LG launched its flagship smartphone, the G5, this year with a unique modular design. It was one of the first Android running smartphones that had the ability to swap a panel and replace it to add a new feature to the device.
The bottom part of the smartphone would pop out and you could attach a DAC or a camera control module. It did had a major issue though, one had to remove the battery along with the modules or what LG called ‘friends’. The swapping was not seamless. The smartphone was definitely a unique offering, but it didn’t do well. LG had big plans for the smartphone including a fuller ecosystem, but by the month of June it was clear that the smartphone was a failure. In fact the sales were so bad, the company fired a chunk of its smartphone designers.
Now according to a report, LG will not continue to use a modular design for the upcoming G6 flagship handset. Google had recently announced the end of Project Ara, which was a disappointment for many. LG taking the similar path is not surprising at all.
Motorola and Lenovo on the other had have a more promising modular smartphone strategy. Their new Moto Z smartphone along with the magnetically attachable Moto Mods seems to be more reliable and seamless. It has already opened up the Moto Mods design open for developers, which is good thing. But the real question here is, will the company manage to keep the modular smartphone dream running?