LG officially unveils the LG G5 and Friends

8:17:00 AM dickwyn 0 Comments

Starting off MWC 2016 this year is LG and to no surprise at all, the company is unveiling their latest flagship creation which redefines it's previous designs. Firstly, the device will be called the LG G5 and unlike other LG flagship in the past, the LG G5 is the first one to sport a metal unibody design coupled along with chamfered edges. Another radical change is that the rear volume rockers which has been part of LG's flagship line for 3 years is now only left with a rear mounted power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner on the LG G5.

But what fundamentally sets the LG G5 apart from other flagships is that LG has built in a modular system which they are calling as 'friends'. This feature utilizes the power of the LG G5's removable chin bar which also gives access to the 2,800mAh battery to enable the LG G5 to expand it's functionality to have features like a camera grip and a 32-bit DAC. Currently, there's only 2 options for the magic slot but LG is claiming that their partners will also be making accessories to take advantage of that special slot on the LG G5.

Another new addition in terms of the hardware is a dual camera setup on the back of the LG G5. No, this is not some crazy setup to get 3D images but LG is leveraging this dual camera setup on the LG G5 to provide wide angle photos and images in contrast will be 1.7 times wider compared to conventional lenses.

That's not all in terms of added functionality as LG is also announcing a range of optional accessories called 'friends' to complement the LG G5.

LG 360 CAM - A 360 camera that comes with dual 13MP 200-degree wide angle cameras and is capable of taking 2K video with 5.1 surround sound audio.
LG 360 VR - A VR goggle that connects via USB C to the LG G5 and is able to simulate a 130-inch TV viewed from 2 metres away. Compatible with Google Cardboard apps and photos and videos captured with the LG 360 CAM.
LG Rolling Bot - A companion device that rolls like a ball when capturing images with it's embedded 8MP camera. The camera can be used as an IP camera to remotely monitor through Wi-Fi from the LG G5.
LG CAM Plus - A versatile camera module that attaches to the LG G5's battery slot to provide a stable grip for the photographer and adds a physical power, shutter, record, zoom button alongside the extended 1,200mAh battery.
LG Hi-FI Plus - A 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC developed in collaboration with B&O PLAY improves audio quality on the LG G5.

At the moment, LG is not revealing the pricing of the LG G5 or the 'Friends' (accessories) but LG says the LG G5 will rolling out in South Korea on March 31 and the United States on April 1 followed by key markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Approximately 200 carriers and operators worldwide have committed to offer the G5 in their local markets.