LG Unveils the Five Camera LG V40 THINQ Smartphone, Hybrid LG Watch W7 Smartwatch

LG Electronics today officially unveiled the LG V40 ThinQ, its newest premium smartphone featuring a total of five cameras. The company also announced the LG Watch W7, a hybrid smartwatch that combines mechanical movement with digital functionalities.

LG V40 ThinQ

The LG V40 ThinQ retains the V series design philosophy with an improved 6.4-inch FullVision OLED display and even slimmer bezels than before. it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.

The LG V40 ThinQ features a rear camera module with three different lenses: 16MP super wide-angle, 12MP standard angle and 12MP telephoto. The three lenses allow for shutterbugs to frame different shots without changing position relative to the subject. The 107-degree super wide-angle lens captures subjects with more of the background with ease, while the telephoto with 2x optical zoom (or 3.2x the zoom of the wide-angle lens) takes clear shots from distance without a loss in image quality. The Triple Shot feature stitches together the images captured with each of the three lenses into a short video file for sharing. The new flagship also allows users to create content combining photos and videos with a feature called Magic Photo. The users can select a certain area of a photo and add video to it and then share the finished images on social media.

The front camera module features a 5MP wide-angle lens and 8MP standard angle that work in tandem to create the perfect bokeh effect with an on-screen slider to adjust the amount of background blur. Other features allow selfie lovers to personalize their photos even more with lighting and special effects.

The pixel size of the main rear camera sensor has been improved by about 40 percent compared to the LG V30, increasing from 1μm to 1.4μm, while the image sensor is more than 18 percent larger than in the LG V30. In additdion, the F1.5 aperture of the main camera delivers greater depth of field, half the shutter lag and significantly faster burst mode compared to the LG V30.

What's more, Dual PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) delivers automatic focusing that is 50 percent faster, about twice as fast as the industry average. The advanced HDR feature analyzes and determines the right exposure settings to create perfectly lit shots, eliminating overexposed backgrounds or underexposed subjects. Subjects are always in focus because the camera checks sharpness continuously until the shutter button is depressed.

LG upgraded the camera in the LG V40 ThinQ to deliver the best color, composition, white balance and shutter speed. The AI CAM's new AI Composition feature taps into the phone's intelligence to frame, capture and recommend an alternative shot to the one taken by the user. AI Auto White Balance (AI AWB) automatically adjusts the color temperature across different lighting situations while AI Shutter selects the right shutter speed, especially useful when trying to capture fast-moving subjects.

Other new features include Cine Shot, 3D Light Effect, Makeup Pro, Custom Backdrop, My Avatar and AR Emoji. Cine Shot makes creating cinemagraphs - images with animation. Simply shoot a short video with any of the phone's three rear cameras and "paint" the area to be animated with a finger. 3D Light Effect changes the tone of a photo with professional-looking lighting, touch up any selfie with different looks using Makeup Pro or entirely change the background of a selfie with Custom Backdrop. For those who love all things augmented reality, create and share personalized emojis with My Avatar and AR Emoji using one's own face or one of the provided characters.

The LG V40 ThinQ sports a new and improved 6.4-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) OLED FullVision display and a bottom bezel that is 1.6mm thinner than its predecessor. The 4.5 million pixels delivered by the plastic OLED display is the most of any QHD+ smartphone on the market today.

LG has always prioritized high fidelity audio in its smartphones and the LG V40 ThinQ is no exception, being the first LG phone to carry the Audio Tuned by Meridian label. The 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC produces a balanced sound signature that comes extremely close to the quality of an original recording. And Boombox Speaker, originally introduced on the LG G7 ThinQ, doubles the bass of conventional smartphone speakers by utilizing the internal space of the device as a resonance chamber. When placed on a solid surface or hollow box, the LG V40 ThinQ acts like a woofer to amplify the bass even more.

LG's proprietary Silky Blast process etches the tempered glass back with microscopic pits to create a smoother matte finish which feels comfortable in the hand without being slippery. In addition, the matte glass is more practical due to its higher resistance to fingerprints and stains. The phone will be available in the colors of New Aurora Black, New Platinum Gray, New Moroccan Blue and eye-catching Carmine Red.

The LG V40 ThinQ retains the slim and light design heritage of the V series, weighing only 169g and measuring a svelte 7.7mm in thickness. Like its predecessor, the LG V40 ThinQ meets the U.S. Department of Defense requirements for durability, passing 14 MIL-STD 810G Transit Drop Test categories for suitability in military operations and is IP68 rated.

All major US carriers will be launching the LG V40 on 19 October, pre-orders start 12 October, with prices ranging from $900 to $980.

LG Hybrid Watch

Alongside the LG V40 ThinQ, LG announced its first hybrid smartwatch, the LG Watch W7, a wearable device that combines mechanical movement with digital functionalities. As the first LG wearable to run the new Wear OS by Google platform, the LG Watch W7 is designed for consumers who like the look of a traditional analog timepiece but desire the functionalities of a connected smartwatch.

Developed in partnership with Soprod SA of Switzerland, the LG Watch W7 features high-precision quartz movement and physical watch hands wrapped in a stainless steel body. In full operation mode on a single charge, the LG Watch W7 can run for up to two days and then an additional 3-4 days in analog-only mode. In mechanical watch-only mode with its "smart" features disabled, the watch can operate for up to 100 days, or more than three months before requiring a charge.

In addition to keeping accurate time, the analog hands also display additional information such as altimeter, barometer, stopwatch, timer and compass directions. Because this device runs Wear OS by Google, it can be customized thousands of different ways with unique watch faces and complications available online. What's more, the watch is compatible with all standard 22mm watch bands.

LG's new smartwatch will be released in the U.S for $450.

LG V40 ThinQ Key Specifications:

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform
Display: 6.4-inch 19.5:9 QHD+ OLED FullVision Display (3120 x 1440 / 538ppi)
Memory: 6GB LPDDR4x RAM / 64GB or 128GB UFS 2.1 ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
Camera:
- Rear:
  - 16MP Super Wide (F1.9 / 1.0μm / 107°)
  - 12MP Standard (F1.5 / 1.4μm / 78°)
  - 12MP Telephoto (F2.4 / 1.0μm / 45°)
- Front:
  - 8MP Standard (F1.9 / 1.12μm / 80°)
  - 5MP Wide (F2.2 / 1.12μm / 90°)
Battery: 3300mAh
Operating System: Android 8.1 Oreo
Size: 158.7 x 75.8 x 7.7mm
Weight: 169g
Network: LTE-A 4 Band CA
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 5.0 BLE / NFC / USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible)
Colors: New Aurora Black / New Platinum Gray / New Moroccan Blue / Carmine Red
Other: Cine Shot / Triple Preview / Triple Shot / AI CAM / AI Composition / Boombox Speaker / Google Assistant / Google Lens / AI Haptic / 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC / DTS:X 3D Surround Sound / Super Far Field Voice Recognition / IP68 Water and Dust Resistance / HDR10 / Face Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Technology (Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 Compatible) / Wireless Charging / MIL-STD 810G Compliance / FM Radio