LG's elegant and unorthodox G5 (pictures)

Set to launch globally in early April, the LG G5 first made waves when it debuted with a pull-out battery and modular design. It also has a fast processor, two rear-cameras and an always-on screen. But does it have what it takes to compete against its Android rivals?

Compared to last year's 5.5-inch G4 (right), the G5's display has gotten smaller at 5.3 inches. It also has a 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution and 554 pixels per inch -- 20 more pixels per inch than the G4.

The device's bottom bezel is modular, so you can detach it and swap it out for additional accessories.

To unlock the bottom chin, you'll need to press hard on a small button on the left edge.

The bezel is also attached to the phone's 2,800mAh removable battery.

One accessory is the LG Cam Plus, a camera grip that has a physical shutter button and a zooming wheel.

Though the phone is no where near as modular as Google's Project Ara aims to be, it's still unique for a mass-market flagship that will be physically available to consumers soon.

As for the battery itself, a preview model clocked 12 hours 33 minutes in our lab tests. I'll rerun the test again when I have final unit, but that's an impressive result.

On the back is a fingerprint sensor for added user security. It also doubles as a power and sleep button. We saw something like this before from LG on the V10.

On the bottom is a USB Type-C port, which is faster and more efficient than the standard Micro-USB connection. It's also "flippable" so you'll plug in your charging cord right side up each time.

Foregoing the G4's plastic rear backing (right), LG went with an aluminum body for the G5.

The device runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and features an always-on display, which continuously shows the time, date and any missed notifications even when the device is sleeping.

Powering the handset is a 2.15GHz quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor from Qualcomm.

The phone has two rear-cameras: a standard 16-megapixel shooter and a wide-angle 8-megapixel camera. You can record slow-mo, 4K and timelapse videos as well.

There's another 8-megapixel snapper on the phone's front.

LG will also sell a Quick Cover case, which lets you interact with the device's screen (like accept and decline phone calls) even when it's covered.

The G5 comes in four colors: black, gold, silver and pink.

Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (left), LG's flagship isn't water resistant and its battery didn't last as long as the latter's 16-hour lab result. It is, however, likely to be less expensive, has a removable battery, and two rear cameras.

With the G5, LG has taken baby steps towards phone modularity. Though it still has a long way to go, the flagship undoubtedly stands out in this way, and it also delivers a powerful and reliable performance.

For more, click here to find out the five things you should know about the LG G5.