LG unveils V30S Thinq packing 6 GB of RAM, AI lens

LG has unveiled its sort of new smartphone, the V30S Thinq, which looks just like last year’s V30, except it’s smarter and has more RAM.

In itself, the phone sounds even more excellent than the already fantastic V30. It’s got the same body and design, albeit in new colourways: Moroccan Blue and New Platinum Gray. On the back is the same regular and telephoto camera system, and on the front is the same gorgeous 18:9 Fullvision display that’s almost bezel-less. For the chip, LG has decided to use last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.

That’s a minor blemish in an otherwise excellent flagship, and the added RAM — 6 GB — will more than make up for it. There’s also a new 256 GB storage option for cramming in more content. That’ll be pretty useful for audiophiles who plan on using the phone’s on board Hi-fi Quad DAC, as it best compliments large uncompressed sound files.

So why is LG releasing this phone again? Apparently, it’s all about artificial intelligence. LG is leveraging a Berlinbased company called Eyeem for its new Ai-powered photography features.

When a user enters the AI Cam setting and points the camera to, say, a flower, the software will start cycling images and flashing words in an attempt to guess what the object is. The camera is trained to recognise eight objects: person, animal, city building, flower, sunrise, sunset, food, and landscape. The phone adjusts settings based on what it’s shooting.

The AI software has been trained with 100 million images, according to LG, and if initial reviews are to believed, it seems to work well. There’s also a new Bright Mode that combines four pixels into one to create brighter pictures taken in low-light conditions.