Earlier this year we saw LG’s notch-bearing addition to their smartphone lineup, the G7 ThinQ, and it’s just about time for the new V-series increment to drop. We’ve only heard rumours so far, not enough to even know the actual name of this device, but to keep it simple (and perhaps accurate) we’re calling it the V40.
The expected V40 is rumoured to have a total of five camera sensors, according to the folks at Android Police who have an inside man, or secret ninja or something. In either case, they have the scoop.
Their informant confirms that LG is working on a successor to the V30, which isn’t that surprising. What is is that this handset will feature a total of five camera sensors, though how those sensors will be arranged is anyone’s guess. It seems likely that LG’s newest will have a three-sensor configuration on the back, like the flashy Huawei P20 Pro, and will pop the remaining two sensors on the front.
The front sensors will likely be set in a notch, in a similar design to the G7, and at least one of these sensors will be dedicated to 3D mapping and facial recognition. Many devices following the Apple iPhone X have tried to mimic its accurate facial recognition abilities, and many have failed. If LG puts enough thought and software upgrades into the front-facing sensors, it might be able to stand up against the big Apple.
Around the back, the rumoured three-sensor configuration will likely include a standard wide lens, LG’s signature ultra-wide lens, and we can only speculate about the purpose of the third lens. It could be a zoom lens, it could feature a bokeh effect for ‘portrait mode’ — as seen on the iPhone X — or perhaps it’ll be a contrast- and detail-boosting monochrome sensor as favoured by Huawei.
Essentially, the V-whatever will resemble a larger G7, though we hope it gets a correspondingly larger power cell, as the battery life on the G7 is pretty poor. An upgrade there will likely be necessary to support a larger display and five camera sensors, and hopefully we’ll see a slight design change along with that anticipated battery bump. The V40 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, all but a given for any high-end mobile device launching later this year.
Except for the extra camera sensors, we expect a G7-like design with a notch that can be hidden with a black bar and a fingerprint sensor around the back. Hopefully the new V device will also get an OLED display.
LG normally take advantage of their V-range to try out new tech, while the G-range is their ‘play-it-safe’ lineup, so perhaps in the V40 we’ll see something that’ll stir up the pot… other than the initiation of the new three-sensor club with Huawei’s P20 Pro it’s been a pretty uninspiring year on the smartphone front.
Source: Android Police
