LG’s smartphone business spent most of last year struggling to turn a profit. LG is now getting out in front with its third dual-screen smartphone. The trick to LG’s approach, if you’re unfamiliar, is the second display is part of a case that can be separated from the main phone whenever you don’t want the added weight or bulk.
The V60 ThinQ 5G upgrades the internals with Qualcomm’s latest processor, 5G data, an improved camera capable of 8K video, and more. And yes, it still includes the hi-fi headphone jack that’s become a hallmark of LG phones.
The design has a 6.8-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) OLED panel. The screen has a small notch, but it’s surrounded by fairly sizable bezels. And around back, the camera bump has returned after LG managed to keep everything flush in last year’s flagships. There’s still a dedicated Google Assistant shortcut key on the V60 as well. Everything still looks and feels very much like a V-series phone, and I do quite like the “classy blue” and “classy white” finishes. A bolder third option would’ve been nice. LG has given the V60 chamfered aluminum edges with a matte finish, and the divide actually comes right across the USB-C port, which looks a bit peculiar but still feels fine in your hand.
The V60 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset and supports 5G connectivity. On most carriers, it’s optimized for Sub-6 5G networks, but there’ll be a model that’s designed for ultra-fast millimeter-wave data speeds. You get 128GB of built-in storage with optional microSD expansion and 8GB of RAM. There’s also Wi-Fi 6 on board, and LG says the V60’s 5,000mAh battery lets it last 30 percent longer than the G8x did.
The second screen is a perfect match for the primary one. It’s the same size and resolution. You can position its hinge however you want, turning the V60 into a mini laptop of sorts. Previously, only LG’s own apps could utilize both screens at the same time. But with the V60, LG has managed to get Google’s apps Google Photos, Google Maps, YouTube, etc. working in the “wide view” mode that spans both displays at once. When the phone is held vertically, this feels a bit silly since the apps literally just stretch across two displays with a big divide in the middle. But switching to landscape lets you use one display as a full-screen keyboard.
The V60’s Dual Screen setup is still best suited for multitasking with different apps on each one. You can watch videos on one screen while messaging or scrolling Instagram on the other. And when playing games, you can use the additional display as a gamepad and customize where all the buttons go. LG hasn’t managed to solve all of its Dual Screen quirks, though. The second screen still gets its own launcher and home screen, which can get annoying to manage on top of the ones on the regular phone. The Dual Screen case still has the small outer display that’ll show you the time and notifications.
The most notable change is a reduction in the number of cameras: The V60 only has three, a 10-megapixel front-facer, a 13-megapixel rear ultra-wide with a 117-degree field of view, and the 64-megapixel main wide sensor. That last one will almost certainly see the most use, but not exactly for the reasons you’d think. Yes, it seems to take crisp, detailed photos with solid color reproduction under the right conditions.
LG has added a handful of new camera features here to help sweeten the deal it’s just too bad they didn’t seem to work very well. Consider video: The V60 can capture 8K footage at 24FPS. There’s a new feature called “voice bokeh” that can adjust the audio as it’s being recorded to emphasize voices, and the fun ASMR mode from the G8x is back again. In manual video mode, you can set the V60 to record in HDR10+ for more vibrant colors.
The V60 ThinQ 5G has flagship specs in a somewhat uninspired design, but until Microsoft’s Surface Duo arrives this fall, there aren’t many phones that can give you this dual-screen trick. Foldables seem far more futuristic, but they’re also more fragile and you can detach this second display whenever you want and stick to the traditional slab.
LG has said it hopes to make its mobile business profitable by 2021 through “wow factor.” Is this supposed to be that? Or is the wow still to come from an eventual G9?
Pricing and availability for the V60 will be announced soon by wireless carriers. It will be released this spring. The G8x sells for an appealing $699 Dual Screen case included, so if LG can manage to undercut Samsung by a good amount, that can only help the V60’s cause.
