A U.S. Cellular-branded LG flagship appeared on Geekbench earlier today, as evidenced by the fact that it bears the model number LGE LGUS997 and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 and 4GB of RAM. The quad-core CPU of the device is clocked at 2.19GHz and its single-core and multi-core performance scores amount to 1639 and 3504, respectively. Finally, the Geekbench listing reveals that the LG-made phone in question is running Android 7.0 Nougat. While it’s possible that the CPU in question is the newer Snapdragon 821 model powering devices like the Google Pixel, Google Pixel XL, and the HTC U Ultra, its clock speed suggests that it isn’t seeing how Qualcomm’s last 2016 flagship chip can achieve speeds of up to 2.4GHz.
The fifth largest wireless service provider in the country is currently selling two LG devices powered by the Snapdragon 820, the modular LG G5 and the newer LG V20. Keeping that in mind, it’s possible that this isn’t an entirely new device but a revision of an older model. Finally, while there’s also a chance Geekbench is showing the upcoming LG G6, that device is believed to ship with 6GB of RAM and the Snapdragon 821, making that scenario unlikely. The entire Geekbench listing detailing the mysterious LG-made smartphone can be seen by following the link below.
Of course, as benchmark listings can easily be faked, this newly uncovered record may amount to nothing at all. However, if the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer is actually testing a new device, more details on the matter could surface soon seeing how Mobile World Congress (MWC) is just around the corner. LG already confirmed it’s attending this year’s MWC where the company will debut the upcoming LG G6 flagship, so maybe that device isn’t the only thing LG will show in Barcelona. The phone division of the Seoul-based tech giant has been struggling to make money in recent years, and it remains to be seen what kind of approach the company will take in 2017. Regardless of LG’s upcoming product lineup, it looks like the smartphone market is bound to become even more competitive in the coming months as a lot of OEMs are looking to introduce new devices this spring.