LG V20 review

LG's twisted creation is back, with even more features this time around

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The LG V20 is a phablet-sized smartphone with ambitious features, just like its predecessor. Once again, the biggest selling point is that it proudly strays far from convention with a unique dual camera system on both the front and back, includes a removable battery inside and launches with Android Nougat before any other non-Nexus (or non-Pixel) device.

LG’s latest brings a lot of the same tricks back from the V10 - a good thing. It also improves upon that boundary-pushing device in small, but meaningful ways. If you’re looking for a downside, it’s the camera.

Who's this for?

The LG V20 is suited for people looking for the best that Android has to offer, with a thoughtful list of features that you can’t find anywhere else. LG’s latest refuses to slouch when it comes to multimedia playback thanks to its lossless recording and playback hardware, and its wide-angle camera feature will impress endlessly - even if some of its marquee features don’t quite live up to their potential.

Should you buy it?

The LG V20 is a capable and exciting Android phone, as are many others, like the new Google Pixel, and even older ones, like the Samsung Galaxy S7. LG’s monster of a phone nails just about everything, but the camera performance is a letdown. Here’s to hoping that LG can improve that with an OTA update.

In terms of its sheer number of features, LG’s V20 deserves credit for raising the bar for what we should expect out of a plus-sized flagship moving forward. However, if you’re not easily swayed by niche features, you’ll likely be better served by the cheaper and more powerful Google Pixel.

TOPICS
Cameron Faulkner

Cameron is a writer at The Verge, focused on reviews, deals coverage, and news. He wrote for magazines and websites such as The Verge, TechRadar, Practical Photoshop, Polygon, Eater and Al Bawaba.

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