Last year was the first year that LG took the wraps off of its new (and quite large) flagship, the LG V10. While LG is already well-known for its other premium flagship line, the LG G series, the V series brings something unique to the table with a small, secondary display placed just above the main display. This secondary display has an always on feature which can display useful information, notifications, and serve as a quick access app drawer.
This year LG is back with its next generation LG V device, the LG V20. Design-wise, there isn’t a monster list of differences between it and its predecessor; it still features the same 5.7-inch main screen and a small secondary display for important information and the like. The secondary display, however, has received a couple of upgrades, including a upgraded 24-character limit (over the V10’s 14) and an added scrolling marquee effect. The V20 is made out of a mix of aluminum and polycarbonate. Internally, the V20 has received several notable improvements.
Specs for the V20 include a 5.7-inch IPS Quantum main display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage (no word on if it’s expandable via microSD card slot or not, will update in the future), 16-megapixel camera on the rear with a 5-megapixel shooter on the front. Both cameras feature a wide-angle lens. The V20 receives an upgrade from last year’s V10 in the battery department, running on a 3,200 mAh battery (compared to last year’s 3,000 mAh). The V20 is also going to be the first smartphone to come shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat right out of the box, overlayed with LG’s UX 5.0+ skin.
Other notable features include the switch from micro USB over to a USB Type-C charger. The V20 has also been upgraded to Quick Charge 3.0 over from Quick Charge 2.0. LG kept the removable battery aspect in the V20, leaving LG on board as one of the few remaining defenders of this feature. In the U.S., the V20 will come in two colors: Titan (black) and Silver. International versions of the V20 include enhanced B&O Play audio, but U.S. versions will allegedly not (although the U.S. version will feature a 32-bit Quad DAC, and for a limited time LG will supply a pair of B&O Play earphones with the purchase of a V20).
In the end, we’ve got some nicely upgraded specs, a larger battery, and a large, powerful flagship that runs on the very latest version of Android. Between that and its unique secondary display, the LG V20 is certainly a phone worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new daily driver.
LG has not revealed what the cost of the V20 will be yet, stating that pricing information will be available in a few weeks. As for a release date, we were given a vague answer of “sometime in the third quarter”.
