Sprint exclusive LG V50 ThinQ 5G render leaks

The merger of Sprint and T-Mobile is a hot topic right now. The US telco industry is about to experience the biggest acquisition in recent times, but regulators and law-makers are scrambling the whole thing.

Fortunately that doesn’t stop Sprint to continue their 5G related innovations. Targeting the first half of 2019, Sprint has already added nine prominent cities in US as the first candidates to taste the next revolution in cellular communications.

It is not a secret that LG and Sprint are working together to bring one of the first 5G capable smartphones in the US, based on 2.5 GHz spectrum.

“Sprint is moving fast on the road to 5G and we are thrilled to announce the first 5G smartphone with the innovative team at LG,” said Dr. John Saw, Sprint chief technology officer.

“LG has done tremendous work developing technical designs that enable us to be among the first movers in mobile 5G. Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to putting a beautifully-designed advanced 5G smartphone in our customer’s hands. And we’re excited to revolutionize the mobile industry as we dramatically improve the way Sprint customers work, play and stay connected.”

Recent reports suggest that the upcoming LG G8 ThinQ will not be the one to carry 5G support. In an early press release, LG stated that they were planning to launch a separate phone sporting 5G capability in MWC 2019.

The scheduled date of launching the phone is February 24. LG highlighted the large vapor chamber for heat dissipation which replaced the design with heat pipes in LG V40 ThinQ.

The smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 855 and will come with a 4,000 mAh battery. LG mentioned that this would be a massive 20% jump from V40’s 3300 mAh battery.

All these comparisons clearly indicate the arrival of the successor of V40. Clearly it will be V50, combined with LG’s ‘ThinQ’ brand name.

In fact, LG is targeting the 5G market to recover their lost glory. Their recent most earnings report clearly states the following:

5G network is expected to be commercialized in major markets and devices with
new form factors will be launched

Smartphone demand will continue to fall and price competition will intensify

North America and South Korea are the first regions where commercial 5G will be rolled out. The Korean OEM are planning not to miss the golden opportunity.

Focus on operator-driven market such as North America and Korea to secure stable sales, and preoccupy 5G and new form factor device markets to capture additional sales opportunities

Meanwhile, Korean news agency ETNews also reported that LG’s 5G phone would be the part of its premium V-series.

Guess the name of the phone according to ETNews? It will be LG V50 ThinQ 5G, which clearly matches with the previous hints.

It will feature a 6-inch display, 7 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset with vapor-chamber cooling and a beefy 4,000mAh battery.

The phone will make its public debut in March and it will be available across North America, Europe and South Korea for a price ranging between 1.3 million and 1.5 million South Korean won (~$1,165-$1,350).

Popular leakster Evan Blakes AKA evleaks has leaked the first render of a phone which is likely to be the phone speculated earlier.

The render contains the same 5G logo used by Sprint and the signature aesthetics of LG’s design. The horizontal triple rear camera setup and the back mounted fingerprint sensor look very much similar to V40.

LG UX, LG’s in-house Android skin are reportedly getting an innovative overhaul. The UI will come with a new gesture based navigation, as hinted by LG earlier.

Unlike Samsung or Huawei, display punch holes are not present in the leaked design. LG continues to embrace the notched display, which can be seen clearly in this slightly modified render.

LG released V40 ThinQ in October 2018. Launching the successor in less than six months proves that LG is determined to be an active player in the 5G master race.

FYI, LG’s MWC 2019 event will take place at CCIB (Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona / Barcelona International Convention Centre) on February 24th at 10 AM CET.

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