The smartphone industry moves quickly, even as it slows down just enough to warrant some much-needed attention and limelight for some companies out there. The major brands, like HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and LG all warrant a few days where they can not only launch their new device, but also let the reviews start to wade in as well. But as soon as the moment’s over, it’s back to looking forward, at what’s coming next.
In most cases, that even means looking forward to what’s next from the company that just announced something new.
Despite Samsung’s latest iterations off its flagship Galaxy S lineup selling so well, as soon as the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge were unveiled, people —and the Rumor Mill— were pretty quick to start looking ahead to the oft-rumored Galaxy Note 6/7. And we see it constantly every year with Apple. The company will announce the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus this year, and we can expect to see rumors for the 2017 iPhone almost immediately afterwards. (In fact, rumors about next year’s flagship might already be outpacing this year’s model.)
That’s not really the case with LG, though. The company has its major flagship, the G series, and that usually gobbles up most of the attention when it comes to a Life’s Good brand on a smartphone. Sure, we should see new V-series devices at some point in the near future, and maybe LG will be crazy enough to announce a new G Flex device this year, too (why not!?), but unless something really surprising happens later this year, LG’s time in the spotlight has come and gone.
The reason I find that interesting this year, versus any year prior to this, is because the G5, the company’s latest flagship, has almost completely fallen out of the news cycle entirely. A device that was supposed to help bring in the modular movement, where smartphones can be used as hubs for accessories, like a projector or external speaker, doesn’t appear to be doing that at all. It sort of feels like the LG G5 has completely fallen out of the public consciousness.
And maybe Motorola has something to do with that? That company announced the Moto Z and Moto Z Force (with Droid Editions at launch for Verizon Wireless customers), both of which offer modular support for a variety of “Mods” accessories. And, if the reviews for that device, and the accessories available, Motorola’s effort was a bit more spot-on.
Did Motorola’s modular device effectively usurp LG’s?
Whether or not LG’s G5 isn’t in the press cycle all that often doesn’t weigh its merits, of course, and doesn’t really tell us whether or not it’s a great device, or something that is just waiting to get replaced with next year’s flagship. I want to hear from the folks who’ve owned a G5, so I’m reaching out to you.
If you owned, or own, a G5, what’re your thoughts on LG’s modular flagship? Did you end up keeping it? Or have you returned it in favor of something else? Let me know!