With LG ditching its alphanumerical branding in favor of more descriptive names, all eyes are on the LG Velvet.
The company first sparked interest in the phone by teasing its new "raindrop" camera design. Later, we got a confirmation on the name, followed by an official video showing the phone in all its glory.
Thanks to these trickling teasers, we actually know a bunch about the new LG Velvet already. Here's everything that the company has confirmed and all the leaks and rumors you need to know about.
Editor's note: The LG Velvet has apparently taken the place of the previously-expected LG G9 in LG's lineup. As far as we know, the LG G9 has been cancelled.
LG Velvet: Name and release date
We're actually glad LG is getting rid of the confusing V and G series brand names. Both of them had been overlapping for years and their shared ThinQ moniker made them even more indistinguishable.
Going forward, LG says it'll use more "familiar and expressive names that will help the consumer capture the essence of the device."
The LG Velvet name is intended to evoke the feeling of "lustrous smoothness" and "premium softness," as per the company. These, according to LG, are two distinctive features of the phone, likely referring to its polished design and the materials used in the build.
Reports emerging from South Korea suggest that the LG Velvet could launch on May 15. LG apparently confirmed the release date during a telecom product briefing in its home country. However, it's best not to expect anything until the company makes an official announcement on the LG Velvet release date.
Design
The first thing you'll notice about the LG Velvet is its camera setup. LG has decided not to indulge in the clunky square or rectangular camera modules we've become so accustomed to on phones like the Galaxy S20 series, iPhone 11, and others.
The new "raindrop" triple camera design takes inspiration from a falling droplet of rain. The three sensors are vertically stacked in descending order of size, with the flash right at the bottom of the pile.
Elsewhere, we see a slim chassis with chrome accents. The notched display curves to the edges, which are rounded off to give the impression of more screen real estate. LG calls this the "3D Arc" design, which in our opinion, looks a lot like the other waterfall screens we've been seeing lately.
It appears the back of the phone is covered in glass, which could make way for wireless charging. However, it's not a feature we usually see on mid-range phones so we won't bet on it right now.
LG also showed off some cool colorways in its design video (see above) including: white, silver-black, gradient pink, and green.
Another plus is that the Velvet preserves the endangered 3.5mm headphone jack in spite of its USB-C port. The presence of the headphone jack hints that LG could include its popular Quad DAC audio features on the LG Velvet.
At first look, the LG Velvet does seem pretty attractive and premium for a mid-range device. But we'll hold off from commenting more on the design until we actually get the phone in hand.
LG Velvet specs and features
LG has already confirmed that the Velvet will house the Snapdragon 765 chipset. This automatically makes it a 5G-enabled mid-ranger.
The brand is reportedly going for a more mass-market approach and that's probably why it decided against the Snapdragon 865 which is known to be significantly more expensive than the 765.
LG is not the only brand thinking on these lines. Apple with the 2020 iPhone SE, Samsung with its affordable A-series phones, as well as upcoming mid-tier devices from Google and OnePlus, all point to a future where good mid-rangers could be more revered than high-specced flagships.
Coming back to the subject, no other LG Velvet specs have leaked so far. The design has already confirmed a curved display and LG will likely use an OLED panel. A triple-camera setup is also coming, but we don't know the sensor configuration just yet.
Some are speculating that the phone will feature a dual screen accessory like the LG V60 ThinQ. We hope LG improves the interactivity between the two screens if the Velvet does end up getting support for a second display.
In terms of software, the phone is expected to feature the latest Android 10 build with some customizations up-top.
What will the LG Velvet price be?
Loading poll Now that we know that the LG Velvet features the Snapdragon 765 chipset, it's obvious that it'll fall under the mid-range price category.
When it launches, it'll have to compete with other Snapdragon 765 phones such as the Redmi K30 5G, Realme X50 5G, Nokia 8.3 5G, and more. All of them come in at different price points, with the cheapest one being Xiaomi's under-$300 contender. We don't think LG's phone will be that cheap though.
Judging by the fact that the company is emphasizing it being a premium phone, it could easily cost upwards of $500. However, that's just a shot-in-the-dark assumption for now. We will need to know more LG Velvet spec details such as display refresh rate, wired and wireless charging info, IP ratings, and such in order to more accurately predict its price.
Stay tuned as we'll keep updating this article with new official information and LG Velvet leaks and rumors, when/if they become available. Until then, let us know what you think of the LG Velvet so far. What do you want to see most in LG's new lineup?
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