2016 has been an interesting highlight for android phones. We’ve seen the iPhone 7 come in with changes that are self-described as courageous and revolutionary. Before that, what could have been the Android smartphone of the year which we never really took off because of its explosive personality, the Samsung Note 7. Enter LG who now find themselves with an opportunity to take 2016, with the LG V20.
Given that LG decided to go for a design and power overhaul with the G4 and follow-up with the V10. It’s important to understand that LG have created two distinct line ups, though their decision to launch the V series of devices towards the end of the year does concern me given their price margins are not that major. The G series being consumer and V series are more towards the lines of power users and heavy-duty builds. Consider 2016 with LG’s G5 with them going modular was a brave decision on their part for what it’s worth but ultimately a few design quirks didn’t win me over with the device that could have been so much more.
Enter the V20 which I long waited for, a device that carries the device upgrades with the G5 but improves on the build and software. It was also the first third-party device to get nougat which makes sense. Their release schedule also implies that LG has a strong following in this lineup since it’s not targeted to Samsung or Apple users. They are targeted to users who love their Android but with LG’s great hardware and I strongly recommend that you take a look if you’re a previous owner of a LG, Samsung and even last generation Apple devices.
I will admit, I literally only had 48 hours with the device so I quickly hightailed to making it my main phone of choice in this duration, taking it with me for work and using it for work as well. Now should you get the LG V20 ? That answer is dependant on whether you like full control of a device that lets you do things manually or you want good hardware to do everything for you. In both cases, that answer is yes and here’s why.
Design and Hardware
The V20 is functionality over form. The V10’s gripped rubber and metal build was one of the best I’ve seen and in my time of using the device, it took a beating, several falls and it barely dented. Case in point with the V20 here too, I’m not too inspired by the back cover after coming from the V10’s design but considering that the Pixel and Pixel XL have the same metallic finish, I’ll chalk this up to personal taste.
The phone’s dimensions measure in at 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6mm, and weighs 174g, which makes the V20 lighter than the V10 but a smidge heavier than the Google Pixel XL. The aluminum back panel still maintains that solid build I expect from LG and it also pops open easily for you to remove a battery, yes, removable batteries and external SD cards (I’m a traditionalist apparently.) I stress how important it is, should anything happen to the device, you can trust that it will be easier to repair than other competing models in the space.
It’s the sort of thing that LG knows their users want to tinker with their device and gives them the freedom to do so. LG has like last year combined the fingerprint sensor and power button into one. It’s as responsive as Apple’s TouchID but placed on the back of the device which some may find awkward, V10 users though will be certainly familiar to it.
It’s a device targeted towards audiophiles. This means the LG V20 has a 3.5mm headphone jack. A must have feature, in a year filled with hot dongles.
It’s fairly minimalistic on the back, you have your IR, a mic that can capture 24 bit audio at 48khz, which I’ll get on, since this is something that’s pretty impressive from LG to target audiophiles and that can only mean one thing. The LG V20 has a 3.5mm headphone jack. This seems to be the feature to have this year, where there are so many hot topics filled with dongles. Latest additions finally see the USB-C port which will help in quick charge and the last change being that the volume buttons now are its left where they are supposed to be. It’s also dual sim which is a plus. However keep in mind that it’s not a unibody phone, which means it’s not waterproof. It’s a small price to pay but a good one nonetheless.
Display
The V20 retains the same dual screen formula, I didn’t quite appreciate the second screen until it grew on me later when I quickly loaded up the camera from the second screen without unlocking the main screen to quickly take a shot. That said I’m glad it’s retained here. The main display is a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display with 1440 x 2560 pixels layered with Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Make no mistake this screen is bright. You’ll be able to see this screen in full view of direct sunlight. It does however not dim enough during night, it’s an interesting quirk for the LG V20 to have so you’ll probably be looking at your phone from a distance if you’re in bed with the lights off.
The secondary screen which you can decide to turn or off or keep it always on tells you notifications, quick launch favorite apps, show calendar, your personal signature and access to quick settings, the flashlight. It’s pretty nifty especially if you’re in the dark and you don’t want that really bright main screen to suddenly light your face up like an evening’s fireworks. You can even control music with a mini player which is what I used the most. You may see Apple’s touch bar use apps to extend its functionality but LG already did that with the V10 last year. LG’s standalone apps use that second screen especially in the case of the camera which can be handy, it comes down to app developers to use that screen which aren’t many.
It’s a gorgeous screen and despite the second screen coming off as gimmicky, I used it with the V10, so I can see myself acclimatize to it here. Videos and recorded media are great to watch and it also helps with taking pictures which brings me to the camera.
Camera
It’s no Google Pixel but the camera on LG V20 is great and a powerful tool to use, provided you know how to use it.
Looking at the camera, LG takes its imaging software from the G5 which is essentially the same and brilliant. Everything from the photo effects ( which I rarely used , thanks to apps like Lightroom and VSCO ) , flash, front to back camera swap and vocal cues such as saying “Cheese!” are all here. LG’s second screen comes into play here allowing users to switch from manual to auto for taking pictures and video.
Hardware however has changed. The back camera has two sensors, one with an aperture of f1.8 that shoots at 16 MP and a 8MP 2.4 for your 135 degree wide-angle shots. Laser detection has improved with focus and it’s going to be pretty helpful for shooting in low light. It’s auto contrast setting has vastly improved on that front as well, if you’re in auto mode you won’t have any trouble at all. So I went on a bit of an excursion to test the camera on the field. I’m not too fond of the wide-angle given its pronounced fish eye effect that can be corrected if shot in RAW and sent through Photoshop later, however it does give a bit of coverage.
Now what really stands out with the LG V20’s camera is its RAW conversion, Here’s some JPEG and RAW comparisons, like I mentioned, if you go manual, you have a lot of control over imagery.
I’ll attest that this picture was taken without a thought to it so there’s a fair bit of noise. The next set of examples are more planned.
Video
Editor’s note: This video was downscaled to a preview, you can see me use the zoom in the beginning. The steady record feature needs more work.
With a limited time frame to test the V20’s video capabilities, I decided to shoot both auto and manual in a night setting with varying degrees of exposure, which is why you’ll find some areas over exposed during manual mode. It can shoot in both 1080p and 4K and comes with steady record 2.0 An upgrade that made the V10’s video so good to use which you can see here. You also have manual audio which lets you control a lot of specific things, LG promises you will be able to hear your concert videos without it going off like a broken record. It also includes a directional audio microphone that you can pick up the sensitivity which works well during interviews. Once I get more time with the V20, we’ll update this review with video and audio samples.
We’ve seen several phones to have the wide-angle mainly with the iPhone 7 but the LG has far more coverage however it has to be known that the Pixel outclasses the LG V20 on camera. Our review of the pixel is still ongoing with Khaled enjoying his Pixel and while we’ve engaged with plenty of verbal banter which is the better phone, we need to shoot the same scenes to get a better idea but at any given rate it’s easy to see that the Pixel is the better shooter. However the LG V20 comes in at a close second for one more reason.
Audio
What makes the LG V20 in my opinion an all round android package for 2016, is its audio capabilities. The speakers are fairly standard, it’s loud enough to listen to in the comfort of your space or home but you’ll obviously won’t hear it in a much noisier ambience. For that LG has included a Hi-Fi DAC to sate the audiophile in you.
What a DAC (Digital-Analog Converter) does is lets you keep the audio quality of any file and converts it into analog maintaining dynamic range which you’ll notice once you plug-in your headphones or speakers that let you pick up on it. It comes with Bang & Olufsen earbuds included with the smartphone so you’ll really get to hear some amazing sounds with the same files you have when you turn it on. It’s even ahead evidently of the google Pixel in this respect so it’s still a good indicator that there’s competition.
Long story short, your MP3 files are now powered up with more depth and range. FLAC files are amazing to listen to. It also comes stocked with presets to record your favorite concerts. It’s got three mics and records in LPCM, 24 bit 48 khz sample rate. A standard used in high quality video editing. You can also record in 24 bit FLAC at 192 kHz lossless so it’s a real winner.
Performance and Battery
The LG V20 is the first Android device outside of Google’s Nexus family and Pixel to get Android Nougat. It means there’s better battery performance across the board and multi window feature. This includes the In Apps search from Google and the LG V20’s UX 5.0 is noticeably cleaner and long overdue. It also gives you the option to include an app drawer if you prefer it like I do. It’s not pre-installed with it but allowing you three different options for a home screen is a plus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8gf32H1WOs
Android Nougat is what you expect with a lot of LG’s own personal flavor on top and it even includes comfort view if you don’t like that blue temperature on your display which helps with viewing on the eye since blue wavelengths can make it difficult to sleep after extended use. The Smart bulletin puts together its own home screen with your calendar, health and music in a nice collated presentation. You can knock on the screen to wake it up or put it to sleep and of course Android wear. I encountered no hitches and in fact enjoyed the aesthetic it had to offer, it’s a shame the V20 doesn’t have the snapdragon 821 chip which could have done so much more for it but no complaints here.
Battery life is fairly standard and should last you through a day depending on the use. Intensive use of social media browsing, uploading of videos and media playback should net you 5 hours worth. Which is why it’s advisable to buy a spare battery since the option is available to you. The 3,200mAh is bigger than the V10 and the G5 and you should see a lot of battery saving done right. In fact if you don’t use it much, you can take the battery to a day and a half just running on WiFi. However Quick-charge 3.0 is present on this phone and you’ll get to 50% within 30 minutes and a full charge within an hour and 10 minutes as shown on the graph.
The Verdict
The LG V20 is a smart phone for a loyal fan base much like the V10. It chooses to not follow the trend given its removable battery, expandable memory among other things. It features Nougat just after Pixel and it’s got a few new tricks up its sleeve. It’s suited for the power user looking for the maximum potential in an Android device that’s easily available. With its control over both camera and audio, users are going to enjoy their multimedia. The camera could certainly use some work which I’m hoping LG does with software updates and extended support.
More importantly, should you buy it ? The LG is available locally with Sharaf DG saying stocks are running out fast. Jadopado is also offering them at a pretty competitive price and at that price you’re getting good value. Value for the amount of features packed in a flagship, users will be more inclined towards the Pixel since it is after all stock android and I don’t disagree with the notion. However the V20 is made primarily in an era where smartphones are becoming saturated and are starting to show signs of plateauing. If you’re not someone who is after pristine imagery or amazing audio, the V20 probably isn’t your pick, but if you do, you should seriously consider it.
With the Note 7’s demise towards the end of 2016, there’s an audience that feels left out and LG are determined to fill that void with the V20. It’s not the best Android it can be, but it’s the one that’s reliable.
