Metal-clad LG G5 with modular design, dual-cameras unveiled

After months of speculations, South Korean consumer electronics major LG launched Sunday, Feb. 21, the new G5 in Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress 2016 (MWC 2016) event.

"The new LG G5 will encourage owners to rediscover the true joy of a mobile life," Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said in a statement.

"The G5 and LG Friends are the result of many experts inside LG asking themselves if it was still possible to be innovative and unique in the smartphone space. I think once customers spend a little time with the LG G5, their answer will be a resounding yes." Cho added.

The new LG G5 is said to be company's first commercial modular-designed smartphone. The company says G5 owners will be able to swap depleted battery with another within seconds. It can also be attached with LG CAM Plus.

It has a camera module that can be attached through the battery slot to deliver a comfortable grip and convenient control of a standalone camera. The LG CAM Plus provides physical buttons for power, shutter, record, zoom, LED indicator and comfortable grip. It also offers intuitive autofocus and exposure lock, features usually found on standalone digital cameras. When attached to the LG G5, it provides an additional battery capacity of 1,200mAh to allow for longer shooting times.

Another key aspect of LG G5 is its dual-cameras — one with a standard 78-degree lens and another with a 135-degree wide angle lens, the widest available in any smartphone, the company claims.

The 135-degree lens on LG G5 offers a viewing angle that is approximately 1.7 times wider than those of existing smartphone cameras and 15 degrees wider than the human eye's field of view.

LG revealed earlier this week the G5 would boast of the "Always On" feature, wherein a user can see notifications, reminders, time and other important details on the lock screen, without having to unlock it.

Other speculated features of LG G5 include metal-based unibody design, 5.3-inch QHD display, Android Marshmallow OS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, 32GB inbuilt memory and a 2,800mAh battery.

Besides the new LG G5, the company also unveiled a slew of companion devices dubbed LG Friends — 360 CAM, 360 VR, Rolling Bot, Tone Platinum, Smart Controller and H3 earphones by B&O Play.

LG G5 release details:

The company has confirmed LG G5 will hit the stores in April in select regions. However, specific details, such as countries or price, are still under wraps.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Key features of LG G5: