MWC 2016: LG presents a modular smartphone

The smartphone has a full metal housing, two rear cameras (one with a standard 78-degree lens and another with a 135-degree wide angle lens). From one place we can take two photos which differ with the perspective. The manufacturer also provides information on the Always-on Display, which offers constant visibility of the time, date and battery status continuously without the necessity to unblock the screen.

The most interesting seems to be, however, that LG G5 is the first modular smartphone of that manufacturer. With such a structure can be converted into a digital camera, DVD Hi-Fi, and more. At the same time still it is powered by a traditional removable battery.

The LG CAM Plus is a versatile camera module that can be attached through the battery slot to deliver a comfortable grip and convenient control of a standalone camera. It also provides physical buttons for power, shutter, record, zoom, LED indicator and comfortable grip. It also offers intuitive auto focus and exposure lock, features usually found on standalone digital cameras. The described module has an additional battery with a capacity of 1200 mAh.

The LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY is an innovative portable Hi-Fi DAC audio player developed in collaboration with B&O PLAY to meet the needs of those who seek to enjoy top-notch sounds that have traditionally only been available through high-end audio devices. LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY stands out for its simple yet elegant Scandinavian design as well as premium sound technology. In addition to the 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC upsampling technology first introduced on the LG V10, LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY also supports 32-bit 384KHz high-definition audio playback. LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY can be used either as a module with the LG G5 or as a separate Hi-Fi DAC by connecting to any smartphone or PC.

The model shown today has two rear cameras: one with a standard lens with a viewing angle of 78 degrees, the second - with a lens with a viewing angle of 135 degrees. According to the LG - the widest available in any smartphone. The 135-degree lens on the LG G5 offers a viewing angle that is approximately 1.7 times wider than those of existing smartphone cameras and 15 degrees wider than the human eye’s field of view. The wide angle lens makes it easier for users to capture more landscape, taller buildings or larger groups without having to position oneself further from the subject.

The LG G5 smartphone features a collection of powerful photo effects including Pop-out Picture, Film Effect and Auto Shot. Pop-out Picture combines images taken by the standard and wide angle lens to create a picture-in-a-frame effect. Film Effect can apply nine different film emulators to an image while Auto Shot is an enhanced camera UX which automatically captures the perfect selfie shot when a face is recognized.

LG designers have developed a broader idea of Always On Display, launched in the model V10 (though only an extra screen). In G5 the time, date and battery status continuously even when the G5 is in sleep mode.

Won't it cause the rapid depletion of the battery? Apparently not. To minimize power consumption, LG redesigned the display driver IC memory and power management function so that the display’s backlight only illuminates one small part of the overall display. Thanks to this technology, the Always-on Display requires only 0.8 percent of the battery’s full capacity per hour to operate. With consumers turning on their smartphones up to 150 times a day mostly to just check the time, the G5’s Always-on Display will make a notable difference in the life of the battery over the course of the day.. Is that going to be like this? We'll find out probably during the test of this model...

Another advanced display feature in the LG G5 is Daylight Mode, which gives the G5 exceptional outdoor visibility beyond that of current auto brightness technology. Daylight Mode detects surrounding light conditions and instantaneously increases or decreses the brightness of the display, up to 850 nits.

The G5 model is equipped with a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, Adreno 530 graphics chip, lower-power Hexagon DSP as well as Qualcomm Spectra™ 14-bit dual image signal processors (ISPs) designed to deliver high resolution DSLR-quality images and additional power savings. Snapdragon 820 processor also has an integrated X12 LTE modem that supports Category 12 download speeds of up to 600 Mbps and LTE Category 13 uplink speeds of up to 150 Mbps.

The LG G5 smartphone is equipped with aptX HD, an enhanced codec that supports 24-bit sound over Bluetooth, delivering rich and clear sound over wireless connections without any loss. When paired with the LG TONE Platinum, users can experience superb quality Hi-Fi audio that sounds amazingly close to the original source.

For extremely fast charging of the battery, the smartphone is equipped with the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. It is 27 percent faster and 45 percent more efficient than previous generation solutions.

Detailed specifications? Display: 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560x1440 pixels, 554 pixels per inch); Memory: 4 GB of RAM LPDDR4 / 32 GB ROM UFS / microSD card slot (up to 2 TB); Cameras: a rear lens with a standard 16 megapixel, wide-angle lens with 8 megapixel / front 8 megapixel; 2800 mAh battery (removable); Android 6.0 Marshmallow; Dimensions: 149,4x73,9x7,7 mm; Weight: 159 g; Network: LTE, 3G and 2G; Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / USB C / NFC / Bluetooth 4.2. The mobile will be available in the colours: silver, titan, gold and pink.

With the introduction of the G5 model, LG introduces a new approach to the smartphone ecosystem, ie a wide range of accessories named LG Friends. These include LG 360 VR goggles for virtual reality viewing (it can be connected with the G5 via a dedicated cable). They cooperate only with a smartphone G5 and simulate a 130-inch screen viewed from a distance of two meters. Goggles weigh 118 g., they are also equipped with a display with a resolutaion of 639 ppi.

Other accessories include the LG 360 CAM camera, LG Rolling Bot, the LG Tone Platinum headset, H3 by B&O PLAY headphones, LG Smart Controller.