The LG G and V-series have begun to merge in the past year or so, with there being very little difference between the two. So when AndroidHeadlines asked what the main difference was, LG’s VP of Marketing, Frank Lee informed us that the V-series is the line that the company uses to take more chances. And also explained that when LG comes out with a foldable or rollable display it will most likely appear on the V-series versus the G-series.
The LG V40 ThinQ and other smartphones in that series, have newer features, like the triple camera setup, or the OLED display – before the G8 ThinQ. This is where LG will try out ideas before pushing it to the G-series. LG sees its G smartphones as the smartphone “for everyone” while the V smartphones are more for the “enthusiasts” which is also why there is a difference in cost between the two.
LG did not say that it has a foldable smartphone coming out this year, or next year. But it’s no secret that LG is working on a few different foldable display prototypes for smartphones. We’ve all seen the patent applications that LG has applied for. So instead of saying “we have nothing to say”, LG is saying that yes, we know you all know we are working on this. And expect it to come to the V-series at some point, the only question is when.
Of course, a big part of these foldable displays is up to its sister-company, LG Display. That is the company that is making these foldable displays, and needs to perfect them first. When it comes to foldable displays, there’s more than just making the display foldable. The components inside the phone needs to be able to fold as well. That is where innovation is stalling right now, but it appears that more and more companies are getting there now. With many more showing off different folding phone prototypes.
Now this does not mean that we won’t see a G-series smartphone with a foldable display in the future, it’ll just start out on the V-series. As we’ve seen in the past few years, the features that have debuted on the V-series have made its way down to the G-series, at some point. It could be just a year later, or a couple of years later when the technology is perfected a bit more, and it’s also cheaper to produce. Right now, foldable displays are pretty expensive to manufacture, which is why we are seeing prices of around $2,000 for these foldable phones.
LG doesn’t have anything to announce on that front, but it does seem like we are getting closer to a working phone or prototype with a foldable display from the company. Of course, this could also be why the V50 ThinQ was announced today as just a V40 ThinQ with the new chipset from Qualcomm and 5G capability, so that the V60 ThinQ could be announced later this year with a foldable display, but that is very highly unlikely.