LG Electronics isn’t planning to announce the V40 Android flagship at IFA, the Berlin, Germany-based trade show that the company traditionally used as the launch vehicle for its V-series devices. South Korean outlet ETNews reports that the firm will instead be introducing the device a month later, either in the first week of October or on October 10. Additionally, the firm is also working on its first 5G-ready smartphone that’s likely to debut as the V45 or V45 ThinQ, which is presumably the same device that Sprint already confirmed is coming to its network in the first half of 2019.
As for the V40, LG is understood to be working on two models, code-named Falcon and Phoenix. The former is said to be more affordable, whereas the latter one was reportedly pitched to Google, possibly as a potential white-label solution for the Pixel 3 XL. Google declined the proposal and it’s still unclear who’s the manufacturer behind the upcoming Pixel-series flagship. The Seoul-based tech giant is also lowering its commercial expectations for both the V40 and V45, with the firm planning initial batches of only 500,000 and 800,000 units, respectively. Its latest several high-end devices managed some 1.5 million global shipments each, so the adjusted figures signal a major mobile ambition drop.
It’s unclear how the Falcon and Phoenix differ in terms of components, though both are expected to be visually similar to their direct predecessors and share some hardware between them, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845, quad-DAC, and an OLED screen. One recent report indicated the V40 line will also deliver a triple-camera setup on the back, in addition to a two-sensor front-facing system. As for the V45, that device is unlikely to be officially unveiled before next year and is expected to be offered in a small number of markets given how its main selling point will be 5G connectivity which still won’t be available in the majority of the Western world in 2019.