LG G5 smartphone offers modules to add functions

LG has announced a modular Android smartphone that can gain extra functions via add-on parts, reports BBC.
Components are plugged in by pulling off the base of the G5 phone and swapping it for an alternative unit.
Google is known to be working on a modular phone of its own, but the concept is far from mainstream.
One expert said the idea would help LG stand out from its rivals, but added that it was too soon to know whether it would turn around the firm’s fortunes.
Image caption The G5 has a 5.3in (13.5cm) display and removable battery The firm also announced new virtual reality kit and a remote control robot at its Mobile World Congress press conference in Barcelona.
In January, LG reported that its smartphone shipments had fallen by 2 per cent in 2015 despite the market as a whole growing by about 10 per cent.
Plug-in parts
LG revealed two optional modules - which it calls “friends” - alongside the new mobile handset.
One is a 32-bit digital to analogue converter (DAC) made by the audio specialist Bang & Olufsen, which it says makes the phone capable of playing sounds at a higher resolution - meaning music should be more detailed when heard via good quality headphones or speakers.
Image caption One of the first modules is called the LG Hi-fi Plus with B&O Play
The other module is a camera controller that the company says should make it easier for owners to take pictures using only one hand. It features a dial for zooming and a button to take photos among other controls, and also provides a 40% boost to battery life.
A spokesman for LG told the BBC its engineers were working on further modules, and it hoped other third-party manufacturers would also add to the ecosystem.
Switching between modules involves pulling out the phone’s battery and attaching it to the new part. Although this makes the action more fiddly, it does have the benefit that the battery can be easily replaced, unlike in many other handsets.
Image caption The LG Cam Plus module adds manual controls for the phone’s cameras and extends its battery life. Another unusual feature about the phone is that it comes with two camera lenses on its back.
One is a normal lens, while the other creates 135-degree wide-angled shots that LG says offer a larger field of view than the human eye or any other smartphone.
This can be useful for capturing landscapes or group shots of people. However, the wide-angled photos only have a resolution of eight megapixels - half that of those taken via the other lens.

LG G5 smartphone offers modules to add functions

LG has announced a modular Android smartphone that can gain extra functions via add-on parts, reports BBC. Components are plugged in by pulling off the base of the G5 phone and swapping it for an alternative unit. Google is known to be working on a modular phone of its own, but the concept is far from mainstream. One expert said the idea would help LG stand out from its rivals, but added that it was too soon to know whether it would turn around the firms fortunes. Image caption The G5 has a 5.3in (13.5cm) display and removable battery The firm also announced new virtual reality kit and a remote control robot at its Mobile World Congress press conference in Barcelona. In January, LG reported that its smartphone shipments had fallen by 2 per cent in 2015 despite the market as a whole growing by about 10 per cent. Plug-in parts LG revealed two optional modules - which it calls friends - alongside the new mobile handset. One is a 32-bit digital to analogue converter (DAC) made by the audio specialist Bang Olufsen, which it says makes the phone capable of playing sounds at a higher resolution - meaning music should be more detailed when heard via good quality headphones or speakers. Image caption One of the first modules is called the LG Hi-fi Plus with BO Play The other module is a camera controller that the company says should make it easier for owners to take pictures using only one hand. It features a dial for zooming and a button to take photos among other controls, and also provides a 40% boost to battery life. A spokesman for LG told the BBC its engineers were working on further modules, and it hoped other third-party manufacturers would also add to the ecosystem. Switching between modules involves pulling out the phones battery and attaching it to the new part. Although this makes the action more fiddly, it does have the benefit that the battery can be easily replaced, unlike in many other handsets. Image caption The LG Cam Plus module adds manual controls for the phones cameras and extends its battery life. Another unusual feature about the phone is that it comes with two camera lenses on its back. One is a normal lens, while the other creates 135-degree wide-angled shots that LG says offer a larger field of view than the human eye or any other smartphone. This can be useful for capturing landscapes or group shots of people. However, the wide-angled photos only have a resolution of eight megapixels - half that of those taken via the other lens.