LG continues to keep mum about exactly when the LG G5 will go on sale in the U.S.; however, Best Buy has announced it will begin accepting preorders for the flagship smartphone March 18.
Since the LG G5 was unveiled in February, the Korean manufacturer has teased that the smartphone would be available in early April. Recent reports indicate the device will be available in Canada starting April 8, but in the U.S. most carriers only have “coming soon” launch pages.
Several pundits have said the delayed release of the G5 may put it at a disadvantage in the market; many rivals have already released their 2016 flagships. The Samsung Galaxy S7 went on sale last Friday, while the Xiaomi Mi5 has been available since March 1 . LG’s only reprieve is that Sony’s new Xperia X series won’t be available until summer.
LG hopes the metal unibody design coupled with a removable battery will attract customers. The LG G5 features a detachable bottom panel, which not only allows users to take out and replace the 2,800mAh battery, it also allows users to attach unique modules to the handset. The CAM Plus module serves as an enhanced camera feature, while the Hi-Fi Plus module offers an enhanced audio feature, which can also be used independently of the LG G5 handset.
Other hardware on the LG G5 include a 5.3-inch Quad HD display with always on feature, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 280 chip, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage with memory expandable up to 2TB, a USB Type-C port and rear panel fingerprint sensor. The LG G5 will run the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.
When available, the LG G5 will sell at Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and B&H, in addition to Best Buy. LG has not announced U.S. pricing for the smartphone.
