 This is the LG G5. It's a 5.3 inch Android smartphone with a long and admirable spec sheet. It's made out of aluminum and hey, it even has two cameras on the back. But we've seen all of those things before. The thing that truly makes the LG G5 unique and different is its modularity. You can have a sleek flagship smartphone one day or a marathon running camera phone with its own grip and physical controls the next or a high fidelity music player whenever you want it. The promise of modular design has been with us for a long time and people still find it exciting because it offers both greater versatility and the chance to upgrade a device like the G5 long after the initial purchase. But let's start with the phone itself because fancy extras don't mean much if they plug into a donkey of a device. The good news is that the G5 is every bit as fast and responsive as Samsung's Galaxy S7 and it has a bright high resolution display with its own implementation of always on notifications. These aren't quite as varied as on the S7 but they get the job done for those who want them. Carrying on the same 16 megapixel camera as on last year's LG G4 and V10, the G5 is also a great tool for mobile photography. Plus it now adds an extra 8 megapixel wide angle camera to capture bigger group or architecture shots. Switching between the two is done quickly and LG's software includes neat options that combine the two frames for creative effects. Capturing a shot taken with the two cameras at the same time also takes very little processing time. The performance, display and camera of the G5 are truly a flagship quality and leave very little cause for complaint. Android Marshmallow is predictably and consistently awesome. The G5's new aluminum unibody case is a significant upgrade over LG's usual plastic and now that the phone is smaller at 5.3 inches, it's also more ergonomic and comfortable to use with one hand than the G4. That being said, having a hole at the bottom of the phone to accept plugging modules has led to a compromised fit and finish and a general lack of refinement. Here's how swapping the G5 modules works. First, you remove the phone's bottom part, which by the way doesn't sit flush with the device and irritates with its rough edge. That takes out the battery which you have to detach. Once you've freed the battery, you have to reattach it to the new module and once you've wrestled that combo together, you jack it back into the phone in the correct orientation. When you nail it, the whole process can feel rather like deconstructing a weapon and then putting it back together again. It's just fun to do, but more often than not you'll find yourself frustrated with the awkwardness of the system. A more refined and better thought out method would have been nice and not having to reboot the phone would also have helped. The G5 does redeem itself to an extent with the quality of its extra modules. The Hi-Fi Plus is a legitimate upgrade on the phone's built-in audio, enhancing the headphone output with a better amplifier and a 32-bit DAC. I especially like the fact that it can power some of my more demanding headphones, though it doesn't get quite as loud as I'd like it to be. The big problem I have with this bangin' on some branded part is that it doesn't harmonize with the G5's design at all. The black plastic Hi-Fi Plus looks like a pair of casual sneakers worn with a smart aluminum suit of the G5 itself. The same can be said of the Cam Plus module, though that thing is so big that it doesn't really matter how it looks, it will always stand out. Designed as a camera grip for single-handed use, it has a two-stage shutter key, a video button and a zooming jog dial. I don't think using it with just one hand works, mostly because my thumb tends to end up tapping stuff on the screen accidentally, but a camera grip is definitely a nice extra to have. It also bumps up the G5's battery to 4000 mAh, making good use of its size. And that's it. LG has more accessories to sell with the G5, but the modular revolution that the Korean company wants to start is limited to just two plug-in extras. Maybe a few months from now there'll be more, and maybe LG will follow through on its promise to extend forward compatibility of the current modules. But I don't feel encouraged by what I'm seeing so far. Neither of LG's extras really makes me want the G5 more than any other smartphone, and the handset's design has been compromised to accommodate them. So where does that leave the LG G5? It's got many of the basics right, but so does everyone else now. To stand out, LG chopped up its phone, thought outside the regular box and came up with a new implementation of an old school idea. The premise of modular phones isn't bad, but LG's first attempt at making it a reality is.
 This is the LG G5. It's a 5.3 inch Android smartphone with a long and admirable spec sheet.
 It's made out of aluminum and hey, it even has two cameras on the back.
 But we've seen all of those things before.
 The thing that truly makes the LG G5 unique and different is its modularity.
 You can have a sleek flagship smartphone one day or a marathon running camera phone with its own grip and physical controls the next
 or a high fidelity music player whenever you want it.
 The promise of modular design has been with us for a long time and people still find it exciting because it offers both greater versatility
 and the chance to upgrade a device like the G5 long after the initial purchase.
 But let's start with the phone itself because fancy extras don't mean much if they plug into a donkey of a device.
 The good news is that the G5 is every bit as fast and responsive as Samsung's Galaxy S7
 and it has a bright high resolution display with its own implementation of always on notifications.
 These aren't quite as varied as on the S7 but they get the job done for those who want them.
 Carrying on the same 16 megapixel camera as on last year's LG G4 and V10, the G5 is also a great tool for mobile photography.
 Plus it now adds an extra 8 megapixel wide angle camera to capture bigger group or architecture shots.
 Switching between the two is done quickly and LG's software includes neat options that combine the two frames for creative effects.
 Capturing a shot taken with the two cameras at the same time also takes very little processing time.
 The performance, display and camera of the G5 are truly a flagship quality and leave very little cause for complaint.
 Android Marshmallow is predictably and consistently awesome.
 The G5's new aluminum unibody case is a significant upgrade over LG's usual plastic
 and now that the phone is smaller at 5.3 inches, it's also more ergonomic and comfortable to use with one hand than the G4.
 That being said, having a hole at the bottom of the phone to accept plugging modules has led to a compromised fit and finish and a general lack of refinement.
 Here's how swapping the G5 modules works.
 First, you remove the phone's bottom part, which by the way doesn't sit flush with the device and irritates with its rough edge.
 That takes out the battery which you have to detach.
 Once you've freed the battery, you have to reattach it to the new module and once you've wrestled that combo together, you jack it back into the phone in the correct orientation.
 When you nail it, the whole process can feel rather like deconstructing a weapon and then putting it back together again.
 It's just fun to do, but more often than not you'll find yourself frustrated with the awkwardness of the system.
 A more refined and better thought out method would have been nice and not having to reboot the phone would also have helped.
 The G5 does redeem itself to an extent with the quality of its extra modules.
 The Hi-Fi Plus is a legitimate upgrade on the phone's built-in audio,
 enhancing the headphone output with a better amplifier and a 32-bit DAC.
 I especially like the fact that it can power some of my more demanding headphones, though it doesn't get quite as loud as I'd like it to be.
 The big problem I have with this bangin' on some branded part is that it doesn't harmonize with the G5's design at all.
 The black plastic Hi-Fi Plus looks like a pair of casual sneakers worn with a smart aluminum suit of the G5 itself.
 The same can be said of the Cam Plus module, though that thing is so big that it doesn't really matter how it looks, it will always stand out.
 Designed as a camera grip for single-handed use, it has a two-stage shutter key, a video button and a zooming jog dial.
 I don't think using it with just one hand works, mostly because my thumb tends to end up tapping stuff on the screen accidentally,
 but a camera grip is definitely a nice extra to have.
 It also bumps up the G5's battery to 4000 mAh, making good use of its size.
 And that's it.
 LG has more accessories to sell with the G5, but the modular revolution that the Korean company wants to start is limited to just two plug-in extras.
 Maybe a few months from now there'll be more, and maybe LG will follow through on its promise to extend forward compatibility of the current modules.
 But I don't feel encouraged by what I'm seeing so far.
 Neither of LG's extras really makes me want the G5 more than any other smartphone, and the handset's design has been compromised to accommodate them.
 So where does that leave the LG G5?
 It's got many of the basics right, but so does everyone else now.
 To stand out, LG chopped up its phone, thought outside the regular box and came up with a new implementation of an old school idea.
 The premise of modular phones isn't bad, but LG's first attempt at making it a reality is.