back to article There’s a module for that: LG launches G5 smartphone complete with 'friends'

LG has announced the G5 smartphone at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, attempting to stand out with a modular approach alongside the inevitable VR support. The 5.3" G5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 2560 x 1440 display, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, MicroSD slot, USB Type-C port, 16MP rear camera and 8MP front, and runs …

  1. Bloodbeastterror

    "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

    So it uses 20% of the battery to display info even when I'm not looking at it...?

    1. Bloodbeastterror

      Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

      I do hate it when people just give a downvote to a reasonable comment without bothering to say why. What's the problem?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

        It was probably an LG fanboi. Do LG have fanbois?

        1. Bloodbeastterror

          Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

          Well, I guess I am, because I loved my LG Nexus 4. Despite its ludicrous glass back. And the fact that it's broken (random power-offs) after a pathetic 5 years... :-)

    2. toughluck

      Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

      That's already been solved and assuming it's not covered by patents, LG could very well be using it -- using sensors to monitor if the phone is being removed from the pocket (light level increase), if there are sudden movements, etc. -- all that is an indication that the owner is going to be looking at the screen in a moment.

      If Microsoft is able to do it in their phones, why not LG?

      1. Bloodbeastterror

        Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

        I don't understand your comment. What's already been solved? And where does a sensor come into it? This isn't like Marshmallow's Ambient Display where the info appears when the sensor is activated - the screen here is always on. And even Ambient Display drops the standby battery life on the Nexus 6 from 330 hours to 250 hours.

        So I repeat my implied question - what exactly is the benefit of this battery drain?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Boffin

      Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

      > "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

      > So it uses 20% of the battery to display info even when I'm not looking at it...?

      I didn't down vote you but I'm struggling to understand where your 20% figure comes from?

      //icon as I'm clearly too dense

      1. Seajay#

        Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

        That's what the figure would be if your phone could run for 25 hours between charges (good luck with that!)

      2. Bloodbeastterror

        Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

        "clearly too dense"

        Not at all... I did the calculation in my head, so it's not exact. It's about 20% of battery life over a 24-hour period - or as Seajay has commented, it would be 20% over a 25-hour day.

        24 hours times 0.8% per hour = 19.2%. So 20% wasn't a bad estimate... :-)

        1. Seajay#

          Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

          Exact details aside you're right that this is way to much power drain for a display that you're not looking at.

        2. Terry Barnes

          Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

          That's not a real world scenario though, is it?

          Your phone will be charging all night and probably while you're in your car and at your desk.

          The real number is 0.8% x hours away from charger. Nowhere near 20%.

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: "0.8 per cent of the 2800 mAh battery per hour"

            Your phone will be charging all night and probably while you're in your car and at your desk.

            Your phone might be, but mine won't. As far as I'm concerned, the point of a mobile phone is that it's a phone that's not connected to a wire all the time. I have a wired phone for that.

            I agree with the OP - it's a ridiculous waste of battery power.

            That's OK, though, since nothing about this phone looks appealing to me anyway. Clearly directed at a different audience.

  2. BurnT'offering

    I'd be in the market for a valve-based audio output

    with matching lead-acid battery back-pack and Bakelite headphones

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does the person demoing it look like a...

    Dork (to use an americanism)

    Outside of a small number of applications does anyone actually want this?

    or is it a load oh hot air and will be forgotten in a few moments (well, not until the MWC is over)?

    1. Yugguy

      Re: Does the person demoing it look like a...

      Yes indeed -"You too can look like a bellend with the new LG Smartphone."

      1. Anonymous Custard
        Terminator

        Re: Does the person demoing it look like a...

        Or judging by the picture from the article, you too can look like Bender from Futurama...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Does the person demoing it look like a...

          I was thinking more of a bad Max Headroom

  4. Bloodbeastterror

    Removable parts

    My major concern with this is the unclippable bottom. The more moving parts, the more likelihood of breakage, and with a device that's probably the wrong side of £500 I'd be very nervous about constantly unclipping pieces, which rather negates the benefit.

  5. kmac499

    Phone Plea..

    Can someone please please walk around MWC with a sandwich board and a loud hailer crying out,

    "What do we want? Small phones with good battery life clear sound and great reception. "

    "When do want'em?"

    You get the idea

    1. ratfox
      Paris Hilton

      Re: Phone Plea..

      Just buy a RAZR on eBay?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Phone Plea..

        Or any old Nokia, I suggest the Nokia Builder's phone.

        You can pick up phones for a few quid that will satisfy that very limited set of requirements.

  6. James 51

    "LG CAM Plus. A camera grip with buttons for power, shutter, record and zoom. The unit also adds exposure lock, and includes a 1200 mAh supplementary battery."

    Sounds a lot like the grip Nokia brought out for the 1020.

    1. IsJustabloke
      Facepalm

      LG CAM Plus

      carry a lot of extra shit to turn your phone into a camera o just simply carry an actual camera.

      There's nothing wrong with the snappers on a lot of modern mobeys but they are not serious cameras and no amount of extra dodads will change that. (notable exception Sony phones, they at least have a pedigree in as much that Sony do make decent cameras and are the only phones that still have a dedicated shutter button I think)

      1. Known Hero

        Re: LG CAM Plus

        only phones that still have a dedicated shutter button

        Xperia Z here, and nope. no dedicated shutter button. Could be a few select models.

        1. IsJustabloke

          Re: LG CAM Plus

          "Xperia Z here, and nope. no dedicated shutter button"

          my Z1 has one.

        2. fuzzie

          Re: LG CAM Plus

          The Z was first and missed out. All the other Z's have a dedicated shutter button, some even with half-press to focus (or at least it appears that's what it does).

  7. Seajay#

    Is this really "Modular"

    I don't call my pc modular just because it's possible to connect a printer to it, or my phone modular because it's possible to plug in headphones.

  8. Brenda McViking
    Thumb Up

    Finally.

    Someone was listening.

    a removable battery, and an SD card? was it too much to ask? No! of course it wasn't.

    And this also looks like a proper flagship for a change - something that does it differently, tries something new in the flatlining smartphone technological arena - whilst the whole modular thing is open to debate as to whether it is useful, it does mean that LG might be the first manufacturer in 4 years that might actually pursuade me to part with my SGS4! Flagships are supposed to be those which push the boundaries, and this is the first i've seen in years that qualifies. Type C USB? about ruddy time.

    I was going to look at the S7, but due to the fact it is landfill in 2 years with a welded/glued/rivetted in battery, Samsung can get lost. No doubt a refined smartphone, but nothing new, so of no interest to me.

    Bravo LG, you appear to have listened and innovated, unlike every other manufacturer out there right now. Now if only you hadn't burnt me with (horrific lack of) android software updates in the past...

  9. tentimes

    Inventing solutions for problems that do not exist.

    This seems like a misstep by LG. All those "add-ons" sound like fluff to me. And who now hasn't got a portable power pack that they take in their rucksack for recharging phones? I go away for a weekend with one of these and I don't need to fanny around changing batteries.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Inventing solutions for problems that do not exist.

      No, but instead you have to fanny about with a portable power pack plugged in via a cable for an hour.

      I'd rather have the battery please. Worked great in my old Nokia mob days. Now, what would be really cool would be for the phone to have a tiny perma battery (UPS) inside, allowing a battery change out without phone reset.

    2. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: Inventing solutions for problems that do not exist.

      When the battery in my s3 died it did so in such a way as to prevent the phone booting. Replacing the battery means that a year later I can still use the phone to write this comment. Of course the phone is likely pwned because it hasn't had a security patch in years but if it bothered me that much I could install Cyanogen.

  10. pear

    camera

    The annoying thing about this phone is that they put in a significant camera hump and instead of actually putting in some serious hardware they went for a ultra wide angle-lens add-on weird thing... eh?

    The G4 camera is decent but still way behind my Nokia 808 which is many years older

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