This year's Mobile World Congress is shaping up to be a busy one. There will be new phone announcements from a huge list of device makers, which will make it difficult for everyone to keep track of new launches. Therefore, LG has decided to do something different. Although the LG G8 ThinQ and the LG V50 ThinQ 5G will be announced at MWC, LG has announced three mid-range phones ahead of the conference. The three phones are the LG Q60, LG K50, and LG K40 respectively.
The LG Q60 is the top-end phone of the three. All three phones have "FullVision" displays. The LG Q60 and the LG K50 have waterdrop notches, although they still have sizable chins. On the other hand, the LG K40 doesn't have any notch. The full specifications of the three phones are noted below:
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LG Q60 |
LG K50 |
LG K40 |
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Dimensions |
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Display |
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System-on-chip |
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RAM and storage |
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Battery |
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Rear camera |
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Front camera |
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Miscellaneous |
DTS:X 3D Surround Sound / AI CAM / Fingerprint Sensor / Google Assistant Button |
DTS:X 3D Surround Sound / AI CAM / Fingerprint Sensor / Google Assistant Button |
DTS:X 3D Surround Sound / AI CAM / Fingerprint Sensor / Google Assistant Button |
It's been a general fact that LG's budget phones aren't able to compete in terms of value against the likes of Xiaomi, Honor, Asus, Realme, and others. However, times are changing. LG's domestic rival Samsung has also long faced issues of a similar nature with budget and mid-range phones, giving them weaker specifications. Samsung, however, has made a dramatic turnaround with the recent launch of the Samsung Galaxy M10 and Samsung Galaxy M20. LG, therefore, was well-advised to make a similar move, and the LG Q60, at least, may be the first step on a new road.
We say this even though there's nothing very exciting about the phones in terms of specifications. The most important item on the specifications list---the SoC---is unknown for now. If these phones have a low-end SoC, they will have a hard time competing, even on paper.
On the plus, the LG Q60 does have an ultra-wide angle 5MP camera, though, which sets it up for direct competition with the Galaxy M20. All three phones also feature AI Cam for object recognition. There is a hardware Google Assistant button on all of them as well.
In terms of audio, all three phones have DTS:X 3D Surround Sound, which LG claims can "convincingly simulate a 7.1-channel surround sound system to make content more immersive" when playing media.
These phones are also said to be focused on battery life and camera performance. While a 3,500mAh battery capacity is nothing to scoff at, LG should be aware that competitors have been using 4,000mAh batteries in this price range for years.
The LG Q60 has three rear cameras: a regular camera, an ultra wide-angle camera, and a depth sensor which enables LG's implementation of portrait mode.
LG hasn't announced any pricing and availability details yet, and without pricing and availability, it's impossible to make a quick judgment regarding their value propositions. The company does note that visitors to LG's booth at MWC from February 25-28 will be able to experience the new Q and K series smartphones.