LG clarifies the G5 controversy over the metal build issues

Last April 1, YouTuber JerryRigEverything uploaded some stress test video of the latest LG G5 smartphone wherein he found something unusual about the handset’s build.

lg-g5-scratched

Photo from ZacksJerryRig

Here’s the video for reference:

As we already know, LG has shifted from having plastic phones to a more premium metal bodies. Also, they introduced a cool modular-like design for the G5. Although, as seen from the video above, the outer layer of the phone’s “metal” body can be easily scraped off and has a multi-layer coating before exposing the main aluminum chassis beneath.

People are raising their eyebrows about the discovery and it seems like the issue has reached key people from LG that they have responded to the video itself in YouTube.

Hey, this is Ken from LG. What you’re seeing there is primer, not a plastic cover. As you know, primer is used to get paint to bond to aluminum, which is what we used for the G5’s body. The aluminum alloy we sourced is known as LM201b (patent pending) and was developed at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology for use in automobiles and aircraft. LM201b, unlike the aluminum used in other smartphones, is diecast unibody which makes it very sturdy while still maintaining lightweight properties. We figured out a way to integrate the antenna bands into the aluminum seamlessly so you can’t feel the lines and covered the LM201b with primer and paint using a process called microdizing which means that tiny particles of metal are infused in the coating and bonded to the aluminum. I think it’s incorrect to say that a product isn’t all metal if paint is involved. That’s like saying cars and airplanes aren’t metal because they’re also painted. For the record, even metal that’s anodized will scratch off. Our process may be different but it achieved what we were aiming for, which is a smooth, seamless metal finish that’s durable and lightweight. We weren’t interested in doing what has already been done. When did this become a bad thing?

Ken Hong is LG’s Global Communications Director and his answer should clear things up about the issue the G5 is surrounding. He claimed that the “plastic” coating is actually a primer to help bond the paint to the aluminum body. It’s a pretty specific process dubbed as microdizing and also used with cars and planes.

The LG G5 is yet to be launched locally on April 28. You can check out our first impression with the handset straight from its initial launching in Barcelona here.

Daniel Morial

This article was contributed by Daniel Morial, a film school graduate and technology enthusiast. He's the geeky encyclopedia and salesman among his friends for anything tech.

http://www.yugatech.com

5 Comments

vm303 says:

9 years ago

hahaha. Nice one LG.
- Reply
Lance says:

9 years ago

“It’s a pretty specific process dubbed as LM201b and also used with cars and planes.”
The process is called microdizing, not LM201b.
- Reply

Daniel Morial says:

9 years ago

Corrected. Got confused with the material. Thanks!

gab says:

9 years ago

it’s like JerryRigEverything’s first encounter with coated metal.
- Reply
William Brian Codera says:

9 years ago

Clearly, he was trying to be a know it all guy….
Research or do listen first before commenting on something….
Nice one LG….????
- Reply