LG have been running two parallel flagship brands for a while now. The G series was originally the best LG you could buy, but the introduction of the V series, back in 2015, offered a smartphone targeted at media producers with higher spec internals and better cameras.
Now, the latest iteration, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, has been released. As the name suggests, it is 5G (and according to rumours 5G will not be offered on the G series) with the intention to undercut the price of the base model of the Samsung S20 range.
New design style
So, what do you get for your money? The design is a new style for LG with a traditional Gorilla Glass and aluminium frame, weighing in at 218g. It has a 6.8” P-OLED screen with 83.6% screen-to-body ratio, 1080-pixel resolution and 395 PPI.
Shipping with Android 10, 8GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, it has the latest Snapdragon 865 chipset powered by a fast charging 5000 mAh battery. All good flagship specs. The V60 also carries on LG’s reputation for smartphones with great audio quality, with a quad DAC and 32-Bit audio all listenable via wired headphones through its 3.5mm jack or through its stereo speakers.
Quality rather than quantity for the cameras
Moving on to the cameras starting with the rear. This is a triple array with the cameras arranged horizontally in a thin bar (different to a lot of the heavy rectangular blocks now making their appearance). This consists of a main 64MP f/1.8 standard and a 13MP f/1.9 ultrawide. The third lens is a Time of Flight (TOF) one of 0.3MP (this is basically a depth-mapping sensor helping to produce sharper and better delineated images).
The decision to go to what is effectively 2 cameras when every other manufacturer is going to 4 or more seems a little odd. But this approach has served Apple well through the years and so maybe quality over quantity will triumph for LG here.
On the front is a 10MP f/1.9 standard selfie camera. This is positioned centrally on the screen in a U-shaped notch.
Cheaper than the S20
The V60 also ships with the dual screen that was launched last year. This is LG’s affordable approach to getting a big screen by providing a separate case with a second screen built in. This is powered when you plug the handset into it. This screen can show separate images to the main smartphone screen or be a continuation of it.
Available in Classy Blue or Classy White, the V60 is expected to available for under £700 making it a viable and cheaper alternative to the base S20. Well worth a look if you are choosing a flagship smartphone with premium specs, looks and feel.
