Verizon's cheapest 5G phone may soon be LG's

By Chris Burns/Aug. 13, 2020 4:10 pm EST

The least expensive 5G-capable smartphone carried by Verizon right this minute is a Samsung Galaxy. There's the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G UW, as put on sale earlier today, hundreds of dollars cheaper than the next-most-inexpensive 5G phone on the carrier. The LG Q92 5G may soon take that title. Images leaked today suggest the new mid-range smartphone from LG could be the key to LG's late 2020 success in the United States.

NOTE: The LG Velvet may match the price of the A51 5G UW when it launches with Verizon in the near future. It almost certainly will not be less expensive than its quoted launch price at $599 USD, so it won't be taking the crown for least expensive 5G phone with Verizon any time soon.

The LG Q92 5G leak revealed this afternoon appears to roll with specifications that almost match those of the A51 5G UW. They've got the same amount of RAM (6GB), same internal storage (128GB), and a very similar set of cameras.

The battery on the Samsung device is bigger, but the LG Q92 5G battery (4000mAh) is quite likely still sizeable enough to last a full day without needing a charge. The LG smartphone has the same processor as the A51 from Samsung, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (5G), which means it'll likely have the ability to be another 5G UW phone in Verizon's 5G UW phone collection, this time breaking down below the $500 mark.

Analyzing LG's launches within the United States over the past several years and gauging the current (very strange) market mixing factors like the rolling out of 5G and our current global pandemic, this phone would appear to be the perfect play for LG in the next few weeks. That does not mean it'll DEFINITELY launch in the USA, but it'd certainly make sense.

The LG Q92 5G leak revealed today via MySmartPrice suggests that South Korea will be the first place this phone is available, starting with a pre-order period from August 21, then general sales on August 28. If this phone is to launch in the USA with Verizon, it'd likely appear inside of September – but we shall see!