The freshly launched LG G5 had some painful torture to endure, undergoing scratch, burn and bend tests for some interesting results, topped by a plastic surprise.
Yes, plastic. The LG G5 may have a premium-looking design, but it seems that only part of it is metal. The smartphone's build is actually a hybrid combination of plastic and metal, which explains why it feels warmer in the hand and has a different grip compared to other metallic handsets. Sadly, there's no April Fool's joke here. The LG G5 is half-metal, half-plastic.
YouTuber JerryRigEverything, already famous by now for his tough torture tests on various flagships, took the LG G5 for a spin to test its durability and resilience.
LG G5 Scratch Test
The first test involves some serious scratching on the screen, with the YouTuber noting from the start that the LG G5 has a thin glass that may be great for cost management and keeping the weight low, but "it does not have a very quality feel" and will not offer much protection for the LCD if the smartphone is dropped. Nevertheless, the Gorilla Glass 4 protection does offer some solid resistance against scratches, and the LG G5 is on par with other current flagships in this test.
After scratching the display, JerryRigEverything moves on to scratching the camera lenses and the fingerprint scanner on the smartphone's back. He notes that the fingerprint scanner, power button and the back housing are made of plastic, so the LG G5 "is not a premium-feeling phone by any means." On the bright side, the fingerprint scanner surprisingly works even after heavy scratching.
LG G5 Burn Test
Next up, the IPS LCD display of the LG G5 takes a burn, as a lighter flames it up a bit. The LG G5 screen is similar to that of the iPhone SE, which went through the same burn test but fared worse in this category. While the iPhone SE's pixels turned off after roughly 16 seconds of flame, the LG G5's pixels took only three seconds to turn off, after which they burned permanently and left a white mark on the display.
As the YouTuber notes, a thicker glass would have protected the display better, but it's not the case with the LG G5.
LG G5 Bend Test
Lastly, the bend test yields some surprisingly positive results. While the bottom-mounted module of the LG G5 leaves the impression that it would easily snap under pressure, it's actually quite flexible and handles the bend test masterfully. It flexes in both directions but doesn't break. The LG G5 passes the bend test with flying colors, so it won't stir another #bendgate.
Overall, the LG G5 proves to be durable and resistant, surviving the scratch, burn and bend tests with no whopping damage.
As a reminder, the smartphone is now officially available for purchase. AT&T was the first one to start shipping preorders, T-Mobile followed suit, and now all major U.S. carriers have it in stock and readily available.
If you're curious about the smartphone's resilience to torture, check out the video below.
