LG explains why they decided not to introduce modules on the LG V20
LG talked a lot about their modules for the LG G5 when the phone first launched. One of the things they mentioned is that this concept of modularity would extend to more phones down the line.
So when the LG V20 was announced, we were expecting to hear that it had adopted the LG G5’s style in that regard. Of course, it wasn’t until last night that LG gave full details on the LG V20, and as the event commenced our expectations were completely let down — the LG V20 doesn’t have any special parlor tricks up its sleeve that aren’t already included in the phone.
Why would LG not continue the modular concept on their second half flagship after promising we’d see it in future phones? According to CNet, it’s because the LG V20 was pretty deep in its development cycle by the time the LG G5 hit the scene.
The company reportedly had enough time to tweak the LG V20 to fit their new vision, but the failure of the LG G5 didn’t give them many reasons to make any large product changes under such a tight deadline. We don’t blame them for this line of thinking, if true, but the LG G5 didn’t necessarily fail because of its modularity, so we’re disappointed all the same.
That said, if LG’s reasons for passing on modularity for the LG V20 are true then it sounds plausible that they’ll still be sticking to the formula for future flagships, including the LG G6 and the next phone in the LG V(30?) line. Let’s hope they spend this extra time to refine their implementation as others are already starting to encroach on their territory.