Update (Feb 13): As we head closer to the Mobile World Congress, LG has officially revealed that it is indeed going to unveil the 2018-variant of the V30 smartphone at the trade fair. The company hasn’t shared the specifics, but it did say that the upcoming smartphone will feature a suite of AI technologies.

LG’s AI integration will be mainly concentrated to two features of the phone – Vision AI for camera and Voice AI for voice commands. The Vision AI will automatically analyse objects in a frame and recommend the best shooting mode. Additionally, it will also act as a shopping assistant.

“By simply pointing the camera at an object, LG’s Vision AI can automatically scan QR codes, initiate an image search or provide shopping options including where to purchase the item for the lowest price and other similar products that the customer might find of interest,” explained LG.

The Vision AI will improve the low-light shooting capabilities of the smartphone as well.

The Voice AI, on the other hand, works with Google Assistant to allow users to run apps and change settings by just using their voice. The Google Assistant on the LG V30s will now support 32 LG exclusive voice commands, up from 23 voice commands in the original V30.

“Creating smarter smartphones will be our focus going forward and we are confident that consumers will appreciate the advanced user experience with the enhanced V30 that many have been asking and waiting for,” said Ha Jeung-uk, senior VP and business unit leader for LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, in a statement.

Read on for more details on the upcoming LG V30s.

Update (Feb 09):

LG V30s launching at MWC with 256GB storage & LG Lens in tow

Although it is certain that LG is bringing an upgraded version of V30 at the Mobile World Congress, the branding of this phone continues to be a mystery. After the LG V30+ α rumours, a new report claims that the phone will be called LG V30s.

In addition, this report has revealed that the phone will carry 256GB of internal storage and pack a new feature called LG Lens. Not many details are available about LG Lens, but it seems like a clone of Samsung’s Bixby Vision. The LG Lens will reportedly be AI-powered.

The LG V30s is expected to carry a price-tag around $920 with sales supposed to start March 9.

Update (Jan 31): LG has now confirmed that the company is indeed planning to launch an upgraded version of the V30 at the Mobile World Congress. Although the company hasn’t officially revealed the name, but LG V30+ ? does seem a like a good candidate.

“We will introduce at MWC for V30… upgraded version (sic),” CY Kim, MD, LG Electronics South Africa told press at an event in Cape Town.

Earlier (Jan 19): LG G7 might have been delayed, but that doesn’t mean LG is coming empty-handed at the next month’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). According to The Korea Herald, the South Korean smartphone maker is planning to introduce a variant of its existing V30 smartphone at the trade fair.

The publication writes that this upcoming smartphone will be called LG V30+ α (LG V30+ Alpha). The phone will include enhanced artificial intelligence features, similar to what other smartphone makers like Huawei are doing with their phones. It is unclear if these features will reach the existing V30 and V30+ smartphones.

This move to bring a V30-variant is reportedly a part of LG’s new direction to extend the life of its premium handsets, rather than introducing new phones. The company CEO Jo Seng-jin had indicated the new direction at the recently concluded CES trade fair.

“We need a strategy to maintain the existing platforms longer. The G6 and V30 smartphones are really well-made,” Jo had told reporters at CES.

A new variant of V30 will give LG the much-needed time to work on the G7, whose development is said to have been restarted from scratch.

LG confirmed to the Korean Herald that the company does plan to showcase new features at MWC 2018, but did not reveal whether a new device will be unveiled. Although unconfirmed, it is entirely possible that LG releases a variant of V30 at MWC with new features and later offers the same features via an update to the existing V30 owners.

To remind you, LG V30 was announced at the IFA trade fair last year and despite being a decent flagship smartphone, it had a hard time getting the needed traction with competitors like Samsung Galaxy Note 8, OnePlus 5T and iPhone 8/ 8Plus/ X.

In related news, LG earlier today launched a budget smartphone in its home market. Called LG X4+, the phone includes LG Pay support and sports a military-grade build quality.