LG V30S ThinQ pre-orders open in US (Update: shipping now)

Update (05/16): The LG V30S ThinQ is now listed as in stock and available for shipping on the B&H website for $729.99. If you place an order before 4 p.m., the device will be shipped on the same day.  

Update (05/07): B&H has reduced the LG V30S ThinQ pre-order price, a week after it first became available. The device started at $929.99 but it’s now at $729.99 as part of a limited offer.

The reason for the price drop is unknown. Many manufacturers offer incentives when products first launch to nab early sales; however, the move to do this a week after LG V30S ThinQ became available suggests the phone hadn’t received many pre-orders. 

The B&H page notes there’s a limited supply of units at the new price, so this may revert before or soon after the phone’s official release. That release date is still unknown but it should be in the coming weeks.

Original story (05/01): LG has a new flagship on the way tomorrow with the launch of the LG G7 ThinQ, so what better time could there be (apart from any time, really) to finally bring its most recent high-end device, the LG V30S ThinQ, to the U.S.

Announced back in February at MWC 2018, the LG V30S ThinQ is, aside from being an absolute mouthful, the South Korean firm’s first stab at a new variant-heavy release cycle in an attempt to stem its mobile division’s back-to-back string of losses.

The souped-up version of the original V30 launched in LG’s home region in March priced at 1,048,300 won (just under $1,000) for the base 128GB storage model — a fairly hefty figure which was notably more than the Samsung Galaxy S9 in the region.

Now, almost two months later, LG has teamed up with retailer B&H to offer the retooled phablet unlocked to U.S. consumers for $929.99. The device is currently only available for pre-order with no shipping estimates. It comes in either Glossy Moroccan Blue or Matte Moroccan Blue and is the 6GB RAM / 128GB storage variant with full support for all major U.S. networks (CDMA and GSM).

As a refresher, the V30S ThinQ carries the same design and, with the exception of the RAM and storage, the same hardware as the regular V30. The key difference is the phone’s AI-powered camera suite and improved voice command support. It also runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

While there may be some out there who’ve been waiting patiently for the V30S ThinQ to hit western shores, it’s certainly strange to see LG essentially cannibalize the device’s potential market with the high-profile release of the LG G7 ThinQ mere hours away.

You might also want to consider those rumors that LG is readying two more V-series devices for later in the year before taking the plunge on the V30S. If you’re convinced this is the phone for you regardless, hit the button below to head to B&H’s listing.