The one thing that can be said about LG is that they aren’t afraid of using interesting, different designs for their smartphones. The company has the G Flex lineup for folks that want a phone with a (really) curved display, the V10 for those who want a secondary display, and the G series that offers volume and power buttons on the back of the handset, instead of the sides. The fact that LG is always interested in trying out something new for the design of their phones is something that has stood out to me, and I commend them for building touchscreen slabs that still manage to buck a bit of the trends at the same time.

When the first renders of the G5 started to show up, LG’s newest flagship set to get debuted on Febraury 21, all I could really focus on was the aspect that LG had decided to skip the volume keys on the back panel, and instead put them on the side of the device. Just like pretty much any other smartphone out there. Sure, all reports suggested that the Power button would still be on the back, but LG’s regression, as I saw it, wasn’t something I was getting excited about.

And then rumors started growing about the “Magic Slot.” At first it started as this idea that G5 users would be able to slide the bottom of the phone out, and replace the battery. It was certainly a cool idea, to be sure, but just removing the battery like that wouldn’t be something people would use all that frequently, probably.

And then the accessories started to come up, like an option to have physical camera buttons, or even better audio for when you’re listening to music. The possibilities seem pretty fantastic for the Magic Slot, and it’s made me come around on the device one hundred percent.

LG has been experimenting with design in a good way, I think, and I really enjoy seeing that. Of course, it’s really just part of the experience, right? LG has to make some headway when it comes to software with their proprietary skin, and no matter how great the hardware is if that doesn’t work, well, it’ll all be for naught.

Ultimately, now that the LG G5 is official and that modular design is the real deal, I’m happy with the direction that LG has taken with their newest flagship. Now I just have to hope that other companies, like Apple, Samsung, and HTC follow suit and start experimenting with some new design decisions.

Here’s hoping for the best. Are you looking forward to the LG G5?