The company launched a Friends marketplace in April to help people keep track of all its modules for the G5, but now you can buy these modules officially from LG’s own U.S. website. You can also buy G5 charging cradles and extra batteries from the same site.
That means you can grab all the following modules from LG.com: 360 Cam, a 360-degree camera; the Cam Plus, a camera grip with additional battery capacity and dedicated camera buttons; the 360 VR, a virtual reality headset; and the LG Tone Platinum, a Bluetooth headset for listening to music.
When you tap to add modules from the Friends Marketplace to your cart, the site redirects you to LG’s website. A recent visit suggested to us that the Hi-Fi Plus audio module and the Rolling Bot are still not available in the U.S.
“LG plans to launch additional LG Friends in the coming weeks and months,” according to LG’s news release. This also extends to including companion devices created by third-party developers,”
LG has been making a big push for its modular concept, and plans to implement the design into later phones, potentially creating a new ecosystem for smartphones that is able to switch out modules to customize the smartphone.
Of course, LG’s idea isn’t anywhere near as “modular” as other phones we’ve seen — specifically Google’s Project Ara. Google shed some recent updates on its modular project, and said a developer kit will be available this year, and Google’s first modular phone will launch in 2017.
Still, the G5 represents a shift in the smartphone industry — one toward more customization and personalization. We’ll have to wait and see just how many third-party developers end up making modules for the G5 and future LG smartphones.
