Today, two major companies in the Android smartphone market revealed their flagship devices which will stand as the company's mark on the industry for the next year. I talked about the LG G5's odd rumored changes in a previous post, but now it's official. Both devices have added "always-on" displays, which I think is a fairly nifty feature, but I can't say it's as game changing as I originally thought. I'd be interested to see some battery statistics about it.

I'll be honest, I think the LG G5 may have focused too heavily on being different and not enough on what people actually want. Sure, its new "modular" slot on the bottom is different and allows for some cool accessories, but the amount of people that will actually use it I think is minimal. There is also a dual-camera design to snap wider-angle pictures, and while that's cool, I'd rather just have a solid camera. Plus, I'm not a fan of its new design. A lot of people are comparing it to a Nexus 6P in terms of design, and I don't think that could be any more wrong. When you look at the 6P, you just see premium. You see the diamond-cut edges and the quality metal. But with the LG G5, it's so smoothed that it doesn't look premium at all. Along with this, the color choices are very odd as there's only lighter color options except for an odd grey-ish one. On the software side, LG has taken a step in the wrong direction. They chose to remove the app drawer in their default launcher because it can "confuse users", which I think it a very odd thing to do. Thinking about it more and more, the LG G5 almost seems like a copy of what many Chinese manufacturers are doing. No app drawer, smoothed surface with odd features. Is it a bad phone? No. I'm sure it's great. But I think LG has shifted their focus on being "different" instead of being good.

There's not too much to talk about with the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. In terms of design changes, the only major difference is a slight curve in the back. Besides that, they've added better specs for both devices and they've both been waterproofed. I think the S7 is a solid upgrade to last year, but if you already have the S6, there is absolutely no use upgrading. The devices are so similar I just can't see a point in getting the S7 over the S6.

Sources: The Verge

LG has been making weird statements about its LG G5 flagship before its announcement on February 21st. And not just weird for LG, weird for smartphones in general. Either they're going to be changing the LG G5 drastically from its predecessors, or we're getting fooled. If everything they say is true, the LG G5 could be the most unconventional flagship I've seen in a long time.

First weird change for LG, they're switching their volume buttons to the side of the phone. This isn't normally weird, but since the LG Optimus G, LG has been committed to its back-button design. LG has toted in its advertisements how it's the "perfect placement" for buttons as that's where your index finger naturally sits. It's odd that they would change something so iconic to the brand that LG has built over the years. Some leaks say this could be because of a possible second camera on the back, while others hint at a fingerprint sensor. Maybe even both. The reasoning for this change is blurry, but it is something we know for sure.

If you didn't think that was too weird, just wait. The LG G5 has been leaked to have a metal unibody design, while at the same time keeping its removable battery and expandable storage. Usually, it's one or the other, but LG has some weird plans for the G5. Reports show that they're planning on having a sort of metal "cap" on the bottom of the device that allows access to the battery and SD card port.

Last weird leak is LG teasing an "always-on" display for the G5. Many news sites are comparing this to how some other devices, like Motorola, have displays that light up just a portion of the display to show information like the time and your notifications. The way LG is teasing this, I don't think that's it. Those other devices are not always-on, they just turn on when you pick them up or other similar action. What it looks like LG is doing is something like what Pebble does with its e-paper displays, or the low power mode on Android Wear watches. That is, the display really never turns off. If that's true, it could be an incredible innovation for smartphones that I can see a lot of manufacturers adopting. 

So whatever LG is doing with the G5, it's going to be drastically different than its past flagships. LG is probably hoping to make a real competitor to Samsung's Galaxy S7, but personally, I can't see them doing that without a huge software overhaul. LG's Android skin is one of the worst I've seen, and when Samsung—once notorious for having a bad skin—is far better than you, it's time to step  up.

Sources: Verge, Android Authority, Droid Life