LG announces modular G5 with wide range of companion devices

[Peter Holden]

So, MWC 2016 has officially kicked off with a bang, with LG taking the wraps off its much-anticipated G5 flagship with its Magic Slot Modular capabilities. While many of the specifications have leaked or been alluded to over the last few weeks, it’s always great to get confirmation. Join us after the break for the full list of specifications of the LG G5 as well as a list of its modules and companion devices.

First things first, and here we see that LG has gone against the trend of the G3 and G4 and actually made the G5 a little smaller, coming in with a 5.3-inch IPS (Quantum) display with Quad HD resolution. One can only think that this leaves room for a larger model later in the year to go head to head against Samsung’s next Galaxy Note device.

Design-wise, the G5 has a metal body, and you may have noticed that the volume buttons have indeed moved from the rear of the phone to the side. A circular fingerprint scanner has taken the place of the volume buttons on the rear.

Because the G5 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor, it means that Quick Charge 3.0 is present, allowing for ultra quick charging of the handset. While we are on the topic of battery life, the G5 features LPLE technology (Low-Power-Location-Estimation), that enhances battery efficiency by as much as 42%. This is achieved by managing the power consumption of high-usage location-based apps.

Let’s take a look at some of the differentiating features that the G5 boasts, keeping in mind its modular capabilities.

Always-On-Display

The Always-On-Display of the G5 is the first time the functionality has been implemented on an IPS display, and it allows the display to show time, date and battery status continuously, even when the device is sleeping. The Always-On-Display only lights up a small part of the 5.3-inch panel instead of needing a secondary display as seen previously on the V10, and is said to use just 0.8 percent battery per hour.

You have probably noticed that the rear panel has dual cameras. The standard camera is 16MP while the secondary sensor is 8MP and has a wide-angle lens capable of taking 135-degree images, which is approximately 1.7 times larger that existing smartphone cameras.

Magic Slot modules

The CAM Plus module attaches via the battery slot and provides physical buttons for power, shutter, record, and zoom, as well as an LED display and a hand grip. Basically, it attempts to offer the sort of control that you get when using a DSLR. An added bonus is that the CAM Plus module adds another 1,200mAh of battery capacity.

HiFi Plus with B&O Play

This module is a portable Hi-Fi DAC audio player that was developed in conjunction with B&O Play to bring high-end sounds to the G5. The Hi-Fi Plus module supports 32-bit, 384KHz high-definition audio playback. Interestingly, the module can either be used with the G5, or as a separate Hi-Fi DAC when connected to other devices.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, LG has announced a slew of companion devices for the G5.

360 CAM

First, there’s the 360 CAM, which brings a 360-degree camera featuring 2 13MP wide angle sensors that allow G5 users to create, you guessed it, 360-degree content with up to 2K resolution and 5.1 surround sound. Content can be uploaded to YouTube360 as well as StreetView, and can be viewed on the LG 360 VR headset, or other such devices.

360 VR

Speaking of the 360 VR, it’s a VR goggle that connects to the G5 via cable. Its foldable natures mean it is portable in nature, and because the handset is separate from the google, it means the VR set weighs around two-thirds less than other VR goggles. Besides the content made with the 360 CAM, you can also view all Google Cardboard content on the device.

Rolling Bot



Possibly the most exciting companion device is the Rolling Bot with its 8MP camera. Basically, it will roll around, taking images and videos. Besides being a nice little plaything, it can also act as a security device for the home, a pet care companion or even a remote controller for compatible home devices. The Rolling Bot connects to the WiFi, which allows the content to be viewed from anywhere in the world.

Other companion devices include the Smart Controller that allows users to control drones and view video feeds in real-time with the controls on the device. There’s the H3 by B&O earphones that are designed for use with the B&O Hi-Fi Plus module, delivering 32-bit audio. Finally, there’s also the Friends Manager, that allows G5 users to connect easily with nearby friends, helping to alleviate some of the hassles that comes with pairing up devices to share content.

Finally, here are the rest of the specifications:

• Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
• 5.3-Inch IPS quantum display with quad-HD resolution (2560 x 1440) and 554ppi
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor (64-bit)
• Adreno 530 GPU
• 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
• 32GB Internal storage
• MicroSD card support up to 2TB
• Rear camera: 16MP standard/8MP wide-angle (135 degrees)
• 8MP Front camera
• Magic Slot
• X12 LTE modem
• Networks: 2G/3G/4G (LTE)
• Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2/ NFC
• USB Type-C
• Battery: 2,800mAh (removable)
• Dimensions: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7~8.6mm
• Weight: 159 grams
• Colours: Silver/ Titan/ Gold/ Pink

There you have it, the confirmed specifications of the LG G5, its Magic Slot modules, as well as its many companion devices. Keep an eye out for our articles going into more details about the exciting new Magic Slot features and the various modules. What do you think of the G5 so far? Does the move to a smaller display make sense to you?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget, you can follow the rest of our MWC 2016 coverage right here.


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