The Korean Times are saying that the LG V20 – the first Android smartphone out of the box to run Android 7.0 Nougat – will make its debut in its hometown of Korea next week on September 29th. “Soon after” that, the LG V20 will hit Hong Kong and the US. The price tag in Korea is somewhat higher than first anticipated with the cost said to be at 899,800 won or around $804, which is around 100,100 won more than the previous LG V10. The increase in price is said to cover the improved camera functions as well as upgrades to the audio features. The price includes a pair of Bang & Olufsen earphones that are worth 279,000 won ($249) if purchased separately as the H3 model. LG must now wait and see if people will overlook the increase in price, or whether the price increase will scare off new buyers.
The release date could not come at a better time for LG – the LG G5 modular smartphone did not sell as well as expected and another expensive device, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, had a formal recall due to overheating batteries. Samsung is only now starting to send out new units, although many prior purchasers may have moved on to another brand or could be waiting to see the new LG V20. Samsung’s loss could be LG’s gain as these two Korean giants battle each other. LG said there will also be promotions once the device is released – such as a sound package promotion until the end of next month for only 5,000 won ($5.00) where you will get a Bluetooth headset, speaker and battery pack in partnership with the Shinhan Card.
LG is counting on the LG V20 improvements to attract new buyers – they went from stainless steel to aircraft grade aluminum, took the silicone backing off, and made a top and bottom bumper of them. It has the same secondary display over the main 5.7-inch LCD QHD display – but this time around, they made it much brighter. This year, LG used the best processor on the market – the new 64-bit Snapdragon 820 with an Adreno 530 GPU. It is packing 4GB of DDR4 RAM, 64GB of the faster USF internal memory, and plenty of room for expansion via a microSD card. It also sports a removable 3200mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0. It may have only one 5MP front-facing camera (FFC,) but it has a 16MP primary lens and 8MP wide-angle lens on the back for snapping beautiful pictures. The V20 measures 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6 mm and weighs in at 174 grams – cost should be around $800. The LG V20 is available in the colors Titan, Silver, and Pink. Last, but certainly not least, the LG V20 will be running Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box.