LG G5 release date at Mobile World Congress 2016?

The current LG flagship, the G4.LG website

Although South Korea-based LG Electronics has just unveiled a new addition to its smartphone line with the release of the V10, many fans of the tech giant are wondering when a next iteration from the hugely popular G-series will be seen.

According to speculations, fans will not have to wait long as the LG G5 will apparently be seen next year, as early as the Mobile World Congress 2016.

In a report by Know Your Mobile, LG, long in the habit of releasing a new flagship iteration toward the end of the year, will be doing a 180-degree turn and apparently release the G5 flagship at the start of the year instead. If the rumors are proven true, LG Electronics could be mimicking another South Korea-based conglomerate, Samsung, which has reportedly decided to release the Galaxy S7 in the early months of 2016.

The industry follower surmised that both LG and Samsung will be opening their 2016 market cycles with their new flagships in the first quarter. Specifically, the LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 could make their appearances in the 2016 Mobile World Congress. The MWC next year is slated to start on Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, although it did not indicate an unveiling date window, Tech Radar managed to collate rumors and speculations about the upcoming G5. Apparently, LG Electronics will ditch its dual-build faux leather and plastic build with an all-metal, smooth-finished unibody.

This will give the G5 competitive edge over other premium flagships, which already have a metal-and-glass form factor. In addition, it was also reported that the LG G5 will be among the first smartphones to carry the new Snapdragon 820 processor, a big leap over the SD 808 chipset of its predecessor, the G4. Meanwhile, the G5 is also rumored to carry all-new features such as an iris scanner, intuitive edges on its display, and 4K resolution.