LG V40 ThinQ Leak: 5 Cameras & Notch Explained

The LG V40 ThinQ, released in late 2018, was the first major smartphone to ship with five cameras in total—three on the back and two on the front—and it did feature a display notch. This article explains exactly how the five-camera system worked, what the notch looked like, and what the leaks at the time got right and wrong.

Background: The Leak Timeline and What Was Predicted

In the months before the V40’s official announcement, a steady stream of leaks built up a fairly accurate picture. The most prominent early leak came from OnLeaks (Steve Hemmerstoffer), who collaborated with MySmartPrice in July 2018 to publish CAD-based renders. Those renders showed a tall 6.4-inch display with a notch, a triple-lens rear camera arranged vertically in the center, and a dual-lens front camera. The renders also suggested a headphone jack and a dedicated Google Assistant button—both of which turned out to be accurate.

Later leaks, including alleged official press renders and a hands-on video from a Vietnamese website, confirmed the design. The video, which appeared in September 2018, showed the phone booting and cycling through camera modes, giving the clearest look yet at the five-camera setup. By the time LG held its event on October 3, 2018, almost every major detail was already public.

How the Five Cameras Worked

The V40’s rear camera array was designed around three fixed focal lengths, which LG called a “triple shot” system:

Standard (78° field of view): 12 MP sensor, f/1.5 aperture, 1.4µm pixels, with optical image stabilization (OIS).
Wide (107° field of view): 16 MP sensor, f/1.9 aperture, no OIS.
Telephoto (45° field of view): 12 MP sensor, f/2.4 aperture, with OIS, offering 2x optical zoom.

The front-facing setup used two cameras: an 8 MP standard lens (f/1.7) and a 5 MP wide-angle lens (90° field of view). The front wide-angle camera was particularly useful for group selfies, while the rear wide-angle remained a signature LG feature that many competitors lacked.

All five cameras could be accessed from the native camera app. A dedicated “Triple Shot” mode let you capture a short video that cycled through the three rear lenses in a single clip. The camera app also offered a “Cine Shot” mode that added motion to still photos, and a “3D Light Effect” for simulated studio lighting on portraits.

The Notch: Design and Function

The V40’s notch was a wide, dewdrop-style cutout that housed the two front cameras, the earpiece, and the ambient light/proximity sensors. It was noticeably wider than the notches on phones like the OnePlus 6 or the Essential Phone, but not as deep as the iPhone X’s.

LG gave users the option to hide the notch in software. In the Display settings, you could choose to “Hide notch” which filled the areas on either side of the cutout with black pixels, effectively creating a traditional status bar. This was a practical solution that many reviewers appreciated, since the notch itself was not particularly elegant.

The display itself was a 6.4-inch P-OLED panel with a resolution of 3120×1440 pixels (QHD+). It supported HDR10 and had a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The notch reduced the available screen area slightly, but the phone still felt tall and immersive for media consumption.

Camera Performance and Real-World Results

In practice, the V40’s camera system was a mixed bag. The wide-angle lens was the standout—it offered a genuinely useful 107° field of view that captured far more in a frame than any other flagship at the time. The telephoto lens, however, was less impressive: it only offered 2x optical zoom, and the jump from the standard lens to the telephoto was not as smooth as on phones like the Huawei P20 Pro, which used a 3x zoom.

Low-light performance was decent but not class-leading. The f/1.5 aperture on the standard lens was among the widest available, but LG’s image processing tended to produce softer details and occasional over-sharpening. The front cameras, particularly the wide-angle selfie camera, were a clear improvement over the single-lens front cameras on most rivals.

One notable limitation: the V40 could not use the telephoto and wide-angle lenses simultaneously. The camera app allowed you to switch between lenses, but there was no option to record video with two lenses at once, which was a feature some users had hoped for.

Common Problems and Criticisms

Owners and reviewers reported a few recurring issues with the V40:

Battery life: The 3,300 mAh battery was smaller than the 4,000 mAh cells in many competitors, and with the QHD display and Snapdragon 845, the phone often struggled to last a full day of heavy use.
Notch aesthetics: While the notch was functional, many found it visually unappealing compared to the punch-hole designs that appeared the following year.
Software quirks: LG’s UI was often criticized for being cluttered and slow to receive updates. The V40 shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo and received Android 9 Pie later, but updates were inconsistent.
Camera inconsistency: The three rear cameras had different color profiles and exposure characteristics, so switching between them could produce noticeably different-looking photos.

Comparison with Other 2018 Flagships

The V40 was released in a crowded market. Here’s how it stacked up against its main rivals:

vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 9: The Note 9 had a single rear camera (12 MP with variable aperture) and a larger 4,000 mAh battery. The V40 offered more lens flexibility, but the Note 9 had better battery life and a more refined software experience.
vs. iPhone XS: The iPhone XS had a dual rear camera (wide + telephoto) and no wide-angle option. The V40’s wide-angle was a clear advantage, but the iPhone’s video recording and overall camera consistency were superior.
vs. Huawei P20 Pro: The P20 Pro had a triple camera with a 40 MP main sensor and 3x telephoto. The V40’s wide-angle was unique, but the P20 Pro’s low-light performance and zoom were better.

In terms of raw specs, the V40 was competitive, but it did not stand out in any single category except for having the most cameras. The wide-angle remained its best differentiator.

Cost and Availability

At launch, the V40 had a suggested retail price of around $900 in the United States, though carrier deals often brought it down. It was available through AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, as well as unlocked from LG and major retailers. In Korea, it was released as the V40 ThinQ in late October 2018.

Prices dropped quickly after a few months, as the phone did not sell as well as LG hoped. By early 2019, the V40 could be found for under $600 at some retailers. The phone never received a second major software update beyond Android 9 Pie, which was a common complaint.

Alternatives and Legacy

If you were shopping for a phone with a wide-angle camera in 2018, the V40 was the best option. But if you prioritized battery life or zoom, the Note 9 or P20 Pro were better choices. Today, the V40 is largely obsolete, but its five-camera design was a precursor to the multi-camera trend that became standard in 2019 and beyond.

LG exited the smartphone business in 2021, so the V40 never received a true successor. The company’s final flagship, the LG Wing, had a swiveling display and a gimbal-like camera system, but it did not continue the five-camera layout. The V40 remains a niche curiosity for phone enthusiasts, but it is not recommended as a daily driver today due to outdated software and security patches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the LG V40 actually have five cameras?

Yes, the LG V40 ThinQ had five cameras in total: three rear cameras (standard, wide-angle, telephoto) and two front cameras (standard and wide-angle). This was the first smartphone to offer five cameras, though the Nokia 9 PureView later had five rear cameras in 2019.

Was the notch removable?

The notch was a physical part of the display, so it could not be removed. However, LG included a software setting to hide the notch by filling the areas beside it with black pixels, which made the status bar look like a traditional black bar.

What was the battery capacity of the V40?

The V40 had a 3,300 mAh battery, which was smaller than many competitors. It supported Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging, but battery life was often cited as a weak point.

Did the V40 have a headphone jack?

Yes, the V40 included a 3.5mm headphone jack, which was a feature that was already disappearing from flagships in 2018. It also had a quad DAC (digital-to-analog converter) that improved audio quality through wired headphones.

Is the LG V40 worth buying in 2025?

No, the V40 is not recommended for modern use. It runs on Android 9 Pie, which lacks current security patches, and the hardware is outdated. The camera system is fun to experiment with, but the phone is not a practical choice for a primary device.

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