The 4G version of the LG Velvet – the one
that uses a Snapdragon 845 instead of a 765G – is here. And, surprisingly,
“here” is Europe. This phone was first spotted in Iran and there were some
clues about a possible Brazil launch. That may still happen, but there’s
nothing on the official LG sites for those countries yet.
For now it can be found in Germany and
Hungary. In Germany, Saturn is asking €500 and says that the first units will
be available on the 31st (this Friday). MediaMarkt will sell the phone as well,
though there’s no price or launch date yet. As for Hungary, MediaMarkt, eMag
and a few others are holding pre-orders at HUF 200,000 (€ 580), there’s no
release date listed on those site yet.
The different chipset inside the LG Velvet
4G does change a few things, but the phone is mostly identical. For your money,
you’ll be getting the version with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB storage (there’s a
microSD slot for expanding that). There doesn’t seem to be a version with 8 GB
of RAM.
The older generation chipset means no 5G
connectivity, of course, fast charging is also affected – this model only
supports QuickCharge 3.0 (15 W) instead of QC4 (25 W). Wireless charging
remains at 9 W, battery capacity is unchanged either (4,300 mAh).
Note that in Germany you can also find the
LG Velvet 5G for € 600. The 5G model isn’t available in Hungary, but if you get
the 4G one, you get a free Dual Screen accessory (for orders placed before
August 2). Other countries in Europe seem to be carrying only the 5G model.
