Convince me to buy or talk me out of buying this phone

[Mike Dee]

Go to Best Buy and get a Moto G5 Plus.

The OP didn't list that as one of the phones he was considering, however if you're going to recommend it I would suggest telling him why.

 

[PRW94]

Go to Best Buy and get a Moto G5 Plus.

I was quite interested in the Moto G5 Plus, but the issues it's having on VZW network with call quality ... there's a jillion pages about it at the Lenovo forums ... scared me off.

Like I said, I'm on a Verizon MVNO, Selectel. As soon as I get a new phone, I'm going to port to another Verizon MVNO, Boom, which is offering VoLTE.

I've thought very heavily about switching to a GSM MVNO, which would make it a lot easier to get/swap phones, and would open the door for unlocked phones, but VZW network is still supreme where I'm at, plus AT&T, my other option, T-Mobile around here is about equivalent to two cans and a string, is being jerks about VoLTE for non-branded phones.

 

[quadtronix]

I couldn't give this phone a higher recommendation!!! Granted I don't use the camera much, but it gets the job done and I am no audiophile so the quad DAC is probably wasted on my cheap earphones but the second screen is indespensible, and the combo of Nougat and Snapdragon 820 screams!!! At least for my use cases which do include light gaming now and then, like Nova Legacy, which plays nice and smooth, and various other tasks throughout the day... I highly recommend this phone!!!

 

[PRW94]

FYI, I actually got my hands on one of these phones at the local Verizon store. Was impressed. Funny thing, it fit perfectly into the belt pouch I already use for my M8, LOL!, even though M8 is a half-inch shorter, and I think it still will even with a protective case on it. Liked the feel of it more than the similarly sized iPhone 7 Plus which was next to it.

 

[RaRa85]

I'm back and here's why I recommend the V20. The build quality is top notch. The metal feel in the hand is incredible yet slippery which is why I suggest getting a skin which I prefer over any case. But still its a nice feel. The size is great and screen is still big enough for using the dual app multitasking feature built into Nougat.
The V20 is fast and responsive. Haven't pushed any intensive games on it personally but it handles everything I throw at it with no problems.
The camera is a beast. Its kind of inconsistent in tricky situations in auto mode but for everything else its more than acceptable. The wide angle is so much fun to play with. Here's a few unedited samples. If you're not familiar with manual settings nust play around with them and check the forums as there are many talented mobile photographers there. You will get your best results when you take control and for me that's just more fun especially when I have the time. Avoid using the overhyped Steady Record feature as the regular OIS does a better job in almost every scenario anyway when recording video.
The sound quality, whether you take full advantage of it or not, is unbeatable on all but maybe one phone available and none of them are the popular flagship available today. The QuadDAC is just a beautiful experience. Instead of choosing one or the other I recommend getting some decent over the ear headphones that can be used over Bluetooth and wired connection. Also the hifi recording app is so underrated but absolutely more than a gimmick. Removable battery and IR blaster. Two dying features that are not only fun to use but are still very much useful. You can always buy a spare battery and charging cradle and have a 100% charged battery for when you need it amd depending on what you're doing, you will. The battery life is not terrible by any means but its another one of those inconsistencies where sometimes you won't belive how much use you get out of a charge and other days the battery's dead after maybe 3-4 hours. I just got the Hyperion 6400mAh battery pack with soft touch back cover and that immediately takes battery anxiety out of the equation.
The V20 is also durable and the way it pops apart is a little scary when you see it until you realize how unscathed the parts are after putting things back together. I love that LG designed it to be this way. Also the QHD screen is just gorgeous and as long as you're not standing side by side with a super AMOLED screen, it will be everything you want it to be.(OLED is still the most mesmerizing IMO)
The V20 is all around one of the best phones available today. Still does things and has features that the iPhone 7 and soon to be 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel and other competing phones don't have. If you absolutely need wireless charging and waterproofing, that may be the one Achilles heel but that's not a problem for me.

 

[flyingkytez]

I hate these kinds of post. I'm like buy it or don't, I don't care!!

People want recommendations before they shell out couple hundred dollars. Wish someone had told me the pros and cons about the S8 Plus, would've save money and time. Plus some people plan to keep their phones for 2 years at least, don't wanna be stuck with a phone they don't like. I'm always reading reviews on things before I buy it.

 

[flyingkytez]

It will blow the M8 camera out of the water. You will be very happy with it. I'd say go ahead and buy the V20. It is a really great device. Only reason I traded it for an S8+ is because I'm a freak and get a new phone every 6 months because I love trying out different phones.

S8+ is a great phone no doubt.

 

[flyingkytez]

I'm back and here's why I recommend the V20. The build quality is top notch. The metal feel in the hand is incredible yet slippery which is why I suggest getting a skin which I prefer over any case. But still its a nice feel. The size is great and screen is still big enough for using the dual app multitasking feature built into Nougat.
The V20 is fast and responsive. Haven't pushed any intensive games on it personally but it handles everything I throw at it with no problems.
The camera is a beast. Its kind of inconsistent in tricky situations in auto mode but for everything else its more than acceptable. The wide angle is so much fun to play with. Here's a few unedited samples. If you're not familiar with manual settings nust play around with them and check the forums as there are many talented mobile photographers there. You will get your best results when you take control and for me that's just more fun especially when I have the time. Avoid using the overhyped Steady Record feature as the regular OIS does a better job in almost every scenario anyway when recording video.
The sound quality, whether you take full advantage of it or not, is unbeatable on all but maybe one phone available and none of them are the popular flagship available today. The QuadDAC is just a beautiful experience. Instead of choosing one or the other I recommend getting some decent over the ear headphones that can be used over Bluetooth and wired connection. Also the hifi recording app is so underrated but absolutely more than a gimmick. Removable battery and IR blaster. Two dying features that are not only fun to use but are still very much useful. You can always buy a spare battery and charging cradle and have a 100% charged battery for when you need it amd depending on what you're doing, you will. The battery life is not terrible by any means but its another one of those inconsistencies where sometimes you won't belive how much use you get out of a charge and other days the battery's dead after maybe 3-4 hours. I just got the Hyperion 6400mAh battery pack with soft touch back cover and that immediately takes battery anxiety out of the equation.
The V20 is also durable and the way it pops apart is a little scary when you see it until you realize how unscathed the parts are after putting things back together. I love that LG designed it to be this way. Also the QHD screen is just gorgeous and as long as you're not standing side by side with a super AMOLED screen, it will be everything you want it to be.(OLED is still the most mesmerizing IMO)
The V20 is all around one of the best phones available today. Still does things and has features that the iPhone 7 and soon to be 8, Galaxy S8, Pixel and other competing phones don't have. If you absolutely need wireless charging and waterproofing, that may be the one Achilles heel but that's not a problem for me.//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/d3e5386748fe5de4b34e5d1e1d229052.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/fac8dd437f453f21069d79b8cfccaad9.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/cf14fc85d7357fcfe6ac9bdd5de205ce.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/51350b61b687d734d1456a4e3de4ae4d.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/e5b30f987ab7ad651b3b91249ed779c4.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170605/b46ca9a148b57e9e355c7d5a4d1be8c9.jpg

Wow how do you do that light trail effect? Looks awesome!

 

[Mike Dee]

I hate these kinds of post. I'm like buy it or don't, I don't care!!

If you hate these kind of posts why read them and post?

 

[Mooncatt]

Wow how do you do that light trail effect? Looks awesome!

Behold the power of manual mode.

You need dark ambient light, moving light source(s), and a tripod or other way to stabilize the phone. Set the camera app to manual mode and play around with the shutter speed. By lengthening the shutter time (up to 30 sec on the V20), you can get those kinds of light trails. ISO settings can be used to help balance the overall exposure, but you can't do it in daylight without additional hardware. Even at the lowest ISO setting, you'll still blow everything out with the kinds of shutter time needed for trails. This is some of my favorite kind of photography.

All of these are more or less "as shot." I did do some minor corrections on a few to adjust color and such, but all of these light paintings and trails are from the original shot and not Photoshoped in.

And people say the V20 camera is lacking... Lol.

 

[Mike Dee]

Wow how do you do that light trail effect? Looks awesome!

You've never seen that before?

 

[RaRa85]

Wow how do you do that light trail effect? Looks awesome!

Thanks. I used a tripod for those shots at 3.2 seconds but with steady hands you can pull off streaking tail light shots handheld if there's quick enough motion. Here's a few of my setup handheld straight from the V20. I used the gorrilapod and wrapped the legs around the fence. Use manual focus and a low ISO.

 

[michail71]

As far as the battery life goes I find having an additional Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 charger in my car and office make the battery feel like it's a 6400mAh battery.

 

[Mike Dee]

This phone is amazing for its price point. The build quality is top notch, camera is awesome for a budget phone. For those into custom roms, the bootloader is unlockable. Best $220 I ever spent on a phone. I currently have it as a back up for my s8 Plus. But its so good, I actually switch out my sim to use the G5 plus for a bit.

What phone are you referring to?

 

[sulla1965]

Moto g5 plus

 

[Mike Dee]

Moto g5 plus

Oh....you're in the V20 forum

 

[flyingkytez]

As far as the battery life goes I find having an additional Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 charger in my car and office make the battery feel like it's a 6400mAh battery.

Agreed. Battery performance is actually very good for a phone with 5.7' screen and 3200 mAh battery. Very reliable. QC 3.0 is super fast.

 

[flyingkytez]

Behold the power of manual mode.

You need dark ambient light, moving light source(s), and a tripod or other way to stabilize the phone. Set the camera app to manual mode and play around with the shutter speed. By lengthening the shutter time (up to 30 sec on the V20), you can get those kinds of light trails. ISO settings can be used to help balance the overall exposure, but you can't do it in daylight without additional hardware. Even at the lowest ISO setting, you'll still blow everything out with the kinds of shutter time needed for trails. This is some of my favorite kind of photography.

//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170606/ba30bdfa2d4e85e9b202f61a914c6149.jpg
//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170606/1dafa48679bbc4ab2a2e76523b925b6b.jpg
//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170606/912976033c8cdecd920b7745f50eb0a1.jpg
//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170606/531ab93f659c706a4b450bddcda6e771.jpg

All of these are more or less "as shot." I did do some minor corrections on a few to adjust color and such, but all of these light paintings and trails are from the original shot and not Photoshoped in.

And people say the V20 camera is lacking... Lol.

Wow, thanks for this. I'm going to try it. The V20 isn't a bad camera, you just gotta know how to use it correctly. Sure, colors aren't punchy like the Samsung but you can easily enhance the photo. 16MP is much better for outdoor shots of nature and zooming in you can see more details. I like the camera much more than the S7, the pictures look very fuzzy sometimes due to the 12MP sensor whereas the V20 can capture crisp details when outdoors.

 

[Mooncatt]

Wow, thanks for this. I'm going to try it. The V20 isn't a bad camera, you just gotta know how to use it correctly. Sure, colors aren't punchy like the Samsung but you can easily enhance the photo. 16MP is much better for outdoor shots of nature and zooming in you can see more details. I like the camera much more than the S7, pictures look very fuzzy sometimes due to the 12MP sensor.

RaRa is more into long exposures in general, but I'm more into stuff like this where you more or less "draw" in the image frame. Let me know if you want any tips on that kind of subject.