LG V20

[MrSquished]

Really not much about this phone in this forum. I've had mine for a couple days and I like it.

Screen is above average even though it's not AMOLED, very visible in bright sunlight.
Fingerprint sensor is excellent.
Call quality is excellent.
If you listen to music often the sound quality is excellent. Best I've heard on a phone ever by far.
It's more than fast enough aka responsive
Removable battery is a nice feature.
I haven't used the camera yet, that will be an important thing.
No waterproofing is a negative, but neither is the Pixel XL which is the phone I really wanted. I've never dropped a phone in water ever and I've had cell phones for 15 years. Of course now that I said that I'll drop this fucker in the toilet.

I'm sure I'll have more impressions as I use it and decide before 14 days is up if I want to go with the Galaxy 8+ instead. I spent about an hour at the store using both phones before going with the LG. It was close.

 

[darkswordsman17]

What got you to choose the V20? Especially since they've already done multiple B1G1 deals on the S8, it'd be tough to pass up if I was getting a new phone and budget wasn't a major issue.

The S8 is a wow device, and other than the sound quality, and possibly the removable battery seems like it would definitely be the better phone. For general usability I'd guess you won't notice that much difference (aside from if something about Touchwiz or whatever LG has either provides extra usability or irritates you).

I'm pretty torn on my V10. I like the toughness and love the sound quality. I was immediately, and remain, disappointed with the display (I've heard the V20's is better, but the Samsung AMOLEDs seem like they're on another level). The camera has taken good pictures pretty consistently although I haven't used the manual modes much (and when I did it rarely led to better pics), so I probably would prefer the Samsung camera as well (especially since I do favor the saturation and low light performance). Battery life has been so-so, sometimes it does well and other times it does terrible. GPS really seems to hit battery life bad. But I've also had some apps here and there (a podcast app for instance) that have been battery leeches sometimes so not sure that it has anything to do with LG. Oh, and despite me being almost certain that there was an update for the phone, it still says there isn't, so I never got the newer Android version. Not sure how big of a deal it is (and not sure Samsung is any better about updates, seems like other than the Google devices updates are still a joke on Android).

I didn't have much issue with Touchwiz (not that I'm a fan, but it never really bothered me, likewise LG's doesn't either). Apparently I got lucky and haven't had bootloop issues (and I do restarts by swapping the battery quite a lot), and something to think about is the V20 was added to the classaction suit over that issue.

For me, the Samsung would hands down be the winner in this contest, even though I'd really not want to give up the audio quality, especially since I was using my phone as a music device a lot. But there are small DACs and DAC cables should become more popular, and so that's easier to remedy than the other. Plus the Galaxy has other benefits like the waterproofing (and if Google ever gets Tilt Brush on Android, that'll be a huge benefit to me).

If you're in a climate that gets cold, the Iris scanner on the S8 could be a big benefit (don't have to take off gloves to use fingerprint reader) that you might not be noticing could make a noticeable difference for you right now.

 

[Oyeve]

I have both the v10 and the v20. The screens are identical. Ie Meh imo.

 

[MrSquished]

What got you to choose the V20? Especially since they've already done multiple B1G1 deals on the S8, it'd be tough to pass up if I was getting a new phone and budget wasn't a major issue.

The S8 is a wow device, and other than the sound quality, and possibly the removable battery seems like it would definitely be the better phone. For general usability I'd guess you won't notice that much difference (aside from if something about Touchwiz or whatever LG has either provides extra usability or irritates you).

I'm pretty torn on my V10. I like the toughness and love the sound quality. I was immediately, and remain, disappointed with the display (I've heard the V20's is better, but the Samsung AMOLEDs seem like they're on another level). The camera has taken good pictures pretty consistently although I haven't used the manual modes much (and when I did it rarely led to better pics), so I probably would prefer the Samsung camera as well (especially since I do favor the saturation and low light performance). Battery life has been so-so, sometimes it does well and other times it does terrible. GPS really seems to hit battery life bad. But I've also had some apps here and there (a podcast app for instance) that have been battery leeches sometimes so not sure that it has anything to do with LG. Oh, and despite me being almost certain that there was an update for the phone, it still says there isn't, so I never got the newer Android version. Not sure how big of a deal it is (and not sure Samsung is any better about updates, seems like other than the Google devices updates are still a joke on Android).

I didn't have much issue with Touchwiz (not that I'm a fan, but it never really bothered me, likewise LG's doesn't either). Apparently I got lucky and haven't had bootloop issues (and I do restarts by swapping the battery quite a lot), and something to think about is the V20 was added to the classaction suit over that issue.

For me, the Samsung would hands down be the winner in this contest, even though I'd really not want to give up the audio quality, especially since I was using my phone as a music device a lot. But there are small DACs and DAC cables should become more popular, and so that's easier to remedy than the other. Plus the Galaxy has other benefits like the waterproofing (and if Google ever gets Tilt Brush on Android, that'll be a huge benefit to me).

If you're in a climate that gets cold, the Iris scanner on the S8 could be a big benefit (don't have to take off gloves to use fingerprint reader) that you might not be noticing could make a noticeable difference for you right now.

I went there with the intent to get the 8+. They just seemed so close in performance so two things swayed me to the LG - the swappable battery and the audio quality. I never wanna run out of juice and instead of carrying a charger, I can slip a slim battery into my wallet.

 

[nOOky]

I've had the V20 since it came out. I have never had a Samsung phone so I can't comment on Touchwiz. It's an okay phone, I haven't had any problems with it, it has never started on fire spontaneously. Some reviewers love the display, some like Samsung better. I find the display to be great except I notice glare in sunlight, it is glossy which causes reflections when viewing.

The sound is probably about as good as you will get from a current phone. The camera is also right up there with any current smartphone, honestly most phones are so close comparing them is nitpicking imho. Almost anything new is adequate for selfies or Instagram and FB use. My favorite feature of the LG is the second wide angle camera. Sure it adds distortion, but it is a 120 degree lens in a smartphone. It allows you to take more creative shots or get objects in the picture that the regular lens won't even come close to. I'm surprised Samsung recycled the same camera on the S8 I'm so used to the dual cameras that that would be a deal breaker these days for me.

I did take a spare battery with me on a recent trip to Africa, but didn't need it as it was a backup as I carried a solar charger and spare USB battery pack. Being able to remove the battery may be of some use, but imho I'm not sure how useful that is anymore. I don't use the fingerprint sensor or charge wirelessly, so those features are not important to me. My favorite thing is the knock on, my phone sits on my desk and I just reach over and tap it to wake it up.

Today if I were looking I'd probably consider the LG G6 or the Samsung S8 over the V20 unless it comes with a heck of a savings. Really it comes down to which important items on your list are checked off by which phone imho.

 

[MrSquished]

here is a slight negative. the front facing speaker doesn't get loud enough. i was using it for navigation today and with my radio on at regular volume it was hard to hear. my nexus 6p was loud as hell.

not sure how loud the 8+ is

 

[Oyeve]

here is a slight negative. the front facing speaker doesn't get loud enough. i was using it for navigation today and with my radio on at regular volume it was hard to hear. my nexus 6p was loud as hell.

not sure how loud the 8+ is

The s8 has a much better speaker. Too bad the didn't put in two of em.

 

[Raduque]

Pixelsquash, are you using it with car stereo Bluetooth? Having a bit of a problem with one on Bluetooth.

 

[MrSquished]

Pixelsquash, are you using it with car stereo Bluetooth? Having a bit of a problem with one on Bluetooth.

Nah I got an older car without that feature. I did use it with BT hooked up to a UE Megaboom speaker and it worked perfectly.

Did do a speakerphone call with the phone yesterday with the radio turned down and it was fine so I guess it's ok.

 

[Raduque]

BT audio is skipping when connected to the factory radio in a 2015 Lancer. Thought it was the music player so switch from PowerAMP to PlayerPro but it's still doing it.

 

[MrSquished]

BT audio is skipping when connected to the factory radio in a 2015 Lancer. Thought it was the music player so switch from PowerAMP to PlayerPro but it's still doing it.

Did you check in any LG forums? I kinda feel like there are a decent amount of problems with car bluetooth going around

 

[Raduque]

Did you check in any LG forums? I kinda feel like there are a decent amount of problems with car bluetooth going around

I did, but the only topics that even get views are people wanting to root. *rolls eyes*

 

[nOOky]

I haven't had any issues with BT on the phone and it's connected to my Ford Edge and my Garmin watch among other things. Do you have another phone you try to connect to your car to see if it's the car BT, and is your phone having issues connecting to any other devices?

 

[Raduque]

An S7 Edge before the V20 didn't have a problem. It works fine with a set of Samsung IconX headphones - believe me, I'd hear it if it didn't.

 

[MrSquished]

Had a few hours with stuttering then it went back to normal fast speed.

One annoying thing is that sometimes my SMS notification sound goes off when it's an email. Then the next time an email comes it uses the email sound I assigned to it. Weird.

 

[MrSquished]

Rode the subway today and boy is the audio great on this phone. I'm at one notch below max volume and it's perfect. My 6p would be maxed out and need like 3 more up clicks to be ok.

Battery life is just average but when you have an extra battery in your wallet who cares. I have multiple credit cards, multiples of 2 kinds of business cards, id, Costco card, insurance card, subway card and a little more. And with cash the wallet folds shut neatly. And it's a big skinny wallet, a brand that makes small thin wallets.

Get home and stick the battery in it's charging case, stick your phone charger cable in the phone and wake up fresh with two full batteries, 6400mah of raw power. Woot!

It's amazing. I love love love these two features, amongst others

 

[Raduque]

I used to carry an extra battery in my wallet for my first Note 4 and my Note 3 before it. I carry a 10aH battery around now.

 

[MrSquished]

I used to carry an extra battery in my wallet for my first Note 4 and my Note 3 before it. I carry a 10aH battery around now.

I have multiple 10aH battey packs, 1 for each of my main 3 shoulder bags - small, medium & large. 1 that's always in my cycling backpack. This way I never forget one when I grab a main 3 bag or go for a ride

I have a few other battery packs lying around including a 20aH pack. I don't mind carrying one of my main shoulder bags anywhere but if I can make do with a slim battery in the wallet and my IEM's only when heading out, I'd still prefer to do that vs carrying a bag.

Different strokes for different folks.

 

[MrSquished]

Well another week of using this phone and it's pretty damn good. Battery life again is average but between quick charge and a spare battery in your wallet it's a non-issue. The Samsung s8+ only has an extra 300 mAh so how much better can it be? I suppose it depends on the different tweaks applied to Android by each manufacturer. How is the s8+ battery life anyway?

The second screen is very useful, allowing you to see pertinent information at any time and when playing music, you don't have to unlock the phone or swipe down on a menu as the audio controls are right on the second screen. Nifty. Again the audio output is superb for a phone.

The camera is very good and the extra second ultrawide camera is super cool. Really came in handy this past weekend when at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I'll post 2 pics of the same thing to show this in a bit.

Not sure why this phone is not more popular *shrug*

 

[Oyeve]

Well another week of using this phone and it's pretty damn good. Battery life again is average but between quick charge and a spare battery in your wallet it's a non-issue. The Samsung s8+ only has an extra 300 mAh so how much better can it be? I suppose it depends on the different tweaks applied to Android by each manufacturer. How is the s8+ battery life anyway?

The second screen is very useful, allowing you to see pertinent information at any time and when playing music, you don't have to unlock the phone or swipe down on a menu as the audio controls are right on the second screen. Nifty. Again the audio output is superb for a phone.

The camera is very good and the extra second ultrawide camera is super cool. Really came in handy this past weekend when at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. I'll post 2 pics of the same thing to show this in a bit.

Not sure why this phone is not more popular *shrug*

Ha, moma is my Goto when testing cameras. It's not popular because it's barely marketed. You already know why I dislike it so I won't elaborate. Glad you do tho.

 

[Raduque]

It's also not more popular because people think anything from LG boot loops. Every time somebody mentions an LG phone, some idiot always has to say something about boot looping.

Every time somebody mentioned Samsung, there's always an idiot or 10 that has to say something about "exploding".

I hate the internet.

 

[Oyeve]

It's also not more popular because people think anything from LG boot loops. Every time somebody mentions an LG phone, some idiot always has to say something about boot looping.

Every time somebody mentioned Samsung, there's always an idiot or 10 that has to say something about "exploding".

I hate the internet.

While I don't much like my v10 or v20 I never experienced any boot loop issues.

 

[nOOky]

I took a couple on the drive home from walking the big guy. You can definitely see that the widescreen lens distorts the image, however it captures so much more if you're not expecting DSLR results from a phone. One feature the S8 is definitely lacking that other phones have is the second lens. Sorry about the dirty vehicle we have a small SUV dedicated exclusively to hauling animals.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-LfXHiJULwGSFN4b3luM2FZcnM/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-LfXHiJULwGVHZvemRYM2dZNHM/view?usp=sharing

 

[Raduque]

Handsome animal. I always wanted a GSD.

My mom's V20 Bluetooth issue was fixed after a factory reset. I guess she had some rogue app that was messing with it.

 

[lxskllr]

It's not a V20, but I've been using my g3 for a couple months now, and I'm not super impressed with the quality. Knock codes sometimes work, sometimes don't. The phone gets hot with heavy, but non gaming use, and the whole thing is a little 'creaky' compared to my previous s5. Add to that the boot loop issue that spanned a couple generations of models, and I have to conclude lg doesn't know what it's doing.

I'd consider another lg in the future, but I don't think they'd be my first choice.