The LG G5 is the latest flagship smartphone to hit the market — and for once, it offers something intriguingly different. Boasting a modular design with a host of snap-on peripherals (sold separately), the G5 is quite unlike any phone from rival manufacturers. It’s coming to Australia in early May. Here are the pricing details, release date and specs.
The G5 will initially be available from Optus (May 2) Telstra (May 3) and Harvey Norman (May 2). It will cost a fairly steep $1099 to buy outright, which falls roughly in line with other flagship phones released this year.
The LG G5 is a powered by a current-gen Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB of RAM running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It sports a 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display with a native resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels (554ppi) and a 2800mAh removeable battery.
Other noteworthy features include 32GB of onboard storage, a microSD card slot and a 16-megapixel rear camera sporting dual lenses, one of which is wide-angle for superior framing. Here are the chief specifications:
Specifications
| LG G5 | |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) |
| Dimensions | 149.4mm x 73.9mm x 7.7-8.6mm |
| Weight | 159g |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor |
| Memory | 4GB RAM, 32GB (supports MicroSD up to 2TB) |
| Display | 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display |
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 (554 ppi) |
| Camera | 16MP rear camera (standard) / 8MP (Wide), 8MP front |
| Battery | 2800mAh (removable) |
In a bid to entice prospective customers, LG has announced it will replace broken screens free of charge, regardless of the cause. This will be a one-time offer, so accident-prone users will need to be vigilant after the first smash.
In addition to the handset, LG is also selling a range of snap-on peripherals dubbed “friends”. These include the Cam Plus module (which adds a camera-style grip and physical controls), the 360 cam module (which adds two 13MP wide angle cameras, a 1200mAh battery and 4GB internal memory), B&O HI-FI Plus module (which adds a portable Hi-Fi DAC that supports 32-bit, 384KHz high-resolution audio playback), the Rolling Bot module (a camera-equipped BB8-style toy) and the Charging Kit module (which adds a dual function battery charging kit for other phones and tablets).
All of the above modules will be available in May and will cost $129, $399, $229, $399 and $69.95, respectively. There’s also a pair of virtual-reality glasses coming out specifically for the phone, dubbed LG 360 VR. Interestingly, these come with their own ocular displays, with the G5 powering the experience via a USB cable. This is a departure from most other phone VR headset which integrate the handset’s display.
Comments
3 responses to “LG G5: Australian Pricing, Specs And Release Date”
For those who like custom ROMs/recoveries on their phone, just be aware that not all versions of the G5 are alike.
Currently the only officially supported model is the European version of the H850. All others models (e.g. the H860) including non-European H850s can’t be unlocked/flashed as of this post. In time, a non-official hack may be released (e.g. on XDA-devs) but it’s not guaranteed.
So best advice is to buy a H850 from an overseas retailer located in the EU. Ours are coming from clove.co.uk but Handtec and a few other retailers in the UK will also ship EU H850s here.
Imagine if our regulators were progressive enough to force the mfrs to allow bootloader unlocking like Europe…. I realise it’s very unlikely given how well they usually stand up for consumers, but I wouldn’t buy a notebook on which I wasn’t allowed admin access, so why should I be locked out of it on a phone (which is actually a more powerful computer than my current notebook)?
thats so true. You own the phone yet you do not with companies saying its for your own good as sticking with their customized android is best . LOL. Its your phone and you should be allowed to do what ever you like., Kind of like Microsoft and UEFI