LG V60 5G ThinQ - Review 2022 - Schroeder Feroffaces

As flagship smartphones continue to cross the m-dollar mark, LG is bucking the trend with its new V60 5G ThinQ. Starting at $799, the V60 looks lovely, boasts top-of-the-line specs, and has a battery that volition hands become you through the day. But while information technology costs considerably less than our Editors' Selection, the $1,200 Samsung Galaxy S20+, the V60 isn't as practiced of a bet over the long haul as information technology lacks multi-band 5G on AT&T and T-Mobile, limiting it to slower sub-6GHz networks. So while the V60 is a solid purchase right at present, information technology's not going to age gracefully as 5G coverage expands.

Editors' Annotation: This review was first published on March 31, 2022. It was updated on April 3, 2022 with additional 5G testing on Verizon'south network.

Design, Display, and Immovability

Over the by several years, LG's Five series has fallen into an aesthetic oestrus. Fortunately, the V60 breathes fresh life into the lineup with a large, bold redesign that will definitely turn heads.

Man typing on LG V60 5G ThinQ.

While it's boxier than the V50, the V60's relatively tall, narrow brandish and curved dorsum assistance give it remainder. The handset measures 6.67 by iii.06 past 0.35 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.54 ounces. It'southward available in blue or white, both with an aluminum frame for a hit contrast.

The front of the telephone is dominated by a vi.8-inch brandish with a teardrop notch for the camera. The six.8-inch OLED panel features ii,460-by-one,080 resolution, for a density of 395 pixels per inch. While that's lower-res than many other flagships, information technology still looks enough crisp, colour accuracy is spot-on, and it'south is brilliant enough to see under direct light.

The V60 features an in-brandish optical fingerprint sensor, but it isn't very good. In testing information technology just worked about sixty percent of the fourth dimension, and that's with clean, dry hands.

On the dorsum you lot'll notice a vertical camera stack at the acme, along with LG and V60 branding. The superlative border is domicile to the hybrid SIM slot, and the speakers are on the lesser, along with a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the left yous'll find the volume and Google Banana buttons, while the ability button sits on the right.

The V60's display is fabricated of Gorilla Glass 5, while its dorsum console is Gorilla Glass vi. And with an IP68 rating, yous don't take to worry about accidental spills. Merely the phone isn't officially ruggedized, so information technology'south nevertheless a practiced idea to put it in a case.

Second Display Example

Concluding year, LG introduced an culling to folding displays in the form of a Second Display Instance. Simply snap the V60 into the 2d Display Case and you have admission to a second 6.viii-inch OLED display. If you lot're on AT&T or Verizon, the case automatically comes bundled with the V60. T-Mobile customers accept the selection to choose betwixt an $899 bundle with the case or pay $799 for the telephone on its own.

The actress screen lets you more easily multitask and motility apps between panels. You tin can also use one of the displays every bit a dedicated keyboard or gamepad controller. There'due south even a Wide View feature to extend a growing number of apps (including all of Google's consumer apps) across both screens.

Man holding LG V60 5G ThinQ with Second Display Case.

The 2nd Display Example is great in theory, only after using it on the V60 and the G8X, it's difficult to encounter its utility. Information technology makes the phone much bulkier, and seriously takes a toll on battery life. And if you're annoyed with the crease in folding phones, it'due south a nigh guarantee you'll never get used to seeing a giant bezel in the heart of apps in Wide View mode.

Audio, Call, and Network Quality

The V60 works on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, but every bit mentioned, information technology merely supports sub-6GHz and AT&T and T-Mobile.

Bottom of LG V60 5G ThinQ.

We tested the phone in Brooklyn on AT&T's network and noted mediocre results, with averages of 23.6Mbps downward and 12.2Mbps up. We were unable to test AT&T'due south depression-band 5G network, simply tested Verizon's ultra-wide band version of the phone.

Verizon's 5G coverage was impressive, simply spotty, in Downtown Brooklyn. We tested the phone in more than a dozen locations over a 10-block radius, and speeds varied greatly from one cake to the next. Top speeds came in at 831.4Mbps down and 236.6Mbps upwardly, while average speeds speeds clocked in at 469.8Mbps down and 121.2Mbps upward.

Call quality is superb. Nosotros made near a dozen test calls and all were crystal clear, with excellent noise cancellation. Earpiece book peaks at 88dB, which is loud enough to hear in all but the noisiest environments.

The V60 is too one of the few remaining flagships that features a three.5mm headphone jack, not to mention a 32-chip Hi-Fi DAC. This is a big sell for audiophiles, letting you lot connect loftier-end headphones and stream loftier-resolution audio from services like Tidal. And in addition to first-class stereo speakers that reach a peak volume of 92dB, the telephone uses AI to classify audio and optimize playback. The effect is balanced and bright sound with a hint of bass at every volume. And if you lot prefer to go wireless, Bluetooth 5.one is available for sound and wearable connectivity, as is NFC for mobile payments.

Cameras

Compared with flagships similar the Google Pixel 4 XL and the Samsung Galaxy S20, the LG V60'south camera setup is pretty unimpressive. The primary lens clocks in at 64MP and has an f/1.8 aperture. There's also a 13MP sensor with an f/1.nine aperture, and a time-of-flight (TOF) camera for depth mapping. On the front, you'll discover a 10MP shooter with an f/ane.9 aperture.

The primary lens supports 4-past-four pixel binning to create precipitous 16MP shots. There'southward also up to 10x crop zoom, improvements to dark mode, and a new 3D Tilting Photo way that allows you to take the 3D shots you often see in your Facebook feed.

Both the primary and wide-angle lenses performed admirably in good low-cal. The majority of our test shots were crisp, with excellent depth of field. We did notice some modest mushy details in a few shots, but they're nearly impossible to spot without close examination—they look fine if you lot don't pixel peep.

LG V60 5G ThinQ rear camera stack

Low-lite shots with the primary lens were also pretty practiced. The majority of our photos were nicely defined, though nosotros did see some drop in particular in very dim light, likely due to dissonance reduction.

The wide-angle lens, on the other hand, doesn't agree upwardly likewise in low light. Several of our test shots show grain from noise, and virtually all are on the soft side. Subject distortion, especially near the edges of your photo, can be an issue too.

For video, the phone supports 8K recording using its master lens. At that place's too an EIS/Steady Record characteristic that creates less blur, and Steadicam-like digital stabilization available at 1080p.

We tested video recording at 8K and 1080p. In 8K clips were well-baked, merely the white rest seemed to be off, and even though the main lens is optically stabilized, we saw the effects of mitt shake. It's just non every bit polish equally the digitally aided 1080p footage.

Only dropping to Hard disk drive resolution isn't a panacea. We still saw some dissonance in the video, and some jumpiness when panning. Colors in our test footage looked a piddling apartment as well. Overall, 1080p recording is acceptable for brusque videos for social media, merely you'll probably be underwhelmed if you employ it for something longer than x to 15 seconds. There are better phones out at that place for YouTubers and influencers.

Specs and Performance

The V60 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor along with 8GB of RAM. It ships with 128GB of UFS ii.1 storage, of which just 96GB is available out of the box due to bloatware and other extraneous apps. Fortunately, yous can add up to 2TB of external storage with a microSD bill of fare.

LG V60 5G ThinQ in white and blue

When it comes to benchmarks, the V60 and the Galaxy S20 each have their own strengths. On PCMark Piece of work ii.0, a suite of tests that emulate everyday usage scenarios, the V60 scored 10,322 compared with the S20'south 12,842, like due to slower storage media and a more than cumbersome UI. On Geekbench 5, a test that measures processor functioning, the V60 earned 917 for single core functioning and 3,407 for multi core, while the S20 scored 910.5 and 3,240. It's worth mentioning the differences are minute and benchmarks are meant to provide an objective measure of evaluation.

When information technology comes to existent-life performance, we tested the V60 with more than a dozen apps open simultaneously and never experienced whatsoever caching or slowdowns. And if yous're a gamer, you'll exist happy to know we were able to play Asphalt viii and PUBG: Mobile without any noticeable lag or skipped frames.

Like the Milky way S20 Ultra, the V60 is powered by a massive 5,000mAh battery. In our bombardment rundown examination, in which we stream HD video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, we got an impressive 11 hours and 58 minutes of rundown time, close to the S20 Ultra'due south 12 hours and 4 minutes. That said, nosotros recollect 5G usage volition take an impact on battery and are evaluating unlike methods to exam its impact.

While the V60's massive battery volition likely go you through a workday without issue, it also supports Quick Accuse four+ with the included adapter, also as wireless charging.

Software

The V60 ships with Android 10 paired with LG'southward UX 9.0 custom peel. Compared with past versions of LG UX, the current iteration is a huge improvement. While there are still extensive customizations from the settings bill of fare to app transitions, it'due south cleaner and looks less dated.

Man holding LG V60 5G ThinQ while wearing headphones.

That said, LG continues to add together a suite of extraneous productivity apps. To add insult to injury, the AT&T version of the V60 is packed with bloatware. Fortunately, you can uninstall nigh of the apps, but it'due south frustrating to see.

While LG doesn't commit to multi-twelvemonth software updates, information technology's likely the V60 volition at least get an update through the adjacent major iteration. Withal, if you desire fast Bone updates, yous're ameliorate off considering a OnePlus or Pixel phone.

Conclusions

The LG V60 5G ThinQ is a solid flagship that won't break the bank. From its handsome design to its strong functioning, there's a lot to similar. Only its lack of multi-band 5G on every network except Verizon means information technology isn't a great phone for the hereafter. If you're a Verizon client, someone who upgrades your phone every year, or yous just don't care about being on the cut edge of 5G engineering, the V60 is a solid buy. If you don't fit into one of those categories, all the same, we recommend you consider the Milky way S20+ or the upcoming OnePlus 8.