MWC 2016 | LG G5 flagship now official

The LG G5 will have a dedicated expansion slot on its bottom for detachable accessories. Its battery can also be quickly swapped via the same slot to further set it apart from the growing number of flagship smartphones with non-removable batteries. Optional accessories include the "Cam Plus" and Hi-Fi Plus". The former provides a better grip and camera controls with an extra battery while the latter includes a 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC for improved audio playback. LG's own virtual reality headset will also be available alongside smaller accessories branded as the "LG G5 Friends".

Another innovation are the dual non-symmetrical rear cameras of 16 MP and 8 MP. The 16 MP camera captures images with a 78-degree lens while the 8 MP camera captures with a 135-degree lens to give an overall picture that is 15 percent wider than a human's typical viewpoint.

Beyond the cameras and modular features are your standard high-end hardware specifications for 2016. This includes a relatively large 5.3-inch 2560 x 1440 resolution display and a smaller always-on display for alerts and notifications (as previously rumored) that consumes just 0.8 percent of the battery per hour. The quad-core Snapdragon 820, Adreno 530 (40 percent faster than the Adreno 430), 4 GB DDR4 RAM, Quick Charge 3.0, and internal 32 GB of storage round up the smartphone.

Drawbacks on the software side include no App Drawer and no Dual Window feature that have been staples for the LG G series since the G3. While these were great for productivity reasons, most owners never used them and should only be a minor setback according to the manufacturer. The G5 is coming this April in Silver, Titanium, Gold, and Pink colors. Prices will be announced at a later date.

Technical specifications:

• Display: 5.3-inch IPS, 2560 x 1440 Pixels
• Processor: Snapdragon 820 Quad-Core 2.2 GHz, 64 Bit
• RAM: 4 GB DDR4
• Graphics: Adreno 530
• Storage: 32 GB eMMC with microSD slot
• Cameras: 16 MP rear Duo Camera, 8 MP front
• Battery: 2800 mAh, removable
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
• Ports: USB Type-C

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