LG confirms early April US launch for LG G5 and modular 'Friends'

[Shawn Knight]

LG's innovative G5 smartphone is heading to the US early next month, the South Korean technology giant confirmed on Thursday.

LG unveiled its latest flagship at Mobile World Congress (MWC) last month. The handset utilizes a unique modular design that allows users to swap out a drained battery in seconds. There are also a number of other modular accessories – dubbed LG Friends – that add additional functionality to the handset.

LG accumulated an impressive 33 awards at MWC including a "Best of MWC 2016" award from TechSpot.

The modular concept sounds good on paper but we're still waiting to see how it performs in the real world. One thing that LG is already being criticized for is the fact that swapping modules removes the battery and thus, kills the phone. The ideal solution would have been for LG to integrate a small battery inside the phone that can keep it powered while you swap modules. Perhaps that'll arrive in next year's model (assuming the G6 sticks with the modular concept).

The company said its Friends are also coming to the US but stopped short of specifying exactly which modules will accompany the G5 and how much they're sell for.

The latest from LG will be available at major carriers and retailers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile Stores and B&H. For a limited time, LG is also offering customers that order the LG G5 a free extra battery and battery-charging cradle.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/64064-lg-g5-early-april-us-launch.html

 

[RebelFlag]

I cannot believe they would go to all of the trouble to make the battery swap able, and not have a way to keep the phone powered on for the 10 seconds it takes to change the battery. That is a big miss in my opinion. All they would need is a small capacitor to hold enough power for 10 seconds.