14 DAY TRIAL // There’s been a quite a debate on the material that composes the LG G5’s unibody, as many reviewers claim in their articles that the smartphone is made of plastic.
In order to clear up things for those who would have liked to buy the LG G5 but were holding on their purchase to see whether or not these statements are true, the South Korean company released an official announcement that confirms that its flagship’s unibody is in fact made of aluminum alloy.
The statement explains how LG made use of a primer to cover the special aluminum alloy that composes the G5’s unibody and how this material is used in other industries that require a durable compound.
“Contrary to erroneous reports online that the LG G5 body is composed of plastic, LG would like to state unequivocally that the uni-body casing of the G5 is composed of a special aluminum alloy, LM201 (Feb. 2016 patent pending). LM201 was developed by LG in partnership with the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology for use in high-end sports cars, aircraft, and consumer electronic pducts [sic]where durability, rigidity, and lightness are required. As a die-cast metal, LM201 was determined to be most appropriate material to accommodate the curves of the G5,” reads LG’s statement.
Many Android fans have been holding on their purchase due to this fact
LG G5 was officially unveiled back in February at Mobile World Congress, but the South Korean handset maker didn’t manage to launch the smartphone on the market before Samsung Galaxy S7.
Even so, many Android fans decided to wait for LG G5 to hit shelves instead of giving their money to Samsung and Xiaomi, as the latter launched its own flagship smartphone, the Mi 5.
Unfortunately, the first reviews seem to have been wrongly reporting that LG G5 is made of plastic, something that would stop many customers from purchasing a flagship device.
The reason might be the fact that LG used a special primer that covers the unibody metal of the smartphone, which is unusual, but not unheard of.
LG’s official statement highlights the process of covering this aluminum alloy and the reasons behind the company’s decision to have primer on the outside. You can read the rest of the announcement below:
“After the die-casting is complete, the insulating antenna slit is applied directly to the aluminum casing followed by a coating of primer which provides additional insulation and enhances the surface profile for the ‘microdizing’ process, where pigment containing tiny metal particles is applied directly to the primer to provide a smooth and durable finish.
“While both anodized aluminum and microdized aluminum will scratch if enough pressure is applied, in the case of the G5 the gray primer beneath the pigment layer may be mistaken for plastic when the coloring is scratched off. We want to reassure our customers that the uni-body of the LG G5 is advanced aluminum alloy, not plastic.”