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LG V50 ThinQ 5G gets a firm new release date after short domestic delay
After yet another disappointing quarter during which smartphone revenue continued to shrink and related losses grew, LG is betting big on fledgling 5G technology, hoping the next standard in cellular speeds will help the V50 ThinQ "create positive momentum" for the company's long-struggling mobile business in Q2.
The only problem is the year's second quarter has begun more than a month ago and the LG V50 ThinQ 5G is still nowhere to be found on store shelves around the world. But fret not, as Korean media is reporting on a revised commercial release date that's right around the corner. Instead of kicking off domestic sales on April 19, as originally planned, the Snapdragon 855-powered V50 will apparently roll out in Korea on May 10.
That sounds like a reasonably short delay, although it's still not entirely clear what caused the setback in the first place. LG unsurprisingly kept things vague when explaining its decision, reiterating efforts made in collaboration with Qualcomm and domestic mobile operators to "improve 5G service and smartphone optimization ranging from software, hardware, and network."
Business Korea seems to suggest in its latest report that LG was not happy with the stability of the early 5G networks available in Korea, but even though certain "hitches" are still possible, the decision was made to not wait any longer for fear of fading public interest in 5G smartphones. It's worth pointing out that Samsung also encountered connectivity issues in the country shortly after releasing the Galaxy S10 5G, which is now up for pre-order in the US as well.
Speaking of US availability, we still have every reason to expect a summer debut for the LG V50 ThinQ 5G on both Sprint and Verizon. Unfortunately, there's nothing more specific to share on that front at the moment. For what it's worth, we're also pretty sure this bad boy and its Second Screen add-on will undercut the $1,300 and up Galaxy S10 5G, based on already detailed Korean prices.
