LG G5 coming in Q1 2016, with metal body, and new design - Korean report

Following a report from yesterday claiming LG would adopt a metal unibody for its next flagship, more details about the LG G5 have surfaced in an English language report from Korea’s ETNews.

Citing industry sources, the publication confirms that the LG G5 will feature a “full metal case” that would enable it to compete on equal terms with flagships from Samsung or Apple. This comes as no surprise, as LG is the last large OEM holding onto plastic designs for its flagships. With financial losses and lackluster sales, LG needs to adopt metal if it wants to stay competitive in the high-end market.

LG is already using metal on the impressive V10, but only for its frame. The device’s stainless steel and silicone construction makes it extremely resilient to shocks, without the compromises that typically come with rugged phones. But for the G5, LG will go full metal.

If LG adopts a fully metallic design for the G5, there’s a high chance that the device will lack a removable battery and, potentially, a microSD slot. These were big selling points for the G4 and one of the few advantages that LG’s phone had over Samsung’s Galaxy S6.

LG is reportedly moving away from the design language established on the past three generations of the G series. One person that had supposedly seen the device called it a “major step forward” compared to LG’s previous phone.

The Korean sources claim LG plans to launch the G5 in Q1 2016, to go head to head against the local rivals from Samsung. MWC 2016, at the end of February, is mentioned as a potential release date, though that seems to be just an educated guess by ETNews.

The report says LG wants to release the G5 right after its official debut, and that production of components for the “strategic device” is already underway.

This is far from official information, but it all sounds very plausible. LG was caught wrong-footed this year, when it used leather to spice up the otherwise played-out design of the G4. The company cannot risk another dud next year.

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