LG V20 review: lots of features, less refinement

Back when LG announced the V20, the company made a big deal out of the fact that itd be the first phone to ship with Android 7 Nougat out of the box. Thats true in most countries, but here in the US, Googles own Pixel phones technically beat it onto store shelves with a newer

Back when LG announced the V20, the company made a big deal out of the fact that it’d be the first phone to ship with Android 7 Nougat out of the box. That’s true in most countries, but here in the US, Google’s own Pixel phones technically beat it onto store shelves with a newer version of Android. So much for that selling point. Sure, the V20 offers Nougat’s headlining features like split-screen multitasking, improved Doze battery management, new emoji, and bolstered security. But LG is making some very strange, poorly thought out decisions with its own Android customizations. The most baffling of those is the launcher, which completely throws away the traditional app drawer and requires you to find a spot (or folder) for every installed app somewhere on the home screen. You can restore the app drawer in settings, but it should be there from the start. This forced approach of trying to make Android feel more like iOS just doesn’t work, and companies like LG and Huawei need to stop doing it.

Elsewhere, LG’s interface changes are mostly inoffensive, but they result in a phone that feels less smooth than the Pixel. Worse still, the carrier bloatware situation is completely out of control on this device. There are over a dozen AT&T apps on my review unit, and apparently Sprint’s version of the V20 ships without some of LG’s own software. Verizon also strips out certain settings. The fact that this phone’s user experience can vary to such an unpredictable degree based on where you buy it is really, really unfortunate. Even the prices don’t make sense. How can Verizon sell this phone for $672 while AT&T wants $829?

The V20 is great for creating, but just okay as a phone

The V20 is able to run Android’s best apps and games without any hiccups, but it’s everywhere else that things get weird. As for battery life, it falls short of other phablets like the Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus, but if you’re eyeing this phone, you’ll probably have no problem carrying a spare battery in your pocket. In that case, sure, swapping batteries will get you way longer endurance than pretty much any other phone except for maybe the Moto Z Play. There's no wireless charging, but because it supports Quick Charge 3.0, the V20 refills very quickly when plugged in.

The LG V20 just doesn’t hit the mark for me. I’m a big fan of its audio recording capabilities, but after more than a week with the phone, that and the wide angle camera remain my favorite things about it — and there’s not much else. I’ve been using a Pixel XL alongside this and LG’s effort just doesn’t match up. Google's first phone reminds us of the wonderful complete package that's possible from a company with unified control over everything. The V20 can't do that, so instead it tries to appeal to power users with specialized hardware and, yes, some lingering gimmicks. I think it's possible for LG to pull that off with focus, precision, and a rethinking of software. This phone isn't that, but if those niche functions it does well fit your needs, there's not anything else quite like it.

Photography by Chris Welch.

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