While it’s still months away from launch, we’ve got details about the upcoming LG V30 flagship smartphone. Here, we discuss the latest LG V30 release date, design and feature rumours.
The LG V20 was hugely popular in late-2016, especially as it was one of the first smartphones to run Android 7.0 Nougat. While it never actually went on-sale in the UK, we have high hopes for LG’s 2017 flagship, the LG V30.
The LG V30 is rumoured to launched in a few weeks, so here, we round up all the latest LG V30 rumours to give you an idea about what to expect from LG’s flagship later this year.
Interested in looking at flagship smartphones available right now? Take a look at our list of the best smartphones of 2017 .
The biggest question of all is “When will the LG V30 be released?” and while we don’ t yet have a confirmed release date, we do know that it’ ll be coming this year. We know that’s not much to go on, but that is what was announced during Google’s annual I/O developer conference.
Beyond that, we can look at past LG V-series launches to try and predict when the LG V30 will land in the UK. Way back in 2015, the LG V10 was announced in September and then went on sale the following month, in October. In 2016, the gap between the announcement of the LG V20 and the release date was shorter, as it was both announced and released in September 2016.
So, with that being said, we imagine that the LG V30 will be announced, and probably be released, in September 2017. However, The Investor reports that it might arrive in August.
We now have news from LG that it will be holding a special event on 31 August at IFA 2017, in Berlin. This is likely to be for the V30 and other new devices as LG said ” As this will be our first ever major product announcement at IFA, we want to make this especially memorable.”
The teaser invitation we’ve been sent shows a display similar to that of the LG G6 and you can see a big ‘V’ shape.
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While not much is known about the design of the upcoming flagship LG V30, notorious leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) has tweeted a series of mock-ups that seem to showcase a slide-out display separate from the main display.
While Blass admits that he isn’ t sure if the development is still headed in this direction, he claims that it’s how the upcoming smartphone was envisioned at the time.
Going by the mockups tweeted by Blass, it reminds us of the Blackberry Priv with its slide-out physical keyboard, but much better. As you can see via the tweet below, LG envisioned that the second display would provide contextual controls depending on the app that’s open.
The LG V10 featured a tiny second screen at the top of the main display, so this could be the next step forward for the company – and if true, we’ re very excited at what it could offer.
As is often the case, phone case makers have let the cat out the bag on design. Here are a couple of designs available from MobileFun that reveal the rear design of the upcoming V30.
While we don’ t know much about the design of the LG V30, we do know a little more about what it’s expected to feature.
First off, it’ ll be Google Daydream-ready. Google confirmed at Google I/O in May 2017 that the next LG flagship smartphone would be daydream-ready when it comes out later this year, meaning it can take advantage of the high-end mobile VR experience. To be Daydream-ready, the smartphone must have a powerful processor and a high-density display, ruling out many smartphones until recently.
Along with Daydream support, the LG V30 is expected to boast Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 835, which is also featured in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium .
While there’s no hard evidence to back up this claim, by the time it’s expected to launch in September 2017 there will be a range of Snapdragon 835-enabled smartphones on the market, and LG needs to offer all it can to tempt people away from the likes of the Galaxy S8.
The LG V30 may also be the first LG smartphone to boast an OLED display, stepping away from the LCD displays used in the current range. According to a report from the Korea Herald, LG is said to be considering the move to OLED for the LG V30, which would offer a wider colour gamut and better power-efficiency when compared to 2016’s flagship, the LG V20.
The switch to OLED might not be the only thing, either as it’s thought LG will ditch the second screen which has been a key part of the range.
We like wireless charging and according to Slashleaks, the V30 will come with the feature. This is going by the charging coil shown in the mid-frame. It also indicates the phone will use a glass rear cover.
Oh, and in terms of software, we expect the LG V30 to be one of the first smartphones in 2017 to run Android’s yet unreleased Android O. Last year’s LG V20 was the first to run the (then) new Android 7.0 Nougat, and was a huge selling point for the phone – especially when it’s notoriously difficult to get new versions of Android onto devices quickly.
Plus, Google is making a conscious effort to improve the speed of rolling out new versions of Android, meaning we’ d be very surprised if the LG V30 didn’ t boast Android O at launch.
We’ ll update this article as soon as we receive news about the LG V30, so make sure you head back soon for the latest!
