Don't care about 5G? LG has a more affordable Velvet for you (Update)

Update, June 11 2020 (3:40AM ET): An apparent LG Velvet 4G surfaced online yesterday, packing a Snapdragon 845 processor from 2018. Now, a source familiar with LG’s plans has confirmed to Android Authority that the phone is indeed the real deal.

The source adds that there will be a few LG Velvet variations depending on “local needs.” They also clarified that the LG Velvet variant with the Snapdragon 845 chipset will be available in Iran and “a few other markets.”

Either way, it looks like the LG Velvet won’t necessarily be the same phone around the world. But hopefully the changes are kept to a minimum and local pricing reflects any tweaks.

Original article, June 10 2020 (4:15AM ET): The LG Velvet marks the end of an era for LG, as the firm ditches the G series branding and opts for upper mid-range specs in many ways. But it still delivers 5G connectivity that’s quickly becoming commonplace globally.

Now, Iranian tech website Toranji.ir (via GSMArena) has apparently managed to get their hands on the LG Velvet 4G. And true to the name, it indeed lacks 5G connectivity. This isn’t an unexpected decision, as 5G still isn’t available in markets like India and Brazil.

What is somewhat unexpected though is the fact that LG is reportedly using the Snapdragon 845 processor in the phone. The Snapdragon 845 is a two-year-old chipset used in 2018’s flagship phones like the Galaxy S9 series, HTC U12 Plus, and the LG G7.

The Snapdragon 845 is still a powerful proposition (especially when it comes to the GPU), but the main concern we have is that chipmakers tend to phase out support for older silicon. So that could mean the LG Velvet 4G is left in the lurch when it comes to updates compared to phones with more modern processors.

Otherwise, the Iranian outlet also reports that the phone is packing 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a price tag that’s ~20% cheaper than the 5G-enabled LG Velvet. For what it’s worth, the 5G model retails for ~$757 in Korea, which means the 4G model could retail for ~$600.

We haven’t heard of this website before, so we’d definitely take this story with a grain of salt. But between the images and screenshot of apparent specs, it certainly looks like the real deal. In any event, we’ve contacted LG for more details and will update the article when/if they get back to us.