parts. And will those work in next years G6 ? No other phones can use them. Too risky.
- Locked bootloader.
- Battery life of 3h to 3.5h is a ***** joke and useless. And why is the phone so thick, but has such a small battery ? Poor design IMO. G5 = 7.7mm thick with a 2,800mAh battery, the S7 Edge is also 7.7mm thick, but with a 3,600mAh battery, and the Nexus 6P is 7.3mm thick with a 3,450mAh battery. iPhone 6S Plus is 7.3mm thin.


My opinion, the G5 should have followed the early rumors, of having a 5.6" screen, and 3,400mAh battery, in an iPhone like slim metal body. But the G5 as it is, doesn't do anything for me, and I would never buy this phone, unless given to me for free.
 
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Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
Man, another bad experience with LG, this time by Erica Griffith. Hopefully this is indicative of the phone.

Doh! Was a little slow on the draw. Deleting the video from my post.
 
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spriter

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2004
1,460
586
Must say I didn't notice a gap on the modular but when I handled one but it did have the demo clamp thing on it which may have hidden or tightened it.

Seems worrying that review units have a gap from the start. Imagine after 6 months of swapping things out... It's likely going to be worse. And good luck keeping dust and dirt particles out.

As for the battery, that's a major fail. I thought I was hallucinating when the battery was ticking down but it looks like it's true. 3-3.5 hours is laughable. I'd rather have a sealed battery that easily lasts the day rather than a skinny one that needs swapping daily at 3pm. The removable feature and long battery life shouldn't be mutually exclusive (a la Note 4).

Not putting £500 + £70 spare battery friend down on this.
 
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akuma13

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2006
934
430
Wow I was really going to get this phone tomorrow but will probably wait or skip it all together. Erica mentioned in the comments that with further inspection, the case is most likely all plastic with a metal coating. That's why she experienced wiered buckling on the back. She most likely got a defective phone but I have a feeling more reviews are going to pinpoint similar "defects". A damn shame.
 

AppleRobert

macrumors 603
Nov 12, 2012
5,729
1,133
OT but the LG G4 is dirt cheap with t-mobile now if that would interest you.

I checked out the G5 for two minutes at Verizon this morning. It is ginormous and the battery size would scare the heck out of me with QHD. They continue to make the screen to body ratio percentage smaller as well from the G2 to this one, even with the LG v10 which is another monster.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
Why is it so hard for these manufactures to make a great phone ? It really doesn't seem that difficult what people want;

- 5.5" or screen size
- 3,500mAh battery size minimum
- Overall thin phone like 7.5mm, with a flat back, no curves because that makes it rock back and froth like a canoe
- High end build quality
- Minimal UI closer to stock vanilla Android, but throw in some special better features

I have to admit that Samsung got it near perfect with the S7 Edge, I just don't care for Samsung, and not a Touchwiz fan and don't care for the Edge design, but at least they did everything pretty darn well on that phone. And what they did wasn't rocket science or some super secret stuff, they just made a nice phone with a big battery and a great display, with the typical fastest Android hardware at the time.
 

Fernandez21

macrumors 601
Jun 16, 2010
4,840
3,183
I would recommend if your thinking about this phone to go to the store and play with one first. I just spent about 10 min. with one at the AT&T store and it was actually kinda nice. I didn't see the mold marks Erica Griffith had on hers and it felt pretty solid. It most certainly looks better in person, the camera bump in particular was actually very subtle and not super protruding as pictures would lead you to believe. And I didn't notice the gap on the display model.

Things I did notice were the bottom piece not lining up with the top, the bottom piece looked REALLY snug against the top, and the antenna lines on the chamfered edges do look like chips. And the ui still looks wierd to me, I think it's because it has elements that look modern and nice, while other elements look super dated and ugly. And all of these elements are on screen at the same time.
 
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akuma13

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2006
934
430
I went to the store too and played with a demo unit. The battery was dead so couldn't turn it on but I actually like the build and feel in the hands. The gap between the module and screen didn't bother me at all. I thought the fit was quiet snug. No strange dents on back or chipped paint. I think Erica really got a defective unit. Now I'm wondering If I want the gold, which the T-mobile stores in my area only seem to have at the moment.
 

HeyKatie

macrumors 6502a
Sep 7, 2012
547
85
I'm going to take a look at one when it's available at stores near me. I won't be getting once since I just got the G4 and have it until August of 2018.
 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
The G5 comes with an extra battery as well as a charger for the external battery, which pretty much eliminates the need to charge the phone. Very nice touch LG, have to say.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
The G5 comes with an extra battery as well as a charger for the external battery, which pretty much eliminates the need to charge the phone. Very nice touch LG, have to say.

Which says a lot from LG. They're giving away extra spare batteries everywhere with the G5, what does that tell you ?

Spare batteries suck IMO, I much prefer a 3,600mAh battery like the S7 Edge, with wireless fast charge, never once have to swap out or turn the phone off. And plopping the phone down on the wireless charger for just 15 minutes, and get a quick 50% juice back. Hard to beat that.

And I hate Samsung, not a fan. But they did it right with the S7
 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
Which says a lot from LG. They're giving away extra spare batteries everywhere with the G5, what does that tell you ?

Spare batteries suck IMO, I much prefer a 3,600mAh battery like the S7 Edge, with wireless fast charge, never once have to swap out or turn the phone off. And plopping the phone down on the wireless charger for just 15 minutes, and get a quick 50% juice back. Hard to beat that.

And I hate Samsung, not a fan. But they did it right with the S7

In my opinion, LG definitely have the edge in terms of battery. First, Quick Charge 3.0. Charges about twice as fast as the S7, and it's with that tech alone that you'll be able to get 50% in 15 minutes. Even with fast wireless charging on the S7 it takes about 40 minutes to get to 50%.

Second, the removable battery is something I'd take any day over fast charging. I'm a creature of habit in terms of turning my phone off when I charge it, so I can safely say that restarting the phone isn't a big deal. Quickly replacing the battery and popping the dead one in a case so it will be full by the time the one that is in the phone goes dead and repeating the process is very much a neat solution. Would very much prefer it to waiting an hour and a half for it to charge.
 

spriter

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2004
1,460
586
It's pretty clear to me:

3,600mAh that easily lasts a day versus 2,800mAh that doesn't.

One almost certainly doesn't need charging whilst the other almost certainly does.

Two years ago pinning your hopes on removable batteries was a decent strategy with the race for thin. However, I give credit to Samsung for reversing course, fattening up the phone and increasing battery capacity so swapping out is a thing of the past.
 
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nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
It's pretty clear to me:

3,600mAh that easily lasts a day versus 2,800mAh that doesn't.

One almost certainly doesn't need charging whilst the other almost certainly does.

Two years ago pinning your hopes on removable batteries was a decent strategy with the race for thin. However, I give credit to Samsung for reversing course, fattening up the phone and increasing battery capacity so swapping out is a thing of the past.

I really don't see what the problem with swapping out batteries is. It's time consuming? Well it certainly doesn't take one and a half hours if that's what you're saying. A dead battery isn't a problem when it has such a quick and easy solution.
 
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akuma13

macrumors 6502a
Jan 10, 2006
934
430
And that's why manufactures are giving people options. I see removable batteries and quick charge as a positive. Just as a larger battery is a plus too.
 

Tig Bitties

macrumors 603
Sep 6, 2012
5,517
5,692
It's pretty clear to me:

3,600mAh that easily lasts a day versus 2,800mAh that doesn't.

One almost certainly doesn't need charging whilst the other almost certainly does.

Two years ago pinning your hopes on removable batteries was a decent strategy with the race for thin. However, I give credit to Samsung for reversing course, fattening up the phone and increasing battery capacity so swapping out is a thing of the past.


Totally agree, plus with the awesome fast wireless quick charge, you just need to lay it down on the charger for like 20 min and your good to go again. What I mean is, if your at work, and you have a concert to go to that night after, and let's say your down to like 40% battery life at 5:00pm, well just plop the phone down on the wireless charger for 30 minutes or so before heading out, and you get some nice extra juice to handle the rest of the night. You don't need it to charge to 100%, no reason, but get it back up to like 70% or so, and it'll easily last rest of the night.

Plus your not lugging around extra spare batteries and other misc. items you need to carry in your pocket. Let's say it's summertime, your going out light, shorts and a t-shirt, and taking the train. I'd rather not carry a spare battery in my pocket.

Removable batteries seems so dated today, and with manufacturers making phones like the S7 Edge, no need for them.
 

spriter

macrumors 65816
May 13, 2004
1,460
586
I really don't see what the problem with swapping out batteries is. It's time consuming? Well it certainly doesn't take one and a half hours if that's what you're saying. A dead battery isn't a problem when it has such a quick and easy solution.

You've identified the problem already - a dead battery. The G4 had 3,000mAh so why shrink the battery unless improvements were made elsewhere? Throw in IPS+Always On and things are going further south.

They've culled battery life for a modular fad. It's regressive and strange given what else is on the table. However, if you're someone who still likes 3.5 hours SOT and a mid-afternoon swap instead of cruising through a full day and beyond, be my guest!
 
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nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
You've identified the problem already - a dead battery. The G4 had 3,000mAh so why shrink the battery unless improvements were made elsewhere? Throw in IPS+Always On and things are going further south.

They've culled battery life for a modular fad. It's regressive and strange given what else is on the table. However, if you're someone who still likes 3.5 hours SOT and a mid-afternoon swap instead of cruising through a full day and beyond, be my guest!

You still haven't answered the question. How is it a problem? Replacing the battery gets you back to 100% in under a minute. You say that you can get a lot out of a bigger battery, but it's going to go dead eventually, and when it does, recovering the power is a long process. About 100 times as long as swapping the battery out.

Also, you're making it sound like the battery of the Edge lasts like twice or three times as long as the battery of the G5. It's 28% bigger, which isn't that much bigger, and probably consumes more power because of the bigger screen. It will probably end up with marginally better battery life, not nearly enough to justify the quickness of recovery.

And if swapping batteries is not something that you want to do, the G5 has Quick Charge 3.0. Meaning that it will charge twice as fast as the S7 anyway.
 
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Lloydbm41

Suspended
Oct 17, 2013
4,019
1,456
Central California
In my opinion, LG definitely have the edge in terms of battery. First, Quick Charge 3.0. Charges about twice as fast as the S7, and it's with that tech alone that you'll be able to get 50% in 15 minutes. Even with fast wireless charging on the S7 it takes about 40 minutes to get to 50%.

Second, the removable battery is something I'd take any day over fast charging. I'm a creature of habit in terms of turning my phone off when I charge it, so I can safely say that restarting the phone isn't a big deal. Quickly replacing the battery and popping the dead one in a case so it will be full by the time the one that is in the phone goes dead and repeating the process is very much a neat solution. Would very much prefer it to waiting an hour and a half for it to charge.
So you carry a phone, spare battery and a charger with you wherever you go? Seems like a lot of extra baggage, instead of having a phone that can last a day on a single charge???
[doublepost=1459713663][/doublepost]
You still haven't answered the question. How is it a problem? Replacing the battery gets you back to 100% in under a minute. You say that you can get a lot out of a bigger battery, but it's going to go dead eventually, and when it does, recovering the power is a long process. About 100 times as long as swapping the battery out.

Also, you're making it sound like the battery of the Edge lasts like twice or three times as long as the battery of the G5. It's 28% bigger, which isn't that much bigger, and probably consumes more power because of the bigger screen. It will probably end up with marginally better battery life, not nearly enough to justify the quickness of recovery.

And if swapping batteries is not something that you want to do, the G5 has Quick Charge 3.0. Meaning that it will charge twice as fast as the S7 anyway.
Wrong. LCD vs AMOLED. G5 is getting 3 to 3.5 hours SOT and the Edge is getting 6 hours on average. I'm also hearing about bad light bleed issues with the G5. Not good.
 
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