LG G5: Top features of this new Android flagship phone

In Barcelona for Mobile World Congress where LG just unveiled its latest flagship Android smartphone, the G5. It’s quite a looker, complete with a metal body, and it features some of the latest specs available on the market. We haven’t reviewed it yet, but we’re pretty certain it’s going to win a lot of praise when we do. There’s just so much to like.

1. Modular components

This is the coolest part of the LG G5. LG created a phone that has modular components users can upgrade with. Simply pop out the battery and you can slide in a special camera module with a zoom slider, a dedicated camera button, an extra battery and a palm grip. Or upgrade your audio with a special Bang & Olufson accessory. LG technically calls these “Friends” and says there will be third party options and more down the road. It’s very cool stuff.

2. Super wide-angle camera
LG uses two camera sensors on the back, including an 8MP module and a 16MP module, to capture super-wide angle photos. We’re talking 130-degrees of view, more than the 70-75 degrees of view you typically get from a smartphone camera. We were really impressed with the fish-eye-like experience during our brief-hands on, and think this feature is going to be great for capturing pets, landscapes, architecture and more.
3. Expandable storage

I love that LG never ditched the microSD card (ahem, Samsung) and praise it for continuing to offer a microSD card slot as an option. Pop in your card of choice and you’re good to go — no worries about fronting up cash for a more expensive 128GB model in the store. Also, with Marshmallow’s support, you should be able to format cards to serve as local storage, too.

4. Removable battery

Again, LG isn’t messing around with its customer’s hearts. It’s staying true to a fan base that loves to keep a spare battery or three in their back pocket. The G5 lets you easily pop out the battery from the bottom of the phone with a small dedicated button. It makes the experience fun, almost like you’re swapping out cartridges. Too bad it doesn’t support hot swapping, now that would be cool.

5. Always-on Display

LG took the always-on-display from the V10 and added it to the G5. There isn’t a small dedicated screen as on the V10, instead, the primary panel is always on. That means you can quickly check the time, alerts and more, all without ever waking up your phone. Better yet, LG says it doesn’t even consume much battery. Speaking of the display, LG says it made some tweaks so that it’s also brighter than ever in direct sunlight. No more squinting!