Just when you thought it was safe to buy a new phone, it turns out that LG may be bringing out another version of the LG V30. The LG V35 ThinQ looks set to be an upgraded version of the V30, and should come without the LG G7’s controversial notch design. Here’s everything we know about the LG V35 ThinQ.
It’s not been long since LG released the LG V30S ThinQ, but it seems that we can already expect another update to LG’s V-range within the next month or so. The LG V35 ThinQ is coming, and here’s what you can expect from it.
If you’re one of the many people who finds the idea of a notch on an Android phone off-putting, then it should be welcome news that the LG V35 ThinQ is omitting this design feature. Our first look at the phone came in early May, and presents a device similar to the new LG G7 ThinQ, while retaining the V30 ThinQ’s attractive shape. The rear shows horizontally mounted camera lenses, rather than vertically stacked as on the G7 ThinQ.
According to this report, unlike the G7 ThinQ, the V35 ThinQ will have a FullVision, 18:9 aspect ratio on a 6-inch OLED display, without a notch. This is shown in the leaked picture above. It’s expected to provide an 80-percent screen-to-body ratio and a 2,880 x 1,440 resolution.
It also sounds as if the general style is being made to ape last year’s edge-to-edge LG phones, which is no bad thing. Sources are particularly insistent that LG is pursuing a one-handed operation ethos, and may claim that the phone is ergonomically designed to offer lightweight, single-handed operation. That’s similar to the line it pursued with the LG G6, and it may be where LG envisions the V35 ThinQ to sit in this year’s product range.
LG is expected to offer two color choices at launch — black and gray. While that may seem a little boring, a “premium glossy finish” may give the phone a little more style than the colors initially suggest.
When will the LG V35 ThinQ arrive? It’s possible the phone will be an exclusive to AT&T in the U. S., and will be sold by the carrier instead of the LG G7 ThinQ. AT&T says it will launch a new LG device this summer, which will not be available elsewhere; but has not named the mystery phone. Before this, it was speculated the LG V35 ThinQ would be revealed in May — or about the same time as the updated LG G7 ThinQ.
This would be a break from tradition, as updates to the V-range have previously happened at the opposite end of the year to the G-range, and with the LG V40 ThinQ also due to arrive later this year, the V35 ThinQ would seem to be in an odd place. However, LG has spoken about plans to release more phones, potentially with fewer major alterations, at shorter annual intervals.
It should be of no surprise that LG is expected to include two cameras on the back of the LG V35 ThinQ. It’s been the trend of the past few years, and we now expect our higher-end phones to have at least two camera lenses on the back (shout-out to the Huawei P20’s three lenses). The V35 ThinQ is expected to have two 16-megapixel lenses with f/1.6 apertures. They will be slightly different though — the first is reputed to have 10-bit HDR compatibility for better color capture, while the second will have a similar wide-angle lens as the LG V30 — except with a slightly reduced wide-angle of 107-degrees.
Most of the sources are agreeing on these cameras, so these specs seem pretty set in stone for the moment. It looks to be a pretty solid camera suite on paper, and we’ve been impressed with LG’s camera offerings before, so we’re reasonably confident that LG will hit all the right buttons this time around.
The “ThinQ” in the V35’s name also signifies we can expect the artificial intelligence from the V30S ThinQ to return, and that means some additional camera smarts. The A. I. Cam, which debuted on the V30S ThinQ, is capable of recognizing objects within the camera’s scope, and altering the shot settings to give the best possible result — including “Bright Mode,” which increases the brightness of an image, but reduces the megapixel count. This sort of A. I. assistance is similar to Huawei’s latest camera tech, and we’re hoping that LG has managed to speed the process up a little — it was a little slow on the V30S ThinQ.
However, your phone will apparently also be able to hear you from farther away. If rumors are correct about the voice recognition tech inside the V35 ThinQ, then the voice assistant should be able to hear you from a distance of up to seventeen feet away.
Updated on May 4,2018: Added in leaked image, and rumor of AT&T exclusivity
