Korean tech giant LG is preparing a four day event in early September, at which the new flagship LG V20 smartphone will be the main draw.
The high-end handset will go into competition with the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the upcoming Apple iPhone 7. Now LG has confirmed that its new smartphone will have a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (digital to analog converter), the first in the world to do so.
New DAC to offer best smartphone sound ever
According to LG the new audio hardware will make sound “that comes closest to a live performance when using compatible wired headphones.”
The DAC will also reduce ambient noise by 50%, while videos produced by the phone will boast a “soundtrack” that is able to “capture the roaring sound of waves crashing on a beach or conversations among two individuals at a noisy party.”
The new Quad DAC is the product of a collaboration between LG and high-performance audio specialists ESS Technology. The latter also made the 32-bit Hi-Fi DAC that came with the V10, the previous LG flagship handset.
“As a technology more typically available in high-end audio equipment, Quad DAC on the V20 will make users feel as if they are carrying around a professional home-audio system on their smartphone,” said Robert Blair, president and chief executive officer of ESS Technology.
LG V20 going into battle with Apple and Samsung
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the news that the V20 will run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. It will be the first Android-powered smartphone in the world to do so, as the recently released Samsung Galaxy Note 7 runs an older version of the Google operating system.
Other predicted specs for the LG V20 include a 5.7-inch screen with a 1,440 x 2,560 resolution. It looks like it will be powered by a Snapdragon 820 chip and 4GB RAM.
These technical specs are yet to be confirmed, but the official debut for the phone will come on September 6. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 7 on September 7, and things are about to get very interesting in the high-end smartphone market.
While it is unlikely that LG will steal significant numbers of users away from the big two of Apple and Samsung, the LG V20 could be an intriguing option for consumers looking for something different.
