The mobile phone giant LG quickly abandoned the modular design as fast as it adopted it. After the release of their first component replaceable phone, the G5, LG will be reverting back to the usual sleek unibody design with their next line of smartphones, specifically the G6. This is in response of the awful sales the company has experienced.
The company likened their modular approach with the previously hyped project Ara after the concept caught international online attention. Fans requested to solidify the idea. The G5 had removable modules that clipped in and out. This allowed a user to boost battery capacity, add advanced camera controls and even improve the speakers.
Despite the promising features and versatility, the G5 didn't meet expectations. The sales were low and the return did not meet the cost of development, according to WCCFTech. As a result, LG announced that they will be abandoning the concept and revert back to the conventional phone design for their upcoming G6.
Other than sales, LG has already experienced difficulties with the modular phone. Production of different modules and add-ons were slow. This made it hard for customers to get their hands a hold on certain accessories. This includes the Bang & Olufsen module that was not even made immediately available on the release day of the phone, according to Techradar.
With the upcoming G6 not a modular type of phone, LG might fully abandon any development on accessories and software on the G5. Users will find themselves on the disadvantageous side as they are going to have a dead-end phone with no new modules nor updates. Consequently, this hits the reputation of the company.
In a recent survey Tech Crunch made, a lot of people do not really care about modularizing their phone, they just expect it to be there and work. Despite the internet fame, the modularized phone concept was only strong on a narrow audience.
