LG Q7 Android One For T-Mobile Sighted

While not exactly numerous, there is no severe dearth of Android One devices, at least outside the US. Here, it's pretty much just down to last year's Moto X4 variant and the few Nokia phones that have made it to these shores. There might be more coming, like the Motorola One Power, but Motorola might no longer have the show to itself. Some very curious Android fans may have discovered clues to what could be not only LG's first Android One phone but also T-Mobile's. It might, however, be an odd variant of an already existing phone, the newly-announced LG Q7.

The clues were dug up by XDA Recognized Contributor deadman96385 who pried apart the kernel for the still unreleased LG Stylo 4. What's the significance of that phone? It just happens to be the first LG phone to come with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. But he discovered, however, was quite far from anything related to the Stylo 4.

He discovered an entry for an "sdm450-cv5a_tmo_us_sprout". XDA later discovered that "cv5a"is the model name for the LG Q7. The "tmo_us" is a telltale sign of a T-Mobile phone and since there are no other "_us" variants listed, it's most likely an exclusive. The most interesting part, however, is "_sprout", the suffix used to indicate an Android One phone.

Some further digging in the files yielded possible specs, which are as far from the LG Q7 that the company just announced. It's running on a Snapdragon 450, for one, and only in 32-bit mode. RAM is also believed to be at least 2 or 3 GB. And there might be no fingerprint scanner onboard either. It does have the same 5.5-inch FHD+ screen and 3,000 mAh battery, though.

Outside of Motorola, HMD Global/Nokia, and, now, Xiaomi, there are very few major manufacturers embracing the purity of Android One. LG's addition to the roster could very well mark such a change. If only they made mid or even premium tier Android One phones as well.