You may not care for a camera grip, but there’s still a lot of potential to be found in LG’s modular phone.
LG’s goal was to shake things up this year, and whether you’re a fan of the G5 or not it’s hard to argue that they didn’t accomplish their mission. The G5 is unlike anything else available right now, and a big part of that is the ability to add serious functionality to phone through the modular slot on the bottom. The accessories made available at launch target a handful of very specific users, but there’s still plenty to be said about the way this tech could be used.
If you’re reading this, LG, here’s what we think you should be doing with that modular slot on the G5.
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Extended battery with a hinge — This seems like a no-brainer. A battery extender that snaps into the bottom of the phone and folds back to the fingerprint sensor, but is mounted on a hinge so it doubles as a stand when extended. Make it 2,000mAh over the standard capacity, and people would jump all over it.
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Thermal camera attachment — Partner up with Flir to make an attachment similar to their One camera, but streamlined to function like a native part of the phone when attached. Let’s be honest, you’d probably sell more of these to industrial inspection companies then that DAC attachment to anyone else.
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Front-facing speaker — You thought a higher quality headphone system was a priority, but it didn’t occur to you to have B&O whip up some decent speakers for your audio-focused smartphone? Come on, LG. Get on this.
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Wireless charging base — Using a Qi charger is a little awkward when the coil is all wrapped around the bottom of the phone, as we learned from the BlackBerry Priv, but it’s still better than nothing. People like wireless charging, and this needs to happen ASAP.
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NERF Tactical Rail Mount — Snap the phone in place, power it on, and you have an Augmented reality partnership with NERF that would send office warriors scrambling to purchase a new phone. Sure, you have to reboot your phone every time you don’t want the phone attached, but on the other hand you could always have a NERF gun nearby when you need it. It’s a little impractical, but do it anyway.
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Basic game controller — Couldn’t you see yourself clipping in a game controller module with joysticks, buttons and extra bumpers on the back of your phone? With a portrait orientation it’d be great for arcade-style games and on-rails shooters (but hey, maybe some sort of landscape option could be done), and with some extra girth for grip it could incorporate extra battery for longer game playing time.
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Heath Industry Dock — Heart-rate monitors, breathalyzers, glucose monitors, and that’s just the start. Dedicated medical hardware that can plug into a smartphone so it feels like a part of the phone that also works as a really nice phone? What medical professional wouldn’t want to hand that out to their staff.
These are just a few that we’ve come up with, but the possibilities are nearly endless. LG’s initial offerings are fine, but this is something that hopefully LG doesn’t wait until next year to really expand upon. There are a lot of niche uses for this kind of expansion, and if LG really is interested in shaking up the industry with this design there’s a lot more to be done.
Do you have any ideas for modules you’d like to see on the LG G5? We’d love to hear your suggestions.
LG G5
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5P67sSZctM?rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&controls=2&autohide=1&showinfo=0]
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