VERDICT
The LG V20 excels in the multimedia department. However, it is laggy, has a mediocre battery life and at Rs 54,999, simply doesn’t do enough to stand out from the competition.
PROS:
- Excellent audio performance
- Screen is crisp and sharp
- Stellar microphone
- Removable battery
- MicroSD card slot
CONS:
- Laggy and unoptimised UI
- Fisheye effect in rear camera
- Mediocre battery life
- Average build quality
- Overpriced
The LG had a rather dismal start to 2016 with their flagship, the LG G5 failing to set the market on fire and their mobile business recording a massive $170 million dollar loss in Q1 2016. Because of these reasons, the company accelerated the release of the V10’s successor, the V20.
The V20 had a lot going for it pre launch. It was set to be the first non-Google Android device to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat and it came with an awesome ‘Quad DAC’ making it an ideal device for audiophiles.
However, LG really messed up the V20’s launch in India. Not only did the device launch in India very late, it came with an extremely inflated price tag of Rs 54,999 that put off a lot of prospective buyers immediately.
Does the V20 have what it takes to compete with the likes of the S7 Edge , Google Pixel and the iPhone 7/ 7 Plus ? Is it worth 54,999 rupees?Let’s find out!
Design/ Build Quality
On the design front, the V20 is a major improvement over the LG G5 . It looks pretty premium with its metal back-plate, tapered edges at the back and the all black front fascia which gives the impression of a borderless display when the device is switched off.
On the negative side, because of the second screen up top, there is a lot of dead space beneath the screen in the name of symmetry. Because of this, the device is a lot bigger that its screen size would imply and is a pain to use one-handed.
The second screen is a nice addition but ends up being more of a gimmick. I will talk more about this later on in the review.
The phone's measurements come in at 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.7mm, and it weighs about 177 grams,
The dual cameras at the back are covered by glass which will help in scratch protection. However, there have been many reports floating about about the glass cracking under minimal force.
The power button/fingerprint scanner is found underneath the dual camera assembly. I personally find this to be a very convenient location for the power button and urge many more manufacturers to adopt the same. Only Sony’s implementation of the power button/fingerprint scanner in their flagship Xperia’s is more ergonomically friendly.
The fingerprint sensor on the other hand, is a hit or miss affair. When it works, it works flawlessly, but sometimes it just refuses to recognise your print.
On the right edge, you will find the volume buttons which are a bit on the small side but are great in terms of feedback. The left hand side is bare except for the button which releases the back. Oh yes, in this day and ages of closed unibody smartphones, the LG V20 comes with a removable back and with it, swappable batteries.
The dualSIM slots and microSD card slot is found underneath the back cover. Unlike many flagships of late that come with the ridiculous hybrid card slots, the V20 allows you to insert both SIM’s and the microSD card at the same time.
Let’s talk about build quality now. This is where the V20 really disappoints. The LG G5 suffered from the same build quality issues and it is disappointing to see that Lg has not learnt their lesson.
While LG claims that the V20 boasts a military-grade build, there are hard edges abound, the back cover doesn’t sit flush with the body, the top and bottom bezels protrude from the main casing and the paint quality isn't upto the mark. This is extremely disappointing, especially in a smartphone that costs north of half a lakh rupees.
What further adds to the problems is the fact that the top and bottom bezels are plastic which detract from the premium feel of the smartphone.
Display
The V20 comes with a 5.7-inch Quad-HD IPS Quantum Display alongside a secondary display for notifications and quick toggles. Thanks to the 2K resolution, the screen is sharp, crisp and vivid and displays even the smallest of text with crystal clear clarity.
The display has good viewing angles and is also easily discernible in bright sunlight. The brightness levels are also par for the course.
The display disappoints when it comes to color rendering. In a day and age where we have smartphones like the Galaxy S7 Edge and the OnePlus 3T, whose displays are vibrant and punchy, the V20’s panel comes across as dull. Colors appear soft, muted and washed out even at full brightness levels and the blacks are not deep as I would have liked.
Second Screen
The main display operates as you'd expect, but the always-on second screen is reserved for notifications, quickly launching into your favourite apps, and showing extra bits of information, like the time and date. You can also toggle quick settings here, like turning on the flashlight, and customize the default signature to show a personal note.
While the second screen is a nice feature to show off to your friends and sometimes view information without having to turn the phone on, ultimately it ends up feeling like a gimmick. It needs to sketched out further and given far more customisation options for it to be truly useful.
Hardware
In terms of hardware, the handset comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 820 SoC, 32/64GB of storage which can be expanded via microSD (upto 256GB), a 3,200mAh battery, the Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and a USB Type C port for charging and data transfer.
The Snapdragon 820 is a quad-core CPU with two high-performance cores clocked at 2.15GHz and two low-power cores clocked at 1.6GHz.
Software/Performance
The LG V20 as mentioned above, runs Android 7.0 Nougat with LG’s ‘UX 5.0’ custom UI skin on top. The software, in my opinion, is the biggest Achilles heel of the V20.
LG’s UI just lacks the refinement and optimisation of stock Android and even certain OEM skins like Sony’s Xperia UI and OnePlus’s Oxygen OS. The lack of an app drawer by default is an irritant and the UI is just very laggy and unoptimised.
What is also rather disappointing is the amount of redundant applications on board. The device comes with two different applications for Music, Photos, E-mail and so on. ( Google’s own applications and LG’s versions of the same.)
On the positive side, LG has cleaned up their UI a lot, especially when it comes to the settings page and the second screen is a neat and nifty addition.
Opening basic applications like the dialer, contacts and messages takes an extra second or two which really adds up in the long run and becomes extremely frustrating. Such lags are extremely disappointing, especially considering the fact that the V20 runs has such powerful internals like the Snapdragon 820 SoC and 4GB of RAM.
The fact that these lags become much better with a custom launcher like the ‘Google Now launcher’ points to the fact that LG’s UI skin is not well optimised.
Apart from the UI based applications, the LG V20 is more than capable of handling daily tasks, and handles casual use such as web browsing, scrolling through photos and lists, taking pictures etc. without any major lag or stutters.
Multimedia capabilities
It comes with a very high-end DAC (digital audio controller) because of which its audio capabilities are far superior to most other high-end smartphones. LG also bundles a free Bang & Olufsen headset to complement the handset’s stellar audio capabilities.
Additionally, the V20 comes with very high quality microphones making it the ideal smartphone for those who like to shoot a lot of video on their devices.
The multimedia capabilities are by far the highlight of the device. The Quad DAC is so good in fact that it helps mask the several flaws of the smartphone. This can be the single reason required to buy this smartphone and helps it stand out from the crowd.
With my Bose OE 2 headphones connected, the V20 delivered crips and clear audio, with no distortion or sibilance of any kind. The lows and mid-bass in particular are smooth and punchy and do not overpower the highs in any way. The highs are also extremely crisp and cymbals on rock tracks sound absolutely amazing.
The V20’s internal DAC can rival high-end portable audio players like the Fiio X3/X7 and the Astell & Kern AK Jr. One oddity I found in my review device was that the battery drained very fast with the Quad DAC turned on. Surprisingly, my colleague Sudhanshu Singh who owns a LG V20 has never faced this issue with his device.
The internal microphone is also pretty amazing and records crystal clear audio, miles better than that capable by most competing smartphones.
Battery Life
The smartphone comes with a 3,200 mAh battery which is just adequate at best. While the system idle time is excellent, the Quad DAC and the QuadHD screen are extremely power hungry.
While using it as my daily driver, the smartphone managed to just make it to the end of the day. You might get a little more battery life use with less intensive use as my usage is pretty heavy. I always have Bluetooth and mobile data on, with tons of calls, messages and web use throughout the day.
When it comes to screen on time, I averaged about 3.5-4.5 hours in my week of use, with the maximum being 5 hours.
The V20 comes with Quick Charge 3.0 which adds 40% of charge in just 15-20 mins. A full charge is also achieved in a rather quick 90 minutes.
Cameras
In terms of optics, the LG V20 comes with a rear dual camera set-up with a 135-degree 8MP lens alongside a 16MP 75 degree lens. On the front there is a 5MP camera for selfies.
The biggest problem with the dual camera set-up on the LG V20 is the fact that the wide angle lens is so wide that it ends up creating a fish eye effect and distorts the edges of the images. This presents a unique situation where the portrait lens is a little too zoomed and the wide angle lens is too wide.
As a result, photos just end up being a compromise between the two extremes. The low light performance is average, with a slight amount of noise and pixelation creeping in. This might sound as nitpicking, but competitors like the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S7 have superb cameras with much better low light performance.
When it comes to outdoor shots and images taken in well-lit situations, the V20 doesn't disappoint. The images are crisp and clear with punchy colors. Macro shots are also surprisingly good, with quick focusing speeds.
When it comes to Video, the smartphone delivers admirably. The 4-axis OIS helps stabilise even the shakiest video and the 4K mode delivers crip and punchy results. The inclusion of full manual controls whilst shooting video is just an added bonus. On the negative side, when you switch between the two rear lenses, there is a certain amount of perceptible lag which takes away from the overall experience.
Verdict
Those who want a high resolution big screen smartphone with amazing multimedia capabilities should consider the LG V20. The Quad DAC is stellar and the internal microphone is the best in its class.
However, they should be prepared to live with the many niggling issues such as mediocre battery life, average build quality, laggy and unoptimised UI and the average performance.
The biggest issue with the Lg V20 is its extremely inflated sticker price. At Rs 54,999, the LG V20 simply doesn't do enough to earn a recommendation in a market populated by competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge , Sony Xperia XZ and the iPhone 7/7 Plus .
The V20 had a lot going for it pre launch. It was set to be the first non-Google Android device to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat and it came with an awesome ‘Quad DAC’ making it an ideal device for audiophiles.
However, LG really messed up the V20’s launch in India. Not only did the device launch in India very late, it came with an extremely inflated price tag of Rs 54,999 that put off a lot of prospective buyers immediately.
Does the V20 have what it takes to compete with the likes of the S7 Edge , Google Pixel and the iPhone 7/ 7 Plus ? Is it worth 54,999 rupees?Let’s find out!
Design/ Build Quality
On the design front, the V20 is a major improvement over the LG G5 . It looks pretty premium with its metal back-plate, tapered edges at the back and the all black front fascia which gives the impression of a borderless display when the device is switched off.
On the negative side, because of the second screen up top, there is a lot of dead space beneath the screen in the name of symmetry. Because of this, the device is a lot bigger that its screen size would imply and is a pain to use one-handed.
The second screen is a nice addition but ends up being more of a gimmick. I will talk more about this later on in the review.
The phone's measurements come in at 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.7mm, and it weighs about 177 grams,
The dual cameras at the back are covered by glass which will help in scratch protection. However, there have been many reports floating about about the glass cracking under minimal force.
The power button/fingerprint scanner is found underneath the dual camera assembly. I personally find this to be a very convenient location for the power button and urge many more manufacturers to adopt the same. Only Sony’s implementation of the power button/fingerprint scanner in their flagship Xperia’s is more ergonomically friendly.
The fingerprint sensor on the other hand, is a hit or miss affair. When it works, it works flawlessly, but sometimes it just refuses to recognise your print.
On the right edge, you will find the volume buttons which are a bit on the small side but are great in terms of feedback. The left hand side is bare except for the button which releases the back. Oh yes, in this day and ages of closed unibody smartphones, the LG V20 comes with a removable back and with it, swappable batteries.
The dualSIM slots and microSD card slot is found underneath the back cover. Unlike many flagships of late that come with the ridiculous hybrid card slots, the V20 allows you to insert both SIM’s and the microSD card at the same time.
Let’s talk about build quality now. This is where the V20 really disappoints. The LG G5 suffered from the same build quality issues and it is disappointing to see that Lg has not learnt their lesson.
While LG claims that the V20 boasts a military-grade build, there are hard edges abound, the back cover doesn’t sit flush with the body, the top and bottom bezels protrude from the main casing and the paint quality isn't upto the mark. This is extremely disappointing, especially in a smartphone that costs north of half a lakh rupees.
What further adds to the problems is the fact that the top and bottom bezels are plastic which detract from the premium feel of the smartphone.
Display
The V20 comes with a 5.7-inch Quad-HD IPS Quantum Display alongside a secondary display for notifications and quick toggles. Thanks to the 2K resolution, the screen is sharp, crisp and vivid and displays even the smallest of text with crystal clear clarity.
The display has good viewing angles and is also easily discernible in bright sunlight. The brightness levels are also par for the course.
The display disappoints when it comes to color rendering. In a day and age where we have smartphones like the Galaxy S7 Edge and the OnePlus 3T, whose displays are vibrant and punchy, the V20’s panel comes across as dull. Colors appear soft, muted and washed out even at full brightness levels and the blacks are not deep as I would have liked.
Second Screen
The main display operates as you'd expect, but the always-on second screen is reserved for notifications, quickly launching into your favourite apps, and showing extra bits of information, like the time and date. You can also toggle quick settings here, like turning on the flashlight, and customize the default signature to show a personal note.
While the second screen is a nice feature to show off to your friends and sometimes view information without having to turn the phone on, ultimately it ends up feeling like a gimmick. It needs to sketched out further and given far more customisation options for it to be truly useful.
Hardware
In terms of hardware, the handset comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 820 SoC, 32/64GB of storage which can be expanded via microSD (upto 256GB), a 3,200mAh battery, the Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and a USB Type C port for charging and data transfer.
The Snapdragon 820 is a quad-core CPU with two high-performance cores clocked at 2.15GHz and two low-power cores clocked at 1.6GHz.
Software/Performance
The LG V20 as mentioned above, runs Android 7.0 Nougat with LG’s ‘UX 5.0’ custom UI skin on top. The software, in my opinion, is the biggest Achilles heel of the V20.
LG’s UI just lacks the refinement and optimisation of stock Android and even certain OEM skins like Sony’s Xperia UI and OnePlus’s Oxygen OS. The lack of an app drawer by default is an irritant and the UI is just very laggy and unoptimised.
What is also rather disappointing is the amount of redundant applications on board. The device comes with two different applications for Music, Photos, E-mail and so on. ( Google’s own applications and LG’s versions of the same.)
On the positive side, LG has cleaned up their UI a lot, especially when it comes to the settings page and the second screen is a neat and nifty addition.
Opening basic applications like the dialer, contacts and messages takes an extra second or two which really adds up in the long run and becomes extremely frustrating. Such lags are extremely disappointing, especially considering the fact that the V20 runs has such powerful internals like the Snapdragon 820 SoC and 4GB of RAM.
The fact that these lags become much better with a custom launcher like the ‘Google Now launcher’ points to the fact that LG’s UI skin is not well optimised.
Apart from the UI based applications, the LG V20 is more than capable of handling daily tasks, and handles casual use such as web browsing, scrolling through photos and lists, taking pictures etc. without any major lag or stutters.
Multimedia capabilities
It comes with a very high-end DAC (digital audio controller) because of which its audio capabilities are far superior to most other high-end smartphones. LG also bundles a free Bang & Olufsen headset to complement the handset’s stellar audio capabilities.
Additionally, the V20 comes with very high quality microphones making it the ideal smartphone for those who like to shoot a lot of video on their devices.
The multimedia capabilities are by far the highlight of the device. The Quad DAC is so good in fact that it helps mask the several flaws of the smartphone. This can be the single reason required to buy this smartphone and helps it stand out from the crowd.
With my Bose OE 2 headphones connected, the V20 delivered crips and clear audio, with no distortion or sibilance of any kind. The lows and mid-bass in particular are smooth and punchy and do not overpower the highs in any way. The highs are also extremely crisp and cymbals on rock tracks sound absolutely amazing.
The V20’s internal DAC can rival high-end portable audio players like the Fiio X3/X7 and the Astell & Kern AK Jr. One oddity I found in my review device was that the battery drained very fast with the Quad DAC turned on. Surprisingly, my colleague Sudhanshu Singh who owns a LG V20 has never faced this issue with his device.
The internal microphone is also pretty amazing and records crystal clear audio, miles better than that capable by most competing smartphones.
Battery Life
The smartphone comes with a 3,200 mAh battery which is just adequate at best. While the system idle time is excellent, the Quad DAC and the QuadHD screen are extremely power hungry.
While using it as my daily driver, the smartphone managed to just make it to the end of the day. You might get a little more battery life use with less intensive use as my usage is pretty heavy. I always have Bluetooth and mobile data on, with tons of calls, messages and web use throughout the day.
When it comes to screen on time, I averaged about 3.5-4.5 hours in my week of use, with the maximum being 5 hours.
The V20 comes with Quick Charge 3.0 which adds 40% of charge in just 15-20 mins. A full charge is also achieved in a rather quick 90 minutes.
Cameras
In terms of optics, the LG V20 comes with a rear dual camera set-up with a 135-degree 8MP lens alongside a 16MP 75 degree lens. On the front there is a 5MP camera for selfies.
The biggest problem with the dual camera set-up on the LG V20 is the fact that the wide angle lens is so wide that it ends up creating a fish eye effect and distorts the edges of the images. This presents a unique situation where the portrait lens is a little too zoomed and the wide angle lens is too wide.
As a result, photos just end up being a compromise between the two extremes. The low light performance is average, with a slight amount of noise and pixelation creeping in. This might sound as nitpicking, but competitors like the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S7 have superb cameras with much better low light performance.
When it comes to outdoor shots and images taken in well-lit situations, the V20 doesn't disappoint. The images are crisp and clear with punchy colors. Macro shots are also surprisingly good, with quick focusing speeds.
When it comes to Video, the smartphone delivers admirably. The 4-axis OIS helps stabilise even the shakiest video and the 4K mode delivers crip and punchy results. The inclusion of full manual controls whilst shooting video is just an added bonus. On the negative side, when you switch between the two rear lenses, there is a certain amount of perceptible lag which takes away from the overall experience.
Verdict
Those who want a high resolution big screen smartphone with amazing multimedia capabilities should consider the LG V20. The Quad DAC is stellar and the internal microphone is the best in its class.
However, they should be prepared to live with the many niggling issues such as mediocre battery life, average build quality, laggy and unoptimised UI and the average performance.
The biggest issue with the Lg V20 is its extremely inflated sticker price. At Rs 54,999, the LG V20 simply doesn't do enough to earn a recommendation in a market populated by competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge , Sony Xperia XZ and the iPhone 7/7 Plus .
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