LG G5 on T-Mobile Bears Unlockable Bootloader After All

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The recent Galaxy S7 Bootloader-gate for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 variants, especially on US carriers like T-Mobile which are usually bootloader-unlock-friendly, gave a lot of people a reason to be vary of their purchase decisions.

So when it surfaced that the LG G5 on T-Mobile might be a victim of the same, a lot of people were worried. Afterall, this eliminated the chances of any development happening on the device. Ofcourse, an unlocked bootloader will not make these Snapdragon 820 devices comparable to a Nexus, but having an unlocked bootloader will give atleast some freedom in how you can use your device, with root and custom kernels being easier to obtain.

With the first batch of the LG G5’s reaching the consumers hands (thanks to T-Mobile delivering its pre-orders 2 days earlier), it has come to light that the bootloader is actually unlockable. To everyone’s relief, the procedure is also straightforward, akin to a Nexus.



This opens up the LG G5 on T-Mobile a definitive Edge (heh, get it?) over the Samsung devices sold in the US. While we agree that power users make but a very small portion of LG and Samsung’s market share, having an option for those who care is certainly a good turn of events.

LG G5 users on T-Mobile will still have to wait for TWRP to land on the device, not because it is difficult, but mainly because none have volunteered for the task so far. Once you get a custom recovery, obtaining root will be a cakewalk.

We’re certainly happy to see the LG G5 on T-Mobile being power user friendly. If you’re looking for a flagship device with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, this is one of the better choices you can lay your hands on right now!

What are your thoughts on the bootloader unlock status on the LG G5 on T-Mobile? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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