Review: LGV20

For a phone that is competing against the likes of Google Pixel XL, the LG V20 does have a rather dull design. It is considerably longer and wider than the Pixel XL, and has a slightly bigger, 5.7-inch display (as against a 5.5-inch screen). LG has used plastic on the bezels above and below the screen, and they feel out of place on a flagship phone. The V20 isn’t water-resistant, as many of its rivals now are. 

The 2.1-inch secondary display is the highlight of the V20. This is where the notifications will pop up. You can set favourite apps, information such as date and time, quick settings and media playback controls. There might be times when you would want to set some apps there for instant access, or find the new notifications. However, we did not find this second screen addictive—it is there, fair enough, but we didn’t miss it after we stopped using the V20.

The primary 5.7-inch Quantum LCD display with the Quad HD resolution is bright, sharp and vivid. This is one of the best displays presently in the Android smartphone ecosystem. 

The V20 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. It does not fall short in terms of performance, be it heavy multitasking or gaming. But it does bring to the fore uncomfortable comparison with the Pixel XL, which runs the newer Snapdragon 821 chip. The 3,200 mAh battery is on a par with most Android phones, and lasts a day on a single charge. 

For music lovers, the V20’s audio hardware might make up for the other minor shortcoming. This phone has the Quad DAC audio processing hardware which supports 24-bit high-resolution and 32-bit audio and audio formats like FLAC. 

Dual cameras aren’t unique any more, and the V20 has two 16-megapixel sensors. Overall, the photos look consistent and it is definitely an upgrade from the dual-camera set-up in the predecessor, the G5. The pictures are crisp and there is a good amount of detailing. However, the colours aren’t always accurate, and low-light photographs tend to look too soft. When you compare this to how well the Pixel XL does in a low-light environment, there is no competition.

In isolation, the LG V20 does have moments of brilliance, but it’s also marred by eccentric inconsistencies, such as a fairly clunky interface. Unless the tiny second screen has really caught your fancy, the V20 overall isn’t as polished as the Google Pixel XL—the latter is a much better Android phone.