The LG V20 is LG’s next smartphone, to be announced on September 6th with Android Nougat pre-installed (the world’s first Nougat smartphone) and have a modular design, if the first render is accurate. The model number LG-H910 tells us that this is the successor to the LG V10 (with a model number ending in “900”), but we’ve also learned that the V20 will also feature 32-bit Quad DAC audio tech — a mobile first. With all of this in place, though, the design shown in the latest render has many of us wondering whether or not LG will continue its modular move or revert back to a unibody design of some sort like the G4 (it wasn’t a unibody design, but it only had 2 parts).
Well, LG hasn’t said a word about whether or not the LG V20 will be modular, but new details from a Redditor take care of that for inquiring minds that want to know. According to Reddit member Jordanpeterson234512, the LG V20 will be released on T-Mobile’s network on September 23rd, with V20 pre-orders to commence on September 14th (one week after Labor Day). The V20 will cost $650 off-contract, come with JUMP on Demand eligibility, and include “an extra battery and enhanced hand grip…a Memory Module Attachment…and a year of Hulu + 3 Vudu rentals,” the redditor claims.
What this means is that we’re looking at an additional removable battery (no surprise here; LG has done this before with the V10), a better feel in the hand (“enhanced hand grip”), and a memory module attachment (a reference to either a microSD card or a slot that lets you enhance the memory of your device). Now, few manufacturers have ever let their customers add extra RAM to their device, so the “memory” here likely refers to the ability to expand the V20’s internal storage by way of a microSD card.
The LG V20 seems to have a modular design, according to the redditor, which means that customers looking for LG to craft a unibody design smartphone will be forced to look elsewhere. With an extra battery, the removable battery will remain. The “memory module attachment” seems to be fancy word-dressing for a microSD card slot, but LG is really working hard to market its modular movement with consumers.
The LG V20 is shaping up to be a respected device in the smartphone world, and, while it shows LG’s commitment to modularity (or some form of it, rather; a truly modular phone will let you swap out all the parts, not some), it appears as though LG isn’t really paying attention to the market. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (and now Galaxy Note 7 pre-orders that are higher than the Korean giant could’ve ever anticipated) show that consumers want a unibody design that is well-crafted and feature-packed. LG seems to have first thrown the “edge” slither of screen on the V10, but now wants to add modularity to it with the LG V20. It just seems as though LG doesn’t really know what to do with the V flagship lineup, and the V20 is just another reminder of that painful truth.
