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Justin Herrick
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The launch of the LG G5 is fast-approaching, but no one cares to stop sharing information about the upcoming flagship. Who says we’ve had enough, right? It gives us all more to think about and discuss. One of the earliest G5 rumors pointed to the phone having a modular design which would enable components like the battery to be swapped with ease. Modular designs are not necessarily new — take a look at Project Ara — but they are still a rarity. Having a modular design would finally give LG something to truly differentiate its flagship from Samsung’s offering. But not much has been said about the G5’s modular design in recent weeks, leaving many to believe the company would not being going forward with the it. Today, though, hope was born and the modular design was basically confirmed.
Evan Blass is spilling a big secret that will be revealed on February 21 at LG’s MWC 2016 event.
The phone will have plug-in modules and accessories positioned on the market as “G5 and Friends,” all of which are going to be controlled and monitored by the dedicated LG Friends Manager.
Two modules, both connecting from the bottom of the phone, are pretty much a guarantee to be paired with the G5 come its release. LG has put together a camera grip with an integrated battery as well as a digital audio chip (DAC) to improve sound quality. The camera grip will be called the LG Cam Plus, offering better comfort when taking many pictures with the G5. The LG Cam Plus also has hardware buttons for shutter release, zoom, and flash. And the battery sitting inside is a whopping 1100mAh to build upon the G5’s already-removable battery. The module for the DAC, called the LG Hi-Fi Plus, is coming from a partnership with Bang and Olusfsen.
Pricing for either module has not been named.
LG is also going for it with accessories. Aside from the recently-announced touch-enabled cover, the company is working on a drone called the Rolling Bot equipped with a camera and speaker. The Rolling Bot, according to Blass, “can be remotely maneuvered around the house for observing and interacting with pets, for instance. It’s also capable of sending signals for turning smart appliances on and off.”
The other major accessory will be the LG 360 Cam, a 360-degree camera similar to the one Samsung will be launching the same day. This 360-degree camera captures images at 16MP while video records at Quad HD (2560×1440) resolution. And where else would you be able to watch 360-degree content other than an LG-made virtual reality headset, the LG 360 VR. LG’s first virtual reality headset allegedly has nine-axis sensors and an 83-degree lens working with a built-in LCD display. The built-in display would give the LG 360 VR a quick win over the Samsung Gear VR, and LG’s virtual reality headset would operate with outside platforms like YouTube.
All of these things, attached to LG’s new “Life’s good when you play more” tagline, will be joining the G5 on stage this Sunday, February 21. Availability for them could be expected as late as April.
Source: VentureBeat
Come comment on this article: Modules, drones, and virtual reality devices joining the LG G5 this Sunday
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