LG Smartphone V10 Hands On

The robust designed LG V10 gives users more camera control with manual modes for both photos and video, a fingerprint sensor, two front-facing cameras for wider selfie shots, expandable memory and a removable battery.

The handset is pricey, its secondary display doesn't offer any essential necessities and its manual camera features require some time to learn.

The feature-packed V10 is LG's best smartphone yet -- just be prepared to pay a premium for its selfie- and photo-friendly extras.
As the inaugural device for the company's V-series, the V10 is packed with nearly all of the luxuries found in high-end flagships and then some. It has a fingerprint reader, two front-facing cameras, two displays, tons of photo tools and more. It also has what lots of top-tier phones don't have: A removable battery and expandable memory.

LG gives itself space to experiment with its handsets. Unlike its marquee phone, the G4, the V10 isn't meant for a wide audience. Rather, it's a premium device with features that appeal to a niche group of people -- say, budding cinematographers who will readily use V10's manual video controls.

 

For the average smartphone user, however, the V10's goodies verge on gimmicky and could easily be left unused. Especially because all of the handset's premium hardware comes a high price tag. Though UK and Australia pricing haven't been announced, the phone is going for about $600-$700 in the US without a contract (depending on the carrier).

That converts to about £390-460 and AU$835-975. If you find the secondary display useful and photo features compelling, the V10 is an excellent phone, and it doesn't cost as much as the other high-end, large-screen dual-display Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. But if you're like me and don't absolutely need all the V10's bells and whistles, there are cheaper flagships available, such as the Motorola Moto X Pure Edition, the Google Nexus 6P and even LG's own G4, which has similar core features as the V10, but cost about $100 less.

Availability & Price:

In the US, the V10 will be available on T-Mobile starting October 28 for $600 without a contract. However, you can pay with $25 monthly payments over 25 months as well. On November 6, AT&T customers will be able to purchase the device for $700 with no contract, or $250 with a two-year agreement.

Verizon will also sell the handset, though no pricing or date have been released yet. For a price tag of $819 available at Amazon with Free Shipment Outside the US, LG plans to launch the phone in Asia including China, Latin America and the Middle East.

Design and Features:

• 6.3 by 3.12 by 0.34 inches (159.6 by 79.36 by 8.6mm)
• 6.77 ounces (192 grams)

The V10 has stainless steel rails running down its left and right edges and metallic accents around the camera and front-facing audio grille, making it one of the most premium-looking handsets LG has designed to date. It comes in five colors, and I got my hands on modern beige. This isn't my favorite of the five (the color reminds me of hospital walls), but the device's overall aesthetic is pleasing. The phone feels pretty weighty in the hand, but it actually looks like it would be heavier than it really feels.

Given its big-screen size, not everyone's going to dig the V10. It didn't fit comfortably in my front jean pockets (or back pocket, while we're at it) and unless you have a large enough grip, maneuvering it with one hand will be difficult. (To help out with this problem though, LG has "Mini View," which shrinks and pushes the screen's interface to the bottom left or right corners). The steel railings on the side curve out, helping with grip, and the textured back plate is made of a lightweight silicone-like material.

LG claims that the steel and the silicone make the phone more durable and shock-absorbent than if it were to use plastic or aluminum. I tossed it into my shoulder bag multiple times a day with my keys, glasses and other knickknacks and the V10 was fine. On its top edges are infrared blasters that work with the QRemote app to turn your device into a remote control.

Down at the bottom are a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Micro-USB port for charging and exchanging data and an audio speaker grill. The back houses a camera that is flanked by its flash and laser auto-focus sensor. Below that are the control buttons, which include the sleep/power button (which doubles as a fingerprint scanner) and the volume rocker.

Displays:

5.7-inch main display with 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution 513 ppi pixel density 2.1-inch secondary display with 160x1,040-pixel resolution 502 pixels per inch 5.7-inch display. Featuring a 1,440p resolution, the screen is sharp and vibrant. Images and text are crisp and clear, colors are vivid and deep.

I had no problems viewing the bright display outdoors in direct sunlight. It has a wide viewing angle, so it doesn't wash out when viewing it from off-angles, and it's sensitive and responsive to touch control. However, it's the second display that makes the handset unique. This narrow strip is customizable and has six shortcut menus to swipe through. The first is a general greeting where you can write your name or a personal message. The second strip holds five of your recent apps. Next are five of your favorite apps that you can choose and arrange. Following that is the music player controls with back, pause, play, buttons.

The next swipe brings up five of your favorite contacts. Tap on a contact and icons pop up to either call or text them. The last page is for your calendar, which displays any upcoming events. The display isn't, as rumors speculated previously, a scrolling ticker for notifications. Notifications do pop up on this narrow strip once they come in, but after that, you can check if you have any missed calls or text messages in the same location as they're usually located -- to the left of the time (which is below the secondary display), or in the pull-down Notifications shade.

When the phone's main display is off, the second display can stay on and continuously show the time, date, battery status and a small icon for the current weather. The controls seen on its curved edge display hide away when not in use, and you can move it to either the left or right edges. And when it tucks away, the size of the main screen has more real estate as well. Though the immobility of the V10's secondary display isn't a deal breaker, the S6 Edge+ provided users with a few more options.

Software & other features:

• Google Android 5.1.1 Lollipop mobile operating system
• LG's custom user interface, UX 4.0
• LG apps include LG Health and QuickMemo+
• Rear fingerprint sensor

Since the G3 smartphone launched in summer 2014, people have been anticipating LG integrating a fingerprint reader into one of its premium handsets. But as Apple and Samsung continued to add the feature to iPhones and Galaxy devices, LG had yet to add fingerprint recognition. Folded into the rear power button, the sensor can scan up to four fingerprints.

Users can use the sensor to unlock the lock screen as well as access hidden notes written in the QuickMemo+ app and pictures locked away in the photo gallery. It can also be used as a security measure for payments on Android Pay. The feature is easy to set up and fingerprint recognition is quick. I barely had to wait a beat before my fingerprint registered and unlocked content.

 

The device runs Android 5.1 Lollipop OS. Currently, the latest Android OS is 6.0 Marshmallow, which only couple of handsets run at this point -- like the Google Nexus 5X and 6P. The update includes Now On Tap, an expansion of Google's digital voice and search assistant, a battery-saving feature called Doze, more user control over app permissions and the digital payment service Android Pay, which works with the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard.

LG has confirmed that the V10 will get the Marshmallow update within six months of its launch. Until then, you'll have to miss out on some of its features. However, given that the phone has NFC built-in, you can download Android Pay from the Play Store and use its services. And because it is possible authorize payments on Android Pay with a fingerprint, the device's fingerprint sensor will also come in handy. As for the handset's included apps, keep in mind that the review unit I reviewed is for the Korean market and includes tons of Korean-language apps.

Depending on your carrier, you'll get different preloaded apps. You'll also get apps from Google, such as Gmail, the Chrome Web browser, Maps, Google Now (which is also launch-able by sliding upwards from the center home soft-key), the Play Store and more. LG threw in lots of its own signature software features as well.

LG Smart Bulletin dedicates an entire home screen page to widgets of certain apps, including the music player, your Calendar, the LG Health fitness tracker and more. QuickMemo+ is a notes app that you use to jot down notes or doodles. Dual Window (which is nestled in Settings) splits your screen in two so you can use two apps simultaneously. LG's staple KnockOn and Knock-code features enable you to wake up or unlock the device with various tapping gestures while the display is asleep.

Cameras and video:

• 16-megapixel rear-facing camera
• Two 5-megapixel front-facing cameras
• Can record 2,160p (rear) and 1,080p video (front)
• Camera features include multi-view and Snap

I shot in Auto mode and images looked sharp with true-to-life colors and even lighting. Touch focusing was fast and I was particularly impressed with night-time shooting. Even with the low light, the camera was able to capture images clearly, though there was some expected amount of grain and digital noise. For more about photo quality, check out the pictures below. And be sure to click on each image to see them at their full resolutions.

Video quality was also excellent. Both moving and still objects were sharp and nearby and distant audio recorded well. The camera adjusted quickly to different focus lengths and lighting situations and colors were accurate. If you're a photo enthusiasts and/or a budding cinematographer, LG has packed the phone with tons of photo and video features, with manual modes for each (which is a rarity when it comes to video for any mobile manufacturer). As someone who has a casual interest in photography, these tools still took time to learn and navigate through.

For the camera, you can save photos in the standard JPEG format, or in the uncompressed raw format and shoot in three different aspect ratios: 16:9, 4:3 or 1:1. There are also on-screen controls for sharing a photo or video that appear just after you capture a picture or video. Manual video mode has the same aforementioned meters, as well as an extra setting to adjust audio.

You can control what direction (the front or back of the V10) that you want to record your audio from, adjust the decibel levels of the audio, and turn on or off the filter that reduces wind noise. In addition, there's also a sound level meter that's displayed on the upper left corner. The camera has optical image stabilization, which reduces blur in the case of an unsteady hand, and can record videos at one, two, 24 or 30 frames per second.

You can adjust video quality by choosing a low, medium or high bitrate level. If you want to shoot photos casually without digging through manual options, there's also a simplified auto mode. Here you can turn on high range and panoramic shooting and record slow-mo and time-lapse videos.

There's also a multi-view option that creates photo or video collages using up to three cameras (there's the rear camera, and either one or both front-facing cameras). If you're a director-in-the-making or want more control over your images and videos, you'll definitely get more use from the V10's camera. But for everyone else, the V10 can be overkill. For those who are satisfied with the standard camera phone features, you'll probably rarely use these manual modes and likely be in Auto mode most of the time -- especially for those times when you just need to pull out your camera phone for a quick snap.

Two front-facing cameras:

This device is unique because it has two front-facing cameras. One includes the standard 80-degree angle lens, while the other has a 120-degree wide-angle lens, which captures more space within a frame. This is beneficial when you want to include more people or background space in your selfies. Though I don't take a lot of selfies, I'm a "groupie"-taker with my friends from time to time. Having a wider front lens means I didn't have to try as hard to fit more people in my photo and when I'm alone, I was able to capture more of the scenic environment in back of me.

Switching between the two cameras is easy (just tap the icon with either one or three heads) and it only takes about a second for the handset to make the change. When shooting with the wide-angle lens, however, you'll see some distortion with line curvatures, especially near the edges of the frame. This is a usual occurrence with when shooting with some wide-angle lenses.

   

Photo quality for the front-facing camera was decent. As a 5-megapixel camera it isn't as sharp as the rear shooter, but objects are still clear and focused. And it does come with a "beauty meter" that softens the appearance of objects and faces. You can also turn on and off the option to vertically flip your photos.

If you choose to flip it, your photos appear like a mirror image (like mine above), the way you're used to seeing your own face, reflected. The wide-angle lens also worked well, and unlike the ZTE Grand X Max+, which has an 88-degree wide-angle front-facing lens, the V10 captured even more content into my pictures.

Hardware performance:

• 1.8GHz six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor
• 64GB of internal storage (with up to 2TB of expandable memory)
• 4GB of RAM
• Removable 3,000mAh battery

The phone's six-core processor can power daily and necessary tasks without any lag or stutter. Launching apps, calling up the keyboard and returning to the home page are done quickly and nearly instantaneous (for instance, it only takes a mere 1.16 seconds to open the camera app). Powering off and restarting the device takes about 30 seconds. Other tasks like unlocking the lock screen with a fingerprint and playing graphics-intensive games were executed nimbly as well. And for the latter, images and graphics were rendered crisp and smoothly with high frame rates.