LG V60 Dual Screen review: V for versatility

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LG is planning a serious refresh for its subsequent mainstream smartphone, however earlier than getting there, the corporate determined to launch one other entry in its spec-heavy V-series, the V60 ThinQ. With superior handbook digicam controls, a hi-fi headphone jack, and top-end specs, these telephones have at all times been geared towards tech fans.
This yr, LG is undercutting Samsung’s Galaxy S20 — the Android standard-bearer for 2020 — in worth, whereas nonetheless attempting to cram loads of upgrades into the V60. It’s bought a Snapdragon 865 processor with 5G connectivity and is able to capturing 8K video. You may outfit the V60 with a second show (with the elective Twin Display screen case) for unequalled multitasking. Microsoft’s Floor Duo is about to reach later this yr, and it'll push the dual-display telephone idea ahead, however LG is already on its third attempt with the V60.
However the V60 lacks a few of the options which can be more and more widespread on “flagship” Android gadgets in 2020. There’s no fluid 90Hz or 120Hz show; LG as an alternative sticks with a standard, no-frills 60Hz panel. Its bezels are plain to see and thicker than what you’d discover on a Samsung or OnePlus. As different high-end gadgets transfer as much as 12GB of RAM (and past), LG is being barely conservative with 8GB of reminiscence. And regardless of continued refinement, the Twin Display screen accent by no means actually unlocks its full potential: the massive promoting level remains to be that primary, core capability to run totally different apps facet by facet on the identical time. However LG’s hallmarks — an excellent digicam, blissful headphone audio, and top-notch efficiency — are nonetheless represented within the V60. Pricing is a bit scattered, with the telephone itself costing $800 (T-Cell) or round $900 with the Twin Display screen on Verizon and AT&T. Both method, you are available in underneath the S20’s $999 sticker worth.
The V60 simply does a lot (doubly so if you happen to get it with the Twin Display screen) that, in a vacuum, it’s arduous to not be impressed. The battery life is astounding, and it’s a superb selection for the kind of one who will use each trick this telephone has in its arsenal. If that’s not you, there’s ample cause to have a look at Samsung or OnePlus as an alternative.


Honest warning, although: even individuals acquainted with LG’s previous efforts might be greatly surprised by the V60’s measurement. It is a huge, honking telephone. At 6.67 inches tall and three.06 inches vast, it’s someway even bigger than the Galaxy S20 Ultra and pays completely no thoughts to ergonomics. It’s attainable to make use of the V60 with one hand, however doing so is an ill-advised train in finger gymnastics and grip changes. The chamfered aluminum rails provide a safe grasp on the telephone, which has a flat 6.8-inch display and sloped glass again. Quantity toggles and a non-remappable Google Assistant shortcut button take up the left facet, with the facility button on the best. The V60 comes with 128GB of storage, however it helps microSD growth.
On the backside, you’ll discover a speaker (which doubles up with the earpiece for stereo output), USB-C port, and a headphone jack, which nonetheless contains LG’s wonderful 32-bit DAC for audiophile-grade music playback — if you happen to’ve bought the best headphones to get probably the most from it. LG will get my reward each for holding the jack round and delivering a listening expertise that may rival devoted hi-fi audio gamers. Listening to hi-res tracks in Amazon Music HD with my Sennheiser headphones made me respect LG’s quest to protect the headphone jack even when everybody else has moved on.


The V60 is available in both white (with silver edges) or navy blue, which has a gold body. To me, there’s no debate available: the blue V60 is a stunner of a telephone. The white one, in the meantime, is forgettable. LG makes use of an in-display optical fingerprint scanner on the V60, and my success fee was combined, inconsistent, and worse than the readers I’ve used on Samsung and OnePlus telephones. That is a type of instances the place I miss the previous, extra dependable rear fingerprint sensors. (The V60 doesn’t have an equal to Face ID like the G8 ThinQ did.)
The V60’s show is a pleasant 2460 x 1080 OLED panel with a tiny teardrop notch that homes the front-facing digicam. As I discussed earlier, LG hasn’t managed to shave away bezels to the identical extent as different corporations. Some will discover the black borders ugly; others might be grateful to keep away from unintended presses — an occasional frustration that impacts curved screens with barely there bezels. Brightness, shade vibrancy, distinction, and viewing angles are all completely passable, if a rung or two under Samsung’s finest telephone shows.


However the lack of a buttery-smooth 90Hz or 120Hz refresh fee is noticeable and made all of the extra apparent once you change between the V60 and one thing just like the Galaxy S20 or Pixel four XL. Not everybody will care, and I feel LG made this trade-off partially as a result of driving two shows at 90Hz or 1440p would have posed a problem. Nonetheless, I want the choice existed no less than for the primary telephone. To me, that is the V60’s most obvious draw back in comparison in opposition to its 2020 competitors. It gives a ton of energy, however it feels held again — prefer it didn’t fairly get the entire improve guidelines — by the same-as-ever scrolling.
So the display is a little bit of a letdown, however there’s some good in all of this. Limiting the show to 60Hz and a modest decision, mixed with an enormous 5,000mAh battery, helps the V60 obtain implausible battery life. I’ve been in a position to maintain the V60 operating nicely into and thru a second day of frequent use. This stamina solely applies when utilizing the telephone by itself, nonetheless, since enabling the Twin Display screen case will curtail battery longevity by 20 to 30 %.


All through my evaluate interval, the Snapdragon 865 chipset has carried out flawlessly, with the V60 chewing by any activity I threw at it. Wi-Fi 6 is supported, and the V60 can pull down 5G knowledge on T-Cell and AT&T, although solely Verizon is promoting a model that works with ultra-fast (however very restricted) millimeter-wave 5G.
Just like the G8x, the V60’s Twin Display screen connects over USB-C. There’s a bit magnetic adapter that attaches to the underside of the case if you wish to plug in for charging whereas it’s on, although quick wi-fi charging is the extra handy choice in that situation. The secondary display is a precise match for the first show, with the identical decision and even the notch cutout. (It’s actually the identical panel half, which LG says helps reduce prices and protect shade uniformity.)




The commonest use case for the Twin Display screen is the best: two apps without delay. This factor is the last word Zoom telephone, let me let you know. You may chat together with your colleagues over Zoom on one display and take a look at cute pets on Instagram with the opposite. Wish to browse Twitter whereas watching Netflix, YouTube, or Prime Video? Have at it. As soon as we’re all allowed outdoors once more, I do know the V60 will make it simple to regulate my Uber or Lyft whereas writing an e mail on the identical time. And this makes for a straightforward method of listening to music on YouTube whereas doing one thing else on the first show. It’s all admittedly superfluous, however I nonetheless discovered myself actually liking the pliability at instances.
LG optimizes a few of its personal apps for Twin Display screen. Whenever you take a shot with the digicam and faucet to see the picture, it pops up on the secondary show, so the digicam app stays open and prepared for extra snaps. You need to use the V60 like a mini laptop computer or moveable sport console with the whole backside show serving as a keyboard or gamepad. You too can stretch a small variety of apps (together with some from Google like Maps, Gmail, and Chrome) throughout each screens without delay, however I by no means discovered this very helpful. The hole within the center is simply too arduous to disregard. LG, now on its third Twin Display screen launch, hasn’t made a lot progress and is leaving Microsoft a giant opening to return in and present everybody what an Android system with two shows can actually be. However keep in mind that you would be able to at all times simply detach the chunky, heavy Twin Display screen case once you don’t want these multitasking powers. Factors for versatility, I suppose.


The rear dual-camera system delivers good outcomes, with the primary 64MP sensor (pixel binned right down to 16MP) is ready to seize loads of dynamic vary and element. LG kicked off the ultra-wide development, in order that’s what the second 13MP digicam is for. As is the norm, it’s a bit softer than the first one. The third “lens” is only a time-of-flight sensor for depth knowledge, so the V60 doesn’t have any type of portrait or optical zoom lens in its repertoire. However I used to be more than happy with the colour processing, nice depth-of-field, and general output from LG’s digicam. The corporate is utilizing a bigger sensor this yr, which explains a few of these enhancements. If the V60 has one weak spot, it’s night time mode, which doesn’t meet the bar that Apple, Google, and Huawei have set. Video recording can also be strong — LG offers you extra handbook management over settings and bit fee than most Android telephones — although 8K is simply foolish overkill in the intervening time. You may’t even edit 8K footage on-device, so what does that let you know? Persist with 4K or 1080p and the V60 nonetheless excels, second solely to Apple in video high quality.




You may at all times depend on LG to toss in a single very unusual digicam function, and this time, it’s 3D images. If you happen to’ve ever seen one among these on Fb, you realize what to anticipate. You snap a shot, and the V60 makes use of depth data to create the phantasm that the focused-on object is shifting round as you progress your telephone. I took like two of those after which ignored 3D images altogether. A nicer, extra essential contact concerning the digicam is that, in most lighting circumstances, the viewfinder is displayed at 60fps. It doesn’t actually add any profit, however now that I’ve had a style, I need that smoothness from the digicam on each different telephone.


LG’s software program stays a messy combined bag. A few of it's good, like the superb digicam app, which has all the handbook controls you may need and useful instruments like focus peaking. The audio recorder app can also be finest in school. I even had an excellent expertise with LG Pay (I simply occurred to have one of many few cards that’s currently supported), which may trick fee terminals into pondering you swiped an actual bank card with a magnetic stripe — similar to Samsung Pay.
Different corners of the software program expertise really feel like they’ve been deserted. The icons and common look really feel dated (even after a latest refresh). And someway, nonetheless, within the yr 2020, LG’s app launcher can not maintain apps organized alphabetically. Each time you put in a brand new app or sport, you’ve bought to type the checklist once more. Come on. Switching to a third-party launcher means dropping out on Android 10’s gesture navigation, and none of them are optimized for the secondary show. The awkward software program selections prolong to the Twin Display screen, which is handled like its own residence display, which makes whole sense, however it additionally will get its personal app drawer as an alternative of simply mirroring the primary telephone’s, which is mindless in any respect.


After which there’s the bloatware. LG will not be promoting an unlocked model of the V60 within the US, so that you’re on the mercy of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Cell — and it’s not fairly. After organising the telephone, you’ll discover no less than 5 or 6 video games you don’t need and a handful of service apps that you would be able to’t totally uninstall. The Verizon V60 always introduced me with a “useful” system well being notification that inspired me to restart the telephone and clear its reminiscence cache. These are pointless, annoying distractions that individuals actually don’t want to fret about.
One of the under-the-radar perks of the V60 is correct stylus help. If you happen to purchase a Wacom pen, you’ll get Galaxy Observe-like strain sensitivity for drawing. There’s an elective slide-in shortcuts bar the place you'll be able to shortly begin writing a brand new memo, annotate no matter’s in your display, and entry different tips. LG doesn’t have its personal stylus like Samsung’s S-Pen or a slot to hold one in, however what’s right here is fairly helpful and, once more, speaks to the V60’s versatility.
It ought to say all the things concerning the V60 being a jack-of-all-trades that I’m ending on stylus help. This telephone offers you a ton for $800 — even if you happen to go with out the Twin Display screen. It’s a blazing performer, battery life is likely to be one of the best for any telephone in 2020 up to now, and it’s bought terrific headphone audio. However I actually want LG had performed extra with the enormous show. I can put up with the bezels simply superb, however high-refresh screens are already changing into desk stakes at this worth within the Android world. If I’m sacrificing consolation and ergonomics, the show had higher be unbelievable. And I’m keen to pay a pair further hundred bucks for it.
Pictures by Chris Welch / The Verge
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