As many of you know, LG has introduced the company’s new flagship during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last month, the LG G5. With the G5, LG offers a significantly different approach to a smartphone compared to their previous flagships. Unlike those phones, the G5 is an all-metal unit, which is semi-modular, its bottom ‘chin’ is removable and can be used to fit in different modules (camera module, audio module, etc.). On top fo all that, LG has opted not to include all physical buttons on the back of the G5, they’ve placed the physical volume rocker keys on the left-hand side of the device instead.
That being said, the LG G5 will go on sale really soon, and along with it, you’ll get the all-new Marshmallow-based LG UX 5.0. This is the new version of LG’s Android-based UI, and even though it’s quite similar to the previous iteration of LG’s skin, the company did improve a number of things, and they’ve also added new features, as expected. “We analyzed the lifestyle of smartphone users to provide a superior mobile experience and greatly expanded the usability with LG UX 5.0. LG UX 5.0 and G5 were designed to provide an innovative user experience that reflects the needs of our most demanding customers,” said Juno Cho, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
Now, LG is highlighting the ‘LG Friends Manager’ as the UX 5.0’s most important new feature. This part of the OS will basically let you connect and control your modules and accessories which LG is calling ‘LG Friends’. The ‘LG Friends Manager’ will detect nearby accessories and will pair them with your phone by installing the necessary apps from the Google Play Store. The whole process is automated and streamlined, which makes it quite convenient. Let me give you an example, if you connect the LG 360 CAM to the G5, the phone will display photo preview and the available shooting models. Now, this is not the only new features in the UX 5.0, LG has included a number of camera-centric features here in order to make it better than ever, according to the company. You can switch between the 78-degree and 135-degree wide-angle lens on the phone with a tap of a button, which basically switches your view from the 13-megapixel, to 8-megapixel snapper (one of which is a wide-angle lens), both of which are located on the back of the phone. Auto Shot (Gesture Shot), Multi View, 360 Wallpaper, Pop-out Picture and Film Effect are just one of the available options in LG’s camera software on the G5.
The company has also added a number of other features throughout the UX, like the ‘New Home feature, for example. This basically removes the app drawer, and combines your Home Screen with the App Drawer, which essentially throws all of your apps on the home screen, which creates and experience similar to the one on Apple’s iOS UI. The LG Health app got various improvements, and the Always-On display is a part of the UX now as well. Smart Doctor will keep your phone running on optimal conditions (will give you tips), while the File Manager got much improved as well. Same can be said for the LG Backup service, and LG’s security methods, while the World Clock now offers an enhanced user interface.
