Here's everything we know about the LG Velvet (aka the LG G9)
Here's what LG's got cooking up for 2020.
With so many phones that are released during a given year, it only makes sense for some of them to slip between the cracks. Other companies gets fiercer, prices get more competitive, and those that aren't truly amazing often get left to the wayside.
Unfortunately, that seems to have been the case for LG for the last few years. The company makes solid devices, but a handful of quirks or missteps keep them from achieving true greatness.
2020 is here, and this time around, we're expecting to see the LG Velvet (a successor to the G8 by a different name). Is this the year LG will finally be able to turn things around? Here's everything we know so far about the phone.
- Meet LG's "natural" design
- What happend to the LG G9 name?
- Let's talk specs
- Don't count on Air Motion and Hand ID
- A May 15 launch is possible
- The LG G8 is still worth a look
One of 2019's most overlooked phones
Not very impressed with what we're seeing so far from the LG G9? The G8 is still plenty powerful and capable, and you can buy it right now. It's got an OLED display, good battery life, and a top-notch headphone jack. It's not our first phone recommendation, but it's also far from the worst out there. If you're an LG fan, it's certainly worth checking out.
LG is taking a new approach to its design
At the very beginning of January, leaked renders surfaced of what was supposedly the LG G9. The renders seemed pretty credible and like they might be the real deal, but it ended up turning out that they were actually renders of the LG V60.
Fast forward to April, and LG shared official sketches of its "upcoming smartphone" to give us a tease of what it'll look like.
The front of the device appears to have a display with very minimal bezels, along with a slight curve on the edges. The three cameras on the back are also positioned quite differently from most other Android phones, with LG saying this is a "Raindrop" design with the different camera sensors descending in size to mimic "images of falling raindrops" - ending with the LED flash at the bottom.
Also present on the phone is a "3D Arc Design," with LG curving the display and rear panel for a symmetrical and "natural" in-hand feel.
While LG didn't mention the phone by name when it shared these sketches, that changed on April 18. On that date, LG uploaded a teaser video showing renders of the device in question along with confirming its name as the "LG Velvet."
The video is quite short at only 35-seconds in length, but it's our best look at the phone so far. While it mostly reaffirms the above sketches, it also shows us that the LG Velvet will be available in a few gorgeous colors (including black, white, green, and a red/purple color-shifting option).
This is the LG G9 by a different name
LG's been pretty consistent with its device branding over the years, but for 2020, that's changing.
Two reports from March 27 indicated that the entire G-series branding is dead for future smartphones and that LG is shifting to a naming scheme that will highlight certain features/aspects of that particular device.
Following this, LG confirmed that its new phone will be called "Velvet." According to the company, the Velvet name is "intended to evoke images of lustrous smoothness and premium softness, two key characteristics of the new phone."
Introducing a new name/branding tactic isn't a guarantee that sales will be better for LG, but there's no denying that the G-series and V-series have gotten a little long in the tooth. If the phone itself is solid, an exciting name to go along with it could be just what LG needs.
Specs remain a mystery (mostly)
Specifications for the LG G9 (or whatever it ends up being called) remain mostly unknown at this point, but there is one tidbit worth talking about. In the teaser video for the LG Velvet mentioned above, LG confirms that the phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765 5G processor. This is something that's also been rumored for the Google Pixel 5, indicating that multiple companies are seeing value in Qualcomm's more affordable chipset.
While some might scoff at LG for not using the highest-end Snapdragon chipset available, we think this is a pretty smart move. Not only is the 765 plenty fast, but it also brings 5G connectivity to the Velvet without jacking up the price as much as the 865 would.
When it comes to the display, we should also see an OLED one as the G8 was the first phone in the G-series to use an OLED panel instead of an LCD one. The Velvet is also bound to have 6 or 8GB of RAM, expandable storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack with a Quad DAC (a staple of LG phones in a world that's quickly moving past the legacy port). The presence of a headphone jack was confirmed in that above teaser video, but the specifics of it still remain unknown.
We aren't sure about Air Motion and Hand ID
The LG G8's standout, and most puzzling, features were Air Motion and Hand ID. The former allowed you to control aspects of the phone by waving your hand over it, where the latter allowed you to unlock the G8 by having it scan the vein patterns in your hand.
While certainly unique, both of these proved to perform rather inconsistently in our testing. For the Velvet, we aren't so sure they'll be making a return.
The above sketches from LG don't showcase any sort of notch where the sensors for Air Motion and Hand ID could hide, not to mention the LG V60 doesn't have these features at all.
LG's always been known to try new concepts with its phones, so with these likely going the way of the dodo, we're interested to see what takes their place.
So, what about the release date and price?
For the past few years, LG has announced its new G-series phone at Mobile World Congress in February. It did this for the G5, G6, and G8, with the G7 being unveiled at a special event in NYC during May.
This year, LG decided to shake up its release formula. While the new V-series model normally launches towards the second half of the year, the LG V60 was unveiled in February before the G9/Velvet. On April 3, it was reported that LG will launch the Velvet on May 15.
In regards to price, we're hoping LG is smart about how much it asks for the phone. The LG G8 had a starting price of $850 in the United States, but with the V60, LG is selling it for as little as $800 in the country. Seeing as how the V60 uses the Snapdragon 865 and the Velvet will step down to the 765, that leads us to believe the Velvet could be marketed as LG's value flagship for 2020.
It's hard to pin down an exact price for the phone, but we could see something in the range of $600 - $700. In a world where it's common for phones to cost $1,000 and up, that would be a wonderful breath of fresh air.
Let's not count out the LG G8
With all of this talk about the LG Velvet, it can be easy to forget that the G8 is still out there and available for purchase.
The G8 was never a perfect phone (and still isn't), but you could also spend your money on a lot worse phones. It's built like a tank, has a really good display, reliable battery life, and excellent call quality.
LG's software is showing its age and the cameras aren't the best money can buy, but if you're an LG fan, this is a solid pickup. Also, now that the G8 has been out for a while, it isn't uncommon to find various deals and promotions for it.
UnderdogLG G8
One of 2019's most overlooked phones
Not very impressed with what we're seeing so far from the LG G9? The G8 is still plenty powerful and capable, and you can buy it right now. It's got an OLED display, good battery life, and a top-notch headphone jack. It's not our first phone recommendation, but it's also far from the worst out there. If you're an LG fan, it's certainly worth checking out.