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LG reveals new design language for next phone

LG reveals new design language for next phone

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Forget teardrop notches, here’s a raindrop camera

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LG’s flagship phones over the past couple years have all looked extremely similar to each other: good luck picking out the G7, the V40, the G8, the V50, the G8X, or the V60 from a lineup unless you have a photographic memory for their number of cameras. The company appears to be changing things up for an upcoming device, however, which it says will use an altogether new design language.

LG describes this design language as “a nod to the natural world with a visual form factor that differs from the industry trend.” A “raindrop” camera features smaller lenses and an LED flash below the larger main camera, evoking dripping water; LG notes this is in opposition to current trends for big camera bumps.

Elsewhere LG says it’s using a new “3D Arc Design” element involving symmetrical curves on the display and the back of the phone, though it’s not quite clear how or whether that would be unique. Samsung said much the same thing about the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, for example, while Xiaomi has made similar claims in the past.

No other details of the phone itself are available, but it sounds like LG will apply this design language throughout its range. “Our upcoming smartphone will draw on the rich history of classic LG designs which have always been distinctive at first touch,” says VP and mobile design lab head Cha Yong-duk in a statement. “This handset will be a first-look at the competitive edge we will be bringing to every LG smartphone going forward.”

Korean news portal Naver reported this month that LG would be launching a phone on May 15th with a new brand and design intended to reproduce the success of Chocolate, the company’s iconic pre-smartphone series. It’s said to use Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 765 with integrated 5G and target a more affordable price point. We’ll have to see how the actual device ends up looking, but LG is setting expectations high for its design.