LG will compete with Apple in announcing first Android 7.0 Nougat phone

Having choices is great. Samsung's releasing its impressive Galaxy Note 7 later this month, the new iPhones are coming next month and now LG's announced it'll also unveil a new phone in early September.

The LG V20, which the company half-assedly announced — but didn't show — early last week, will debut in San Francisco on Sept. 6.

The invite (below) doesn't reveal anything juicy. We've got a "Play More" title and "The second story begins."

The first part could be alluding to LG's "Friends" modules, which headlined the company's G5. Although it seems unlikely the V20 will also be a modular phone, weirder things have happened. It could also merely be teasing the phone's beefed up entertainment features.

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Raymond Wong 

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Just got the invite for the LG V20 event on 9/6...

8:43 PM - 4 Aug 2016

 
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The second part is a little more cryptic. On the surface, the V20 is, of course, the second version of the V10, but it could also be hinting at a second screen or second selfie camera, two things that made the V10 different from other phones.

LG's G5 has two rear cameras. I wouldn't bet against that appearing on the V20. I liked the two-camera system a lot when I reviewed the phone.

The craziest part of the announcement date might be the fact it could come one day before Apple reveals its new iPhones.

Phone leaker Evan Blass tweeted that he has confirmed pre-orders of the new iPhones will begin on Sept. 9 with deliveries on Sept. 12. 

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Evan Blass 

✔@evleaks

Confirmed: Pre-orders start on the 9th. You can extrapolate the launch event date from there. https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/756708040150249472 …

8:00 AM - 28 Jul 2016

 
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If accurate, Apple could announce them on Sept. 7, as Daring Fireball's John Gruber posits.

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John Gruber 

✔@gruber

Last four iPhone events:

5: Wed 12 Sept 2012
5S: Tue 10 Sept 2013
6: Tue 9 Sept 2014
6S: Wed 9 Sept 2015

I bet this year’s is Wed 7 Sept.

6:37 AM - 2 Aug 2016

 
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Not to downplay the V20 and what it could bring — it will be the first Android phone to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat, after all — but announcing a new product right when new iPhones are rolled out is practically suicide.

Good luck LG!

LG V20 will be the world's first smartphone to ship with the newest version of Android

LG's next flagship phone, the V20, will be the first smartphone in the world to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat, the next version of Google's mobile operating system.

The V20 will succeed last year's V10 and emphasize the "rich multimedia" experiences that the phone brought.

"The LG V20 upgrades and extends its predecessor’s cutting-edge multimedia features a step further, providing distinctive mobile experience and sets a new standard for premium phones for consumers," said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and Mobile Communications Company, in a press release.

And that's as much as we know about the phone. Way to announce pretty much nothing, LG.

LG had expected the G5, released earlier this year, would help revitalize its declining smartphone sales and generate interest in modularity. Its latest financials and executive reshuffling, however, indicate the G5 isn't moving the needle in any meaningful way for the company.

A refocus on the V20 could give LG a much-needed boost. But burning questions remain: Will the phone have two selfie cameras like the V10? Will it also have a secondary screen on top of the main screen? 

The V20 is slated for a release in Q3. It's possible LG will announce the phone at IFA in Berlin at the end of August.

Still, the announcement marks an important moment for Android this year. It means we're very close to the release of Nougat.

Renowned phone leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) tweeted out a possible release date as Aug. 5:

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Evan Blass @evleaks

Android 7.0 releases next month, with the 8/5 security patch. Sorry Nexus 5 owners, no Nougat for you 

10:57 AM - 30 Jul 2016

 
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According to Blass, Nexus 5 owners will not be getting Nougat. The Nexus 5 was released in 2013. 

While Google is committed to security updates for its Nexus phones for three years, it's only committing to new OS releases for phones for two years — which makes the Nexus 5 already too old to receive Nougat.

LG's V20 needs to be awesome since the company is not expected to be working with Google to produce a Nexus phone this year. Huawei and HTC, instead, have been reportedly contracted to build this year's Nexus phones.

LG announces first phone to ship with Android Nougat, but doesn't show it

LG's next flagship phone, the V20, will be the first smartphone in the world to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat, the next version of Google's mobile operating system.

The V20 will succeed last year's V10 and emphasize the "rich multimedia" experiences that the phone brought.

"The LG V20 upgrades and extends its predecessor’s cutting-edge multimedia features a step further, providing distinctive mobile experience and sets a new standard for premium phones for consumers," said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and Mobile Communications Company, in a press release.

And that's as much as we know about the phone. Way to announce pretty much nothing, LG.

LG had expected the G5, released earlier this year, would help revitalize its declining smartphone sales and generate interest in modularity. Its latest financials and executive reshuffling, however, indicate the G5 isn't moving the needle in any meaningful way for the company.

A refocus on the V20 could give LG a much-needed boost. But burning questions remain: Will the phone have two selfie cameras like the V10? Will it also have a secondary screen on top of the main screen? 

The V20 is slated for a release in Q3. It's possible LG will announce the phone at IFA in Berlin at the end of August.

Still, the announcement marks an important moment for Android this year. It means we're very close to the release of Nougat.

Renowned phone leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) tweeted out a possible release date as Aug. 5:

 Follow

Evan Blass @evleaks

Android 7.0 releases next month, with the 8/5 security patch. Sorry Nexus 5 owners, no Nougat for you 

10:57 AM - 30 Jul 2016

 
•  941941 Retweets
 
•  1,0901,090 likes

According to Blass, Nexus 5 owners will not be getting Nougat. The Nexus 5 was released in 2013. 

While Google is committed to security updates for its Nexus phones for three years, it's only committing to new OS releases for phones for two years — which makes the Nexus 5 already too old to receive Nougat.

LG's V20 needs to be awesome since the company is not expected to be working with Google to produce a Nexus phone this year. Huawei and HTC, instead, have been reportedly contracted to build this year's Nexus phones.