LG V20 will ditch modular in favor of a sliding rear door, says report

But the story doesn't quite end there. According to a report from c|net Korea, the V20 will include a rather quirky, slide-out compartment on the left side of the device's rear. By the touch of a button on the edge of the device, a door opens to reveal the (presumably removable) battery, along with SIM and microSD slots. 

The report includes a handful of renders to illustrate the device's idiosyncrasy. Keep in mind that the images are based on an eyewitness account, so are in no way official or necessarily representative of the final product. While the renderings do appear to suggest that the bottom part of the device will also be removable, the accompanying report hastens to add that this will not be the case. 

This isn't the first time that such a sliding mechanism has been seen in the smartphone industry. As you may recall, the HTC Desire HD included something very similar. 

It remains to be seen if this feature will have any impact on the company's flagging sales. The South Korean firm's first attempt to bring something new to the table this year did prompt quite a bit of initial excitement. But while it seemed like people were tripping over one another to praise the modular marvel right after the unveiling, sales didn't live up to the fanfare. 

Looking at the V20's rumored list of features and specs, it strongly emanates a device with a point to prove — not that this is necessarily a bad thing. The device, which briefly got some airtime in a recently-leaked video, looks set to pack a 5.5-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 820 SoC with 4 GB RAM, 64 GB of expandable storage and a baked in, 32-bit Quad DAC chip for audiophiles. It's also confirmed as the first handset to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, and based on today's evidence, the purported 4000 mAh battery will be removable.

The gallery below showcases the sliding mechanism. As noted earlier, the renders are based upon an eyewitness account, and should only be considered a guide as to the new feature. Take a look, and be sure to share your initial thoughts in the comments. 

source: c|net Korea (translated) via Android Authority