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VR headsets, robot balls and snap-on phone gadgets: Say hello to LG's amazing new G5 accessories

LG just unveiled the G5. But its latest and greatest mobile phone is just the advance guard for a long list of accessories that range from kinda crazy to downright cool.

Justin Yu
Justin Yu covered headphones and peripherals for CNET.
Lynn La Senior Editor / Reviews - Phones
Lynn La covers mobile reviews and news. She previously wrote for The Sacramento Bee, Macworld and The Global Post.
Justin Yu
Lynn La
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The G5 is LG's new flagship smartphone for 2016. And it has a unique design angle: The bottom pops off to let you swap in a new battery, and add new snap-on accessories that change the phone's functionality.

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LG Cam Plus

The first snap-on modular accessory is the LG Cam Plus, which offers G5 photographers a tactile button for the shutter, stop and play functions, as well as a continuous dial wheel for zooming in and out of subjects.

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LG Cam Plus

The G5 has a 2,800mAh internal battery, but the Cam Plus grip has its own power source that adds an additional 1,100mAh of juice.

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LG Hi-Fi Plus

LG partnered with Bang & Olufsen for the LG Hi-Fi Plus, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC for short) that connects to the G5 through the removable module on the bottom of the phone.

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LG Hi-Fi Plus

The Hi-Fi Plus has its own speaker and headphone jack so you can use it to make phone calls or listen to music the way you would with a typical smartphone -- but with (theoretically) better audio quality.

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LG Hi-Fi Plus

Once installed, the DAC module adds a little extra to the G5's original "chin."

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LG Hi-Fi Plus

If you don't have a G5, you can still use the LG Hi-Fi Plus as a standalone DAC with any phone that has an open USB Type-C port.

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LG Hi-Fi Plus

To generate an output signal, the DAC upsamples the source file to 384kHz, giving the listener a "hi-def" audio experience through the speaker or headphones.

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LG 360 Cam

Next on the accessory train is the LG 360 Cam. It lets you capture your surroundings in high-res 2K video or as a still image (resolution TBD) using two 200-degree cameras that stitch together, with some overlap, for a complete 360-degree picture.

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LG 360 Cam

The camera also mounts to most tripods using the standard camera thread on the bottom.

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LG 360 Cam

The device includes a small, sheath-like case that also serves as a hands-free stand.

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LG 360 Cam

If you have an LG G5, you can connect the 360 Cam via the phone's native "Friends" app, which is basically a device manager for the various G5 accessories such as the Cam Plus and Hi-Fi Plus. The 360 cam is compatible with other Android devices as well and uses a Bluetooth connection to pair them up.

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LG 360 Cam

The lens shutter can be triggered remotely from the phone and there's a microSD slot on the camera for saving projects. You can also stream video and photos back to the phone via Bluetooth, or use the G5 as a remote viewer.

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LG 360 VR

The 360 VR is LG's lightweight virtual reality headset. It comes in at 180 grams (6.35 ounces) without the cover attached.

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LG 360 VR

Unlike Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard -- which use your phone as the headset screen -- the LG unit has two dedicated high-resolution displays for each eye that are independently adjustable for viewers with different prescriptions.

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LG 360 VR

The display offers 639 pixels per inch (PPI), which LG claims will eliminate the "screen-door effect" that plagues other VR headsets. The resulting image is similar to viewing a 130-inch TV from 6.5 feet (2 meters) away.

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LG 360 VR

The goggles are tethered to a phone using a USB-Type C connection and will only work with Android phones powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor (such as the G5).

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LG 360 VR

You can connect headphones to the headset using a wired connection or wireless via Bluetooth on your phone.

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LG Rolling Bot

If VR isn't futuristic enough for you, how about robots? The LG Rolling Bot is a home monitoring unit that has a camera, infrared sensor, a mic, a speaker and a laser, all built into the ball.

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LG Rolling Bot

You can set it as a home monitoring device using your phone as a motion controller and remote viewer.

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LG Rolling Bot

The mic and speakers are designed for communicating with people -- and pets -- at your house while you're out.

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LG Rolling Bot

The Rolling Bot interacts with and controls smart home devices, even non-LG branded gadgets. LG mentioned a variety of use cases for it, including using it as a remote to turn on your TV, air conditioner and house lights, to make it look like someone's home.

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LG Rolling Bot

The Bot has a "pet mode" that initiates a pre-programmed "dance" to keeps pets entertained. And it also has a laser for playing with cats and dogs.

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LG Quick Cover

The Quick Cover case features a metallic-like mesh front cover that flaps over the display and includes a small window to allow you to see incoming notifications.

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LG Quick Cover

You can also interact with the screen (such as answering and declining calls) even when the cover is closed.

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LG Tone Platinum

The LG Tone Platinum is an updated version of the company's around-the-neck Bluetooth headphones. While they're not technically considered "wireless earbuds" since you still have to drape the aluminum housing around your neck, their lightweight design and retractable eartips are the next best thing until fully wireless earbuds hit the market.

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LG Tone Platinum

Like all Bluetooth headphones, the Tone Platinum will work with nearly any tablet or phone. It features a balanced armature driver that's said to generate more detail with less distortion than a typical dynamic headphone driver. So -- according to LG -- you get a sound profile that's tuned for optimum performance across a range of frequencies.

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LG Tone Platinum

The Tone Platinum is also equipped with the aptX HD Audio Codec, which is supposed to improve wireless sound quality when used with source devices that are also so equipped (such as the Samsung Galaxy S6). In our testing of AptX headphones such as the LG Tone Infinim, we generally haven't found AptX to be a game changer, but we'll see.

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LG Tone Platinum

The LG Tone Platinum has an integrated microphone for making phone calls while active noise cancellation keeps ambient noise out of your conversation. It should be noted, however, that the noise-canceling feature doesn't work with music, just phone calls. Check back with CNET soon for full pricing details.

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