LG V30S tipped to finally bring the upgrades the V30 needed

LG is rumored to be announcing a revised version of the LG V30 at MWC and we’re now hearing more about what that phone might offer. 

Dubbed the LG V30S, the souped-up version of one of last year’s best Android phones will bring some features that the V30 was lacking to make it competitive in 2018. 

It's tipped by ETNews to boast 256GB of storage and launch the LG Lens, an AI and augmented reality play to improve the quality of the cameras.

This isn’t the first that we’re hearing of LG’s AI-injected phone, as rumors have been bubbling up in the past few weeks as we build to MWC 2018. Early reports suggested that this phone would be called V30+α or the V30 Alpha, but ETNews, a Korean news source, points to the phone being called the LG V30S.

Will it be different enough to matter?

If the V30S debuts at MWC 2018, it’ll be vying for attention alongside the Samsung Galaxy S9, but it could struggle against that phone if it launches for the rumored $918. This is only an approximation based on converting from Korean won.

So, will this phone be worth the cost? If a massive amount of onboard storage is important to you, the V30S will be music to your ears. 256GB is a strong upgrade over the V30’s 64GB default, with more effective and speedier storage by being inherently locked into the device.

Beyond that, LG Lens might be enough to help the South Korean brand rival the camera smarts of the Google Pixel 2.

The V30 through a different lens

The new camera platform is said to allow users to shop for household items by using the camera, and as Android Authority notes, it will be able to translate foreign languages natively and will go big on augmented reality, perhaps bolstered by the phone’s dual-rear lenses.

Launching next to the cheaper Google Pixel 2, with all of its camera smarts and AR Stickers, last year’s V30 offering felt skimpy by comparison.

While there’s no word yet on an international release, sources say that it could release on March 9, which puts it right up against Samsung’s big releases: the S9 and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.

Cameron Faulkner

Cameron is a writer at The Verge, focused on reviews, deals coverage, and news. He wrote for magazines and websites such as The Verge, TechRadar, Practical Photoshop, Polygon, Eater and Al Bawaba.