UPDATE: LG’s Velvet 5G lands in South Africa from 1 July, with various contract offers on the way. But if you wanna buy the handset outright, that’ll run you R13,500. That’s… not bad, as far as 5G handsets go.

Original story: It’s not a great time for smartphone launches, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. LG has pushed ahead with the reveal of its upcoming handset. Just labelled LG Velvet, the new device’s specs have been revealed on the company’s Korean website ahead of launch.

The specs aren’t game-changing, but not anything to scoff at either. The announcement post hammers on the curved display, something that we’ve realised isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Yeah. the waterfall display looks beautiful, but they’re not entirely practical and prone to scratching.

It features a 6.8in display with a waterdrop notch, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 5G chipset, a triple, 48/8/5MP rear camera array and a 4,300mAh battery. Making a comeback is LG’s stereo speakers and AI-enhanced sound, which helps set the optimal audio quality depending on the tracks you listen to.

LG also emphasises how thin the phone is, measuring in at just 6.8 millimetres, which is very thin indeed. And also impressive considering the size of that battery. As we said, the specs aren’t revolutionary, but LG is really focusing on the design elements. So it should turn out to be a pretty phone. It’ll come in four colours — white, green, grey and sunset (that’s orange).

The LG Velvet will also support an LG Dual Screen accessory, as well as a stylus pen, which will both be available to buy separately. We like the direction LG is going with the dual-display concept — giving users the option to go dual or not according to their needs and budget. That’s a nice touch.

According to the post on the Korean website, the Velvet will officially launch on 7 May, but will only be available on retail in Korea on 15 May. We have no indication of local availability or pricing yet but should have the deets after launch some time.

Sauce: LG Korea