LG G5 'Magic Slot' accessories detailed in latest leak

[Shawn Knight]

LG is set to unveil its first all-metal flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress this weekend. The LG G5 is expected to steer the company's smartphone business in a different direction and introduce a new modular concept called the Magic Slot.

Leaks thus far describe the purported Magic Slot as an accessory port on the bottom of the LG G5 that can expand or enhance the phone's capabilities. It's not all that different (at least, in theory) from what fully modular smartphones like Project Ara are hoping to accomplish except on a smaller scale.

LG is expected to showcase at least two modular accessories (and perhaps as many as four) as part of an initiative called "G5 and Friends." An accessory called the LG Cam Plus is said to afford physical hardware buttons for commonly used camera functions such as the shutter release, flash, zoom and so on. More importantly, the module will reportedly include an 1,100mAh battery of its own to supplement the handsets internal (replaceable) pack.

Another module called the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play is rumored to be a digital to analog converter. Built in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, the DAC module will also apparently be able to enhance audio from outsides sources like another Android device or even a PC.

The other two modules rumored to be on display this weekend include a spherical camera called the LG 360 Cam and a smartphone-controlled drone known as the Rolling Bot.

TechSpot has a team descending on Barcelona as we speak to cover Mobile World Congress 2016 so be sure to check back here beginning Sunday for the latest unveilings and related announcements.

Lead image courtesy Evan Blass

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63867-lg-g5-magic-slot-accessories-detailed-latest-leak.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Well, for all those teenagers out there that are buying one, use that thing to slip a couple trojan's into so you can do your part to keep down all the excessive population growth!

 

[hahahanoobs]

These "modules" sound HORRIBLE. I'm going to have to follow this rabbit to see where it goes, but so far it's not looking good.

 

[RustyTech]

TechSpot has a team descending on Barcelona as we speak to cover Mobile World Congress 2016 so be sure to check back here beginning Sunday for the latest unveilings and related announcements.

Please find and report on a flagship phone with removable battery & microSD card slot. thank you!!

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

I'm finding it very difficult to get excited about new flagship device releases these days, if you see one flagship device then you've seen them all, they're all very much the same.

 

[psycros]

Well, for all those teenagers out there that are buying one, use that thing to slip a couple trojan's into so you can do your part to keep down all the excessive population growth!

Did you really just advocate slipping a trojan into the Magic Slot??

(And if one of those accessories is a good physical QWERTY, sign me up.)

 

[Technician]

WTF are they thinking? They have literally scraped the bottom of the barrel this time out.

 

[Kibaruk]

(And if one of those accessories is a good physical QWERTY, sign me up.)

But why? Have you use sliding keyboards, that happens to come with predictive words and actually makes writting on a phone a one finger bliss? (At least for those that have actually gave a chance to it).

Please find and report on a flagship phone with removable battery & microSD card slot. thank you!!

You mean like the G5?

I'm finding it very difficult to get excited about new flagship device releases these days, if you see one flagship device then you've seen them all, they're all very much the same.

But the devil is in the details. Usually one has a better camera, other has an impecable screen with amazing color reproduction, bla bla. In the end there is always one that's THE best at something, even on similar specs, different sizes to please everyone, travel oriented, yata yatay.

WTF are they thinking? They have literally scraped the bottom of the barrel this time out.

Be our guest, what million dollar idea you have on that head of yours for something new that no one has tried?

 

[Technician]

But why? Have you use sliding keyboards, that happens to come with predictive words and actually makes writting on a phone a one finger bliss? (At least for those that have actually gave a chance to it).


You mean like the G5?


But the devil is in the details. Usually one has a better camera, other has an impecable screen with amazing color reproduction, bla bla. In the end there is always one that's THE best at something, even on similar specs, different sizes to please everyone, travel oriented, yata yatay.


Be our guest, what million dollar idea you have on that head of yours for something new that no one has tried?

I'd like better call quality first off, then a better price. After that it doesn't matter much.
Oh and a small size for convenience.

 

[Arturo]

The phone looks terrible. Finger crossed for these pics not being genuine.

 

[SirGCal]

Waiting for it to come out so I can pick up a G4 on the cheap.

 

[Kibaruk]

I'd like better call quality first off, then a better price.

You mean like... flagships, right?

Oh and a small size for convenience.

Like... mini versions of flagships, right?

 

[thorpj]

I hope this is what they're actually doing: https://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2016/02/2016-02-19-image-9.jpg

A metal phone with a removeable battery. That's the stuff.

 

[Arturo]

I hope this is what they're actually doing: https://static.techspot.com/images2/news/bigimage/2016/02/2016-02-19-image-9.jpg

A metal phone with a removeable battery. That's the stuff.

Good. My only problem is the form of LG5... it looks terrible.

 

[thorpj]

Good. My only problem is the form of LG5... it looks terrible.

I didn't say that they were actually doing that.

Also, don't judge a phone by it's pre announcement pictures. They often look bad compared to the real thing (e.g. the Huawei Nexus 6p)

 

[Arturo]

Good. My only problem is the form of LG5... it looks terrible.

I didn't say that they were actually doing that.

Also, don't judge a phone by it's pre announcement pictures. They often look bad compared to the real thing (e.g. the Huawei Nexus 6p)

Understood

 

[psycros]

(And if one of those accessories is a good physical QWERTY, sign me up.)

But why? Have you use sliding keyboards, that happens to come with predictive words and actually makes writting on a phone a one finger bliss? (At least for those that have actually gave a chance to it).

Not sure what you mean by "sliding" keyboards unless you're talking about something like the PRIV. I tried it out and didn't like it much - its lacking a couple basic usability features that were common on Blackberry for ages. Or maybe you mean stuff like SWYPE? First off, I have no use for predictive keyboards since they don't offer the word you're typing about about 30% of the time. Also, I already have "one-finger Bliss" - its called a Blackberry, and most of the time I don't even need to look at it in order to type. I just want a newer physical QWERTY because (a) its about 50 times easier to use one-handed than a slabphone and (b) I don't have the flawless, near-robotic motor control needed to type on glass.

 

[Kibaruk]

@psycros give Swype a better try, the more you type with it the better the prediction and the fastest you get to what you want, one finger only :$ At first, like everything new will take a bit of adjustment but after a couple days you'll not regret it.

 

[RustyTech]

You mean like the G5?

Yes! and looking at it today, it doesn't look all that bad. It's definitely going to be one that I consider.