LG Velvet: Everything there is to know about LG’s new smartphone

LG has just released an all-new rebranded flagship smartphone with a classy design. Here are the specs and images of the new LG Velvet.

The previous LG smartphone released in the UK was the LG G8, and it’s fair to say we were underwhelmed with that release, awarding it just 3 stars out of 5 and describing it simply as “forgettable”. Can a design overhaul – plus a surprise rebrand -help LG to reestablish itself once again as a big name in the smartphone market, back with the likes of Apple and Samsung?

Here’s all there is to know about the LG Velvet.

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LG Velvet: Release Date, Price, and Availability

The LG Velvet was officially unveiled on May 7. For now, it’s only been released to the domestic South Korean market, but the brand has confirmed that there will be an English-language launch later this month which confirms the device’s arrival in both the UK and the US.

The South Korean starting price is ₩899,800 (approximately £600/$735), so this device looks to have a competitive price point compared to its rivals.

LG Velvet design and display

Even at first glance, the design may well be the key selling point of the device. That’s certainly where all of the publicity has been focused, at least. In April, LG first revealed the new look that it had in store for us via an announcement on its official website:

Image Credit: LG

The design sketch showed off smooth, curved edges, and also a so-called “raindrop” camera design composed of disparate lenses rather than a bulky camera module.

This ‘raindrop’ theme was further emphasised with a design-focused teaser video showing a droplet colliding with the back of the phone:

The LG Velvet has a large screen measuring 6.8-inches, with a sharp 1080 x 2460 pixel resolution. The display is slightly interrupted by a teardrop selfie camera at the top of the screen and a slight chin at the bottom.

The video also revealed the official colour options for the phone: white, sunset, grey, and green. Unfortunately for fans of David Lynch, there appears not to be a blue option.

Image Credit: LG

Overall, we’re pleased to see a shift in the design towards something more elegant and refined, having previously described the LG G8 as “bland” in our review. But will it be enough to improve flagging sales? That depends on the camera and specifications.

LG Velvet camera

The LG Velvet has three cameras on the rear (plus the flash), and a single selfie camera is present in the teardrop notch at the top of the screen.

Image Credit: LG

The main camera has a 48-megapixel resolution and an f/1.8 aperture, the ultrawide lens has an 8-megapixel resolution, and the final snapper is a macro camera with a 5-megapixel resolution and an aperture of f/2.4. It’s a little surprising that the handset has spurned a telephoto sensor in favour of this macro camera, but it will nonetheless be useful for extreme close-up shots. As for the selfie camera, it has a 16-megapixel resolution.

LG Velvet performance specs

The LG Velvet runs on the Snapdragon 765G chipset, and that’s important for two reasons: first and foremost, this chip boasts 5G so the new device will undoubtedly make use of the latest mobile data standard. In fact, as the going price, it may well be a good pick for your first 5G phone. Yet, on the other hand, it’s somewhat disappointing that LG won’t continue its tradition of using Qualcomm’s top-spec processor for its flagships, such as last year’s Snapdragon 855 on the LG G8.

The LG Velvet will also have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space, expandable by up to 2TB via Micro SD card. The battery will have a 4300mAh capacity, and it’s certified water-resistant to IP68. There are plenty of more useful features included, such as fast charging, wireless charging, and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

LG Velvet accessories

According to XDA Developers, there may also be some game-changing accessories compatible with the LG Velvet (sold separately).

The first of these is a stylus named the ‘Active Pen’, similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 if you prefer using a tool rather than your finger for more precise input on the display.

A secondary screen attachment will also be available. We first saw this quirky idea come into play with the LG G8x, and although it made an interesting change with a great amount of potential, we felt that the user interface was pretty clunky.