has long attempted to differentiate itself from the competition, but the company has sort of fallen short in years past. st year’s G4 was a phenomenal phone, but it didn’t st out.

th the debut of its latest device at Mobile rld Congress on Sunday, it’s clear that is trying an entirely different approach this year. Rather than lead its flagship reveal with a long list of specifications the hardware it’s iterated on, is hoping you’ll look at the G5 think of it as more than just its fifth-generation flagship. Instead, wants you to think of its new phone as a fun device. 

The rundown on the G5

t’s get some of the basic specifications out of the way: The G5 runs on a Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM. It has a removable 2800mAh battery pack 32GB of internal storage, as well as an expansion slot. It sports dual rear-facing cameras, including a main 16Mcamera a secondary wide-angle 8Mcamera; it also has an 8Mfront-facing camera. also embedded a fingerprint scanner into the power button on the back, though it moved the previously rear-facing volume rockers to the left-h side of the chassis. Sadly, the G5 does not have wireless charging, though it does support Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0.

Rather than adopt the same thick leather–plastic construction as last year’s G4, opted for a flat, unibody aluminum design that’s quite a looker. It’s not what I expected from , considering the masculine look bulky feel of its predecessor, but I’m happy to report that the G5 is one of the lightest smartphones I’ve held in a while. It’s thinner, too, a bit smaller than its predecessors due in part to its 5.3-inch Quad HD display.

A “fun” flagship

Now, here’s where threw a wrench into the typically formulaic smartphone announcement: The G5 features swappable modules. The idea is that the ability to customize your phone will eventually help you “wake up your play instinct.” It didn’t exactly inspire me in that manner, but it’s nice to see something completely different from a company that typically plays it safe. so, it’s fun swapping out modules, even if you have no idea why you’re compelled to do so.

Here’s how it works: There’s a small button on the left-h side of the G5 that releases the main tray, which you can then slide out to reveal the 2800mAh battery pack. If you want to swap it for another module with more functionality, simply remove the battery pack then shove it into whatever module you have available to you.

At launch, there will be two modules to choose from: the Cam us, which tacks on four physical camera buttons an extra 1200mAh battery pack, the Hi-Fi us with Bang & Olufsen ay, which adds 32-bit high-definition audio playback capabilities to the G5. I didn’t test out the Hi-Fi us, but I did swap in the Cam us module. I liked the extra camera functionality, like the physical shutter button the dedicated button for recording video. It’s easier to adjust the settings than simply touching the screen, the extra grip afforded me greater control over the phone as I was framing photos. I also appreciate that is leveraging the camera capabilities it became known for with last year’s G4 V10.

A pared down interface

I’ll admit that I spent entirely too much time figuring out how to use the modules on the G5, so I didn’t delve too much into ’s new software interface. However, I did notice made one big change to its version of Android that I’m not happy about.

admitted the G3 G4’s interfaces were a tad too complex, so in an effort to simplify things, it completely removed the application drawer—one of my favorite features of ’s stock Android interface. said it did this to help “minimize cognitive load” eliminate any confusion you might have had about whether or not you actually deleted an app from the device, but I believe this will ultimately result in a ton of frustrated users when they realize how much this actually contributes to a messy Home screen. This is one of the major shortcomings of iOS’s interface I’m bummed that adopted it. I would rather have the old Home screen with the cluttered application drawer, because at least then I have the choice to stow every app icon away on another screen. 

Are we having fun yet?

The G5 is the closest to a modular smartphone that we’re going to get for now. It’s certainly no oject Ara, but it’s nice to see take a risk with its flagship. I could also see partnering up with other major brs, like it did with Bang & Olufsen, to make specific modules that bring even more functionality to an otherwise basic device. The only challenge will be getting the general public to buy into the idea of carrying around extra accessories for their smartphone.

has not announced pricing for the G5, or any of the accompanying modules, but it said we should expect to see the phone sometime in April.