Skip to main content

Verizon hires lots of cute puppies to unbox LG’s new G5 smartphone

Puppy Unboxing of the LG G5 Smartphone from Verizon
Clearly aware that unboxings can often be rather dry and dreary affairs, Verizon decided to call upon the services of a litter of mischeivous puppies to tear the wrapping off the G5, LG’s new flagship smartphone that launches today.

Well, the video may start off as an unboxing, but it rapidly descends into a kind of cheerful, fluffy torture test, demonstrating the handset’s ability to withstand a playful mauling by a gang of cute canines.

Indeed, rather than the use the device to make calls, take photos, play games, or surf the Web, the dogs simply gnaw the device, treating it like a high-tech bone. But they’re cute so who cares?

Fortunately for anyone actually wanting to learn something about LG’s latest latest, Verizon’s ad also drops in a few of its features (features that “puppies love,” apparently), among them its always-on display, all metal unibody design, wide-angle camera lens, and, last but not least, its fascinating “Friends” ecosystem that features a range of modules and accessories for the handset.

The G5 lands at Verizon with a $624 price tag, while its monthly deal comes in at $26 for 24 months. For information on G5 prices with other carriers, check out DT’s guide here.

Wacky unboxings are apparently becoming par for the course for mobile carriers. T-Mobile recently performed “probably the world’s fastest unboxing” of the G5 inside a speeding rally car, while in February the same company sent an employee into a swimming pool for a rather wet unveiling of Samsung’s Galaxy S7 handset.

The stunt was designed to highlight the smartphone’s waterproof capabilities, but of course also showed off the company’s penchant for silly, though perhaps effective, marketing stunts.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Verizon’s new Welcome Unlimited plan makes 5G data a lot more affordable
Verizon logo on a smartphone screen in a dark room and a finger touching it.

Verizon is rolling out an even more affordable 5G plan for customers looking for unlimited data without all the extra frills in its Mix & Match plans.

For as little as $30 per month for each line (when signing up for four lines with Auto Pay), the new Welcome Unlimited plan includes all the basics that most users need — including unlimited data, talking, and texting. The plan is separate from Verizon's Mix & Match Unlimited plans and lacks the features of those more expensive options, such as mobile hotspot data and streaming service bundles.

Read more
T-Mobile’s 5G network just beat Verizon and AT&T (again)
T-Mobile smartphone.

T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T always claim to be America's best 5G network in their commercials. T-Mobile boasts this even more so, and as it turns out, it's true. During PCMag's annual Best Mobile Network test (previously known as the Fastest Mobile Network test), T-Mobile won over Verizon and AT&T as the Best Mobile Network for the second year in a row.

PCMag gave T-Mobile the title after testers drove 10,000 miles across the country to measure its performance against Verizon and AT&T. The test involved driving to 30 cities and six rural regions to test each mobile carrier's reliability using Samsung Galaxy S22+ smartphones. As expected, T-Mobile won that contest in 18 cities out of 30, followed by Verizon with eight and AT&T with four.

Read more
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more