[THE INVESTOR] BARCELONA, Spain -- Instead of revealing a new flagship G series model for the first half of this year, LG Electronics unveiled on Feb 25 an upgraded version of last year’s V30 smartphone with camera functions based on artificial intelligence.

Named “V30S ThinQ,” the latest LG smartphone is the first mobile device to adopt the firm’s AI platform ThinQ, which was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the company said on the eve of the opening of the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona.

Built on the foundation of the LG V30 platform, the LG V30S ThinQ features Vision AI that introduces three new intelligent camera functions.

AI CAM analyzes subjects in the frame and recommends the optimal shooting mode among eight categories: portrait, food, pet, landscape, city, flower, sunrise, and sunset. Each mode enhances the characteristics of the subject by taking into account factors such as the viewing angle, color, reflections, lighting and the saturation level.

The company’s proprietary QLens is equipped with image recognition capabilities of the AI technology to scan QR codes in order to improve users’ online shopping experience.

For instance, if a user captures an item of interest with the QLens, he or she can get information as to where to buy the product online at the lowest price. The QLens also searches for matching or similar images of food, fashion and celebrities or detailed information of landmarks such as buildings and statues.

Bright Mode is a new AI function that further improves the device’s low-light photography. It uses algorithms to brighten images by a factor of two for better photos without the noise when taking photos in a dark environment.

LG also enhanced the smartphone’s Google Assistant-based voice command support, adding 32 exclusive AI voice commands to allow for direct activation of the most popular functions without having to go through multiple menu options. QVoice can be used to perform the most frequent tasks, such as opening the camera, making a call, sending a text message and checking the weather, without even opening the smartphone.

LG’s existing G6 and LG V30 devices will receive key AI features of the V30S ThinQ in future updates, the company said. Additional LG smartphones will also be considered for future AI upgrades, depending on hardware and other factors for the best user experience.

“Many companies talk about AI but we’re already delivering on our promise by integrating intelligent technology in the LG V30S ThinQ to features most commonly used by our customers for a whole new level of convenience never before available in a smartphone of this caliber,” said Hwang Jeong-hwan, president and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Co. “And we will continue to introduce new AI capabilities to enhance usability and to demonstrate to our customers that we are committed to delivering a great user experience that continues long after the purchase of an LG phone.”

The V30S ThinQ phones will come in two colors -- New Moroccan Blue and New Platinum Grey -- and will hit the market starting on March 9 in Korea. It will be launched in the US and Europe later.

For more information, attendees of MWC 2018 can check out the new smartphones at LG’s booth in Hall 3 of Fira Gran Via from Feb. 26 through March 2.

By Song Su-hyun/The Korea Herald (song@heraldcorp.com)