LG is set to challenge the status quo in the affordable flagship smartphone segment once again. After failing to make a dent with G-series, LG’s renewed effort is called Velvet. The Korean company revealed the design language of LG Velvet in an official video this week. Now, more details of this upcoming smartphone series have appeared online. In all likelihood, it seems like LG has given up on its G-series this year.
LG Velvet now seems like the successor to G8 and might have been called G9. We already know that Velvet will be an affordable flagship powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset. This seems to be the trend this year where smartphone makers are adopting the SD765 chipset instead of SD865 from Qualcomm. There are rumors that Google Pixel 5 will also launch with the Snapdragon 765 mobile platform.
LG Velvet will get Dual Screen accessory like the V60
Like LG’s other smartphones, the Velvet is also tipped to get its own Dual Screen accessory. A certification in LG’s home market has revealed details of this dual screen accessory for the smartphone. Called “Portable screen cover”, the accessory comes with model number “LM-G905N” and has been approved by the Korean NRRA. The model number for the accessory spotted by MySmartPrice further confirms that G9 is getting rebranded as Velvet in the Korean market.
Photo: MySmartPrice
This listing clearly confirms that LG simply changed the commercial name of the smartphone. If this was set to launch as the LG G9 then the phone itself would have launched with the model number LM-G900. Now, the certification by Korean NRRA indicates that LG did not change the model number after all. This could well be to maintain consistency with model numbers and Velvet might well be a new product direction.
LG has been trying to offer dual screen experience in a cheaper way with its accessory. The listing of Dual Screen accessory suggests that the idea will only continue with the Velvet series as well. It is still unclear whether this accessory will be bundled with the phone. As GSMArena notes, there are some carriers in the US who bundle the accessory with a V60 smartphone. For now, the Velvet seems like a new design direction that does not give up on existing features seen on LG smartphones.
