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LG G5 Unveiled: 5.3" QHD Display, Snapdragon 820, Modular Magic Slot Expansion (hothardware.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the internal-specs dept.

MojoKid writes: Rather than just bring another smartphone update with the typical yearly iterative tweaks, the folks at LG have really done something transformative with their next generation G5 flagship smartphone. The aluminum unibody construction of the G5 brings with it a 5.3-inch QHD display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor that is paired with 4GB of RAM. 32GB of internal storage is standard but there is a microSD card slot to allow for up to 2TB of expanded storage. On the rear, you'll find a fingerprint scanner and two cameras, a standard 16MP sensor and a 135-degree wide angle 8MP sensor. In addition, LG has included a USB-C port and removable 2800mAh battery. That's all rather routine stuff; what's truly innovative about the G5 is its Magic Slot, which brings a new modular twist to the Android platform. Pressing a key on the side of the G5 will eject its bottom section, which will also allow you to remove the battery. Then you can proceed to attach new modules, like the LG Cam Plus. The LG Cam Plus adds a camera grip to your G5 along with a dedicated camera button and a jog wheel for zooming. The module also boosts the battery capacity from 2800mAh to 4000mAh. The second module is the LG Hi-Plus, which brings with it an external 32-bit DAC and amplifier. This particular module was developed in conjunction with Bang and Olufsen and comes with a pair of H3 headphones that support native (Direct Stream Digital) DSD playback.

4 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Removable battery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is far from routine and deserves special mention.

    1. Re:Removable battery by danomac · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes, it's why I bought the LG G4 when my Galaxy S3 died. I won't buy a phone without a removable battery and microSD slot, it's planned obsolescence. FWIW, the G4 also supports a 2TB expansion slot.

      I don't replace my phone every 1.5 years, having a removable battery is a very important feature to me.

  2. Re:Can I replace the radio? by Computershack · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Because I'm really sick and tired of being forced to buy new phones every time I want to switch carriers.

    Seems to be only a situation that exists in the USA. Here in Europe at most we just have to unlock the phone to work with all carriers assuming its locket at all, shove a new SIM card from the new provider in the phone and turn it on.

    --
    I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
  3. Re:question: do you feel they're worth the money? by swb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I buy a top of the line iPhone every year and it gets used hard, for four years, by every member of my family. By the time four years are up and everyone has used it, it's largely obsolete in terms of performance due to operating system changes. At that point, I keep it around for another year mostly as a test platform for email connectivity on whatever the newest OS release it will run.

    So far, the hardware has held up. Only the 3GS had a problem with the up/down volume rocker button cover falling off, every other one has been fine other than the decline in battery capacity.

    As for value, that's highly dependent on your income and perception. I feel like I've gotten 4+ years of value out of it personally, but it's a minor expense relative to our income and about half of the cost is compensated by our employers, too. I work as a consultant, so it's my primary voice phone, supplies a good chunk of my internet access on the road, provides mapping and entertainment in the car, so I feel like I get a lot of overall value out of it.