First, that's probably an exaggeration. Second, there are only a couple of iphone launches every year, at most. That's a much easier load to track compared to the swarm of android devices that dribble out over the year (with a plurality released around March, tbh).
So what? Why does it matter how many Android devices there are compared to iPhones? The OS has nothing to do with reviewing a phone, that kind of segregation makes absolutely no logical sense. Of course, during this period when several manufacturers decide to release their phones at the same time, the workload of reviewers would suddenly spike but it still doesn't excuse the delays they have during other times of the year. Let's just face facts. IPhones, like sex, sells. Of course they would double down and getting a review of the latest iPhones out the door, they get more viewers that way.
It matters because the person I responded to mentioned how iPhone reviews come out relatively quickly. I responded by explaining my understanding of the situation, which is that phones are, in a practical sense, categorized by their OS. Specifically with regards to apple, they are there only ones who produce ios phones, and only make, at most, a couple of releases a year. What's more, those particular phones are the most purchased of any particular phone so interest is highest in them. For Android, the sales distribution is far more diffuse, and Samsung, for one, has at least a couple major releases every year. When you have a finite amount of man power you have to distribute it in a way that provides the most benefits. As for their delays during other times, there were, iirc, mitigating circumstances(reviewers were sick, schoolwork, etc). If you have actual knowledge that indicates otherwise I'd be interested.
Wait, are you really that dense? You answered your own question but you're still throwing a hissyfit?
More phone releases = more workload = increased delays in using (adequately) and reviewing every phone.
There are usually two iPhones, and they likely receive review units well in advance and thus have plenty of time to use them. And yes, there is a greater incentive to review an insanely popular device like the iPhone. Why does that upset you?
I agree, it's pretty disappointing how more and more "late" all of their reviews are becoming... At this rate, the HTC10 review would probably come at the end of the summer.
And yea, "better late than never" phrase is also losing its relevancy - most of the people whom I personally know and who were planning to "upgrade" their Android phones this year have already done so, meaning the "late" reviews like this have lost all relevance to them. But whatever - if Purch Media wants to run Anandtech into the ground - it's their choice.
Not everyone buys phones as soon as they are launched. A couple of months is not 'old' by any stretch.
You get the most detailed technical and scientific review out of any website, which is a trade off I am happy to make. Better late than crap is my motto. Amen.
The Galaxy S7 is the blockbuster release of this year. It's getting ridiculous that Anandtech can't prioritise reviews in their pipeline. And seriously, amongst the big brands, there has been half a dozen phones really relevant to review since the Mobile World Congress this winter, and still the full S7 review isn't out. Sure, it hurts Anandtech more than it hurts readers, as people will just stop coming here when they notice magazines, delivered by snail mail, produces reviews months before the once great Anandtech.
PCMark is kinda weird. Look at Meizu M1 Metal with Helio X10 (A53@2GHz) http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/mobile/Meizu+m1... Web Browsing score 5655 Video Playback score 2713 Writing score 7313 Photo Editing score 6013 Video score is low, photo editing is in part on GPU so you would expect a lower score but 6k is rather great given the small GPU. And then you got web browsing and work , the most relevant scores, at flagship perf somehow. I know what it does and how but not sure how relevant it is and if something is off here.
No storage perf in this review? Would have been interesting to see how storage speeds correlate with DiscoMark results. You guys really need to get some SD652/650 and Helio X20 results in the charts, it feels outdated without.
Wow, I immediately noticed the screen was quite shite based on hands-on videos from their event a few months back, but I didn't think production units would have such a crap display as well.
The light bleed is a panel issue, but the other problems could be improved with a software update; however, the G4 suffers from many of the same issues and it has yet to receive an update to correct them.
We've also noticed that firmwares for different regions/carriers are not equivalent; they may use a different white point or disable the auto-dimming behavior in manual brightness mode, for example.
I have a release G5 and I do not have any issues with backlight bleed. Too many of the issues listed in reviews are pre-release demo reviews but I also notice that some issues exist between brand models. Sprint vs the others, etc. Dunno why that would matter.
There needs to be a very small internal battery to allow you to swap batteries without rebooting. At any rate its nice that the consumer is at least getting a chance to vote on how important these features are to them.
The display section was really nice to read. I don't mind waiting for AT reviews because of the content, but try and get these done quicker. Many of us want to buy devices as soon as they're released, but we end up waiting for your review.
Is S7 part 2 ever happening? Both the iPhone SE and the LG G5 came out after the Galaxy S7. At this rate I'm expecting HTC 10 review before S7. Poor chap who's writing the article must be real busy. Guess I'd rather it be the usual Anandtech level of quality than rushed with no substance. This isn't meant to be a complaint, I love the content this website produces.
Does LG supply monthly OS updates? Of course they don't.
But before you complain about the carriers blocking such updates I will point out the simple fact that if OEMs started actually delivering updates to the cellular carriers every month there would be a huge amount of pressure on the cell companies to change how they handle software updates.
But OEMs don't provide updates and not because of the carriers, because they don't work to do the work to provide them.
Sorry, the only phones people should be considering at this time are Nexus phones and iPhones. All others are a compromise not worth making.
I have an s7e on T-mo and I believe I've had 4 updates in the 2 months I've had it. All but the fm radio being enabled were security updates. I actually got the May 1 security patch via OTA on the 4th.
I believe Samsung will be better with updates (particularly with security updates) due to Samsung Pay.
Normally I'd agree with you, but if Samsung keeps up what they are doing so far with the s7 amd s7e then this may not be true anymore.
The update for the nordic market seems to be delayed, last year the lollipop rollout wasn't exactly smooth. So they are probably playing safe, this time around. My carrier has nothing to do with it, fully unlocked device.
Must be nice. My (Canadian) Telus S7 has received 2 updates: one that applied the first time it was booted with a SIM (which showed a Feb date for security patch level I think), the other for the April security update that was received in the middle of May.
Several other S7 variants have been updated since, but not the Telus ones. No, that would be too nice, can't have that. :(
The only update i've gotten for my note 4 was the 5.1.1 update in early 2016. Nothing else has come out. So it sounds like samsung cares about updates.....only on the latest models of course.
With no replacable battery OR SD card slot on the N7, it was immediately dropped from my considerations. To be honest, so what if they take a bit longer or don't update eventually. Everything still works just fine. And I have all of my music on my 128G SD card without streaming and then some along with 2 batteries for use or one to use as a recharge block with the included battery charging station. Free.
I used the Galaxy S4 until I got the LG G5. I do not need upgrades every year like the "Jone's". I get it working the way I want and am happy with it and use it for a very long time. The only reason I upgraded was I got these for $99 each with all the extras and it had the two items that I deem important for me and mine. So they get my money.
Who gives a hoot about upgrades when it doesn't do the basic functions I want in a device to begin with?
Youre in denial if you claim you don't want Android updates.
I guess we can send you back to the Ice Cream Sandwhich days or earlier because you don't give a hoot.
More than likely you've never actually owned an Android device that gets quick updates and simply don't know what you're missing. People usually think "oh I don't need that" until they've experienced it.
Interesting that this is the only review, or article, that hasn't mentioned the poor fit between the removable portion and the main body. This is easily the b3st review of this device I've seen.
On my LG G5 there is none. Also my device had no lightbleed (checked it directly in the store).
It's fast, also in Chrome. Battery life is good, especially standby. At night I sometimes have 0% battery consumption in 8 hours (WiFi off, mobile data on). SoT is also OK, under heavy use I got more than 5 hours.
You can leave your LG phone with the screen on for 8 hours straight and it will still report 100%. LG is notorious for this - my G4 has the same behavior where it erroneously reports 100% for too long (I believe all LG phones do this). So if your phone is fully charged and then unplugged overnight you aren't actually seeing the correct battery level/drain. I remember reading something online for 25 minutes on my G4 and it still showed 100% - which I knew wasn't right.
I Cannot post screenshots here, so I can hardly proof anything, but the idle battery drain without WiFi/ bluetooth turned on is about 0.1% to 0.2%.
This is the best of any smartphone I have ever owned.
I'm overall pretty satisfied, but I have a European version with unlocked bootloader, rooted and decrypted. Just waiting for CM, but the stock ROM is also OK as long as you replace the launcher, phone and telephone apps.
Ah yet again 'metal is better than plastic', it never is. The majority will put a case on their phone and rarely in its life feel or see the original material again until they sell or break it. I just do not get why anyone pushes for metal over plastic. You lose more features when they migrate to metal and I think is more flimsy and delicate. And why LG did you make a smaller screen. This was going to be my upgrade until you did that :o(
The hot vs cold Discomark scores of the GS7 again show how aggressively Samsung boots things from RAM despite having plenty free. If you look at videos of people cycling through opened apps vs other phones you see the same thing. I wonder why Samsung hasn't tamped down on that yet, they have fast guts but make reloads slow because of it.
Wouldn't a longer reload time indicate the phone is evicting more from memory than others, thus having to reload and take longer? "Warm" just means the app was opened, what the device does with the memory once something else is on screen is not in the benchmarks control.
All I want for Christmas is an official Marshmallow update for my LG G2.... still the best phone I ever had. I cannot conceivably switch to anything else that does not have the wake/sleep feature simply by double tapping the glass. That was so ingenious and beautifully implemented in G2 without draining battery.
They reflect the APIs used in actual 3D games and apps on their respective platforms. It's not an SoC comparison; smartphones are integrated systems and you can't separate them from their operating system. To say the results are meaningless is simply incorrect.
Until Vulkan arrives on Android, for now it means "the best you can do on this phones APIs". That the phones have more potential is immaterial until those lower level APIs arrive on them.
I am sad that with the g5 almost all of the manufacturers stepped away from the more comfortable plastics to glas and metal.
I think the leather back of the g4 and the back of the note 3 are the nicest to use of all phones. I would personally not want something that damages faster, is less comfortable to hold and is more slippery for just some asthetics which I really could not care less about.
<< The G5 also uses the ambient light sensor to turn off the display when it senses it’s in a pocket or purse or even when lying face down. >>
My god, please, can someone tell me how to turn this off. There's this infuriating delay involved with it so that it takes a good 3 or 4 seconds after I've picked it up for the power button to become responsive. I'm used to waking up the phone as I'm raising it up to my face, this feature is just totally useless to me. I looked in settings but I couldn't find where it's hiding.
I really wish you guys could add the Sony phones to your review lineup.
I realize they aren't as mainstream as LG and Samsung and Apple, but I think that actually makes it a better fit for this site. As your reader-base will be more likely to buy something that's better, even if it isn't from the big guys.
I say this because my Sony Xperia Z3+ makes these test results look utterly archaic. My battery life is literally twice that of anything that's even on your chart AND the phones waterproof AND it was only $400. Frankly their insistence on using 1440p screens makes Samsung and LG non-existant to me.
We met with Sony at MWC to realign the relationship. It went really well, and we agreed to sync back up in the summer when the new devices are launched and we have enough bandwidth to review them.
They're using one (well, two) of the first shipping Cortex A72 designs. However, they give up some GPU performance with their Mali for that impressive CPU.
We did include GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan onscreen results. Also, our battery test uses GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 onscreen, so you can see the G5's peak score at the beginning and how its performance drops over time.
I wish these reviews would specify the software being run on the different phones that are compared in the benchmarks. For example, with the LG G3, is it running Marshmallow, Lollipop or KitKat? What benchmark version?
I would have thought that unless you keep phones and upgrade and retest them on newer software versions, you are going to see big performance differences that may not reflect underlying differences in SoC perf.
You bring up a very good point. I too would like to see us provide more info regarding software/benchmark version numbers and will discuss it with the team.
As for the G3, it was running Android 5.0.1 with all carrier (Sprint) and Google updates applied.
3 times that LG keeps failing hard in the most important regard, screeen quality. Everything done right design wise gets completely destroyed by their pathetic choice in regards to screen quality,
98% DCI-P3 and no proper sRGB options? HELLO? Pretty much everything is sRGB, android is a mess for wide gamut options, why even try?
The only way of delivering this piss poor calibrated screens is by doing it on purpose. It's not even acceptable for a low end smartphone.
This...a million times this. When the G4 introduced Quantum Dot display...I hoped for LG to embark a good feat in innovation. Fast forward to now, LG releases a display we can't even utilize, and is somewhat power hungry? Goodness sake. I think even because of this I moved away from the LG G5 and lost interest in LG devices entirely.
My problem with the G5 is the erratic antenna signal .... it bounced from 1 to 4 bars even with phone on table right in front of tower... I went to the S7. Same phone just better signal
Anyone noticing the LG is getting worse and worse on Screen to Body ratio with their flagship phones? (Data from phonearena) G2 76.3%, G3 75.2%, G4 72.5%, and G5 70.2%!! What has LG's designers been smoking? Now with G5 all of sudden proven 5.5 inch screen is too large that they can only fit a 5.3 inch?
They have something really unique going for it (removable battery and SD expansion), but they always manage to negate those in some other ways. G3 actually was the best LG I consider, design wise. Unfortunately its construction wasn't great. I recently installed Fulmics 5.2 custom rom (MM based) onto G2 and it flies as fast as G4. G4 was much sturdier, much better constructed, love the leather back, but larger and less economical. Reviewer always say G5 design is a huge departure but if you look at the front the G3 and G5, they are actually very similar. So I don't understand why LG has the shrink the G5's screen so much to fit to that body.
I was super excited watching their launch event but was more and more disappointing after reading review after review and after handling it in-store in person. Just wish my Canadian G4 has unlockable bootloader to allow some decent custom ROM development.
Would you please look into measuring touch latency, please? This is something that no English reviewer seems to be doing even though it is such an integral part of a user's experience.
We are at the second generation of SOC with builtin HEVC encoding, and still no signs of any way to use it, do You think we will ever see a smartphone with HEVC encoding enabled? Thanks a lot.
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osxandwindows - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
finally!.zeeBomb - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Damn... This review surprised me! Still won't get it, but nice to have itv finally doneAlexey291 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
As usual their reviews are so late that the devices of the current generation have been bought already by those who was planning to buy them.Unless it's an iPhone ofc. That shit gets a review in a week
tuxRoller - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
First, that's probably an exaggeration.Second, there are only a couple of iphone launches every year, at most. That's a much easier load to track compared to the swarm of android devices that dribble out over the year (with a plurality released around March, tbh).
marcolorenzo - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
So what? Why does it matter how many Android devices there are compared to iPhones? The OS has nothing to do with reviewing a phone, that kind of segregation makes absolutely no logical sense. Of course, during this period when several manufacturers decide to release their phones at the same time, the workload of reviewers would suddenly spike but it still doesn't excuse the delays they have during other times of the year. Let's just face facts. IPhones, like sex, sells. Of course they would double down and getting a review of the latest iPhones out the door, they get more viewers that way.tuxRoller - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
It matters because the person I responded to mentioned how iPhone reviews come out relatively quickly. I responded by explaining my understanding of the situation, which is that phones are, in a practical sense, categorized by their OS. Specifically with regards to apple, they are there only ones who produce ios phones, and only make, at most, a couple of releases a year. What's more, those particular phones are the most purchased of any particular phone so interest is highest in them.For Android, the sales distribution is far more diffuse, and Samsung, for one, has at least a couple major releases every year.
When you have a finite amount of man power you have to distribute it in a way that provides the most benefits.
As for their delays during other times, there were, iirc, mitigating circumstances(reviewers were sick, schoolwork, etc). If you have actual knowledge that indicates otherwise I'd be interested.
anoxy - Monday, May 30, 2016 - link
Wait, are you really that dense? You answered your own question but you're still throwing a hissyfit?More phone releases = more workload = increased delays in using (adequately) and reviewing every phone.
There are usually two iPhones, and they likely receive review units well in advance and thus have plenty of time to use them. And yes, there is a greater incentive to review an insanely popular device like the iPhone. Why does that upset you?
Ranger1065 - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
Nicely written article, but even, "better late than never" barely applies. Anandtech takes another GIANT step, towards obsolescence...Alex J. - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
I agree, it's pretty disappointing how more and more "late" all of their reviews are becoming... At this rate, the HTC10 review would probably come at the end of the summer.And yea, "better late than never" phrase is also losing its relevancy - most of the people whom I personally know and who were planning to "upgrade" their Android phones this year have already done so, meaning the "late" reviews like this have lost all relevance to them. But whatever - if Purch Media wants to run Anandtech into the ground - it's their choice.
DiamondsWithaZ - Monday, September 19, 2016 - link
It did haha. The HTC 10 review literally just got posted... The phone has been out for almost 6 months.LiverpoolFC5903 - Tuesday, June 21, 2016 - link
Not everyone buys phones as soon as they are launched. A couple of months is not 'old' by any stretch.You get the most detailed technical and scientific review out of any website, which is a trade off I am happy to make. Better late than crap is my motto. Amen.
Oyeve - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
True. Still waiting for an S7 review and an LGV10 review. Anandtech really lacks the quality it once had.RazrLeaf - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Whee! (I'll edit this part after I finish reading)Aside: Is S7 part 2 done yet?
DanNeely - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Yup. It was actually finished months ago. They're just sitting on it to spite you and to fuel bias conspiracy theories by other commentators. /stheduckofdeath - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
The Galaxy S7 is the blockbuster release of this year. It's getting ridiculous that Anandtech can't prioritise reviews in their pipeline. And seriously, amongst the big brands, there has been half a dozen phones really relevant to review since the Mobile World Congress this winter, and still the full S7 review isn't out.Sure, it hurts Anandtech more than it hurts readers, as people will just stop coming here when they notice magazines, delivered by snail mail, produces reviews months before the once great Anandtech.
ianmills - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
Jokes on you brother as we still can't edit comments on this site loljjj - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
PCMark is kinda weird. Look at Meizu M1 Metal with Helio X10 (A53@2GHz) http://www.futuremark.com/hardware/mobile/Meizu+m1...Web Browsing score 5655
Video Playback score 2713
Writing score 7313
Photo Editing score 6013
Video score is low, photo editing is in part on GPU so you would expect a lower score but 6k is rather great given the small GPU.
And then you got web browsing and work , the most relevant scores, at flagship perf somehow.
I know what it does and how but not sure how relevant it is and if something is off here.
No storage perf in this review? Would have been interesting to see how storage speeds correlate with DiscoMark results.
You guys really need to get some SD652/650 and Helio X20 results in the charts, it feels outdated without.
xdamm - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Wow, I immediately noticed the screen was quite shite based on hands-on videos from their event a few months back, but I didn't think production units would have such a crap display as well.Shame on you, LG.
K_Space - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Is this a panel issue or can this be sorted out with an firmware update?Matt Humrick - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
The light bleed is a panel issue, but the other problems could be improved with a software update; however, the G4 suffers from many of the same issues and it has yet to receive an update to correct them.We've also noticed that firmwares for different regions/carriers are not equivalent; they may use a different white point or disable the auto-dimming behavior in manual brightness mode, for example.
SirGCal - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I have a release G5 and I do not have any issues with backlight bleed. Too many of the issues listed in reviews are pre-release demo reviews but I also notice that some issues exist between brand models. Sprint vs the others, etc. Dunno why that would matter.kspirit - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Mess.Shadowmaster625 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
There needs to be a very small internal battery to allow you to swap batteries without rebooting. At any rate its nice that the consumer is at least getting a chance to vote on how important these features are to them.Lolimaster - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
I thought the same, a small soldered battery should make the modularity awesome.The screen is complete cr@p, and LG owns IPS, how can they fail so hard, 3 TIMES IN A ROW.
hans_ober - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Nice review! :)The display section was really nice to read. I don't mind waiting for AT reviews because of the content, but try and get these done quicker. Many of us want to buy devices as soon as they're released, but we end up waiting for your review.
Cakefish - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Is S7 part 2 ever happening? Both the iPhone SE and the LG G5 came out after the Galaxy S7. At this rate I'm expecting HTC 10 review before S7. Poor chap who's writing the article must be real busy. Guess I'd rather it be the usual Anandtech level of quality than rushed with no substance. This isn't meant to be a complaint, I love the content this website produces.Anyway, this review is fantastic, as always.
smartthanyou - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Does LG supply monthly OS updates? Of course they don't.But before you complain about the carriers blocking such updates I will point out the simple fact that if OEMs started actually delivering updates to the cellular carriers every month there would be a huge amount of pressure on the cell companies to change how they handle software updates.
But OEMs don't provide updates and not because of the carriers, because they don't work to do the work to provide them.
Sorry, the only phones people should be considering at this time are Nexus phones and iPhones. All others are a compromise not worth making.
anactoraaron - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I have an s7e on T-mo and I believe I've had 4 updates in the 2 months I've had it. All but the fm radio being enabled were security updates. I actually got the May 1 security patch via OTA on the 4th.I believe Samsung will be better with updates (particularly with security updates) due to Samsung Pay.
Normally I'd agree with you, but if Samsung keeps up what they are doing so far with the s7 amd s7e then this may not be true anymore.
arayoflight - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
They have been doing this since the s6. I have s6 and got the may patch on 10th.Ariknowsbest - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
My S5 (s801 EU) last security update is from Nov 2015. Was interested in the S7 but I rather stay away.They simply have too many models and variants.
UglyFrank - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
That must be an issue with your carrier. I have the same phone and recieved 2-3 security updates and the marshmallow update for the exact same device.Ariknowsbest - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
The update for the nordic market seems to be delayed, last year the lollipop rollout wasn't exactly smooth. So they are probably playing safe, this time around. My carrier has nothing to do with it, fully unlocked device.phoenix_rizzen - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Must be nice. My (Canadian) Telus S7 has received 2 updates: one that applied the first time it was booted with a SIM (which showed a Feb date for security patch level I think), the other for the April security update that was received in the middle of May.Several other S7 variants have been updated since, but not the Telus ones. No, that would be too nice, can't have that. :(
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
The only update i've gotten for my note 4 was the 5.1.1 update in early 2016. Nothing else has come out. So it sounds like samsung cares about updates.....only on the latest models of course.SirGCal - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
With no replacable battery OR SD card slot on the N7, it was immediately dropped from my considerations. To be honest, so what if they take a bit longer or don't update eventually. Everything still works just fine. And I have all of my music on my 128G SD card without streaming and then some along with 2 batteries for use or one to use as a recharge block with the included battery charging station. Free.I used the Galaxy S4 until I got the LG G5. I do not need upgrades every year like the "Jone's". I get it working the way I want and am happy with it and use it for a very long time. The only reason I upgraded was I got these for $99 each with all the extras and it had the two items that I deem important for me and mine. So they get my money.
Who gives a hoot about upgrades when it doesn't do the basic functions I want in a device to begin with?
blzd - Thursday, June 2, 2016 - link
Youre in denial if you claim you don't want Android updates.I guess we can send you back to the Ice Cream Sandwhich days or earlier because you don't give a hoot.
More than likely you've never actually owned an Android device that gets quick updates and simply don't know what you're missing. People usually think "oh I don't need that" until they've experienced it.
Eden-K121D - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I don't like phones with tumors at the back. Looks Fuglydamianrobertjones - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
OMG! Light bleed on the screen. Quick return 10 devices in a row! (Like people have done with the SP4)melgross - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Interesting that this is the only review, or article, that hasn't mentioned the poor fit between the removable portion and the main body. This is easily the b3st review of this device I've seen.BabelHuber - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
On my LG G5 there is none. Also my device had no lightbleed (checked it directly in the store).It's fast, also in Chrome. Battery life is good, especially standby. At night I sometimes have 0% battery consumption in 8 hours (WiFi off, mobile data on).
SoT is also OK, under heavy use I got more than 5 hours.
kurahk7 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
How do you check for backlight bleed in a store when it's traditionally done in a dark room? Did they let you turn off the lights in the store?BabelHuber - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I had a jacket on.anactoraaron - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
You can leave your LG phone with the screen on for 8 hours straight and it will still report 100%. LG is notorious for this - my G4 has the same behavior where it erroneously reports 100% for too long (I believe all LG phones do this). So if your phone is fully charged and then unplugged overnight you aren't actually seeing the correct battery level/drain. I remember reading something online for 25 minutes on my G4 and it still showed 100% - which I knew wasn't right.BabelHuber - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I Cannot post screenshots here, so I can hardly proof anything, but the idle battery drain without WiFi/ bluetooth turned on is about 0.1% to 0.2%.This is the best of any smartphone I have ever owned.
I'm overall pretty satisfied, but I have a European version with unlocked bootloader, rooted and decrypted. Just waiting for CM, but the stock ROM is also OK as long as you replace the launcher, phone and telephone apps.
BabelHuber - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Edit: about 0.1% to 0.2% per hour.SirGCal - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Same, no light bleed, battery connection to body is solid. I don't understand that argument myself either and we have 3 of them between us.pow1983 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Ah yet again 'metal is better than plastic', it never is. The majority will put a case on their phone and rarely in its life feel or see the original material again until they sell or break it. I just do not get why anyone pushes for metal over plastic. You lose more features when they migrate to metal and I think is more flimsy and delicate.And why LG did you make a smaller screen. This was going to be my upgrade until you did that :o(
Lolimaster - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
The screen is complete sh*t calibration wise. You did yourself a favor by not upgrading,zeeBomb - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Who is this Matt Humereck fellow? I heard he does great in depth reviews like this one.tipoo - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Worse web browsing performance than the G4 - is it using the little cores for the whole test, like iirc the Oneplus 2?tipoo - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
The hot vs cold Discomark scores of the GS7 again show how aggressively Samsung boots things from RAM despite having plenty free. If you look at videos of people cycling through opened apps vs other phones you see the same thing. I wonder why Samsung hasn't tamped down on that yet, they have fast guts but make reloads slow because of it.
Andrei Frumusanu - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
RAM management is not the cause of the S7's scores in that benchmark, all apps were still in memory in the hot test.tipoo - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Wouldn't a longer reload time indicate the phone is evicting more from memory than others, thus having to reload and take longer? "Warm" just means the app was opened, what the device does with the memory once something else is on screen is not in the benchmarks control.SteelRing - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
All I want for Christmas is an official Marshmallow update for my LG G2.... still the best phone I ever had. I cannot conceivably switch to anything else that does not have the wake/sleep feature simply by double tapping the glass. That was so ingenious and beautifully implemented in G2 without draining battery.lefty2 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I don't know what the OpenGL ES 3.1 / metal tests are for. OpenGL ES 3.1 and Metal are two completely different API's.Andrei Frumusanu - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
The test runs on GLES3.1 on Android and Metal on iOS.lefty2 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Yeah, but why benchmark two completely different API's on two different devices. The results are meaningless.Brandon Chester - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
They reflect the APIs used in actual 3D games and apps on their respective platforms. It's not an SoC comparison; smartphones are integrated systems and you can't separate them from their operating system. To say the results are meaningless is simply incorrect.tipoo - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Until Vulkan arrives on Android, for now it means "the best you can do on this phones APIs". That the phones have more potential is immaterial until those lower level APIs arrive on them.tuxRoller - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Vulkan is available on android**N
:)
Regardless, AT can enter their assorted Nexii into the preview.
qlum - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I am sad that with the g5 almost all of the manufacturers stepped away from the more comfortable plastics to glas and metal.I think the leather back of the g4 and the back of the note 3 are the nicest to use of all phones. I would personally not want something that damages faster, is less comfortable to hold and is more slippery for just some asthetics which I really could not care less about.
PTNLemay - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
<< The G5 also uses the ambient light sensor to turn off the display when it senses it’s in a pocket or purse or even when lying face down. >>My god, please, can someone tell me how to turn this off. There's this infuriating delay involved with it so that it takes a good 3 or 4 seconds after I've picked it up for the power button to become responsive. I'm used to waking up the phone as I'm raising it up to my face, this feature is just totally useless to me. I looked in settings but I couldn't find where it's hiding.
ketacdx - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
I don't know if it's the same on the G5 but on my Nexus 5X its in Settings-->Display-->Ambient Display.Hrel - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I really wish you guys could add the Sony phones to your review lineup.I realize they aren't as mainstream as LG and Samsung and Apple, but I think that actually makes it a better fit for this site. As your reader-base will be more likely to buy something that's better, even if it isn't from the big guys.
I say this because my Sony Xperia Z3+ makes these test results look utterly archaic. My battery life is literally twice that of anything that's even on your chart AND the phones waterproof AND it was only $400. Frankly their insistence on using 1440p screens makes Samsung and LG non-existant to me.
tipoo - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
I recall something about Sony just not sending them test units or something.Ian Cutress - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
We met with Sony at MWC to realign the relationship. It went really well, and we agreed to sync back up in the summer when the new devices are launched and we have enough bandwidth to review them.tipoo - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
Good to hear!TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - link
So, we should expect the review sometime around january 2017?vincentjamesj - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Valuable suggestions , Just to add my thoughts if you are looking for a a form , my company used a blank version here https://goo.gl/wPglxB.Badelhas - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Great and detailed review, as always. Congrats.Looking forward for the full review of the HTC 10 and Vive. When will they be released?
Cheers
tuxRoller - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Ok, what the hell is Xiaomi putting in their phones?Are there hidden racing stripes?
It's gotta be.
tipoo - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
They're using one (well, two) of the first shipping Cortex A72 designs. However, they give up some GPU performance with their Mali for that impressive CPU.tuxRoller - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_mi_5_plus-7260.phpApparently it uses a sd820.
tipoo - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
Doh, I crossed my Huawei and Xiaomi wires, thought you meant the Mate 8 and P9.lucam - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Hi Matt, you should have added also the GFX Bench 1440p Manhattan in your bench.Matt Humrick - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
We did include GFXBench 3.0 Manhattan onscreen results. Also, our battery test uses GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 onscreen, so you can see the G5's peak score at the beginning and how its performance drops over time.lucam - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
The GFXBench 3.0 onscreen is not the new one 3.1 1440p. But I guess it so new that you couldn't test on new devices.Klug4Pres - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
I wish these reviews would specify the software being run on the different phones that are compared in the benchmarks. For example, with the LG G3, is it running Marshmallow, Lollipop or KitKat? What benchmark version?I would have thought that unless you keep phones and upgrade and retest them on newer software versions, you are going to see big performance differences that may not reflect underlying differences in SoC perf.
Matt Humrick - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
You bring up a very good point. I too would like to see us provide more info regarding software/benchmark version numbers and will discuss it with the team.As for the G3, it was running Android 5.0.1 with all carrier (Sprint) and Google updates applied.
Lolimaster - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
Can you put a big FAILZODIA on top of the review.3 times that LG keeps failing hard in the most important regard, screeen quality. Everything done right design wise gets completely destroyed by their pathetic choice in regards to screen quality,
98% DCI-P3 and no proper sRGB options? HELLO? Pretty much everything is sRGB, android is a mess for wide gamut options, why even try?
The only way of delivering this piss poor calibrated screens is by doing it on purpose. It's not even acceptable for a low end smartphone.
zeeBomb - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
This...a million times this. When the G4 introduced Quantum Dot display...I hoped for LG to embark a good feat in innovation. Fast forward to now, LG releases a display we can't even utilize, and is somewhat power hungry? Goodness sake. I think even because of this I moved away from the LG G5 and lost interest in LG devices entirely.Blairdrafting - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
My problem with the G5 is the erratic antenna signal .... it bounced from 1 to 4 bars even with phone on table right in front of tower... I went to the S7. Same phone just better signalflyingfiddle - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
Anyone noticing the LG is getting worse and worse on Screen to Body ratio with their flagship phones? (Data from phonearena) G2 76.3%, G3 75.2%, G4 72.5%, and G5 70.2%!! What has LG's designers been smoking? Now with G5 all of sudden proven 5.5 inch screen is too large that they can only fit a 5.3 inch?They have something really unique going for it (removable battery and SD expansion), but they always manage to negate those in some other ways. G3 actually was the best LG I consider, design wise. Unfortunately its construction wasn't great. I recently installed Fulmics 5.2 custom rom (MM based) onto G2 and it flies as fast as G4. G4 was much sturdier, much better constructed, love the leather back, but larger and less economical. Reviewer always say G5 design is a huge departure but if you look at the front the G3 and G5, they are actually very similar. So I don't understand why LG has the shrink the G5's screen so much to fit to that body.
I was super excited watching their launch event but was more and more disappointing after reading review after review and after handling it in-store in person. Just wish my Canadian G4 has unlockable bootloader to allow some decent custom ROM development.
Klug4Pres - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
Yes. I am still using a G3, which I find to be a decent size and weight for the size of its screen.I actually think height is the limiting factor for me, and there is always a fair bit of height not covered with screen. Some is needed obviously.
zeeBomb - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
Unlockable Bootloader eh... What carrier are you with and which ROM?tuxRoller - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
Would you please look into measuring touch latency, please?This is something that no English reviewer seems to be doing even though it is such an integral part of a user's experience.
sireangelus - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
Is it just me or the 5x on the benches looks incredibly competitive even in comparison to an s7?refillable - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
Sigh... No Offense, but stick to reviewing PC hardware. Just never do these again.Tech_guy - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
Why is Snapdragon 820 web performance so horrible versus last years iPhone 6s plus?SydneyBlue120d - Thursday, June 2, 2016 - link
We are at the second generation of SOC with builtin HEVC encoding, and still no signs of any way to use it, do You think we will ever see a smartphone with HEVC encoding enabled? Thanks a lot.NZtechfreak - Thursday, June 2, 2016 - link
Still see nothing that makes me feel compelled to give up the battery life of my Mate 8. Hope the Note 6/7 does well in this department.Ultraman1966 - Monday, October 10, 2016 - link
A lot of the criticism is valid but their fingerprint reader is bang on accurate, I get an unlock more than 9 out of 10 times.