LG Elec to launch new V40 ThinQ smartphone on Oct 18 first in US

[Photo provided by LG Electronics Inc.]

South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. will launch its new flagship smartphone model V40 ThinQ next week in the United States, prior to the official release in its home turf Korea.

LG Electronics said Tuesday it would start receiving pre-orders for the upcoming smartphone model on October 11 to 12 in the U.S. via the country’s major wireless carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon for its launch on October 18 to 19. The 128-gigabite (GB) version of the new phone is priced at $920 to $980.

The Korean tech giant decided to unveil its new flagship smartphone first in the U.S., considering competitions with its peers including Apple and Google. Apple has already released its new iPhone XS model in the country, and Google also is planning to launch its Pixel 3 smartphone on Tuesday (local time) in New York.

Industry sources expect LG’s V40 ThinQ will be available in Korea on October 24. It is expected to carry a hefty price tag of above 1 million won ($879), higher than the price of its previous version V30’s 949,300 won, due to upgraded specifications like triple-camera setup on the back and dual-lens system on the front.

Earlier, Samsung Electronics released the new “Cloud Silver” color version of Galaxy Note 9 before the launch of rivaling makers’ new models like Apple’s iPhone XS and LG’s V40 ThinQ.

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