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Hot on the heels of Apple’s latest iPhone 6s smartphones and Samsung’s recent Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 handsets, LG Electronics is planning its own product launch event on Oct. 1 in New York City, though no details have been announced beyond press invitations.
That, of course, means little to the swirling rumor mills, which hint at possibilities including a possible dual-display V10 smartphone or a new smartwatch or tablet computer.
Adding to the intrigue is a Sept. 4 report by AndroidPolice.com that indicated that the rumored LG V10 smartphone could come out in mid-October, based on a Twitter post by well-known news tipster Evan Blass, whose Twitter name is @evleaks.
The LG V10 reportedly has 5.7-inch screen, along with a small secondary screen above the main display, according to the story. “The auxiliary display on the V10 will be able to show additional info while the main screen is off or being used for other things.”
In addition, the V10 will reportedly have a QHD resolution main display, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a Snapdragon 808 processor and a 16MP/5MP camera array, according to the report.
The LG event in New York City would follow Apple’s Sept. 9 product announcements from San Francisco, where that company unveiled its latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus smartphones, as well as its new iPad Pro, Apple TV and other products. The LG event would also come after Samsung’s August unveiling in New York City of its latest Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 smartphones, which boast better cameras, finer materials and increased performance over their earlier models.
The new iPhone 6s includes a 4.7-inch display, while the 6s Plus includes a 5.5-inch display, both of which are wrapped in a new stronger cover glass. Both new phones are built around Apple’s fastest smartphone chip, the A9, which is a third generation 64-bit chip.
Meanwhile, the cameras on the latest devices also got a major upgrade, through the addition of an all-new 12MP iSight camera that has 50 percent more pixels than earlier devices. Both phones are also now capable of 4K video, run on iOS 9 and include new 5MP FaceTime HD front cameras.
Other iPhone 6s updates include higher performance, better cameras and a new feature called 3D Touch that adds new input capabilities for users to help them get the most out of the devices. 3D Touch is the latest generation of Apple’s established multi-touch input system. It not only recognizes familiar gestures, but also the amount of force being provided by a user on the screen.
Preorders for the new iPhones begin Sept. 12 while the devices will go on sale on Sept. 25 in the U.S., China, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and other nations.
Prices for the iPhone 6s will start at $199 on a two-year contract for a 16GB model and range to $399 for a 128GB version. Prices for the iPhone 6s Plus will start at $299 for a 16GB model and range to $499 for a 128GB version.
Apple is also introducing a new iPhone Upgrade Program that will allow customers to pay a monthly rate for their device, starting at $32 per month for 24 months, and allow them to get a new model each year.
Samsung’s latest two flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5 phablet, arrived just four months after the long-awaited launch of the company’s redesigned Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones in April. Both the S6 Edge+ and the Note 5 include 5.7-inch quad HD Super AMOLED displays, 4GB of RAM—up 1GB from previous versions—and more powerful octa-core Exynos 7420 processors. Also included on both models is a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5MP front camera with additional improvements such as a quick launch feature to capture photos faster with fewer finger taps to unlock the phones. The phones are being sold in 32GB or 64GB versions.