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LG could be about to overhaul its flagship smartphone strategy

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Jan 23, 2020, 5:35 AM

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LG Android

LG could be about to overhaul its flagship smartphone strategy

Despite a dwindling market share and a shrinking presence in the premium phone segment, LG is hard at work on yet another flagship in an attempt to salvage what’s left of its business.

The device in question, for lack of a better expression, doesn’t seem very interesting when compared to rival products. But if new rumors are correct, the phone could mark the beginning of a huge release strategy overhaul.

The LG V-series will now compete with Galaxy S models

LG V-series smartphones have historically been released in the fall, although last year the company switched things up by introducing the V50 ThinQ 5G at MWC 2019 ahead of a release in summer.

David Ruddock of Android Police has heard from sources that this early introduction was not a one-off thing. The South Korean brand is allegedly planning to announce all future V-branded devices during the first quarter of each year.

In an attempt to compete more directly with Samsung, the LG V60 ThinQ launch is reportedly timed to coincide with that of the Galaxy S20 series. This strategy is expected to continue for years to come.

LG has previously positioned its G-series smartphones as competitors to the Samsung Galaxy S line and, while the LG G9 ThinQ is expected to make an appearance next month as a cheaper 4G LTE alternative, it seems the company is preparing to phase out the devices completely in 2021.

LG V60 ThinQ & G9 ThinQ: what they bring to the table

To refresh your memory, the LG V60 ThinQ and LG G9 ThinQ are expected to debut with massive 6.8-inch notched OLED displays that are paired with one selfie sensor and a quad-camera setup on the back.

Little is known about the latter right now, but it’s expected to boast an upgraded primary camera paired with improved ultra-wide-angle and telephoto alternatives. A Time-of-Flight sensor for better portrait shots is expected as well.

Buyers should be able to find the Snapdragon 865 inside the LG V60 ThinQ, although the chipset inside the LG G9 ThinQ remains to be seen. Regardless, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage as standard seems likely.

Last on the list of features should be a 4,000mAh battery and LG’s version of Android 10, which appears to include a new desktop mode that’s quite similar to Samsung DeX.

Desktop mode could be very important for LG in 2021

Speaking of desktop mode, rumors indicate there are big plans to capitalize on the feature at the moment. These could change over the coming months, but right now LG is allegedly planning to bundle next year’s LG V70 ThinQ with a large display.

The panel, which would measure in at over 10-inches, should act as a tablet or laptop. It’s unclear whether the smartphone will connect to it wirelessly or via a dock, but an accompanying keyboard accessory is likely.

The move will allow users to take full advantage of the desktop feature without worrying about acquiring an external display to use it on.

A new flagship series is allegedly coming in fall 2020

As you may have noticed, the aforementioned release strategy creates a huge gap in LG’s flagship lineup – it has no fall release to compete with the iPhones, Galaxy Notes, and Pixels.

The company fixed this issue last year by releasing improved versions of the LG G8 ThinQ and LG V50 ThinQ in September, but for 2020 it’s believed LG is preparing an entirely new flagship lineup.

There’s no word whatsoever on what it’ll bring to the table, but LG has previously teased plans to release phones with the so-called “wow factor.” So there is some hope that it’ll be something impressive.