LG's latest flagship smartphone – which the CEO has calls a "theme park in your pocket" – is undoubtedly ambitious.
The South Korean firm has reimagined the design of its top-tier smartphone – ditching last year's curved plastic case in favour of an all-metal unibody design.
It looks effortlessly stylish – a colossal improvement on the hand-stitched leather look of the LG G4.
The company has also swapped its trademark rear-mounted volume rocker for a fingerprint scanner, which doubles up as a power button when clicked.
Related articlesUnfortunately, we couldn't test the reliability or speed of the fingerprint sensor during our brief time with the LG G5, but Express.co.uk will have a full review in the coming weeks.
But the all-new aluminium unibody design and fingerprint scanner aren't what makes the LG G5 ambitious.
That title goes to the new modular functionality.
The LG G5 comes with a removable compartment at the bottom of the device that can be swapped for a variety of specialist accessories, including a point-and-shoot camera grip with dedicated shutter button, dubbed CAM Plus, and a high-resolution music player courtesy of B&O Play, Hi-Fi Plus.
Despite what the LG G5 demos would have you believe, removing the bottom of the smartphone isn't effortless and takes some getting used to.
There's a small button on the side of the smartphone that needs to pressed surprisingly hard before you can slide-out the compartment.
Obviously, LG doesn't want the bottom of your smartphone falling out the next time you pick it up to take a call – but the mechanism for the removable bottom is nonetheless a little fiddly.
Once the bottom of the smartphone is removed, you can swap the 2,800mAh battery pack for a newly recharged one, add a microSD card for some more memory, clip-in the point-and-shoot camera or B&O DAC music player.
It's a somewhat elegant solution that ensures LG can keep both the removable battery and expandable memory that rival Samsung was forced to ditch when it transitioned its flagship to an all-metal design.
There are still some answered questions about the removable bottom – is it going to become a magnet for pocket fluff.
But spending some time with the LG G5, I'm not convinced smartphone owners want to swap-out the bottom of their device for the CAM Plus whenever they stumble across a picturesque scene, or remember to pack the Hi-Fi Plus module ahead of a long flight so they can enjoy high quality audio on the journey.
I hope I'm wrong.
I'd like customers to embrace the LG G5. The South Korean technology firm's latest flagship is completely different to every other smartphone at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow.
Aside from the modular design, LG's new smartphone also ships with a new wide-angle lens camera set-up and a range of compatible hardware - dubbed "LG Friends" - designed to enhance the smartphone.
These approved third-party accessories add to the capabilities of the LG G5.
So far, the South Korean firm has announced a lightweight Virtual Reality headset that plugs into the smartphone via USB Type-C, there's the LG 360 Cam – a 360-degree camera that uses the LG G5 as a viewfinder as you shoot immersive 360-degree videos and photos. There's even a dedicated pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones that ship as part of the LG Friends pack, too.
The South Korean firm has added a subtle curve to the 5.3inch Quad HD IPS Quantum display, which blends the edge of the glass and aluminium case and ensures the device feels solid in your palm as you swipe around the heavily-skinned version of Android Marshmallow.
LG has decided not to opt for stock Android for its new smartphone. Instead, LG G5 customers will have to use the latest version of the South Korean firm's LG UI skin.
The latest version of the LG UI has been slimmed down, especially when compared to previous efforts, but it's still a little clunky.
LG has decided to drop the App Drawer in its latest update, which means Android users will be left to arrange their entire app collection on the Home Screen, like Apple's iOS. The South Korean firm says the decision was made in the name of simplicity, although since LG G5 owners will now come to rely on a myriad of folders to keep their apps in check, whether or not LG has achieved said simplicity is up for debate.
Elsewhere, LG's version of Android Marshmallow has also ditched dual-window support, so don't expect to be able to multi-task apps side-by-side.
LG has added Always-On display technology, which brings glanceable notifications and a lightweight clock and calendar to the device, even when it's asleep.
It's a useful addition to this flagship smartphone – and should have little impact on battery life.
LG claims battery drain of just 0.8 per cent for each hour the 5.3inch Quad HD IPS Quantum display uses Always-On.
These estimates are similar to those touted by Samsung, which unveiled a similar technology in its own flagship smartphone.
Above the scanner is the new dual-camera set-up, which includes a standard angle 16MP camera coupled with a 135-degree wide angle lens.
LG says this strange-looking set-up allows it's new smartphone camera to have a field of view wider than that of the human eye.
The result is a slight-fish eye curve at the edge of your photographs that isn't unpleasant - and means you'll be hard-pushed to find a subject you can't fit into the viewfinder of your smartphone.
The crisp, pin-sharp camera on the LG G4 was one of our favourite features, and it looks like the LG G5 will be no different.
Express.co.uk will have a full in-depth review of the LG G5, it's new accessories and LG Friends in the coming weeks.
Related articlesSource: LG G5 Hands On: I really hope I'm wrong about LG's new smartphone
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