LG Velvet 4G is official with an old flagship chip and probably an even lower price tag
LG's smartphone strategy is undergoing a change and the first fruit of that is the recently released Velvet. With the mid-tier Snapdragon 765G chip under the hood, the phone aims to contend in the midrange 5G category. Previously, the company used to release two flagship phones a year. It was reported that a 4G-only LG Velvet would also be released and now the phone has been listed on the company's German website.
The LTE-only LG Velvet is fueled by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 SoC that powers Android flagships released in 2018, including the LG G7 ThinQ. Granted, this is an old chipset, but it's a pretty capable one. Going for the Snapdragon 855 would have led to an increase in price and that is supposedly not what LG wanted. The CPU performance of the aged chip is similar to Snapdragon 765G's and it actually boasts a faster GPU.
Having said that, the Snapdragon 765G is made using the more efficient 7nm process, while the Snapdragon 845 is a 10nm chip. Additionally, the use of an old chip could also affect software updates.
LG Velvet 4G Price
The LG Velvet 5G costs €650 in Europe and apparently, the 4G version will retail for €499. In the US, the phone costs $599. It's unlikely that the new model will make it to the US as previous rumors indicate it's meant for markets where 5G networks have not gone live yet such as the Middle East and South America.
Except for the chip, the 4G LG Velvet is identical to its 5G-enabled brother. This means it features a 6.8-inch OLED screen, a triple camera setup with 48MP, 8MP, and 5MP sensors, a 16MP front shooter, and a 4,300mAh battery. Color options include Aurora Silver and Black. It's also compatible with LG's Dual Screen accessory and stylus.
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