LG V40 ThinQ: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Alex Kidman

Last updated: Dec 29, 2020

LG's pushing its artificial intelligence ambitions to the fore with the LG V40 ThinQ, a phone with some serious camera capabilities.

Thin and light design
Triple rear cameras
32-bit Quad DAC
Water resistant

"Notch" display
Coming to market late in Australia

6.4 inches

Display size

1440 x 3120px

64GB

Internal storage

16MP + 12MP + 12MP

Rear camera

3,300 mAh

Battery size

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Display

Display Size

6.4 inches

Resolution

1440 x 3120px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

538 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

16MP + 12MP + 12MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.9 + f/1.5 + f/2.4

Video recording

Front camera megapixels

8MP + 5MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.9 + f/2.2

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

158.8mm x 75.7mm x 7.6mm

Weight

169g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 16

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Snapdragon 845

RAM

6GB

Operating system

Android 8

Internal storage

64GB

External storage support

Up to 2TB

Battery capacity

3,300mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

Launch price (RRP)	$0
Launch date	2017-10

Go to LG's site More info

Alex Kidman

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A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

Where to buy

What's in this review?

Design
Camera
Performance
Battery life
Verdict
Pricing and availability
Specifications

LG's fortunes in the mobile phone space have dipped up and down in recent years, from the interesting-but-flawed modular LG G5 through to this year's LG G7 ThinQ. LG's V-series phones have generally carried a high level of both innovation and style, and this looks to carry forward with the LG V40 ThinQ.

Design

Slim design with a visible "notch"
Retains the headphone jack

The LG V40 ThinQ solidly carries forward LG's own design language for its premium flagships, with just a few changes along the way to accommodate new features like the rear triple camera array. Still, it can't help but look substantially similar to the existing LG V30 Plus.
LG will produce the LG V40 ThinQ in black, grey, blue and red finishes, or if you prefer marketing speak, New Aurora Black, New Platinum Gray, New Moroccan Blue and Carmine Red. In Australia, the official colours are New Moroccan Blue and New Platinum Grey, so if you want the other tones, you'll need to import one.
LG is the absolute market leader in OLED (organic light emitting diode) displays for its exceptional LG OLED TVs, but for its smartphones it's a slightly different story.

LG 65"(164cm) OLED UHD AI Smart TV from The Good Guys

Perfect blacks, stunning colours, LG's own WebOS and smart assistant compatibility come together in LG's stunning OLED65E8PTA 65" Smart TV.
View details

The phones that have used its pOLED (plastic OLED) solutions, such as the LG V30 or the Google Pixel 2 XL, have had a definite blue tint issue when tilted slightly in the hand. Images don't become invisible, but it does give them notable blue tint. This is not what you want in a premium handset. LG typically reserves OLED for its V-series phones, and it's present on the LG V40 ThinQ, but hopefully LG's display boffins have cracked this issue.
On the audio side, the LG V40 ThinQ retains a headphone socket, as well as the Quad DAC used on the LG G7 ThinQ to expand its audio quality. Playing your audio in public via phone is still somewhat contentious but LG's phones have typically been among the best for audio output.

Camera

Triple cameras
Triple preview and triple shot capability

The LG V40 ThinQ is LG's first phone to feature five cameras, with two front-facing and three rear-facing cameras. At the front there are 8MP and 5MP cameras for selfies with a depth of field, but it's around the back that LG's hoping the V40 ThinQ will really stand out.
There's a 12MP f/1.5 sensor with 1.4μm sized pixels. Those larger pixels should enable it to seriously jump over the low light capabilities of the LG G7 ThinQ, and quite possibly the Samsung Galaxy Note9 or Huawei P20 Pro.
That standard lens is matched with a 16MP f/1.9 super wide angle lens for landscape style shots, and finally, a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens for zoom and of course portrait photography modes.
It's a very different take to that of the triple-lens-equipped Huawei P20 Pro, where a mix of very high megapixel count and monochrome lenses make up its photographic muscle. LG's claim is that the LG V40 ThinQ is capable of a triple preview feature, allowing you to see how each lens is capturing a scene in real time. You can then choose the lens that suits you best, or capture all three as either individual shots or a stitched together GIF that moves between each lense's take.

Performance

Snapdragon 845
6GB RAM
Android Oreo, not Android Pie

There's a processor of choice for 2018's flagship phones, and it's the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. While some manufacturers are opting for their own silicon solutions, like Samsung's Exynos or Huawei's Kirin, LG has played it simple with the Snapdragon 845, alongside 6GB of RAM.
Disappointingly, while the LG V40 ThinQ is a late 2018 flagship, and it's launching in the same timeframe as the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL, it doesn't feature Android 9.0, aka "Android Pie". Instead, it will launch with Android 8.0, aka "Oreo".

Battery life

3,300mAh battery
Wireless and quick charge compatible

3,300mAh isn't huge by flagship standards in 2018, especially for a 6.4 inch handset. That being said, the Snapdragon 845 is a very efficient processor, and LG's use of OLED could give the LG V40 ThinQ a little extra battery life. Still, compared to the 4,000mAh power packs we're seeing on some flagships, it's likely to struggle. It is compatible with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4 standard for speedy topping up of battery, as well as wireless charging if that's your preference.

Verdict

A good phone coming late to market

LG has produced some fine phones in recent years, but not many that have been a "standout" against the premium flock.
That puts the LG V40 ThinQ in a pressure situation, because LG is undoubtedly looking for a hit phone.
The LG V40 ThinQ launches in Australia from early February 2019 for outright sale only at $1,299. That's a tough sales proposition, not because it's not made to premium quality, but simply because it's launching just before Mobile World Congress 2019, where's it's expected we'll see the first of 2019's flagship phones. That includes the LG G8 ThinQ, which is expected to run on a faster processor and with better cameras than the LG V40 ThinQ.

Pricing and availability

Price: ~$600
Where to buy: Amazon | Kogan | Catch

Specifications

Display

Display Size

6.4 inches

Resolution

1440 x 3120px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

538 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

16MP + 12MP + 12MP

Rear camera aperture size

f/1.9 + f/1.5 + f/2.4

Video recording

Front camera megapixels

8MP + 5MP

Front camera aperture size

f/1.9 + f/2.2

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

158.8mm x 75.7mm x 7.6mm

Weight

169g

Connectivity

NFC

Yes

Wi-Fi

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac

Network category speed

Category 16

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Snapdragon 845

RAM

6GB

Operating system

Android 8

Internal storage

64GB

External storage support

Up to 2TB

Battery capacity

3,300mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Yes

Water resistance rating

IP68

Wireless charging

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LG V40 ThinQ: Plans | Pricing | Specs