thoughts on the V20?

[Baby_Doc]

I did some thinking about that and you know what it doesn't matter. We can still get our 4000mAh battery via third party vendors. They make higher capacity slim batteries already for the V10 that give you 3900mAh or so and is the same size as the stock battery. Give it a few weeks and we can get our removable 4000mAh batteries without having to add extra bulk to the phone. Win win!

There is no way to build a 4000 mah battery that is the same size as the 3200 mah battery. I have bought a few so called same size extended batteries for my N3, which coinsidentally has a 3200 mah battery. They claimed a larger capacity but didn't deliver. I weighed the batteries and they weighed exactly the same as the original, so to expect more performance from the same size/weight extended battery with the same amount of lithium is a pipe dream. The only difference with these so called same size extended batteries were the exaggerated mah printed on them.

 

[Mike Dee]

Looks like an antenna band

That's what I was thinking

 

[icu]

I'm not making a call until release date and pricing but willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until then.

I'm with you. To me there's nothing in the specs and basic design that kill this think out of the gate and there's enough unique hardware/software features that could end up being pretty dang great. Price will be a BIG factor when comparing it to other options and we need in-depth reviews. I think there is enough different and potentially exciting about this phone to deserve wide interest even though on the surface it appears to be going for a niche market. However, let's not forget that the Note line is going after a niche market focussing on productivity while the V series is clearly focussed on audio/video fidelity and options.

Do we know of have a suspicion as to whether or not the bootloader will be locked? This to me is a major downside to the Samsung offerings as I don't think I'd feel confident relying on LG and/or carriers to keep this phone supported long-term.

 

[Mike Dee]

I don't think I do have to see it in person. I also don't understand why LG went with a content creation theme with this phone. It seems like they put a lot of effort into audio controls for recorded videos that will almost never be used and the wide angle lens for the main camera doesn't seem useful since it chops the megapixels in half and the picture quality doesn't seem to be as good. I feel like LG doesn't really understand what most people want in a phone.

I have yet to hear anyone complain about the quality of the photos taken with the wide angle camera on the G5.

 

[RaRa85]

What do we have here?

So after the V20 announcement I was a little disappointed with the 3200mAh battery but I'll be forgiving for the fact that it's removable and they still offer it and it's a slight increase over the V10. The V10 still has the most unique design out of the G5 and V20 but the V20 offers some refinements in terms of size which is appreciated by me. It seems very sleek and polished. Overall it seems that the V10 and G5 had a baby and the V20 got all the looks with an upgrade from the G5 and all the heart and talent of the V10 but even better. I think the V20 will be insane and I love love love the fact that they have the new audio recorder built right in. Focus peaking in manual as well is a nice bonus. New controls for audio capture in video. I'm all in. I just need the details now.

 

[Mooncatt]

and the wide angle lens for the main camera doesn't seem useful since it chops the megapixels in half and the picture quality doesn't seem to be as good.

Unless you're planning to print 8x10 or larger, 8mp is fine. For viewing on a computer or smaller phone displays, you wouldn't even notice. I actually resize my photos down to roughly 3.1mp for uploads to FB to keep them looking nice and sharp with their compression algorithm.

The only benefit of more pixels would be for cropping and keeping some detail, but I don't see many people doing this. Even less for those that do, and then print at large enough sizes to make it noticeable.

 

[AllenRulz]

Two things that concern me.

1. Is bootloop going to be a problem again

2. Is the whole DAC going to hinder battery life.

 

[natehoy]

The back popping off is absorbing some of the impact though.

Having the battery pop out also has some other potential benefits. If it ends up in water, the removal of the electric source means there is far less chance of damage to the electronics. Just take it home, put it in rice for a day or two, and you should be good to go.

Of course, the back panel coming off means that a light rain which might otherwise not get inside would have an easy path in, so there are plusses and minuses to that.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Having the battery pop out also has some other potential benefits. If it ends up in water, the removal of the electric source means there is far less chance of damage to the electronics. Just take it home, put it in rice for a day or two, and you should be good to go.

Of course, the back panel coming off means that a light rain which might otherwise not get inside would have an easy path in, so there are plusses and minuses to that.

Solid point, but putting it in rice is not the right thing to do.

 

[Mooncatt]

I don't think DAC would hurt battery life much, and doubt it would have any impact when not actually listening to sound through the aux port. They've hyped that feature, but I'm not sure if it also applies to the built in speaker.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Two things that concern me.

1. Is bootloop going to be a problem again

2. Is the whole DAC going to hinder battery life.

1. Who knows. Seems their last three phones have had this problem. I was hoping that the G5 would solve this problem, but I guess people are starting to have issues with it as well. We could hope/assume that the board design is different in the V20 than the G5 and say that maybe they solved the problems this time around.

2. I thought I read somewhere that they are only using the full "quad-DAC" setup with high-res music or are making it a toggle or something like that. I can't search for it right now, but I do think they had some sort of "battery saver" solution.

 

[natehoy]

Solid point, but putting it in rice is not the right thing to do.

What is the updated recommendation for drying out a wet phone? Last I knew it was rice, but...

 

[Markxmlx]

I think everything except for the battery looks great. Wish I had manual video on my phone.

 

[VitaminA]

I'm with the "interested until seeing it in person convinces me otherwise" group. I was a happy G3 owner until I ran into the "fade to black" screen issue. That folded-up-paper solution only lasted so long. Not sure LG's QC record leaves me with much confidence, but I'll still check it out.

 

[AllenRulz]

1. Who knows. Seems their last three phones have had this problem. I was hoping that the G5 would solve this problem, but I guess people are starting to have issues with it as well. We could hope/assume that the board design is different in the V20 than the G5 and say that maybe they solved the problems this time around.

2. I thought I read somewhere that they are only using the full "quad-DAC" setup with high-res music or are making it a toggle or something like that. I can't search for it right now, but I do think they had some sort of "battery saver" solution.

Thanks for the input. If I dont end up with the Pixel XL (I'm a Nexus guy) I will be getting the V20 but would wait to pick it up to make sure no problems with it. Hopefully it's addressed from LG because they have only EVER said something about the G4 and that's it.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

What is the updated recommendation for drying out a wet phone? Last I knew it was rice, but...

From http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...ow-s/477140-guide-oh-no-my-phone-got-wet.html

Actually, it's too much to paste here. I recommend reading that guide.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Thanks for the input. If I dont end up with the Pixel XL (I'm a Nexus guy) I will be getting the V20 but would wait to pick it up to make sure no problems with it. Hopefully it's addressed from LG because they have only EVER said something about the G4 and that's it.

I am also a Nexus guy, followed by a Samsung guy (mostly because they do the things I care about most the best). I've been using the 6p on one line since it came out last year. That's the longest I've kept using a Nexus phone ever. Chalk it up to them doing a lot of things right.

I really want to like the V20 because of the audio stuff (yes, I'm one of THOSE guys). I just need the camera to be fast and the display to be mostly accurate.

 

[Baby_Doc]

Until I see the display in person, I am reserving judgement. I have a N3 with an Amoled display that doesn't have the resolution of the V20, but a deal breaker would be the V20 has less brightness or contrast than my old phone .

I can live with a 3200 mah battery as long as I get an extended battery, should I need one. (I have a 6400.mah Anker battery in my N3).

This phone needs to be priced under $800. While I am audiophile, I don't particularly care if it has high end sound. I don't carry head phones around, so I wouldn't appreciate it. So if LG believes this unique feature is enough to charge premium phone prices, this feature won't do it for me, any more than the Iris scanner on the N7. Both features, for me, aren't important to me enough to drive up pricing.

 

[Johnston212]

Re: What do we have here?

So after the V20 announcement I was a little disappointed with the 3200mAh battery but I'll be forgiving for the fact that it's removable and they still offer it and it's a slight increase over the V10. The V10 still has the most unique design out of the G5 and V20 but the V20 offers some refinements in terms of size which is appreciated by me. It seems very sleek and polished. Overall it seems that the V10 and G5 had a baby and the V20 got all the looks with an upgrade from the G5 and all the heart and talent of the V10 but even better. I think the V20 will be insane and I love love love the fact that they have the new audio recorder built right in. Focus peaking in manual as well is a nice bonus. New controls for audio capture in video. I'm all in. I just need the details now.

Honestly, battery doesn't phase me. I actually get pretty good battery life on my V10. The overall design isn't great. I'm not the biggest fan of modern "sleek". I define sleek more colorfully than the designers. I think they confuse sleek with sterile. I just don't see the appeal of shades of metal slab. Side buttons are also a bad idea, but I have grown accustomed to choosing things based more off of minimal negatives rather than numerous positives.

I hate to say it, but between the design changes and the hardware issues that I am having with the V10, I will probably be looking at the Note 7 next. Not happy about that in the slightest, especially with the incredibly stupid fingerprint reader design they have, but I already knew their designs were meh.

 

[AllenRulz]

I am also a Nexus guy, followed by a Samsung guy (mostly because they do the things I care about most the best). I've been using the 6p on one line since it came out last year. That's the longest I've kept using a Nexus phone ever. Chalk it up to them doing a lot of things right.

I really want to like the V20 because of the audio stuff (yes, I'm one of THOSE guys). I just need the camera to be fast and the display to be mostly accurate.

Yeah you seriously can never go wrong with a Nexus. It has served me perfectly. But now its time for a different phone because my original Nexus 5 just doesn't last a day anymore. So im ready for either Pixel XL or V20.