LG G5 tips and tricks

LG has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the LG G5, at this year's Mobile World Congress – and it's much more than a simple iterative update from the LG G4.

It has an innovative modular design that enables you add even more features to the handset, as well as a premium aluminium body and a number of companion devices – called 'LG Friends' – which connect to the LG G5 to further expand the functionality of this awesome new smartphone.

If you're planning on being first in line to buy the LG G5 when it launches, we've got a number of tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the new handset.

1. Get your essential info at a glance

LG claims that many people turn on their smartphones to quickly check the time, or view their notifications, up to 150 times a day, and this can have a noticeable impact on battery life.

The LG G5 aims to make life easier for habitual phone-checkers with an always-on display that will constantly show the time, date and various notifications.

Although the screen is always on, it's designed to be as power efficient as possible, and it means you can quickly glance at the LG G5's display to get all the information you need – ideal if you're in a meeting.

2. Unlock with your finger

You can quickly unlock the LG G5 by placing your finger on the power button, which includes a built-in fingerprint sensor that's handily placed on the back of the phone, making it easy to reach.

You don't need to press down on the button either – just a quick brush of your finger should be enough to unlock the LG G5.

3. Use KnockOn to wake the device

Another way of quickly waking the LG G5 is by using the KnockOn feature. All you need to do is double-tap the screen and it will wake up the handset.

4. Replace the battery

Rejoice! While competitors like Samsung and Apple have dropped (or never bothered with) the ability to swap out the batteries of their premium smartphones, LG still allows you to change the battery of the LG G5.

Even better, thanks to the new cartridge-like 'magic slot' – more on that in a bit – it's now easier than ever to quickly replace the battery, as you no longer need to pry off the back of the handset.

The benefits of being able to quickly swap out a dead – or dying – battery are numerous. It means you can hang on to the handset for longer, as when the battery begins to lose its ability to hold its charge you can simply get a new battery, which is much cheaper than upgrading your entire phone.

It also means that if you invest in a second battery and keep that charged, you'll be less likely to get stuck with a dead phone when you need it the most, as you can just pop in the spare to keep the LG G5 ticking over.

5. Take better photos

The LG G5 comes with an extra-wide-angle lens, which at 135 degrees is currently the widest available on a smartphone. This enables you to take unique and breathtaking shots of your surroundings, and the LG G5 camera app includes a number of photo effects to enhance your shots.

And if you're really serious about taking shots on your LG G5, you can dramatically expand the photo-taking capabilities of the new smartphone with the LG CAM Plus camera module.

This add-on clips into the 'magic slot' of the LG G5, adding a comfortable grip along with physical buttons for power, shutter, record and zoom, an LED flash indicator, and autofocus and exposure lock settings.

Perhaps best of all, the LG CAM Plus adds a 1,200mAh battery to the LG G5 as well, which means you can go out and take photos for even longer without having to worry about running out of battery.

6. Get creative with your photos

While the LG CAM Plus effectively turns the LG G5 into a digital compact camera, you can get really creative with your photos by buying some of LG's companion devices.

The LG 360 CAM enables you to take 360-degree images thanks to two 13MP wide-angle cameras, and connects easily to the LG G5. It can capture 2K video as well as record 5.1 surround sound soundtracks, and the footage you take can be uploaded to YouTube360 or Google Streetview, and can even be used in virtual reality devices.

Meanwhile the LG Rolling Bot is a cool device that rolls around like a ball while taking photos and recording videos – all controlled by the LG G5. You can also use it to monitor your house – or torment your pets – while you're away.

7. Play high-end audio on the LG G5

Many of us use our smartphones to listen to music, and thanks to the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY modular add-on for the LG G5, you won't have to sacrifice sound quality.

Using 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC upsampling technology, even standard music will sound amazing when played through the LG G5 and the LG Hi-Fi Plus.

The add-on also supports 32-bit 384KHz high-definition audio playback, so if you have a collection of high-definition music you'll be able to listen to it in all its glory.

8. Enter the world of virtual reality

Virtual reality is the technology (almost) everyone is talking about in 2016, and LG has gotten into the game with the LG 360 VR companion device, which connects to the LG G5 via a cable.

While wearing it you can explore 360-degree footage, as well as watch content as if you were viewing a massive 130-inch TV.

Unlike the Samsung Gear VR, which attaches to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, you don't clip the LG G5 into the LG 360 VR. This makes the VR headset incredibly light at just 118g, so it's comfortable to wear for long periods of time.