A rather interesting image was recently posted by
one Evan Blass, also know as "evleaks" on Twitter of what appears to
be the next member of LG's "V" lineup - the V50 ThinQ. Even though it
showed up out of the blue, while most of us were busy discussing the G8 ThinQ
as the next big thing in camp LG, it doesn’t actually catch us by surprise.
A quick recap of recent development surrounding LG
includes info that the Korean giant will be bringing both the G8 and V50 to MWC
2018. More specifically - it will be unveiling both phones at its February 24
event in Barcelona. Coincidentally, the same date shown on the clock widget in
the leaked V50 ThinQ picture.
As for the Sprint part of the equation, the
partnership between the two parties was announced all the way back in August
2018 and its intent was clear - to have the beginnings of an operational 5G
network in the US and bring a 5G LG phone to market to go along with it. The only new bit of the puzzle
here is that LG apparently intends to pour its initial 5G efforts into the
existing "V" device branch, as opposed to developing a whole new
product, like some of its 5G competitors. In fact, looking at the picture, the
V50 ThinQ clearly resembles its V40 ThinQ predecessor quite a bit. This leads
us to believe that LG will focus on an internal hardware refresh and leave most
of the additional features and design elements of the phone unchanged - a
tactic we have already observed with company products like the V30 lineup.
Some other bits and pieces of information we have
already gathered about LG's 5G phone include plans for an initial Korea
release, through the three major carriers with a price of KRW 1.3-1.5 million
(US$ 1,160-US$ 1,340). Sources also claim that said 5G device, which, we now know,
will apparently be the V50 ThinQ will eventually be sold in Europe as well.
That means it will get a wider availability that its V40 ThinQ predecessor.
We'll just have to see if and how the US Sprint partnership plays into all
that.
Hardware-wise, the V50 ThinQ will be powered by a
Snapdragon 855 chipset with a vapor chamber to keep it cool and a 4,000mAh
battery to feed it. Unlike the LG G8 ThinQ, which will likely rely on the very
same Qualcomm chipset, the V50 ThinQ will also opt for the additional X50 5G
modem. A tactic likely to be employed by more than a few first-wave 5G devices.
That means that we can expect the V50 ThinQ to be available some time in March
- just in time to go up against the Samsung Galaxy S10 X 5G variant (also set
for a March launch).
