Release details of the LG G5 vary by carrier and retailer, but it appears most vendors will officially offer the device starting April 1. AT&T has now made preorders available for the device, while many other carriers will offer preorders next week.
AT&T has several pricing options under which customers can purchase the LG G5. The device is $0 down and $22.97 per month for 30 months under AT&T Next 24, $0 down and $28.71 per month for 24 months under AT&T Next 18 or $0 and $34.45 for 20 months under AT&T Next 12. Customers can also opt to pay a $207 down payment and then $17.22 per month for 28 months, or can pay $688.99 for the LG G5 off-contract.
AT&T says it will ship LG G5 handsets between March 29 and March 30, so the earlier customers preorder, the more likely they are to receive their handset before the official launch date.
With the purchase of an LG G5 handset, customers can also receive a free battery and charging cradle from LG. The promotion can be redeemed at www.lgg5launchpromo.com until May 2.
B&H Photo is also offering the LG G5 starting April 1. Pricing is not yet available; however, the landing page indicates the unlocked smartphone will be compatible with “select CDMA networks.” This means the handset may work on networks like Sprint or Verizon. The page lists the LG G5 LTE bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 17, 20, and 25; the bands 2, 4, and 13 are compatible with Verizon, meaning the unlocked LG G5 should have no problem running LTE cellular service.
However, B&H did include this note on the LG G5 landing page,: “current Verizon SIM cards can be transferred to the new device, though the carrier may limit the purchase of new SIM cards for unlocked phones. Since this device is unlocked, functionality for certain carrier-specific features cannot be guaranteed.”
To be safe, Verizon customers may want to purchase the LG G5 directly from Verizon . So far the carrier has not made pricing information available, but Verizon offers a 24-month payment plan as well as a no-contract option for devices under its network.
