LG V30 to Get an AI-Focused Variant at MWC 2018: Report

In a move to take on Apple, Huawei, and Samsung, LG is now rumoured with a new variant of its V30 smartphone that will feature enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) features. The new LG V30 variant, which is said to be codenamed V30+ alpha or V30+a, is expected to debut at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in Barcelona next month. The South Korean company launched the original V30 model back in August last year with features such as Bang & Olufsen audio, voice recognition, MIL-STD 810G rating, and IP68-certified dust- and water-resistant build.

If we believe the report by The Korea Herald, LG will launch the new V30 variant at MWC 2018 to fill the absence of a new G series flagship. Some recent rumours also came on the same pitch, speculating the delay in the launch of the LG G7, which is likely to be the successor of the last year's G6 and the next LG flagship smartphone to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+.

Having said that, the new LG V30 variant is expected to grab some market focus - thanks to its rumoured AI features. The South Korean source also mentions that the upcoming version is expected to come with Google Assistant-based AI functions in addition to some in-house features enabling an advanced user experience. It hasn't been specified whether the new handset would come with a dedicated AI chip, though.

Interestingly, Samsung is already in the news for building its proprietary AI chips to make its future smartphones smarter. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are rumoured to be the very first models by the company to come with the under-process AI chips. The company is, however, also said to be working on provide an even enhanced AI-supported hardware with the Galaxy Note 9.

Similar to Samsung, Apple has its A11 Bonic chip that is powering the iPhone X to enable features such as Animoji. Huawei also has its Kirin 970 with MobileAI features that are available on the Mate 10 Pro.