LG Electronics showed off its first modular smartphone, the LG G5, with its B&O sound system and wide-angle lens, at the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
A modular smartphone is made out of separate components, which enables users to replace or upgrade certain functions independently. Users will be able to pop out the phone's bottom and swap in new hardware features.
Early options include a camera grip with physical buttons to take shots and control video recording.
In the G5 smartphone, LG has added the B&O sound system and a 135 degree wide angle lens to lure customers less keen to upgrade to devices only marginally better than the ones they already own.
The main camera on LG's upcoming G5 smartphone will have both a regular lens for standard shots and a wider-angle lens so you can capture more of what's in front of you without having to step back.
The always-on Display on the G5 allows users to view notifications time, date and other information without waking the G5. The 3D Arc Glass featured in the G5's 5.3-inch display creates a gentle curve.
The LG G5 is equipped with the new Snapdragon 820 processor that offers 64-bit performance and Adreno 530 graphics. The G5 offers Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging.
Frank Lee, a spokesman with LG's US mobile business, said phone launches no longer generate the excitement they used to, so "it's our responsibility to bring some energy."
Beyond improving just the phone, LG is turning to a whole collection of products that work with it.
LG will have its own VR headset — a lighter version of Samsung's Gear VR, which came out last fall.
LG designed the LG 360 VR headset to work with an LG smartphone that's attached by a cable. With Samsung's VR device, the smartphone is inserted at eye level and becomes the headset's display, increasing the weight on the head.
LG's version still uses the smartphone to process the images, but instead of displaying them on the phone screen, images get sent to separate, lighter displays in the headset's eyepieces.
LG is also making a 360-degree camera and a spherical robot camera that resembles the BB-8 droid in the new "Star Wars" movie.
Prices and release dates have yet to be announced.
Smartphone manufacturers are struggling to eclipse rivals with only faster processors, higher resolution screens or better cameras - all at ever lower prices.
Only two of the top five vendors, Samsung and Huawei, increased sales in the last quarter. Apple suffered its first quarterly decline, with iPhone sales down 4.4 per cent, according to market research firm Gartner.
LG G5 key specifications:
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor
Display: 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 554ppi)
Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
Camera: Rear: Standard 16 MP, Wide 8 MP / Front: 8 MP
Battery: 2,800 mAh (removable)
OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Size: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm
Weight: 159 g
Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / USB Type-C / NFC / Bluetooth 4.2
Colours: Silver / Titan / Gold / Pink
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