LG V60 ThinQ 5G review

Wrap-up

The LG V60 covers a lot of ground - its bright and colorful OLED screen, subtly refreshing design, great processing power, excellent battery endurance, and an impressive camera. The Dual Screen Accessory also makes this phone a worthy consideration for anyone who wants to get into versatile multitasking without spending hundreds more - and the best part is its very likely you'll find it bundled for free.

The capable and versatile camera and recording modes, along with 8K capabilities, make the V60 the only other smartphone on the market to record with such a resolution, aside from Samsung's Galaxy S20 lineup. LG goes further with manual sound recording controls, ASMR recording, and lots of video recording modes for creators.

LG's still holding onto the headphone jack, which a lot of our readers will appreciate. The industry has already moved on with Bluetooth and TWS audio and Samsung's already killed off the headphone jack from its flagship phones, thus further reducing the niche group of audiophiles who want true Hi-Fi sound from their smartphones.

The LG V60 is a nice step up in design and function, but it still leaves some boxes unchecked. The V60 doesn't sport a top-of-the-line panel (it's FHD+) and there's no high refresh rate while competitors are outfitting their phones with 120Hz displays nowadays. Is this necessary? Well, not to everyone, but high-refresh-rate screens bring about a notable improvement in user experience.

It seems this latest V-series phone is not touting the highest specs possible. LG has instead focused on keeping the cost of the phone down (both for themselves and the consumer) while retaining the more important features like wireless charging, a hefty battery, and the headphone jack. And whether you like the choice they've made for you, will be your call only.

Let's see what else the V60 is up against.

The competition

LG's largest rival in both its home turf of South Korea and American shores is Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S20 has all the bells and whistles that anyone could want in a smartphone but its starting price for the smallest Galaxy S20 is still higher than the V60. Sure, the V60 only comes in one size, but it's a more practically equipped high-end smartphone for those who want a large display, great battery, and don't need every feature in the book.

Samsung Galaxy S20 • Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

If you manage to find one at a more modest price, the Oppo Find X2 Pro features a higher-res display, a capable camera, high-end internal specs, and it comes in a vegan leather option which adds a unique style to it. The Find X2 Pro has the V60 beat in charging speeds with SuperVOOC 2.0's break-neck 36-minute-to-full charging solution.

Oppo Find X2 Pro

OnePlus just unveiled the 8 Pro, and its feature set might have it as a worthy alternative to the V60. Aside from top-of-the-line hardware and specifications, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a superior display in brightness, color accuracy, and refresh rate (120Hz). Battery life is still better on the V60, but it doesn't offer reverse wireless charging, nor does it match the 8 Pro's Warp Charge 30 Wireless top-ups.

OnePlus 8 Pro

Given the size of the V60, it's only logical that we compare it to the largest iPhone on the market. Then again, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is quite a well-polished iPhone: it has one of the best all-around cameras on the market, offers excellent battery endurance, water resistance, and wireless charging.

Still, the iPhone doesn't have such granular control of the cameras and volume levels as LG has implemented in the V60. Not to mention, the multitasking abilities of the V60 and its Dual Screen case are currently unmatched by any other competitor at its price point.

Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max

The verdict, pros and cons

For the price, LG is certainly going after the Galaxy S20 crowd - after all, the latter starts at $999 for the smallest one. That price does include the Dual Screen Accessory in most (if not all) cases for free, and it comes with support for 5G networks. It's worth noting that in the US, T-Mobile is the only carrier that lets you buy the LG V60 for $799 if you opt to get it without the Dual Screen.

We like the camera on the V60. It takes great still images and Night View is strong with the new camera sensor and the selfie camera takes great shots. 8K video recording is a nice headline feature for the marketing department, but there's no practical use for it for the end user. The phone's camera takes great video otherwise. Meanwhile, the camera's portrait modes are a little under-baked, but the selfie camera's autofocus was a nice touch. As you can see, the camera experience has its ups and downs.

Still, you can't deny the versatility of the dual displays at this price point. At the same time, it isn't easy to justify a need for it. In other words, not everyone will need or even use the Dual Screen. There are certainly some great use cases for it and we're sure that certain industries can take advantage of its multi-tasking abilities, but it ain't a true alternative to the Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate XS.

For what it's worth, we like the V60. It's one of the more practical flagships in that it keeps its feature list down to the more essential things like a huge display, lengthy battery life, wireless charging, and even manages to keep the 3.5mm headphone interface.

The choice is certainly a no brainer for an audiophile - who would happily get lost in all the tweaks and audio modes that the V60 has to offer. Paired with the large display and the great battery life makes it a great phone for content consumption on the go.

Pros:

• Large display and loud speakers are great for content consumption
• Durable body with IP68 and MIL-STD-810G compliance
• Top-of-the-line Snapdragon 865 with 5G support
• Excellent battery life
• 3.5mm headphone jack with Quad DAC
• Unique Dual Screen experience
• Great still images and good-looking selfies

Cons:

• Display lacks a high refresh rate or QHD resolution
• No dedicated telephoto camera
• No fast(er) charging