The 4G version of the LG Velvet will apparently be 20% cheaper than its 5G stablemates, will also come in three new colors, and will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chip

Sources familiar with LG's plans with the eye-catching design of its mid-range smartphone confirmed to Android Authority that a non-5G version of the smartphone will be available and will feature Qualcomm's flagship chip from 2018 The company said it will adopt the technology So if you want a smartphone with enough power without having to settle for 5G, this LG Velvet may be worth considering

These are not official LG information, just comments by sources, which means that the 4G version of the LG Velvet may vary from market to market, and some devices may have a different chipset than the Snapdragon 845

It seems likely that the 5G version of the LG Velvet will be powered by the Snapdragon 765, which is a lower performance version of the flagship Snapdragon 865 found in the US version of the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Lenovo Legion gaming smartphone The Snapdragon 865 is a lower performance Snapdragon 865 However, the Snapdragon 765 promises enough power for almost any smartphone task

So it is quite possible that a 4G LG Velvet phone simply will not have 5G connectivity, even if it uses that chipset in some regions Nevertheless, by using Qualcomm's older flagship chipset, LG may be able to ensure that the non-5G Velvet is still quite powerful, yet significantly cheaper than its 5G sibling

The 5G LG Velvet appears to be priced at roughly $730, which is hardly cheap However, just as flagship phones like Samsung's Galaxy S20 start in the $1,000 range, the Velvet is considerably cheaper 20% off the price of the LG Velvet 4G would bring it to about $580, making it a worthy competitor to the rumored OnePlus Z, or OnePlus Nord would be a worthy competitor to the rumored OnePlus Z or OnePlus Nord

And from what we know about the LG Velvet, for this price you get a 68-inch OLED display, a triple rear camera array (consisting of a 48MP wide, 8MP ultra-wide, and 5MP depth sensor camera), and a 4,300mAh battery

OnePlus is the only phone that has a rear camera array

The OnePlus Z is rumored to have a Snapdragon 765 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 64-inch 90Hz display, and a 4,300mAh battery capable of 30W warp charging So while the OnePlus Z/Nord looks better on paper, the LG Velvet 4G should be worth a look for those who prioritize style, especially if it has built-in 5G

However, there is an argument that the 4G Velvet may struggle to find its footing, not only because there are plenty of decent mid-range smartphones, but also because of the potential for two inexpensive smartphones to make the LG Velvet, and indeed other mid-range smartphones, suffer

The iPhone SE 2020 may have an older design, but it has a powerful A13 Bionic chip, wireless charging, and adequate camera performance for $400 And the Pixel 4a, due out in July, seems to offer a neat design with a nearly bezel-less display, specs there, and, more importantly, the potential for stunning smartphone photography in a device that costs less than $400

What could tilt the more affordable version of the LG Velvet in favor is its looks, and the images we have seen so far present an attractive handset with a neat rear camera design and edge-to-edge display And with three additional colors to be added - Aurora Blue, Aurora Pink, and Aurora Red - the 4G LG Velvet may appeal to those more interested in the aesthetics of the phone than its raw performance

Scheduled for release in the US and Europe this month, we will just have to wait and see if both the 4G and 5G versions of the LG Velvet can make their mark in the best Android phone field